Black Tornado tally pivotal SWC softball sweep of Panthers
Published 1:30 pm Tuesday, April 29, 2025
North Medford second baseman Kaelyn Russsell-Tyler fields a throw for an out ahead of the sliding Jordan Knutson of South Medford on Monday. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
North Medford’s Maili Hamlin chips a ball into left field during Monday’s matchup at South Medford. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
South Medford pitcher Jordan Knutson, left, and first baseman Aubree Joe rush in to catch a popped up bunt effort by North Medford during Game 1 Monday in Medford. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
North Medford's Riley Smalley slides safely into third base as South Medford third baseman Addison Kaufman reaches for the ball during Game 1 Monday in Medford. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
North Medford's Julia Edwards is hit by a pitch against South Medford during Game 1 Monday in Medford. Edwards had to exit the game but returned in Game 2. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
South Medford's Jayden Cote connects for an RBI double against North Medford during Game 1 Monday in Medford. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
No. 5-ranked North Medford fends off comeback effort in opener, blasts four HRs in nightcap
Sometimes it’s just about making timely contact, and on other occasions, driving the softball is the ticket to success.
North Medford’s fifth-ranked softball team enjoyed the benefits of both Monday evening in a rescheduled Southwest Conference doubleheader at South Medford.
The Black Tornado and Panthers each scratched out five hits in the opener, but it was RBI efforts by junior Maili Hamlin on well-directed efforts in the second and fourth innings that helped steer the way to a 2-1 nail-biting victory.
The nightcap provided an entirely different story, with North Medford clearing the fence on four occasions to power past South Medford for a 7-4 triumph and secure a season sweep in a tight race for the SWC title.
“It was huge,” said North Medford head coach Chris Campbell of the sweep. “We’ve got, I would say, the toughest conference in the state. Some other people may not agree with me, but this conference has produced a lot of state championships. It’s top to bottom anybody’s ballgame, and you better be ready to play everybody.”
“We’ve got Roseburg here on Friday, and that’ll be another big doubleheader for us,” he added. “To stay in the top of the standings, we’ve got to keep winning. It’s a dogfight. I’m telling you.”
Both of Monday’s contests held true to that theory, with drama throughout as each team endured ebbs and flows before North Medford (14-3, 9-1 SWC) was able to generate a one-game lead over Roseburg (14-4, 8-2) in the standings.
Starting pitchers Julia Edwards and Jordan Knutson were each able to get out of jams and leave two runners stranded in the first inning of Game 1, and that seemed to set the tone for the type of twin bill ahead as each team had promising offensive moments and staunch defensive efforts to rule the day.
Courtesy runner Riley Smalley had some heads up baserunning to reach third base with only one out in the second inning, and the left-handed hitting Hamlin was able to poke a ball into shallow left field just beyond the reach of shortstop Hanna Turpin for the game’s first run.
In the fourth inning, Edwards was hit by a pitch above her left elbow and forced to exit the game — a potentially pivotal moment — but Smalley and Hamlin again made it count on a comebacker that glanced off the glove of Knutson and left Turpin with no real shot of throwing Hamlin out at first base.
Senior pitcher Malia Baker came on in relief of Edwards and wound up walking the bases loaded before getting an inning-ending strikeout of sophomore Luna Burns to deny the Panthers (9-6, 3-6).
Baker was set to start Game 2, so it wasn’t a surprise to take the circle — just in how much earlier and sudden her call to duty came.
Over the final four innings, Baker allowed four hits and four walks with three strikeouts.
“Having to come in in a situation like that, in a crosstown rivalry game and everything, and do what she did was just a phenomenal job,” said Campbell. “We were very pleased with the effort that she put forth.”
“The girls worked really hard on the defensive side to hold that victory down,” he added, “and there was a lot of energy and a lot of really good plays. Those kinds of things just helped us out immensely.”
South Medford finally broke through on the scoreboard in the fifth inning behind a leadoff double from Ashlyn Cooper and a one-out RBI triple from Jayden Cote. The tying run in Cote, however, never crossed the plate after shortstop Natalie Tlascala retreated into left field to nab a flyout by Aubree Joe and then Baker recorded a called third strike against Turpin.
Catcher Sadie Hall threw out a baserunner following a ball in the dirt in the sixth inning to deny an early threat, and North’s defense stayed active after a walk and a single by Burns on relay efforts that didn’t net a final out at third base but did see Becca Tuivana’s throw back to second get the job done.
Cote delivered a two-out double in the bottom of the seventh but the game ended on a flyball out by Joe to Hamlin in left field.
As tightly played as the first game proved to be, the second one was filled with softballs flying everywhere.
Knutson supplied an RBI double and Cote followed with a two-run home run to give South Medford a 3-1 lead by the end of the first inning, but North turned that around in short order.
On a 1-2 pitch in the second inning, Hamlin reached out to cover the plate and saw the ball redirected down the third base line and over the bag to allow the tying runs to score.
The Panthers began to stack up quality at-bats against Baker, including an RBI single by Cooper to create a 4-3 edge in the second inning, before Edwards was able to return to the circle and mitigate the damage.
“We were able to bring her in and let her do the same thing that Malia did in the first game by just working hard in the circle and letting your defense do the work,” said Campbell.
The game took a big turn shortly thereafter as Tlascala and Tuivana homered on back-to-back pitches in the third inning to ignite a comeback. North’s Nos. 3 and 4 hitters had combined for five strikeouts in going hitless in the opener, but didn’t let that slow them in Game 2.
“They threw the same pitcher for the two games and we made some good adjustments, started looking for certain pitches and actually got some good bats on them,” said Campbell, “and it paid dividends for us.”
“Those are two kids that are in that situation a lot getting those opportunities,” he added, “and both of them just put phenomenal swings on good pitches and were able to hit them out of the park.”
Caileigh Raines later added a solo home run in the fifth and Hall homered in the seventh, powering home her enthusiasm with a crushing high-five with Campbell in the third base coaches box.
“I told them after the game I won’t see you guys at practice (Tuesday),” Campbell said with a laugh. “I won’t be there because I’m getting rotator cuff surgery after Sadie came around third base.”
“She was so ecstatic. She was just going crazy.”
All told, it was a much different experience in the nightcap for those four fence-clearers. The foursome was 0-for-12 with seven strikeouts in the opener, but really just focused on making good swings in Game 2.
“We don’t try for those,” Campbell said of the home runs. “We say if you put a good swing on a good pitch and you’re on time in the hitting zone, that’s when balls fly, right? Home runs are not on home run swings. When you hit those other shots, you just happen to guess right. But if you put a good swing on a good pitch and you’re on time, on plane, that’s when the home run should happen. Some kids did that today, and it was kind of nice to see.”
Eight of North Medford’s 13 hits in Game 2 went for extra bases.
Reach sports editor Kris Henry at kris.henry@rv-times.com or 458-488-2035
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