After losing 7-run lead in 7th, Medford answers the challenge to reach double figures for fourth straight game

What looked like a runaway win turned into a late-game question mark, and that was just fine Thursday night for the Medford Rogues.

After building an 8-1 lead through six innings, Medford suddenly found itself tied with the South Bay Storm in the series finale between the collegiate wood-bat summer baseball teams.

The Rogues remained unfazed, answering a seven–run outburst in the seventh inning by South Bay with three runs of their own to help clinch an 11-8 triumph at Harry & David Field.

“This summer, I don’t know how many comeback wins we’ve had,” said first-year Rogues manager Kevin Olmstead. “I think we’ve had three walk-offs and a couple go-ahead leads in the eighth inning, so this team is definitely gritty.”

Thursday’s outing marked the fourth straight time Medford (14-6) has scored in double figures, and eighth overall.

The Rogues received a little help from the Storm with the game knotted at 8-all in the bottom of the seventh, with Johnny Alley reaching on a one-out throwing error, moving to second base on a passed ball and ultimately scoring the go-ahead run when a grounder by Christopher Ortiz was booted by newly inserted second baseman Diego Hernandez.

One night after earning the pitching victory, Caden Casagrande followed with an RBI double down the left-field line to put Medford ahead 10-8.

“Obviously, there was a lot going on and I was just trying to stay in the moment and not let anything get too out of hand,” Casagrande said of his approach at the plate. “I was just trying to keep my mind centered, and then, obviously, in the at-bat I was just looking for something good to hit. I got a good breaking ball to hit and put a good swing on it and was able to drive in a run, and the boys backed me up to put more up there, so that’s always good.”

Casagrande previously had an RBI triple in the fourth inning and drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning, finishing 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs.

“Caden is one heckuva player, man,” said Olmstead. “He’s a grinder, he’s a dirtbag. He was doing a really good job this summer and then started overthinking a little bit, so we’re trying to get him back in his groove and tonight definitely helped that cause. I’m super proud of him. He’s handling adversity extremely well this summer.”

After moving to third base on the throw home trying to nab Ortiz at the plate, Casagrande raced home for Medford’s final run on a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Josiah Palomino to cap a comeback that was of no surprise to those in the Rogues dugout.

“To be honest, I think we just have the most fun and we’re always in it,” said Casagrande. “We may goof around a little bit, but everybody here wants to win. That’s why we came to Medford to play for the Rogues, we want to win, and coach Kev puts that into all of us. He’s all about competing, and I think we do as good of a job as anybody else does. I think we’re in every ballgame, no matter the score.”

Jordan Marian highlighted Medford’s nine-hit performance with a leadoff home run to right field in the sixth inning to finish 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBIs, with Ryan Severns, Mason Pirello and Isaac Hill also adding RBI efforts.

“The big thing for me is just competing,” Olmstead said of Thursday’s win. “This is a young team; it’s a good group of guys. They’re talented, but they need to play the game correctly, and I’m trying to just teach them the right ways of how to play baseball and compete. When you fail, it’s a learning lesson. It’s never about you’re losing, it’s how to handle that failure properly so when the next opportunity comes you’re able to handle that a little bit better.”

Lost a little in the shuffle of the late drama was a solid start on the mound by Caughlin Shults, who didn’t allow a run or hit in four innings. Shults struck out four and walked four.

“We wanted to see if he’s able to be a starter for us and he filled that role very well,” said Olmstead, “so I’m excited for the rest of the summer to see what he has for us.”

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