MEDFORD — The Roseburg High School baseball team finished the first half of Southwest Conference play with a 2-0 loss in a Top 10 battle against the North Medford Black Tornado at Jim McAbee Field on Tuesday.
North Medford (12-2-1, 8-1 SWC), ranked No. 10 in the OSAAtoday coaches poll, retained sole possession of first place in the conference standings, while No. 6 Roseburg (13-4, 6-3) fell two games behind the Black Tornado.
Senior Aiden Horsley held Roseburg to just two hits over seven innings and finished with eight strikeouts in the victory.
“Very good performance by (Horsley) on the mound today. He did a good job keeping us off-balance and not allowing us to generate any momentum,” Roseburg coach Troy Thompson said.
Austin Takahashi made the start for Roseburg, returning from a leg injury that kept him in the dugout for four games. The senior right-hander allowed just five hits over four innings, but consistently found himself in sticky situations due to five walks and a hit batter.
North Medford got on the board in the third inning thanks to a wild pitch.
The Black Tornado added a run in the fourth when Frankie Rutigliano was hit by a pitch after Takahashi had the bases loaded.
North Medford tacked on an unearned run off of Jordan White in the fifth inning.
“Credit North Medford. They took advantage of our miscues and were able to push those three runs across,” Thompson said. “We weren’t able to do that when we did have our few opportunities.”
Roseburg’s best scoring chance came in the fifth inning. Brooks Avery led off the frame with Roseburg’s first hit against Horsley, extending his hitting streak to eight games.
A sacrifice bunt moved Avery to second and an infield single by Noah Fisk put runners on the corners with just one out. North Medford ended the threat with a double-play off the bat of Hunter Fullerton.
Roseburg will continue league play with a doubleheader against South Eugene at Bill Gray Legion Stadium at Champion Car Wash Field on Saturday. Game 1 gets underway at noon.
Roseburg 000 000 0 — 0 2 1
N. Medford 001 110 x — 3 6 0
Takahashi, White (5) and Burke; Horsley and Robbins. W — Horsley. L — Takahashi (1-2).
