Tuivanu’s two-run double ignites third-inning power surge of six extra-base hits to clinch berth in Saturday’s 6A championship

It’s not every day when you can watch an opponent intentionally walk a conference player of the year and think, oh, that’s a mistake.

Then again, North Medford’s softball crew isn’t an everyday team.

And what ensued after McMinnville opted to intentionally walk junior standout Natalie Tlascala — putting the go-ahead run on base with two outs in the bottom of the third inning — wasn’t your everyday outburst.

While it did set up the potential for a force play around the horn, it didn’t take into account the notion that cleanup hitter Becca Tuivanu has been the Black Tornado’s biggest force during these Class 6A state playoffs.

Tuivanu followed with a blistering two-run double to the left-center field fence to fuel a nine-run frame that carried fourth-seeded North Medford to a 9-2 victory over No. 8 McMinnville in the state semifinals.

The Black Tornado (24-6) moved on to their first championship final since 2017 — when North Medford earned its eighth state title in program history — and will next face No. 3 Sherwood at 3 p.m. Saturday at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene. The Bowmen (28-3) scored a 7-0 win over No. 2 Jesuit in the other semifinal.

“I am just incredibly blessed,” Tuivanu said following Tuesday’s win. “I keep in my faith and I know God’s got my back. I’m just so excited for all of us.”

Tuivanu spent the past two seasons at Cascade Christian High, which didn’t field a varsity program this spring, and was one of several players to find a new home in the offseason. She was put in the big moment early on when Maili Hamlin legged out a one-out infield single, and Maleyah Thoele hit a groundout to first base that moved Hamlin to second base.

With the prospect of pitching to Tlascala not all that inviting — and understandably so given her track record — McMinnville head coach Josh Terry made the move for an intentional walk to bring Tuivanu to the plate with two runners on and the Grizzlies (22-8) holding a 1-0 lead.

“They made a mistake,” Tuivanu said, softly but assuredly.

Tuivanu’s liner stayed head high and was in the outfield in a blink before skipping to the fence, allowing both speedy Tornado runners to score with ease and take the lead for good.

“They didn’t see Becs in the first game because she was sick the first time we played them over spring break,” said North Medford head coach Chris Campbell, whose team led 5-0 in that March 25 game before falling 8-5. “They didn’t see her or know what she was capable of doing, and I knew what she was capable of doing. I was like, hey, if you want to put that kid on to face that kid, I’m all right with it, because (Tuivanu) is going to make you pay for something that you just did in the wrong time. And she sure did.”

The big hit seemed to ignite North Medford, and the hits kept coming in a big way as the Black Tornado ripped through McMinnville with six extra-base blasts overall in the frame.

“It was crazy,” said Campbell. “It was just double after double after double after double … home run, triple, double. The adage of hitting’s contagious, it definitely was contagious for us.”

Tuivanu was just happy to be able to do her part.

“That gets me and my whole team fired up,” she said of the challenge put in front of her when Tlascala walked to first base. “I was put in a place to do my job as the ‘cleanup hitter,’ and I just went up there and decided I was going to do my job the best I could, and I knew it was all in God’s hands, whatever the outcome.”

Tuivanu has been on a tear as of late, being able to hone in on pitches with more clarity as her first season at the 6A level has progressed.

“I have just been able to see the pitches coming out of the pitcher’s hands really well,” she said. “Being a good hitter is just being able to identify the pitch, and be disciplined.”

That same batter’s eye seemed to be shared in the third inning, as every hit seemed to be barrelled up by North Medford.

Caileigh Raines followed Tuivanu’s double with a single to put runners on the corners, then Julia Edwards made it 3-1 when she shot the first pitch she saw into left field for an RBI single. The next pitch by McMinnville starter Ariel Glynn was ripped to the fence in left field by Sadie Hall for another two-run double.

“We’ve been working on the outside pitch and the changeups and everything like that at practice,” said Edwards, “so we just had to get connection to the ball with our barrels and it just came. We all knew what we all had to do, and we just passed the bat one after one.”

“Maili starting that rally right there with one out, it just got our team pumping,” added the sophomore pitcher, “and the dugout with the cheers, it was just ecstatic. I had full confidence in Becs. It’s crazy that Nat got that walk – which I would do, too, she’s dangerous — but when Becca came back in the dugout after scoring, I was like, ‘Put some respect on your name. You just owned that.’”

Terry went to the circle for a timeout in hopes of breaking North’s momentum with the score at 5-1, but Kaelyn Russell-Tyler would have none of it as she launched a two-run home run to left-center that got out of the ballpark in a hurry.

McMinnville then brought in reliever Mackenzie Roberts for a change of pace, but No. 9 hitter Jaycee Russell-Tyler kept things going with a double beyond the reach of center fielder Taylor Terry, and Hamlin followed with an RBI triple over left fielder Rylan Carton — who had moved from first base with the pitching change.

Maleyah Thoele then laced an RBI double to the left-center fence for a 9-1 advantage before Roberts was able to induce a pop-up by Tlascala to end the two-out surge.

The rest of the game was just about Edwards and company stacking outs until McMinnville had no options remaining.

The Grizzlies started strong with a first-inning run built on consecutive hits by Vivian Moore and Laney Reed — they had three hits in the frame and might’ve had a run-scoring fourth had a hard grounder by Ava Fleischman not struck Kaylee Dinger in the foot between second and third base for a third out.

After that, however, Edwards allowed only three more hits as she leaned on her defense for support.

“I could’ve never asked for a better defense,” said Edwards, who walked two with one strikeout. “I would say we have the best defense in the state. Everybody’s backing up each other, we all know our routine plays and we all just get it done how we do it at practice, staying calm and collected.”

Up next for North Medford is an opportunity the team hasn’t enjoyed in far too many years given the pedigree of a program that most recently earned four state titles and finished runner-up once from 2009-17 in 6A competition.

“It’s been a long time, but it was just the right time, the right mix of kids and the right group to come together and play like they’ve been playing to give us an opportunity to put No. 9 on the board,” said Campbell of a potential state crown. “It’s a program filled with tradition, where you start with Larry Binney, Mike Mayben, the Barrys … there’s been all kinds of coaches here that have continued everything that’s been going on. It’s just been my time to be able to be a part of that, and hopefully continue that tradition on to the state championship.”

McMinnville 100 001 0 — 2  6  1

North Medford 009 000 x — 9  12  3

Glynn, Roberts (3) and Fleischman; Edwards and Hall. W — Edwards. L — Glynn. 2B — M: Dinger; NM: Tuivanu, Hall, J. Russell-Tyler, Thoele. 3B — NM: Hamlin. HR — NM: K. Russell-Tyler.

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