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58 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, June 7, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 25, 2004 North Medford�s Cole Rohrbough delivers a pitch in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs. He struck out 12 Jesuit batters and walked one in six innings, raising his record this spring to 5-2. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Cole’s pitching stokes North Junior Rohrbough gets the first 11 outs by strikeout in 8-4 victory By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune A bit inconsistent during the regular season, North Medford’s Cole Rohrbough couldn’t have been more on target than he was Monday afternoon at Miles Field. The junior left-hander found his pitching groove early, getting the first 11 outs on strikeouts, and the Black Tornado used a seven-run first inning to topple Jesuit 8-4 in the first round of the Class 4A baseball state playoffs. "My arm was feeling good today," said Rohrbough, who struck out 12 and walked one in six innings of work. "I was just hitting my spots, and I knew exactly where the ball was going today." It was the kind of performance Black Tornado faithful had been waiting for all season. "At the beginning of the season, he was a little inconsistent, but today he put everything together," senior catcher Rob Folsom said. "Fastballs, changeups, curveballs, you name it, he kept them off-balance with it. It was nice to see him finally break out of his shell." Advertisement Jesuit coach Craig Webster said the 12 strikeouts were the most against his team all season. The hot-hitting Crusaders (20-7) had entered the playoffs averaging 9.6 runs. "We just did not compete at the plate," said Webster, in his last season at Jesuit. "We never made them have to make a play. "Their kid (Rohrbough) did a good job. He made us look foolish on his breaking pitch and spotted the ball really well." The win advances North (21-6) into a second-round matchup Wednesday at Gresham, which was a 12-3 winner over Canby on Monday. Folsom got the first-inning surge rolling for North when he beat out an infield single and moved to second base on a throwing error by Jesuit third baseman Michael Rogers. Sammy McHenry followed with a single that caromed off ranging second baseman Tyler Bruss, and Charles Behnke worked for a walk to load the bases. A little unnerved, Jesuit starter Geoff Nichols hit Beau Hovland and Abe Eubank in ensuing at-bats to plate North’s first two runs. After two fielder’s choice grounders forced out Tornado runners at home, Matt Schmeltzter was hit by a pitch to bring home another run. On the next pitch, Kyle Williamson drilled a bases- clearing double to the left-center field gap to make it 6-0. "I’ve been taught to hit that first pitch, and he left it up on me and I hit it," said the junior. "It was huge for me because I’ve been struggling lately. It gave me my confidence back, and that carries out to the field." To cap the seven-run first, Folsom belted an RBI double to the left-field fence for his second hit of the inning. "Kyle Williamson made the biggest difference clearing the bases with two outs," Folsom said. "If that doesn’t happen, it’s a different ballgame." No one appreciated the outburst more than Rohrbough, who scattered three singles through the first three innings in between nine strikeouts. "It’s 100 times easier to go out and pitch the next inning when you know you have a big cushion like I," said Rohrbough, who improved to 5-2. Jesuit, the No. 3 seed from the Metro League, scratched back with a run in the fourth as Joe Newman and Heath Faulk hit back-to-back singles with one out. Folsom had Newman picked off second moments later, but his throw sailed high into center field to advance the runner. Jon Breuer followed with an RBI single. The Crusaders tacked three more runs on the board in the fifth as a tiring Rohrbough allowed leadoff singles to Abe Kaempf and Bruss. After a strikeout, Casey Puterbaugh blasted a chest-high fastball over the right-center fence for a three-run homer and his only hit of the game to make it 7-4. "I was up over 100 pitches so I was getting a little tired," said Rohrbough. "I wasn’t throwing as much heat, so I was working on mixing it up a lot more." North added an insurance run in the sixth as McHenry reached on an error, moved to third on two wild pitches and scored on Josh Suarez’s two-out bloop single to left field. Hovland came on in the seventh to close out the win for the Tornado, which played without leading hitter Russ Vandell. The senior left fielder was serving a one-game suspension for being ejected in North’s Southern Oregon Conference finale at Klamath Union. Jesuit........................................000 130 0 — 4 9 3 North Medford.........................700 001 x — 8 8 1 Nichols and Newman; Rohrbough, Hovland (7) and Folsom. W — Rohrbough (5-2). L — Nichols (4-1). 2B — NM: Williamson, Folsom, White. HR — J: Puterbaugh. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times