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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW ScienceWorks' executive director gets new job in Pittsburgh ... Troopers seize almost 3 pounds of meth and heroin after traffic stop, foot chase ... Medford man who threatened Obama on Twitter faces up to 60 years in prison ... ScienceWorks' executive director gets new job in Pittsburgh ... Troopers seize almost 3 pounds of meth and heroin after traffic stop, foot chase ... Medford man who threatened Obama on Twitter faces up to 60 years in prison ... PREP BASEBALL Missed opportunity Panthers squander chance to keep climbing SWC ladder Comment By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted May. 3, 2016 at 8:58 PM Updated May 3, 2016 at 10:18 PM By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted May. 3, 2016 at 8:58 PM Updated May 3, 2016 at 10:18 PM --> Willamette 8, South Medford 6 RECAP: Willamette scores six runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by a three-run double from Brycen Hill, to complete a comeback from a 5-0 deficit in S... » Read more X Willamette 8, South Medford 6 RECAP: Willamette scores six runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by a three-run double from Brycen Hill, to complete a comeback from a 5-0 deficit in SWC play. UP NEXT: Friday, 4 p.m., South Medford at Willamette (dh).     » Social News For a team that has shown so much growth in recent weeks, winners in five of their past six games, Tuesday’s Southwest Conference baseball loss was especially disheartening for South Medford. South Medford, which had moved into a tie for fourth place in the SWC, bolted out to a 5-0 first-inning lead on Willamette but watched all that hard work fritter away as the Wolverines rallied for an 8-6 triumph at Harry & David Field. Instead of getting a leg up in a tight SWC race for one of the league’s four automatic playoff berths, the Panthers (8-13, 7-9 SWC) found themselves wondering what might have been had they kept their foot on the gas against the Wolverines (6-14, 5-11), who had lost five straight games entering the first of a three-game series. A win on Tuesday would have put South Medford in third place and owning key tiebreakers with only five SWC games remaining. “We got off to a great start,” said South Medford head coach Ray Smith. “We had good energy, we had good momentum and we were playing good baseball. Then I’m not sure what happened after that.” South Medford notched five runs on six hits in the opening frame against Willamette starter Josh Glover, then failed to get another hit for 4⅔ innings and finished with only seven overall. The Panthers went up 6-1 through three innings, with one run coming in the bottom of the third by virtue of a pair of walks and a throwing error. “You have to give (Glover) credit,” said Smith. “He got off to a tough start and he just never gave in. He came back and started making some good pitches and got us off-balance at times.” “We hit the ball hard at times,” added the coach, “and they made some plays there that maybe (were) dropped earlier in the game.” The fourth inning proved to be the Panthers’ undoing, with Willamette scoring six runs in a seemingly never-ending parade of runners due to six hits, one error and two walks against South starter Ethan Whitney. Prior to the outburst, Whitney had held the Wolverines relatively in check with one run on four hits with five strikeouts. “I believe our pitcher was definitely doing his job,” said Panthers catcher Christian Mahoney, “we just didn’t do the job behind him.” By the time all was said and done, Willamette exited the top of the fourth inning with a 7-6 lead but carrying all the momentum on its side. “The wheels kind of fell off there in that fourth inning,” said Smith. “We’re looking around and trying to find a way to recover and we didn’t. We let them back in the game and it was very disappointing for us. We just did not finish. We lost intensity and we lost our will to compete for a full seven innings. Part of that certainly goes on your coach and part of that goes with the kids for being tough enough to finish a game.” Willamette tacked on an insurance run in the seventh inning on an RBI single by Brycen Hill, but South Medford mustered its own comeback bid in the bottom of the frame. With one out, Jack Thompson was hit by a pitch and then Mahoney was walked to put the tying run on base. After a fielder’s choice out at third base by Jaylin Parnell, pinch-hitter Brandon Letendre reached safely on an error to load the bases after Mahoney scrambled back safely to third base. On the next pitch, however, Glover induced Clint Campbell into a liner that right fielder Hill caught on the run to clinch the stunning win. “It’s definitely harder to swallow now that we look back and we did start off that game 5-0,” said Mahoney. “We just didn’t finish out the other six innings.” In the first, Cole Carder led off with a double down the right-field line and scored on an RBI single by Jaalen Owens. After a single by Hunter Bradford and a sacrifice bunt by Jacob Melton, Thompson plated a run on a sacrifice fly and Mahoney added an RBI single, taking second on a head’s up play after Willamette failed to secure the baseball on the relay in. Parnell’s RBI double eluded a diving effort in center field by Matt Hubbs and then Matt DeVries supplied an RBI single for a 5-0 lead. Owens finished 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI to pace the Panthers, with Parnell going 1-for-2 with two runs and one RBI. Whitney finished with eight strikeouts and allowed 12 hits and three walks in six innings. Willamette’s Austin Barkdull was 4-for-5 with one run and two RBIs and Hill was 3-for-5 with one run and four RBIs. Willamette;001;600;1;—;8;13;4 South Medford;501;000;0;—;6;7;3 Glover and Rasmussen; Whitney, Loogman (7) and Mahoney. W — Glover. L — Whitney (5-2). 2B — W: Barkdull, Freeman, Hill; SM: Carder, Parnell. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected], www.facebook.com/krishenryMT or www.twitter.com/Kris_Henry By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted May. 3, 2016 at 8:58 PM Updated May 3, 2016 at 10:18 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry Speed to burn Tyren Wolfe said he felt pretty good heading into Saturday’s prestigious Oregon Relays at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon... 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