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Tornado notches two dramatic victories North Medford proved talent and determination can be an imposing combination Saturday afternoon at Miles Field. The Black Tornado baseball team absorbed everything Roseburg could throw at it and never flinched in sweeping a key Southern Oregon Conference doubleheader. In the first game, Nate Mayben smacked a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh and Colby Gonzales followed with a single for a 4-3 triumph. Those dramatics merely set the stage for a thrilling nightcap, in which Ken Halpin broke out of a slump with a two-run homer in the sixth to lift the Tornado to an 8-7 victory. "We definitely have a team that can perform in the clutch," said Halpin. "That's the most exciting part of baseball, to see games end like that. "Every single person in our lineup can hit the ball and get the job done. We're not worried about who's up and if they can perform or not. We have confidence in everybody." That confidence was in full bloom in Game 2 as lightning and rain threatened a premature close of the game after Roseburg scored six runs to take a 7-6 lead into the bottom of the sixth. Instead of rushing their attack, the Tornado (8-2, 4-0 SOC) calmly pulled back. With one out, Mayben coolly eyed four pitches before earning a walk. With the wind swirling and streaks of lightning occasionally scratching the outfield sky, Halpin managed a 2-1 count before lofting a shot toward the left-field fence. "I was just looking for solid contact," Halpin said. "I just knew we were down one and all we needed was base runners, so my objective was to put the bat on the ball. It went out there a little farther than it was supposed to." And fortunately for North, the ball sliced through the wind just long enough to drop over the fence just to the right of the foul pole. "My concern when I saw it was whether it was going to stay fair," said Halpin. "From there I was relieved, and it was just a matter of playing defense for one more inning." North took charge with more senior leadership in the seventh, with Mayben not giving Roseburg (8-5, 1-3 SOC) much to work with while Dan Bruce, Johnny Whitaker and Charlie Jensen each had putouts to end the twin bill. Left fielder Jensen's catch was his second spectacular play of the game. In the first inning, the senior slammed into the outfield fence while making a catch to halt a Roseburg surge. In the seventh, he was going full throttle, then made a diving grab. Following the twin bill, North Medford coach Brett Wolfe said he wasn't surprised at how his seniors helped the Tornado rise above Roseburg. "We have good leadership in our seniors with Dan Bruce, Ken Halpin, Nate Mayben, Colby Gonzales, (Charlie) Jensen and those guys," the coach said. "In a game like that you have to pull together and that's what we did." Roseburg charged to a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a leadoff homer by Kellen Walker off Mayben, but North answered with a run on some nifty hit-and-run work by Gonzales and Mayben and an RBI fielder's choice by Jensen. North stepped on the throttle in the fifth with five runs off five hits, with Gonzales, Bruce and Shawn Backstrom driving in one run apiece and Jensen smoking a two-run single. Undaunted, Roseburg answered the challenge with six runs on five hits and two walks in the sixth as Nick Bowers had a two-run single while Mitch Black, Colton Frost, Walker and Cory Baird each drove in one run. Impending foul weather nearly cost each team but the rain held off just long enough for the final outs to be recorded. "I got a little bit leery around the fifth when the lightning showed up but we got through it," said Wolfe. In the first game, North Medford managed a 3-2 lead heading into the sixth before Roseburg loaded the bases and tied the contest when Brent Kircher's curveball apparently grazed Walker to plate the tying run. The Black Tornado loaded the bases in their half of the sixth as Bruce singled, Phil Ouellette walked and Josh Bottjer reached on an error. Evan McArthur put a charge into Mike McInerney's next pitch but the liner found Powell's glove in center field. Matt Liston supplied a leadoff single to open the seventh for the Indians, advancing to second on a bunt by Kevin Linderman. After an error put runners at the corners, Powell's liner was nabbed by a charging Backstrom in right field. Barry Smith then walked to load the bases, only to have Kircher cross up McInerney for an infield pop-up to end the threat. Mayben led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to the center field wall, and Halpin was intentionally walked to set the stage for Gonzales. The senior first baseman then calmly laced a single up the middle for the game-winner. Addressing a supposed weakness of North Medford, Kircher and Mayben both went the distance against a quality Roseburg team and each improved to 4-1. "(Brent Kircher) made some great pitches all day today," Wolfe said of the sophomore lefty. "He's just a smart, heady kid who has the ability to pitch with confidence. Nate's just the bulldog who's guts-tough. If they want to count out our pitching go ahead because I like it." Gonzales went 4-for-8 on the day in leading North, while Ouellette had his string of being on base in 15 straight at-bats snapped with a first-inning strikeout in the second game. Bruce went 2-for-3 in Game 2 with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored. The senior also played steady defense at shortstop in the second game after moving over from third. FIRST GAME Roseburg ...........................020 001 0 -- 3 7 1 North Medford ...................120 000 1 -- 4 8 1 McInerney and Smith; Kircher and Halpin. W -- Kircher (4-1). L -- McInerney. 2B -- R: Smith; NM: Bottjer, Mayben. SECOND GAME Roseburg .........................100 006 0 -- 7 11 0 North Medford ..................100 052 x -- 8 100 Zumwalt, Bowers (5) and Smith; Mayben and Halpin. W -- Mayben (4-1). L -- Bowers. 2B -- NM: Bruce 2 . HR _ R: Walker; NM: Halpin . Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA