North Medford rallies to edge Aloha in Mountainside Tournament; Black Tornado, Eagle Point split on Day 2 of Invitational

Monday offered up a disappointing start to the Crater Spring Break Tournament for South Medford’s baseball team, but the Panthers were able to finish strong with three straight victories to help create momentum entering the Southwest Conference season.

South Medford was able to cap off the three-day tournament with a pair of wins Wednesday at Anhorn Field in Central Point, opening the day with a 14-5 rout of Hood River Valley before recording an 8-0 triumph over Corvallis.

The Panthers saw a comeback bid fall short in a 6-5 loss to La Salle Prep Monday, then got back on track Tuesday with a 3-2 win over North Eugene.

All the drama of those games went out the window quickly Wednesday, with South Medford scoring eight second-inning runs against Hood River Valley to create a cushion.

Jake Lewis and Jedi Robertson each had two-run hits to highlight the early outburst, with Tristan Mallari and Randy Patrick also posting RBI efforts.

Robertson wound up going 4-for-5 with one run and four RBIs, while Lewis was 2-for-3 with one run and two RBIs and the freshmanPatrick scored three times from the No. 9 spot.

Lewis locked down the defensive effort against Corvallis, throwing a two-hit shutout in the complete-game effort. Lewis walked one and faced only two batters over the minimum, setting the Spartans down in order in all but the first inning.

Offensively, Keegan Painter sparked the Panthers by going 3-for-3 with three runs scored, while Mallari had RBI efforts in the fourth and fifth innings.

Lewis, Grady McQuillan and Easton Douglas also drove in runs against Corvallis.

On Tuesday, Mallari also went the distance on the mound with five strikeouts against five hits allowed. Only one of the two runs scored by North Eugene were earned runs.

Robertson supplied a two-run single and Lewis brought home the eventual winning run in the fourth with a sacrifice fly to plate Owen Leavens, who was 3-for-3.

NORTH MEDFORD 4, ALOHA 3, 8 inn.: At Beaverton, North Medford scored three runs in the sixth inning to help force extra innings, then won in the eighth behind singles from Brady Patterson, Macen Baker and Colton Miller at the Mountainside Tournament.

North Medford (3-1) erased a 3-0 deficit in the sixth, courtesy of doubles by Easton Curtis, Patterson and Ben Morgan and a single from Dominic Daffron. Patterson drove in Curtis with his double, and Morgan tied the game by bringing home Daffron and Patterson on his double.

Daffron allowed seven hits in 7 ⅔ innings with four strikeouts and one walk. Merrick Jonasson got the final out in the top of the eighth to become the pitcher of record for the win.

Softball

NORTH MEDFORD SPLITS: North Medford junior Natalie Tlascala combined to go 5-for-6 with three runs and two RBIs as the No. 8-ranked Black Tornado capped off Day 2 at the North Medford Spring Break Invitational with a 4-3 win over West Salem before an 8-5 setback to fifth-ranked McMinnville.

Caileigh Raines gave North Medford a boost with a two-run single in the third and RBI fielder’s choice in the fifth against West Salem, while Maili Hamlin went 2-for-2 with two runs scored.

Julia Edwards earned the pitching victory by allowing four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in six innings.

The Black Tornado (3-2) surged to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning against McMinnville but couldn’t retain that momentum. Jaycee Russell-Tyler highlighted the outburst with a two-run triple.

EAGLE POINT SPLITS: Eagle Point started the day off strong with a 13-9 win over North Bend before falling 13-0 to Henley, ranked No. 3 in the preseason 4A coaches poll.

Against North Bend, freshman Reese Zirkle went 2-for-4 with one run and three RBIs, while sophomore Riley Jacoby also drove in three runs.

Sarah Estes was 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs, Emalee Logan was 2-for-3 with one run and two RBIs and Kady Ledbetter went 2-for-2 with three runs and one RBI.

Reach sports editor Kris Henry at khenry@rv-times.com or 458-488-2035