For lack of a better descriptor, the Medford Mustangs simply cannot catch a break these days.

Struggling to find some sense of rhythm and be rewarded on the final scoreboard, the reigning American Legion AAA state champions dropped their final two games of the Coach K Memorial Classic on Saturday and Sunday — finishing 1-4 in the five-day event that honors the life and contributions of former Mustangs manager Sandee Kensinger.

One inning sullied Medford’s effort to build off Friday’s win over Humboldt on Saturday when the Fairfield Expos scored six runs in the fourth inning to steal away a 7-4 triumph at Harry & David Field.

At Lithia & Driveway Fields on Sunday, the Salem Withnell Dodgers scored all of their runs in two of the final three innings to slip out of town with a 6-5 victory over Medford, dropping the Mustangs’ season record to 11-9 entering Tuesday’s doubleheader against Klamath Falls at Harry & David Field.

Medford has won only three of its last 10 contests, with the weekend’s affairs only serving to add to the frustrations of coming close but still falling short of victory.

The Mustangs used a little small-ball to tie Saturday’s game up in the second inning after Eli Havey drew a walk, stole second and ultimately reached third base on a single by Jeremiah Robbins. Ryan Hill pushed across the run on a sacrifice bunt to make it 1-all.

The fourth inning, however, got away from Medford as Fairfield capitalized on just about everything a team could in the frame. The Expos managed only three hits in the inning but drew two walks, saw two batters hit by pitches and reached on one error to extend matters. Fairfield also scored following two wild pitches and a balk as it sent 11 batters to the plate in the pivotal inning.

The Mustangs were able to battle back with a run in the fifth inning after consecutive two-out singles by Easton Curtis, Tristan Mallari and Triston Wallace.

Medford put two more runs on the scoreboard in the sixth inning by turning the tables a little bit on Fairfield. Havey drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a single by Robbins before a wild pitch brought him home. After Kyle Cope drew a walk, Curtis had a two-out RBI single to trim Medford’s deficit to 7-4.

The Mustangs, however, couldn’t continue the rally as Cope and Curtis were left stranded, and Fairfield sent Medford down in order in the bottom of the seventh.

Robbins finished 3-for-3 with one run and Curtis was 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI to highlight Medford’s effort, while Colton Morgan pitched two scoreless innings of relief with only one hit allowed against two strikeouts.

Sunday’s outing proved to be a little more back-and-forth in terms of scoring, with Medford building a 2-0 advantage in the third inning after Curtis scored on an error and Mallari came home on a single by Owen Thompson.

Salem slapped four of its seven hits in the game to post three runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by a leadoff triple from Matthew Luke.

The Mustangs were able to tie the game up at 3-all in the sixth when Havey drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a balk and third on a sacrifice bunt by Robbins before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Hill.

Momentum seemed to be on Medford’s side after Morgan was able to record the first two outs in the top of the seventh inning, but Taylor Brenneman kept Salem’s hopes alive with a single and Will Hassoun followed with a walk.

Morgan then induced a grounder by Eli Lowe that was backhanded by Thompson at shortstop but his throw sailed well high of first base to allow the go-ahead run to score and extend the inning. Cole Weiland then drove an 0-2 pitch to the fence in right-center for a two-run triple to give the Dodgers a 6-3 lead.

The Mustangs put forth their own two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh when Mallari kept things going with a walk and Wallace followed with a towering two-run home run to left field. Salem starter Kayden Wagner, however, was able to cap his complete-game effort by getting Thompson to flyout to center field.

Beau Aldrich pitched three hitless and scoreless innings to get Medford’s pitchers off to a strong start, striking out two with only one walk. Thompson was able to post six strikeouts in two innings of relief, but allowed four hits and three runs with one walk.

None of the three runs against Morgan were earned, and he allowed three hits with one walk and one strikeout in two innings to become the hard-luck losing pitcher in the Coach K Memorial Classic finale.

Kensinger, who retired three games shy of managing his 1,000th game for the Mustangs prior to the 2011 season, died suddenly at the age of 59 on Aug. 14, 2017. His career record was 758-239 with a winning percentage of .760 in 19 seasons. He stepped down for two seasons, 2001-02, for personal reasons, but served as an assistant coach to Brent Watts.

Under Kensinger, the Mustangs made it to the American Legion World Series three times (1992, 1997 and 2009), finishing second in ’97 and ’09. They also went in 2002. The Mustangs captured seven of their 18 state championships with Kensinger at the helm.

Fairfield 100 600 0 — 7 5 0

Medford 010 012 0 — 4 8 1

Genter, Hague (6) and Strong; Jackson, Rhoden (4), Morgan (6) and Havey, Robbins (6). W — Genter. L — Jackson. 2B — M: Robbins.

Salem 000 030 3 — 6 7 1

Medford 002 001 2 — 5 7 1

Wagner and Hassoun, Lesh; Aldrich, Thompson (4), Morgan (6) and Robbins. W — Wagner. L — Morgan. 3B — S: Weiland, Luke. HR — M: Wallace.

Collegiate BaseballMEDFORD ROGUES 9, PORTLAND PICKLES 5: At Portland, Tyler Horner continued his strong introduction to Medford by going 2-for-5 with one run and three RBIs as the Rogues swept the two-game road series with Portland.

Horner connected for a two-run double in the fourth inning and later scored on an error as Medford (15-4) put up six runs in the frame to take control.

Cody Nitowitz went 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI and walked twice to help spur along Medford’s offense, which only managed four hits but capitalized on 10 walks and four errors by the Pickles.

Aaron Platner picked up the pitching victory but was aided by a strong relief outing for Camden Stephens, who pitched four scoreless innings and allowed only two hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

The Rogues face a three-game road trip against the Redding Colt 45’s beginning Tuesday night before returning home for a homestand against the Fresno A’s on Friday.

Medford 000 610 002 — 9 4 2

Portland 001 040 000 — 5 7 4

Platner, Mathios (5), Clair (5), Stephens (6) and Horner; Stableton, Clarks (4), Rucemini (4), Garza (5), Clue (6), Lookin (8), Pickle (9) and Bard. W — Platner. L — Rucemini. 2B — M: Horner; P: Cloyd.