Published: May 14, 2008 11:34 am         

Mountain Ridge takes down Southern, 12-10

OAKLAND - Mountain Ridge, clinging to a 6-5 lead after five innings, erupted for six runs in the sixth and held off Southern over the final two innings to advance in the Class 1A West Region playoffs.

The ninth-seeded Miners (9-7) will play at top-seeded and defending champion Northern (17-1) in a quarterfinal game today at 3:30. The teams split their regular-season games.

Eighth-seeded Southern finished the year with a 10-8 record.

Tuesday at Southern, both teams had 11 hits, but the Rams committed six errors which helped the Miners to three unearned runs.

Marcus McGinnis hit a three-run homer, Sean Fazenbaker hit two doubles, Jeremy Shingler and Will Clauson had two singles and two RBIs, Josh Neilson hit a two-run single and Cody Hovatter a one-run single for Mountain Ridge.

Reece Duncan and Jake Briley hit three-run homers for Southern. Jason Ashby and Tommie Reams each belted a double and two singles, and Nick Tressler had an RBI single.

In a game of big innings, Mountain Ridge moved its 6-5 lead to 12-5 after its six-run sixth, which a double by Fazenbaker, two-run singles by Clauson and Neilson, and an RBI single by Hovatter.

Southern answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning, the big blow being a three-run homer by Briley, to close to 12-9. Ashby had an RBI single prior to the Briley homer.

In the seventh, Tressler's RBI single got the Rams to within 12-10. Southern had two runners on with two out when Neilson got a fielders choice grounder to end the game.

Neilson pitched all seven innings, struck out four and walked three. Ashby struck out seven and walked three in five innings, and Derek Taylor had three strikeouts in the sixth for Southern.

McGinnis' three-run homer came in the top of the second, helping Mountain Ridge to an early 5-0 lead. Duncan's three-run blast came in a four-run second inning for Southern.