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46 °F 5 Day Forecast Sunday, November 30, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental 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 Email Story to a Friend April 20, 2003 Mendenhall makes her pitch for South in split with North By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune After losing 17 consecutive Southern Oregon Conference games against crosstown rival North Medford, the South Medford softball program knew it needed a near-perfect effort to upend the Black Tornado. Jen Mendenhall decided the heck with near. The sophomore power pitcher posted the first perfect game of her playing career to lift the Panthers to a 1-0 victory in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader at Fagone Field. No. 1-ranked North Medford won the opener, 1-0 in eight innings, to temporarily extend its overall undefeated streak to 28 straight dating back to last season. Advertisement But on the strength of Mendenhall’s capable right arm, flawless defense and a third-inning run made possible by a rare Tornado error, South Medford (11-4, 5-1 SOC) served notice that it is a contender for the conference crown. North (10-1, 5-1 SOC), which has won eight straight conference titles, hadn’t lost in league play since April 6, 2002, and hadn’t been beaten at all since April 15 of last year. The Tornado last tasted defeat in SOC play against the Panthers when South swept a doubleheader on April 26, 1994. "Every time out, it’s hard to be on top," said first-year North head coach Brent Barry. "But this one stings a little bit. "If anybody was surprised by the way South played today, they shouldn’t have been. ... The thing that hurts for us is that we didn’t play our best game." South, stocked with seven sophomores on its 13-girl varsity roster, is seeking the program’s first state-playoff berth since 1994. The conference doormat at 1-13 just two years ago, the precocious Panthers play with an underdog’s zeal. "We felt really underrated," said Mendenhall, who is now 6-0 this season. "We proved ourselves today." They also ensured themselves a share of first place in the SOC — along with North — for at least a week, a position they have not been in at season’s end since 1992, when they tied for the title with the Tornado. "We’re young ... and we’re gonna be around for a while," said South first-year head coach Dan Marshall, pointing out that the program is loaded with freshmen in addition to its standout sophomore class. "Our pitching is as tough as you can get, and our infield and catcher are strong, and they’re almost all sophomores. ... What we’ve been working on is to improve our outfield play and hit the ball a little better." In collecting six hits total Saturday, the Panthers outdid the defending Class 4A state champions in that regard, as North had four in Game 1 before its Game 2 goose egg. The first contest was a classic pitching duel between Tornado ace Keri Sevano and South star Darci Byrne. The seniors, who made up the SOC’s first-team all-star pitchers a year ago, traded scoreless frames through the regulation seven innings. In the bottom of the eighth, the Panthers committed two errors, the game’s first such miscues, and North cashed in. After sophomore catcher Stephanie Haskett reached on an infield single, pinch-runner Kendra Strahm, also a sophomore, raced around to score. She advanced to second base when sophomore Deni Rowley’s ground ball was misplayed by third baseman Jackie Chaplin, and Strahm cruised home as junior Beth Morrill’s grounder skipped past shortstop Katie Kaufman. "North’s a great team," Marshall said. "They kept putting pressure on us and kept putting pressure on us, and, finally, they scratched one out." Sevano fired a three-hit shutout to improve to 7-0 on the spring, striking out seven and walking one. Byrne fell to 4-2 despite allowing the ball to leave the infield on the fly just three times. She struck out two, walked two and hit one batter. Game 2, however, was Mendenhall’s show. She struck out four in the opening three innings and added a fifth victim in the fifth inning. Relying on her fastball and riser, she recorded 12 groundouts and four popouts in retiring 21 straight. The ball never left the infield. "I was focused the whole game, and my team played great defense behind me," Mendenhall said. Protecting a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the seventh, Mendenhall induced consecutive bouncers back to herself from Rowley and Morrill, then got junior Darcy Cordell to pop to second baseman Jonni Byrne to seal it. "That last out, I was definitely a little nervous," Mendenhall said. The game’s lone run came in the third, off Tornado starter Strahm (2-1). Sophomore Bethany Stousland’s grounder to third was thrown away by senior Corey Whitaker, and Stousland moved up to second. She stole third on a pitch in the dirt and beat Cordell’s throw home on Kaufman’s groundball to shortstop. "We manufactured one," Marshall said. And it was instrumental in helping produce a monumental victory. "It’s huge, humongous," said Darci Byrne, whose teams had been outscored by a combined 42-1 margin in her SOC career against North until Saturday. "That’s been our goal since we were younger, to beat North. We’ve always wanted to beat North, and we finally did it." FIRST GAME South Medford ..................... 000 000 00 — 0 3 2 North Medford ..................... 000 000 01 — 1 4 0 D. Byrne and Jordahl; Sevano and Haskett. W — Sevano (7-0). L — D. Byrne (4-3). 2B — SM: Chaplin. SECOND GAME South Medford ....................... 001 000 0 — 1 3 0 North Medford ....................... 000 000 0 — 0 0 2 Mendenhall and Jordahl; Strahm, Sevano (4) and Haskett. W — Mendenhall (6-0). L — Strahm (2-1). 2B — SM: J. Byrne. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 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 © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! 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