The result on the scoreboard wasn’t anything to get excited about, but don’t let that make you think this won’t be an exciting season for the Roseburg Clint Newell Dr. Stewart’s.
“Saw some good things, but saw a lot of bad things,” said coach Jeremiah Robbins, who’s Docs team fell to the Medford Mustangs 16-6 in the season-opener to the American Legion baseball season on Thursday at Bill Gray Legion Stadium at Champion Car Wash Field.
“But that’s just work, that’s just getting reps. The attitudes were off the charts.”
The Mustangs jumped on the Docs for three runs in the first inning and scored in seven of the nine innings played. Medford smacked 19 hits off of four Dr. Stewart’s pitchers in the runaway victory.
“We’re rusty right now. We need more practice time. We’re going to get a lot (on Friday) and then just get into a slew of games and just keep developing these great attitudes,” Robbins said.
Roseburg (0-1) scored a run in the first and second innings, but didn’t have the firepower to hang with Medford (2-0).
The Stewies notched eight hits in the contest, but struggled to consistently put pressure on the Medford pitching staff.
Dominic Tatone led the Roseburg offense with two singles and a walk. Austin Takahashi had the only extra base hit for the Docs, going 1-for-4 with a double and a RBI. Parker Burke and Justin Jenks also drove in runs for the Docs.
Medford started the game with a double by Cody Borragine and a triple by Cameron Sewell to make it 1-0. Tanner Douglas and Aiden Horsley tacked on runs with singles.
The Mustangs broke the game open in the sixth inning with six runs on five hits and a throwing error.
Borragine and Sewell led the Medford offense with three hits each. Borragine, a 2021 graduate of North Medford High School, also had four RBI.
“We didn’t pitch very well, that’s obvious,” Robbins said. “Today was about reps. Early in the year it’s about getting reps. A couple of kids pitched that hadn’t pitched a lot this year, and to get them that opportunity and to go out there and play against probably one of the best teams in the state, that was good.”
Tristan Ledbetter, a sophomore at Douglas High School this school year, took the loss in his first action with the Docs.
The Dr. Stewart’s will have a day on the practice field before returning to play with four games over the weekend in a summer kickoff tournament at home.
Robbins says he’s excited to really start working with the team. “These guys are sponges. When you get a team that asks the questions that they were asking throughout the game, I just get so excited as a coach. They want to be coached.”
Roseburg will next host two instructional travel teams from Northwest Diamond Sports out of the Tualatin area. The Docs will play two games on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Medford;310;116;103;—;16;19;3
Roseburg;110;000;031;—;6;8;1
Bolstad, Douglas (3), Sewell (5), Ruttigliano (7) and Robbins, Wallace; Ledbetter, Jacobs (4), J. Johnson (7), Burke (8) and Hubbard, Dill. W — Bolstad. L — Ledbetter. 2B — Horsley (M), Rutigliano (M), Sewell (M), Borraggine (M), Takahashi (R). 3B — Sewell (M).
