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Top-ranked North battles past Roseburg By GREG STILES No one promised things would come easy for North Medford's softball team this spring. Everyone will take their best shot against the two-time defending Class 4A state champion. But that might be in the Black Tornado's long-term interest. Roseburg took its turn Saturday afternoon at Fagone Field. But North deflected the Indians' arsenal and answered with nine extra-base hits en route to a 7-1, 5-3 Southern Oregon Conference sweep. "I was really pleased with the way we hit the ball, especially the way the wind was howling in on us," North Medford coach Larry Binney said. "The kids competed well under some dry, but miserable, conditions." The victories boosted the top-ranked Tornado to 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the SOC, while Roseburg's first losses of the spring dropped the Indians to 7-2 and 2-2 in conference. "Both games could've gone either way, and we kind of let the pressure effect us more and they capitalized on our mistakes," said standout Roseburg shortstop Brynnen Guthrie. "It was mental as much as physical today. Once we got down, we couldn't get ourselves out of it." Both games hinged largely on one inning. In the first game, the dust settled in the bottom of the sixth when North parlayed six hits and two Roseburg errors into a five-run rally. In the second contest, the Indians had the makings of a huge inning when the Tornado committed three errors. But North averted disaster with the help of a double play. "We got runs when we needed them and got insurance runs when we need them," said North senior catcher Erin Glantz. "We put the ball in play and gave ourselves a chance." In the first game, North took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when senior Jenny Close bashed a home run to left field. Glantz reached on fielder's choice with one out before Close hammered a two-strike offering from Roseburg's Keri Nelson. "I just opened up my stance, looking to put the ball in play," Close said. "I've been working really hard in practice on my swing, because I haven't been hitting the ball very hard. But today it clicked and felt so good." Close admitted surprise when Binney waved her home as she headed for third base. "I knew I needed to run as fast as I could because I thought maybe there might be a play at home," Close said. But her headlong dive proved unnecessary. "I jumped up and found the closest person I could (to celebrate with) because I had never hit a home run before." The Indians had threatened against North sophomore pitcher Steph Coe in the second, fourth and fifth innings. They finally broke through in the sixth. Erin Goodell doubled down the right-field line then moved to third on Guthrie's sacrifice. After Coe struck out cleanup-hitter Michelle Hegele for the third time, Allison Courter laced a hit back up the middle. Nursing a 2-1 lead, North broke it open by sending nine hitters to the plate in the bottom of the inning. Glantz tripled to left and Close beat out an infield hit to put runners on the corners. Close then stole second and catcher Kelly Fullerton's throw dribbled into the outfield, allowing Glantz to score. One out later, Tina Quintero beat out another infield hit to put runners at first and third again. Then Close scored on a passed ball and Quintero raced all the way to third. When Fullerton's pickoff throw glanced off third baseman Hegele's glove, Quintero scored. Back-to-back singles by Jamie Ryder and Kylie Allen set the stage for Coe's two-run double. "I was telling myself I needed to be confident, and that made me more comfortable," Coe said. "You can't be thinking it's going to be a tight game, you've got to think you're going to dominate." Whether or not she planned on it, the sophomore found herself in a tight spot in the middle of the second game. North took a 4-0 lead in the third inning of the nightcap as Steph Adams and Close drove in runs. Two more scored on a passed ball and an error. But senior pitcher Becky Walker encountered unexpected turbulence when the Tornado infield committed three errors before North could get an out in the top of the fourth. Instead of being out of the inning undamaged, Walker came out with the bases loaded and two unearned runs across the plate. "We had a couple of defensive lapses," Binney said. "But the kids that made some errors (Ryder and Close) made some great plays on the day for us, too." Coe relieved and got out of the jam in rapid fashion. Molly Liston tapped back to the pitching circle for a force at the plate. Then Adams stabbed Lindsey O'Byrne's liner and flipped to Close to double up Liston at first. "We circled up a couple of times to remind ourselves that we needed to catch the ball and throw the ball and not try to do too much," Adams said. "Once we did that, we played the defense we could." With its big push thwarted, Roseburg mounted another offensive in the fifth but settled for one run on a bases-loaded walk to Nelson. Coe got that run back in short order, driving in Megumi Hackett with a double. "Every year Roseburg plays its best ball against us," said Close, who is 7-0 against the Indians as a varsity player. "It feels really good beating them because they're going to be a playoff team and go pretty far." FIRST GAME Roseburg ...............000 001 0 -- 1 8 2 North Medford ......000 205 x -- 7 13 0 Nelson and Fullerton; Coe and Glantz. W -- Coe (5-1). L -- Nelson (5-1). 2B -- R: Goodell. NM: Hackett, Coe. 3B -- NM: Glantz. HR: NM: Close. SECOND GAME Roseburg .............000 210 0 -- 3 5 2 North Medford .....004 010 x -- 5 7 5 Liston and Fullerton; Walker, Coe (4) and Glantz. W -- Walker (4-0). L -- Liston (2-1). 2B -- NM: Coe, Adams 2, Ryder. 3B -- NM: Adams. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.