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North suffers first SOC baseball defeat Photo by Drew Fleming Eagle Point second baseman B.J. McFall, left, tags out Joshua Bottjer of North Medford, who is attempting to steal in the fifth inning of Game 1. By DON HUNT Eagle Point's Nick Newmann and North Medford's Colby Gonzales proved why they're two of the best players in the Southern Oregon Conference Saturday at Miles Field. Newmann dealt the Black Tornado its first loss in conference play, pitching Eagle Point to a 7-2 victory in the first game of a doubleheader. Not to be outdone, Gonzales extended his hitting streak to 22 games and belted the game-winning hit in the nightcap as the Tornado registered a 7-5 victory. The split left North Medford 11-1 in the SOC and 17-4-1 overall heading into next Saturday's season-ending doubleheader against Crater at Miles Field with the conference championship on the line. Eagle Point, meanwhile, put itself in good position to seize its first state playoff berth since 1991. The Eagles, 7-5 in the SOC and 13-10 overall, need only a split against South Medford to clinch a playoff spot. Newmann, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound right-hander, gave up solo homers to Phil Ouellette and Charlie Jensen but still held the hard-hitting Tornado to its lowest run total of the season. Newmann yielded seven hits while striking out four and walking none. "I just tried to keep them guessing," Newmann said. "I'd come in with a fastball and then drop a curve on the outside corner. My curveball was really working well today." Eagle Point led just 2-1 after three innings of Game 1, but Newmann delivered an RBI single and Charlie Jackson followed with a two-run single in the fourth to make it 5-1. One inning later, Jesse Stevenson belted a two-run homer and the Eagles were on their way. Newmann had three hits in Game 1 and finished the day 4-for-7. "Good pitching beats good hitting most of the time, and Newmann definitely pitched a good game to beat us," North Medford coach Brett Wolfe said. "His breaking ball was tough to handle, and he made some great pitches in key spots." Even so, Gonzales managed one hit off Newmann, a single in the third inning, and then went 2-for-3 in the second game -- including a crucial two-run single in the fourth inning that put North Medford ahead to stay. Eagle Point led 4-3 when Gonzales strolled to the plate. With one out and runners on second and third, the logical move might have been to intentionally walk the Tornado first baseman. Eagle Point coach Tom Britton huddled with his assistant coaches but then decided to have his left-handed pitcher, Jesse Stevenson, pitch to the left-handed Gonzales. Gonzales promptly deposited a Stevenson curveball into center field, scoring Joshua Bottjer and Nate Mayben and giving North Medford a 5-4 lead. Jensen followed with a double that scored Gonzales, and Dan Bruce followed with a single that scored Jensen, making the score 7-4. "We talked about taking the bat out of his (Gonzales') hands, but then we're facing Jensen, and he's no easy mark," Britton said. "In that situation, it's pick your poison. "The top four or five kids in their lineup are just murder. One mistake and the ball's in the outfield or over the wall. "And that's what makes Newmann's performance so special." Gonzales is now just three games shy of hitting in all 25 of North Medford's regular-season games. "It's not something I pay much attention to," Gonzales said of his hitting skein. "All I'm trying to do is help the team win." Wolfe said Gonzales' streak is no accident. "He's got a tremendous eye and he can hit any pitch to any field," Wolfe said. "And he's got great command of the strike zone. When you've got all those things working in your favor -- not to mention the fact that he's a very level-headed person -- then you're a tough out." Jensen finished the day 3-for-7 with a double, triple and home run. Mayben went 3-for-4 in Game 2 and 4-for-7 on the day. FIRST GAME Eagle Point ........................110 320 0 -- 7 10 0 North Medford ......................010 001 0 -- 2 7 1 Newmann and Garrett; Kircher and Halpin. W -- Newmann (5-4). L -- Kircher (7-2). 2B -- EP: Newmann. HR -- EP: Stevenson; NM: Ouellette, Jensen. SECOND GAME Eagle Point ..........................022 001 0 -- 5 9 1 North Medford .....................120 400 x -- 7 13 0 Stevenson, Strodthoff (5) and Garrett; Mayben and Halpin. W -- Mayben (9-2). L -- Strodthoff. 2B -- EP: Jackson, Stevenson; NM: Jensen. 3B -- NM: Jensen. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA