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Tornado storms past GP Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Grants Pass senior Derrick Draper, bottom, barely avoids being picked off at second base as North Medford shortstop Evan McArthur hauls in the baseball a split-second behind Draper's diving effort. Despite sweep of Cavemen, North will wait for Saturday's twin bill with Ashland to truly test its standing in the SOC By Don Hunt Mail Tribune A tough critic might contend that the North Medford High baseball team isn't as good as it looks. Yes, the Black Tornado is off to a 2-0 start in the Southern Oregon Conference following Tuesday's 7-3 and 13-3 victories over Grants Pass at sunbaked Miles Field. Yes, the team is 10-0 overall, its best start in coach Brett Wolfe's eight-year tenure at the school. Yes, the team batting average is .405 with one player - sophomore catcher Rob Folsom - hitting an eye-catching .588. Facts, all. But the fault-finder would be quick to add that North has played a soft schedule, and that with three sophomores and five juniors in its starting lineup, the Tornado can't possibly win the SOC for the second time in three years. Baseball is not unlike politics. You can twist the facts, stretch the stats and tug at the truth to make yourself look pretty darn good or just plain bad. But this much is certain: North Medford will find out a lot about itself Saturday when it ventures to Ashland to challenge the defending conference champion and SOC favorite Grizzlies, who pinned a pair of 1-0 defeats on Roseburg Tuesday. "We don't have any big-name players, but we know how to win," said Folsom, who went 5-for-9 Tuesday with a pair of triples. "I think we're all looking forward to Saturday." The Tornado soared to a 6-1 lead through five innings of the first game Tuesday before Grants Pass scored two runs in the top of the sixth to inch within 6-3. With runners on first and third and one out, Wolfe replaced starting pitcher Drew Kircher with Evan McArthur, and he promptly struck out Spencer Holland and Zach Amaranthus to end the Caveman threat. McArthur was equally effective in the seventh, striking out the first two batters before inducing Josh McGowan into a ground out that ended the game. McArthur, the Tornado's only full-time senior starter, then started and won the second game, scattering six hits through 5� innings to push his season record to 3-0. North Medford's offense, meanwhile, lashed out 16 hits in Game 2 and 25 on the day. The Tornado also stole eight bases in the twin bill. "I'm very excited about this team," Wolfe said. "We're athletic, we hit the ball, we play defense and we've got a couple of senior pitchers (Kircher and McArthur) leading the way. "And maybe most importantly, we've got a group of kids that gets along better than any I've had. Our team chemistry is great, and that can play a part in this league when you get into those one-run games." Grants Pass, which dropped to 0-2 in conference play and 6-4 overall, shot to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the second game thanks in part to an uncharacteristically shoddy North Medford defense that committed three errors. But the Tornado took no time to retaliate - erupting for eight runs in the bottom of the inning. McArthur's two-run double to left field fueled the outburst. Folsom, Dustin Butler, Russ Vandell and Brett Timmerman all registered hits in the inning, and Jimmy Ulrey chipped in a sacrifice fly. North Medford pushed its lead to 11-3 in the fourth on RBI singles by Vandell, Ulrey and Beau Hovland, then ended the game on the 10-run mercy rule in the sixth when J.C. Rowley singled home Timmerman and Folsom tripled home Rowley. Folsom, who hit over .400 last season as a freshman, attributes his red-hot start that includes 18 runs and 10 RBIs to a high confidence level fostered by a season's worth of experience. "I didn't have much chance to swing the bat in the winter because I was wrestling," he said, "but I feel pretty comfortable up there. "Just having that year of maturity helps a lot. It seems like the field has gotten smaller. You have better command of everything." Grants Pass coach Stacy Morgan liked the way his team fought back in the first game, and he was encouraged by its perseverance in the latter contest after yielding the eight runs in the first inning. But Morgan was troubled by GP's sloppy defense that produced seven errors. "You can't beat good teams playing defense like that," he said. "We're a better team than what you saw today." North Medford, the better team in all 10 of its games, will now see if it can best the SOC favorite. FIRST GAME Grants Pass..........................................100 002 0 - 3 5 4 North Medford.................................. 021 301 x - 7 9 1 Rettke and Ortiz; Kircher, McArthur (6) and Folsom. WP - Kircher (3-0). LP - Rettke (1-2) 2B - GP: McGowan, Mecum; NM: Timmerman. 3B - NM: Folsom. SECOND GAME Grants Pass..........................................300 000 - 3 7 2 North Medford.............................. 800 302 - 13 16 4 Davidson, Draper (1), Murzynsky (6) and Ortiz. WP - McArthur (3-0). LP - Davidson (1-2). 2B - NM: McArthur, Hovland, Timmerman. 3B - NM: Folsom. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.