Docs split twin bill with Eugene thanks to seventh inning rally
EUGENE — The Roseburg Dr. Stewart’s and Eugene Challengers split an American Legion Area 4 doubleheader on Monday at Swede Johnson Stadium.
The Docs used a nine-run seventh inning in the opener to rally for a 12-4 win over the Challengers, but Eugene held off Roseburg’s comeback attempts in an 8-4 win in the nightcap.
Eugene (26-7, 9-3 Area 4) remains two-games ahead of Roseburg (11-13-1, 5-3) in the Area 4 standings.
The heart of the Docs’ lineup made life difficult for the Eugene pitching staff. Brooks Avery, Dane St. Clair and Daniel Withers hit second, third and fourth in the lineup for both games. The trio accounted for 12 of Roseburg’s 19 hits, eight RBIs and four doubles.
Avery was 6-for-9 (.667) at the plate in the two games. The shortstop had four hits in the opener with three RBIs.
St. Clair went 4-for-8 (.500) in the twin bill, with two RBIs in both games.
Withers had a double in each game and reached base in six of his eight plate appearances.
Eugene got out to an early lead in both matchups. The Challengers led 3-0 after two innings against Roseburg Game 1 starter Drew Camp.
Camp settled down and pitched around trouble to keep the Challengers at bay and allow Roseburg a chance to rally. The southpaw tossed all seven innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, with one walk, two strikeouts and one hit batter.
Dr. Stewart’s chipped away at the lead and tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth inning on a RBI single by Avery.
Eugene retook the lead in the fifth on a single by Grady Saunders, but Roseburg exploded for nine runs on four hits and three errors in the seventh inning to jump ahead by eight.
Back-to-back doubles by Avery and St. Clair broke the inning open. The Challengers used three pitchers in the seventh and reliever Donovan Jackson was on the hook for the loss.
The Challengers again took an early lead in Game 2. A two-out single by Kyle Miller drove in a pair of runs in the third inning to put Eugene ahead 7-0.
Caden Richardson did a solid job of keeping the Docs off balance at the plate. Roseburg cut the deficit to 7-4 with three runs in the fifth inning. St. Clair plated two runs with a two-out double and Withers tacked on another with a two-bagger.
That’s as close as the Docs would get as Richardson finished the game allowing seven hits, four runs, three walks and striking out six.
Roseburg and Eugene remain second and third, respectively, in the Area 4 standings. Medford leads the league with a 6-0 record.
Redmond (3-6) swept a twin bill at Klamath Falls (1-7) on Monday to inch closer to the top half of the league.
The Docs will continue league play with a doubleheader on Wednesday at Champion Car Wash Field against the Medford Mustangs. Game 1 is slated to begin at 5 p.m.
NOTE: Dr. Stewart’s made a change to its weekend plans. The Docs will face the Salem-Withnell Dodgers at 1 p.m. Sunday and the Portland Barbers at 3 p.m. Sunday. Both games will be played at Willamette University in Salem.
Originally the Docs were scheduled to play a doubleheader against the Barbers on Saturday in Portland.
First Game
Roseburg 001 200 9 — 12 12 3
Eugene 030 010 0 — 4 7 4
Camp and C. Robbins; Hernandez, Jackson (5), Tyner (7), Johnson (7) and Gould. W — Camp (2-0). L — Jackson. 2B — Avery (R), St. Clair (R), Withers (R), Collins (R), Flora (R), Anderson (R), Saunders (E), Hazen (E).
Second Game
Roseburg 000 130 0 — 4 7 0
Eugene 214 001 X — 8 11 1
Hartsell, Ledbetter (4) and Hellenthal; Richardson and Hibler. W — Richardson. L — Hartsell (1-2). 2B — St. Clair (R), Withers (R), Tyner (E), Saunders (E), Crist (E), Hazel (E).
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