What a difference a week can make.

One week ago the Dr. Stewart’s American Legion baseball team was bogged down in the midst of a season-worst five-game losing streak. Yet on Monday night at Bill Gray Stadium at Legion Field, the Docs pulled off a 5-1 win over Beaverton Post 124 for their fourth consecutive win, tying a season best for consecutive victories.

With the crux of their season looming on Wednesday and Thursday, this resurgence for the Docs wasn’t prompted by some dugout speech from head coach Jeremiah Robbins. It wasn’t forced out by some rigorous training session. Coach Robbins believes the Docs’ recent run of success was delivered thanks to a visit to where most baseball careers begin.

“Once we got back from Portland when we dropped a game to the (Post 6) Barbers, we had a pretty good workout the next day,” said Robbins. “It wasn’t really swinging or doing anything, we worked out with a little league team and helped coach a little league team in town here and I think the guys are starting to get back to the reasons they play baseball.”

Getting back to their roots appears to have worked for Robbins, who has seen his club reel off four straight victories by a combined margin of 27-7.

“Since that day I would say we’ve played pretty good baseball,” Robbins said. “We just ask them to be locked in and compete and I’ve seen that for our last four games. So I’m excited. I think we’re prepared for Wednesday and Thursday.”

Monday’s victory against Beaverton was the last test before the Docs play their final four Area 4 games with the postseason hanging in the balance.

Austin Anderson scattered four hits over five innings and allowed one unearned run, while striking out three and walking one. Cade Meisner and Cody Johnson combined to no-hit Beaverton over the final four innings of the nine inning affair.

Jacob Luther drove in the first run for the Docs in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1 and then later scored on a sacrifice fly by Caden Johnson to give the Docs a 2-1 lead going to the sixth.

Luther drove in another run in the sixth to put the Docs up 3-1 and two more Docs’ runs scored in the seventh to reach the final score.

“Obviously we’ve had a rough stretch,” said Luther, who added that the players have really bought into what the coaches have been saying during the current winning streak.

“I really think it’s just mental focus. Being prepared coming in to the game. We’ve had rough first innings, that’s really what we’ve struggled with and it’s just the mindset before the game. Coming in ready to compete and ready to win.”

During their current streak, the Docs have benefitted from strong pitching. The staff has only allowed two earned runs over the past four games, while giving up only 18 hits. A drastic improvement to the numbers during the team’s five-game losing streak where the pitcher surrendered 45 hits and 31 earned runs.

The better pitching has helped lead to better defense for the Docs, according to shortstop Caden Johnson. During the past four games, the team has committed just six errors, down drastically from the 11 errors committed during the five-game slide.

“I feel like it has a lot to do with our pitching,” Johnson said of the improvements. “If we’re throwing strikes, just cruising through teams, I feel like our defense just kicks in. And then when we’re walking guys and it’s just slow, standing out there, kind of no action. I feel like it kind of affects our mentality a little bit.”

The Docs will need to keep the focus dialed in over the next four games as the team attempts to clinch a berth in a Super Regional series. Medford and Klamath Falls will visit Legion Field Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, to finish out the league season. Games start at 6 p.m. on both days.

“We’ve got to be ready to go,” said Robbins. “I’m excited for it. I think playing games that really have something riding on it, you’ll see a whole different team.”

Dr. Stewart’s currently holds a postseason berth as the fourth place team in the Area 4 standings, but nothing is certain as of yet.

Eugene leads Willamette Valley by one-game and the two teams meet in a doubleheader Wednesday to decide the league title. Willamette Valley needs to sweep the Challengers to claim the title, while Eugene needs just one win against the Titans.

The Area 4 champion secures an automatic berth in the state tournament in Klamath Falls July 27-31. Second place will host a best-of-three Super Regional series.

Third place Medford currently leads the Docs by two-games and Grants Pass trails the Docs by one-game for fourth. Both the third and fourth place teams will travel in the Super Regional round. Fifth place is eliminated from postseason contention.

Klamath Falls resides in last place, but will make the state tournament as the host team.

Beaverton 001 000 000 — 1 4 3

Dr. Stewart’s 000 021 20x — 5 9 1

Oleson, Davis (6) and Forester; Anderson, Meisner (6), Cody Johnson (9) and Guasteferro, Six. WP — Anderson, 3-1. LP — Oleson. 2B — Forester (B), Cody Johnson (R).