MEDFORD — The Meford Mustangs American Legion Baseball team had a few firecrackers left over from Independence Day.
The Mustangs blasted five home runs, including the game-winner in Game 1, to sweep the Roseburg Dr. Stewart’s in an Area 4 doubleheader on Wednesday at Lithia and Driveway Fields.
Medford (19-10, 5-1 Area 4) took the opener 4-2 in eight innings on a walk-off, two-run home run by Owen Thompson. Jeremiah Robbins blasted a pair of round-trippers in the nightcap to send the Mustangs to a 9-1 victory.
The wins move the Mustangs into a tie with the Emerald Challengers for first place in the league standings, while the Docs fall into third.
Kade Johnson and Julius Bolstad tossed a competitive, low-scoring game to lead off the twin bill. Both starting pitchers went deep into the game with the score tied at 1-1 through the first five innings.
Dr. Stewart’s (12-11-1, 3-3) took a 1-0 lead after Brooks Avery reached on a bunt single to start the game and later scored on a passed ball. The Mustangs evened the score in the home half of the first with a solo homer by Triston Wallace.
Johnson and Bolstad dialed it in from there, although neither starter factored into the decision.
Johnson allowed only one earned run on four hits over 5 2/3 innings, while striking out four and walking four. Bolstad gave up two runs on seven hits, finishing with three strikeouts, two walks and two hit batters.
The Docs took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth on a two-out single by Drew Camp and Roseburg should have taken that lead into the seventh inning, but three errors in the sixth allowed Medford to tie the game again.
A one-out single by Eli Havey was misplayed in right field and allowed Havey to race all the way to third. Dominic Daffron took over as a pinch runner, but couldn’t score on a shallow flyball to centerfield.
With two outs, it looked like the Docs would escape the inning with a routine groundball to third but a throwing error by Daniel Withers pulled Evan Corbin off the bag at first, allowing the game-tying run to come home.
Beau Aldrich cam out of the bullpen for the Mustangs and allowed just one base-runner over the final two innings.
Parker Burke took over for the Docs and was perfect in the seventh inning, forcing the game into extras. Burke started the eighth inning with a strikeout, but then walked Robbins and gave up Thompson’s game-ending bomb to right field.
Logan Anderson was 3-for-3 for the Docs in the opener and Havey went 2-for-3 to lead the Mustangs.
The disappointment from the loss appeared to hangover into Game 2. The Docs mustered just three hits off of Thompson, who finished with eight strikeouts, and the Mustangs clobbered the ball for nine hits, including five extra bases hits (two doubles and three home runs).
Medford jumped on Docs starter Cole Collins for three runs in the first. Roseburg got one run back in the fourth, but the ‘Stangs quickly responded with four runs in the home half of the inning to put the game out of reach.
Roseburg and Medford will meet again on Friday to finish out the four-game league series at Bill Gray Legion Stadium at Champion Car Wash Field. Game 1 is slated to begin at 5 p.m.
First Game
Dr. Stewart’s;100;001;00;—;2;7;3
Mustangs;100;001;02;—;4;5;0
K. Johnson, Burke (6) and Hubbard; Bolstad, Aldrich (7) and Robbins. W — Aldrich. L — Burke (1-1). HR — Wallace (M), Thompson (M).
Second Game
Dr. Stewart’s;000;100;0;—;1;3;1
Mustangs;300;420;X;—;9;9;0
Collins, Watson (2), Withers (4) and Burke; Thompson, Hill (6) and Havey. W — Thompson. L — Collins (1-3). 2B — Schwenk (M), Curtis (M). HR — Horsley (M), Robbins 2 (M).
