Document text
Varsity 541 NEWS NOW AP: Oregon health insurers plan to raise rates in 2017 ... Lawyers make final points in Ashland Little Caesars arson case ... Jackson County company among first to win recreational pot license ... AP: Oregon health insurers plan to raise rates in 2017 ... Lawyers make final points in Ashland Little Caesars arson case ... Jackson County company among first to win recreational pot license ... PREP SOFTBALL North slips by South Tornado extends rivalry winning streak to 28 games Comment By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Apr. 30, 2016 at 2:00 AM By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Apr. 30, 2016 at 2:00 AM --> North Medford 3-7, South Medford 1-4 RECAP: North Medford’s Cassie Campbell goes 3-for-3 with two RBIs in the opener and Rylan Austin is 2-for-4 with two runs and five RBIs in t... » Read more X North Medford 3-7, South Medford 1-4 RECAP: North Medford’s Cassie Campbell goes 3-for-3 with two RBIs in the opener and Rylan Austin is 2-for-4 with two runs and five RBIs in the nightcap to spark the Southwest Conference sweep. UP NEXT: Tuesday, Sheldon at North Medford; Thurston at South Medford.     » Social News South Medford had its chances to snap an eight-year losing streak to crosstown rival North Medford on Friday, but the Black Tornado softball team simply wouldn’t let it happen during Southwest Conference play at South Medford High. Every time the Panthers found momentum on their side in the doubleheader, North Medford almost immediately swiped it away en route to a pair of narrow victories, 3-1 and 7-4, to extend its winning streak to 28 straight over South. “The competitive drive in these kids is incredible,” said North Medford head coach Mike Mayben. “Every kid here competes all the time. They believe in what they’re doing and they buy in even when we don’t execute. I was really proud of their ability to answer the bell today.” The mightiest bell-ringer may have been Black Tornado sophomore shortstop Rylan Austin, who broke a 4-all tie in the top of the seventh inning of Game 2 with a three-run home run over the left-field fence. “I was just thinking right side,” said Austin. “I wanted to get a base hit so I could score a run, that’s about it. So, yeah, I didn’t see that one coming.” Neither did the Panthers, who had clawed back from a 4-2 deficit with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to give hope for a dramatic finish of their own. With one out in the top of the seventh, North senior Tra Kucera was hit by a pitch and moved to second base on a fisted single to left field by junior Ashley Ripplinger. South Medford’s ace junior pitcher, Pat Moore, struck out her pitching counterpart, senior Teanna Gonsalves, to give hope of escaping any damage in the inning, but Austin would not be denied. “I’ve played with Pat on my summer league team and I kinda know how she works, so I was crowding the plate a little,” said Austin. “I was ready for a high pitch but she left it over the plate a little. I knew it was gone as soon as it left the bat. It was a great feeling and it made me happy to see my team as excited and happy as they were.” Austin found herself mobbed by teammates by the time she reached the plate and couldn’t hold back her smile even well after the post-game talks had ended. “It’s always a blast out here on the field, every minute counts,” said Austin, who also had a two-run double in the third inning to finish 2-for-4 with two runs and five RBIs. “It starts with Mike giving me the confidence and believing in me every step of the way through it,” she added. “And then it’s just a total team effort. We practice hard every day and every bit of confidence comes from all the girls trying their best and believing we can do it.” South Medford built a 1-0 lead in the opener on a towering home run by senior shortstop Katie Meyer in the bottom of the fourth inning, only to have North Medford answer in the top of the fifth with an RBI double by Cassie Campbell and RBI groundout by Alex Barry. That pivotal fifth-inning rally by the Black Tornado (18-1, 14-1 SWC) began with an error on a dropped pop-up and an ensuing walk drawn by Mahal Miles. Campbell followed with a sinking liner to the outfield that resulted in Austin scoring, but South was able to relay the ball from Jeryka Johnson to Moore and finally catcher Bailee Tatum for a putout of Miles at home. “Against a good ballclub you can’t give them any room to take an extra opportunity and we did a couple times there,” said South Medford head coach Miranda Gillaspie-Smith of the opener. Another run-scoring single by Campbell, who finished 3-for-3 in Game 1, gave senior pitcher Sarah Thomas all the cushion she would need in a complete-game effort that saw her allow three hits with three walks and 13 strikeouts. The Panthers (14-5, 10-5) got steady pitching from Moore but couldn’t quite catch a break. The teams battled back and forth in the nightcap, with Olivia Lethlean scoring on a single by Kucera in the top of the first before a leadoff triple by Moore set the stage for an RBI single by Meyer and RBI double by Jaden Alexander in the bottom of the frame for South. After North used four hits and one walk to build a 4-2 advantage, Mayben turned to Gonsalves in the bottom of the third to relieve Thomas, and she had five straight strikeouts. South broke the string with consecutive singles in the fourth by Johnson and Moore, who was 3-for-4 in Game 2, and capitalized when Gonsalves threw low to first base after taking in a comebacker by Meyer. In the fifth inning, the Panthers pressured the Black Tornado with lead-off singles by Alexander and Tatum and eventually loaded the bases with one out on a single by Lexis Jones. Tatum slid home safely with the tying run after a low relay from second baseman Barry on Emily Lawruk’s fielder’s choice couldn’t be handled by Kucera. South had two more chances to break the tie but another fielder’s choice handled for an out by third baseman Taelor Mayben and a groundout to Barry stranded three runners on base, which ultimately proved costly. “That’s where you just have to compete and close the door and get after it,” said Gillaspie-Smith. “You’ve got to know they’re going to compete and do the same thing so you have to hit the ball and make three outs and play one through seven (innings).” Kucera and Miles each had two hits and one RBI in the nightcap for North and Campbell was 2-for-4. Meyer and Alexander each had two hits and one RBI in Game 2 for South, which last beat North on April 15, 2008. FIRST GAME North Medford;000;021;0;—;3;6;0 South Medford;000;100;0;—;1;3;2 Thomas and Kucera; Moore and Tatum. W — Thomas (15-1). L — Moore (14-4). 2B — NM: Campbell, Lethlean. 3B — NM: Lethlean; SM: Johnson. HR — SM: Meyer (5). SECOND GAME North Medford;103;000;3;—;7;12;2 South Medford;200;110;0;—;4;10;0 Thomas, Gonsalves (3) and Kucera; Moore and Tatum. W — Gonsalves (3-0). L — Moore (14-5). 2B — NM: Austin, Miles; SM: Alexander. 3B — SM: Moore. HR — NM: Austin (2). 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 Apr. 30, 2016 at 2:00 AM » 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... Varsity 541 Photos Grants Pass Rotary Invitational Crater Classic Ashland vs. Eagle Point Track South vs. Grants Pass Medford Rotary Relays North vs. South » More Photo Galleries Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications | Contact Us | Advertise | © Copyright Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.