Heart of a champion (08/07/06)

Ray Miller's day would not be tarnished with defeat. The Rockets simply would not allow it.

Just hours after Miller, the former longtime Portland Rockets manager, was honored in front of his home fans, the team he brought back to life 34 years ago was near tournament death. It trailed 8-0 to U.S. Athletic Red of Indianapolis with just three innings to play in a win-or-go-home game for the host team.

The Rockets scored twice in the fifth inning, twice in the sixth and then five times in a stunning seventh in which U.S. Athletic Red couldn't even manage to record an out. Derek Lehrman's bases-clearing, three-run double tied the game, and Portland's own Mitch Waters drove the catcher in for the 9-8 victory.

"We were just having fun," said Rocket manger Randy Miller, adding that several players said Ray's presence earlier in the day had a major effect. "We just put fun into a baseball sense and it became a momentum and a frenzy."

Portland played U.S. Athletic Red again Sunday, riding Korey Heppeard, Ryan Schmidt and Waters to a three-hit shutout in a 3-0 victory which earned them the tournament title and a trip to the AABC regional tournament Thursday in Cincinnati.

Heppeard, Schmidt and Waters were spectacular in shutting down U.S. Athletic Red (23-10) in the tournament's finale.

After working three shutout innings Saturday, Heppeard turned in another 42/3 before handing the ball over to Schmidt with two on and two out in the fifth. Schmidt promptly got out of the inning, then tossed a 1-2-3 sixth to preserve the team's 1-0 lead.

The Rockets tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, and Waters tossed a scoreless seventh for the save.

"Korey Heppeard was a gutsy performer ... we had a game plan and it actually worked," said Miller. "We had three (pitchers) slated for today and they were difference makers."

Portland (27-12) got the only run it would need in the second inning after Nick Millspaugh was hit by a pitch. He moved up to second base on a wild pitch and scored on a Lenny Koesters double, the only extra-base hit of the game.

Waters and Todd Graves posted back-to-back singles to lead off the sixth, and each scored for the 3-0 final margin.

But even with Sunday's championship win, the 2006 tournament will be remembered for Saturday night's comeback.

Needing a run to avoid the mercy rule, Waters singled in the fifth and Adam Childs extended the contest with an RBI double to center field. The Rockets managed one more run on a Koesters sacrifice fly, and tacked on two more in the sixth with singles by Phil Bruns, Waters and Graves.

U.S. Athletic Red left fielder Scott Hamilton nearly came up with an outstanding diving catch on the left field line to open the seventh inning, but the ball popped out of his glove and Schmidt cruised to second with a double. It was all Rockets from there.

Koesters delivered a single to right field, Heath Williams walked to load the bases and Bruns knocked a single to cut the deficit to 8-5. That set the stage for Lehrman, who has been the team's offensive leader all season.

He came through again with a three-run double down the left-field line, Bruns tossed his arms in the air as he slid home with the tying run and the Portland dugout went crazy. Waters followed with a pop-up to shallow right field which neither the first baseman nor right fielder could handle, and Lehrman crossed the plate with the game-winning run.

"I think our whole is greater than the sum of our parts," said Miller. "These are championship people.

"I don't have any more fun than I have doing this."[[In-content Ad]]