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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 18, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 17, 2005 Panthers rally to sweep Black Tornado Trautman’s single scores the winning run as the Panthers remain among the SOC leaders By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune South Medford decided it had procrastinated long enough in a Southern Oregon Conference softball doubleheader Saturday against rival North Medford. Down a run and pushed to their final three outs in the nightcap, the Panthers scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to seal a 2-1 victory and a sweep of North Medford at Fagone Field. South, which claimed a 2-0 victory in the opener, has now won four straight against the Black Tornado the past two years after having lost 17 straight. The Panthers (10-3, 5-1 SOC) also crept into a first-place tie with Roseburg. The Indians (4-0), however, are still percentage points ahead after having their doubleheader with Grants Pass rained out. "It’s always nice to sweep your cross-town rival," said third-year South coach Dan Marshall. "Getting that two wins against anybody in this league is a pretty big deal." Advertisement But it wasn’t easy. In the first game, the Panthers staked pitcher Jen Mendenhall to an early lead, then let the senior hurler do the rest. In Game 2, however, South, with Jill Jeter on the mound, found itself locked in a scoreless struggle until the seventh inning. North scored to go ahead in the top half of the inning, but Panther senior first baseman Michele Trautman answered with a clutch two-out hit to send South home with the sweep. Trautman chopped a 1-1 pitch through the left side of the infield to score Simone Hubbard, capping the two-run, four-hit rally. "I’ve been struggling (at the plate)," said Trautman, "so I figured something good had to happen soon. "That’s the first game-winning hit I’ve ever had." Jeter (3-1), a junior, had held North Medford hitless through six innings, but her teammates couldn’t generate much offense against Tornado pitcher Mallorie Hoover. Deni Rowley finally broke up Jeter’s no-hit bid in the top of the seventh with a leadoff double and moved to third on Katie Gould’s sacrifice bunt. Steph Haskett followed with a routine grounder to shortstop Jackie Chaplin, who calmly looked Rowley back to third but sailed the throw high to first, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Chaplin got her chance at redemption as the leadoff hitter in seventh. The senior smacked a hit to left-center field and raced head first into second for a double to start the Panther rally. Hubbard rocketed Hoover’s next offering down the right-field line to score Chaplin and set up the game-ending dramatics. Chaplin, who was 3-for-6 with a run and an RBI over both games, was ready to atone for her fielding mistake. "I was really mad at myself," she said. "It was just a routine play that I messed up. I definitely wanted to make up for that. "Once I saw (my hit) drop, I knew I was going for two." Marshall was most impressed with his team’s never-say-die attitude. "That’s just mental toughness," he said. "We could have easily settled for a split after falling behind. But we toughened up and got the sweep." For North Medford (6-6, 2-4 SOC), the hard-luck finishes continued. Three of the four conference losses have been by one run, and two came in the opponents’ final at-bat. "I think (South Medford’s) pitchers did a great job," said first-year North coach Missy Doerr, who never lost to the Panthers over her four years playing with the Tornado from 1995-98. "We were putting the ball in play. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t get that big hit when we needed it. "We just need to be more focused and keep our heads in the game." Hoover gave up five hits in her first start of the season. Kendra Strahm, the Game 1 starter, yielded seven hits and struck out seven in defeat. Strahm gave up single runs in the third and fifth innings. Desiree Millette scored in the third when she singled and moved to third following a sacrifice bunt and Chaplin’s infield single. Millette came home when Chaplin drew a throw to second on a steal attempt. In the fifth, Alex Jordahl dropped in a two-out double and scored when Chaplin ripped a triple to the center-field fence. Mendenhall gave up three hits and upped her record to 6-2 with the victory. FIRST GAME North Medford.........................000 000 0 — 0 3 2 South Medford.........................001 010 x — 2 7 3 Strahm and Haskett; Mendenhall and Jordahl. W — Mendenhall (6-2). L — Strahm (6-4). 2B — NM: Gould; SM: Jordahl. 3B — SM: Chaplin. SECOND GAME North Medford.........................000 000 1 — 1 1 0 South Medford.........................000 000 2 — 2 5 1 Hoover and Haskett; Jeter and Jordahl. W — Jeter (3-1). L — Hoover (0-1). 2B — NM: Rowley; SM: Chaplin. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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