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A little good fortune led to a lot of big hits for the South Medford baseball team, which took advantage of a dropped fly ball in the first inning to score eight runs and blast Grants Pass 10-0 in both teams’ Southwest Conference opener Tuesday at Harry & David Field. The game was called after 4 1/2 innings by the 10-run mercy rule. After a pop-up by South Medford leadoff hitter Jacob Melton dropped in for a wind-aided hit, the Panthers batted around the order, with Melton’s two-out, three-run home run capping the rally. Also coming through with two-out hits for the Panthers were Zac Ankeny, who hit a two-run double, and Daniel Shenk, who delivered an RBI single. With runners on first and third, Melton, a lefty, crushed an offering by Grants Pass starter Cade King, lifting it well over the wall in right-center. “We caught a couple breaks early ... and after that we kind of got on a roll a little bit,” South Medford coach Ray Smith said. “(Melton) got a good pitch and stayed back, hit it out of the park. We just did a good job with two outs. We got those key hits.” Melton, Ankeny, Shenk and Jaron Emerson had two hits apiece for the Panthers (1-1), who played error-free ball and received a strong outing by starting pitcher Ricky Boortz. The junior right-hander held Grants Pass to two hits in four innings, throwing only 38 pitches in an efficient, walk-free performance. “(Boortz) came out and established the strike zone early, kept his pitch count down, throwing strikes,” Smtih said. Grants Pass 000 00 — 0 3 2 South Medford 811 0x — 10 9 0 King, Coyle (3) and Dinkel; Boortz, Letendre (5) and Thompson. W — Boortz (1-0). L — King. 2B — GP: Rund; SM: J. Owens, Ankeny. HR — ­SM: Melton (1). CRATER 17, SPRINGFIELD 7 (6 inn.): At Central Point, Larson Kindreich’s bases-loaded triple highlighted a six-run fourth inning as Crater jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the Midwestern League-opener at Anhorn Field. Jacob Memmott went 2-for-3 with an RBI and scored four runs, and Trae Frodge went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and scored four runs to lead the Comets (2-0). Memmott picked up the pitching victory for Crater. Springfield 000 061 — 7 4 3 Crater 104 642 — 17 9 1 O’Grady, Machleit (3), Gallagher (4), McAllister (5) and King; Memmott, Dance (5), Scott (5), Hollingsworth (6) and Lawrence, Gilliland (4). W — Memmott. L — O’Grady. 2B — C: Davis. 3B — C: Kindreich. HR — C: Bastendorff. EAGLE POINT 6, NORTH EUGENE 2: At Eugene, Clayton Fraughton went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Skyler Gaudern had two hits and pitched seven strong innings as Eagle Point opened Midwestern League play. Gaudern held North Eugene to two unearned runs on five hits for the Eagles (1-1), who scored three runs in the second. Darin Marsh’s leadoff double down the left-field line sparked Eagle Point’s second, which included an RBI single by Kolbi Blevins. Eagle Point scored twice in the seventh on consecutive doubles by Dylan Marsh, Gaudern and Braxton Barnes. Eagle Point 130 000 2 — 6 9 1 North Eugene 200 000 0 — 2 5 2 Gaudern and VonDoloski; Froehlich, Proudfit (7) and Parks. W — Gaudern (1-1). L — Froehlich. 2B — NE: Sterner; EP: Barnes, Da. Marsh, Dy. Marsh. MARIST 7, ASHLAND 1 (10 inn.): At Ashland, Marist scored six runs in the top of the 10th inning to break open a 1-1 contest in the Midwestern League-opener. The Grizzlies (0-3 overall) had chances to go ahead in the middle and late innings, stranding at least one runner in scoring position in the third, fourth, fifth and eighth. Ashland left nine runners. In the 10th, Marist (1-1) sent up 11 batters. John Over drove in the winner with an RBI single to center. Marist 010 000 000 6 — 7 7 1 Ashland 100 000 000 0 — 1 2 2 Hiday, Bloom (6), Bullock (10) and Hopkins; McLennan, Westrick (6), Buccino and Evans. W — Bloom. L — Westrick. 2B — McLennan (A) ST. MARY’S 6, GOLD BEACH 5: Cobey Aldrich scored the winner to cap a three-run rally in the seventh inning for St. Mary’s in the nonleague contest at St. Mary’s on Monday. Joshua Covington was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the seventh for the Crusaders (1-1), and Aliiloa Wailehua followed with a double. A passed ball brought home Covington, and Aldrich reached base on a hit batter. Jonah Hadley’s ground-out RBI tied the game 5-all, moving Aldrich to third, who then scored on a passed ball. Aldrich had two hits, scored two runs and stole two bases. Gold Beach 000 230 0 — 5 4 2 St. Mary’s 000 120 3 — 6 4 3 Halcomb (4), Mather (5), C. Martin (6) and C. Martin, Timeus (6); Hadley, Covington (4), Dole (6) and Aldrich. W — Dole (1-0). L — C. Martin. 2B — SM: Aldrich, Wailehua.