Doran Gillespie

MEDFORD – The Roseburg Indians baseball team outlasted the South Medford Panthers in the nightcap of a league doubleheader on Saturday in Medford to stay undefeated in Southwest Conference games and in a tie with South Eugene for first place.

Roseburg (8-3; 5-0 SWC) didn’t take a lead in game two until a four-run seventh inning and held off the Panthers for a 7-5 victory. The Indians won the opening game 5-1 behind a complete game from senior pitcher Zack Mandera.

After a lockdown performance in game one, the Indians came out sluggish in game two and fell behind South Medford 3-0 through four innings.

“We kind of started out a little slow,” said Mandera. “I just told the guys it’s too close of a game to be down.”

Roseburg didn’t get a hit until the third inning and left runners in scoring position in three of the first four innings. South Medford starter Rickey Boortz kept the Indians off balance and at one point retired eight straight batters.

“Game two on a Saturday is a tough ballgame in our league,” Roseburg coach Troy Thompson said. “For us to come out as sluggish as we were in game two and have enough energy there in the middle innings to get back in it and ultimately win it was a great sign.”

Roseburg’s comeback started in the fifth. Luke Van Norman led off with a double and later scored to make it a 3-1 deficit on a single by Caden Johnson. Doran Gillespie followed Johnson with his first home run of the season to tie the game.

“That got our energy going really good,” said Gillespie.

South Medford (5-8; 1-4 SWC) responded with runs in the fifth and sixth innings on hits by Bennett Thompson and Trevor Marthowski, respectively.

Trailing 5-3 in the top of the seventh, Roseburg started the final frame with a single by Jett Black. Jace Stoffal drew a walk and the Panthers committed an error on a sacrifice bunt by Mason Littlefield that scored a run and left runners at second and third.

The Indians added two runs to take a 6-5 advantage on a double by Trevor Muir that glanced off the glove of a diving Gio Bottero in center field. Roseburg tacked on its last run on South Medford’s second throwing error of the inning.

Garrett Zeimet entered the game in the seventh and earned his first save of the year by striking out Blake Shields after walking two batters to put the tying run on base.

Mandera improved to 3-1 on the year with a complete game performance in game one. The senior allowed six hits and struck out six, while walking none.

Roseburg jumped on the Panthers with three runs in the first inning and another in the second to lead 4-0. The Indians made it 5-0 before South managed to crack the goose egg on the scoreboard.

Johnson and Gillespie each went 4-for-7 in the series for Roseburg and Black and Stofall each finished 3-for-6 and South Medford. Gillespie record four RBI in the twin bill.

Bennett Thompson went 5-for-7 to lead South Medford’s offense.

Roseburg will next host South Eugene on Tuesday for a showdown between the two unbeaten teams in the Southwest Conference. The Indians and Axe were both voted as the favorites to win the conference title in a preseason poll of the SWC coaches.

Game one
Roseburg;310;100;0;—;5;10;0
S. Medford;000;100;0;—1;6;0
Mandera and Six; Shields, Lauchstedt (2), Campbell (6) and Thompson. W — Mandera, 3-1. L — Shields, 1-3. 2B — R: Johnson, Gillespie, Black. SM: Thompson, Ledendecker. 3B — Gillespie.

Game two
Roseburg;000;030;4;—7;8;2
S. Medford;200;111;0;—5;9;2
Stoffal, Black (6), Zeimet (7) and Six; Boortz, Ledendecker (5), Costanti (7) and Thompson. W — Black, 1-1. L — Costanti, 0-2. 2B — R: Van Norman, Muir. SM: Marthowski, Thompson.

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