Medford still has not suffered consecutive losses this summer as American Legion team heads to Reno

Coming off a four-game sweep of baseball games at the Coach K Memorial Classic, the Medford Mustangs hit a bump in the road Monday night before bouncing back in a big way in an American Legion A split in Roseburg.

An early four-run deficit put the Mustangs in a bind but they were able to scratch back to even in the top of the sixth inning with a four-run outburst of their own, only to see Roseburg Dr. Stewart’s break the tie with a one-out walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh.

That opening loss in the doubleheader brought Medford’s winning streak to a halt after six games — the third streak of six wins in a row the Mustangs (20-3, 6-2 Area 4) have been able to put together this summer.

It didn’t take long for Medford to show that it has designs on embarking on another positive stretch, pounding out 19 hits in Game 2 en route to an 18-2 triumph.

Ashland products Jackson Rosenthal, Keller Bloodworth and Freeman Rountree each played big roles in making sure that the Mustangs have still not lost consecutive games this summer as they enter the final month of the regular season.

Rosenthal went 5-for-6 with three runs scored and five RBIs, while Bloodworth was 3-for-6 with three runs and three RBIs and Rountree allowed only three hits with two strikeouts and no earned runs in six innings to earn the pitching victory.

Rountree moved to 4-0 with a 0.78 ERA in six starts and seven appearances with Monday’s effort.

Grady Sickler, who supplied a walk-off winning hit in a 5-4 win over the Reno Knights last Friday, combined to go 4-for-8 with one run and two RBIs during Monday’s doubleheader and Easton Curtis was 4-for-9 with three runs and one RBI.

Tristan Mallari provided the driving force in the Mustangs’ ability to give themselves a chance during Monday’s opener at Roseburg, with his three-run triple in the sixth breaking his team’s scoring drought. Keegan Painter followed with a two-out, game-tying RBI single.

Painter later finished 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI in Game 2, while Sean McFall, Mallari and Brady Patterson each plated one run apiece.

Cade Pettersen scored three times in Game 2 after powering Medford to a 10-0 win over the Corvallis Gerding Builders in the Coach K finale last Saturday by going 1-for-2 with two runs and three RBIs.

The Mustangs will next embark on a third extended road trip this summer to take part in a tournament in Reno, Nevada, beginning Thursday against the Susanville Renegades. Medford will play a doubleheader Friday, before single games Saturday and Sunday to wrap up the Reno Fourth of July Classic.

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