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North Medford dusts off Glencoe Photo by Bob Pennell North Medford's Andrea Miller slides in safely at second base after eluding the tag of Glencoe's Kindel Thompson during the Tornado's 5-1 win. Tornado to face Churchill in third-round playoff By GREG STILES High school playoffs are new to many of the North Medford softball players. Big games aren't. All those new faces in the field have been through Amateur Softball Association summer tournaments time and again. So when the very young Glencoe Crimson Tide came to town for a first-round Class 4A state playoff contest Tuesday at sun-drenched Fagone Field, the Southern Oregon Conference champions were more than up for the task. Junior right-hander Steph Coe limited the Metro League's No. 3 team to one hit and the fourth-ranked Black Tornado plated four runs in the fifth inning to break the contest open en route to a 5-1 triumph. "Even though these kids don't have a lot of high school varsity experience, they do have a lot of big-game experience," said 19th-year North Medford coach Larry Binney. "Steph (Coe) had a lot of zip on the ball. It was the first good, hot day for her to throw in and she does well in those conditions." Coe, who is in her third varsity campaign, kept the Tide bottled up until the sixth inning, facing the minimum 15 batters through five innings. Coe fanned six of the first seven batters she faced and finished with nine strikeouts in boosting her record to 19-5. "In the Metro League, the pitching we see is slower," said Glencoe catcher Mari Lyn Petrick, whose brother Ben saw his first Major League action for the Colorado Rockies earlier this month. "She definitely had some good ball movement and was a little intimidating." North sophomore catcher Britney Hillyer erased both Glencoe runners to reach base -- gunning down Kayla Feakes trying to steal after she reached on an error in the third inning and picking off Petrick after a lead-off double in the fourth inning. "When that happens, you're more conservative with your leads and more nervous," Petrick said. The Tornado (21-6) plays No. 6 Churchill, a 4-0 victor over Oregon City, in the second round. The day and time have yet to be determined. Meanwhile, Glencoe pitcher Rachel Herinckx, one of four Tide seniors, managed to hold North to one run through four innings. Herinckx, who struck out 95 in 112 innings before the playoffs, escaped a first-inning jam and left the bases loaded in the third inning after allowing one run. "She was moving the ball in and out and had a little rise on it," said North's Amy Allen. "You had to be on top of it or you'll have trouble." When its first two hitters reached base in the bottom of the first inning, North looked like it might get an early jump. But Herinckx induced a one-out liner by North clean-up hitter Jill Carrigan that second baseman Pam Thornborrow turned into a double play. Carrigan came up in the third inning with the bases loaded and two out. Carrigan hit a grounder to shortstop April Tankersley. But Beth Morrill (a courtesy runner for Coe) reached second before Tankersley's throw, while Andrea Miller raced home with the game's first run. "We just keep playing our game and let the other team make mistakes," said Carrigan, who drove in the second run of the game when North opened up a 5-0 lead in the fifth. Glencoe (15-10-1) committed four errors in the contest -- two in the fifth inning. Heather Johnson reached when Thornborrow couldn't hold Herinckx's throw at first base. One out later, Tai Kinney scratched out her third infield hit of the game and Coe was walked to load the bases. Carrigan dropped a bunt 12 feet in front of the plate. Herinckx sprawled forward as she reached for the ball, but by the time she flipped it to the plate Johnson had scored. Allen followed with a base hit up the middle, scoring Kinney and Morrill. Carrigan then stole third base and when no one covered, Petrick's throw sailed into left field, allowing Carrigan to score. "I think we could've gone into the seventh inning tied 1-1 if we executed better," Glencoe coach Mike Springer said. "But of our 18 players, 10 are freshmen or sophomores and young teams make mistakes sometimes." Glencoe finally broke the spell in the sixth inning, scoring without benefit of a hit. Coe allowed her only walk, issuing a free pass to Kindel Thompson to start the frame. After Thompson was sacrificed to second, Feakes lashed a ball that caromed off Tina Quintero, and Thompson scored. Glencoe appeared headed for more when Coe hit Petrick with a pitch to put runners on first and second with one out. But Coe got Laura Delplanche to pop up and the infield-fly rule was invoked. Feakes then ran into Carrigan as she pursued the ball and was called out for interference, giving the Tornado an inning-ending double play. "It's always nice to win by a lot," Allen said. "But you don't always get the runs. This will give us a lot of confidence." Glencoe ..........................000 001 0 -- 1 1 4 North Medford ..................001 040 x -- 5 4 2 Herinckx, Stroberger and Petrick; Coe and Hillyer. W -- Coe (19-5). L -- Herinckx (14-8) 2B -- G: Petrick. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA