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Royals blowout struggling Pilots Ritchie Cruz made sure the North Jackson Royals won't miss the district playoffs. Cruz pitched a five-inning no-hitter in Game 1 of a doubleheader sweep of Ashland in an American Legion A Area 4 baseball twin bill at North Mountain Park. The two wins secure a No. 2 seed from the Southern Division and sets up a playoff game on Saturday against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. The Royals (24-16, 14-6 Area 4), who started the season 4-10 but have now won 14 of 18, racked up 12 hits and took advantage of seven Ashland errors during the 15-0 rout in the opener, then added 16 more hits in the nightcap to secure a 16-10 victory. Cruz struck out just one but walked only one in the five-inning contest that was called due to the 10-run mercy rule. Ryan Augino went 2-for-2 with three runs, while Kevin Gray and Derrick Grieve each added a pair of hits, with Gray driving in three runs. In the nightcap, North Jackson scored five times in the third inning and six more in the sixth to secure the win. Chris Boyd went 4-for-5 with three RBIs to lead the Royals at the plate, while Nick Staller added three hits and Augino and Steve Wyatt each had two. Ashland's Bryan Clevenger had three hits - including a fourth-inning solo home run. Little League At Medford, Matt Maurer pitched a shutout to lead the Medford American Blue 11-12-year-old all-star team to a 2-0 victory over Ashland in the District 6 tournament title game at Medford American Fields. Medford advances to the state tournament held in Hermiston starting Friday. Maurer gave up three hits and struck out seven to help Medford finish 5-1 in the tournament. Medford scored single runs in the third and fifth innings on RBI singles from Tyler Spears and Maurer. Charlie Sebrill took the loss for Ashland, despite striking out 13. Cody James had two hits for Medford. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -