American Legion Baseball: Docs split, win series against Grants Pass
GRANTS PASS — Cal Robbins hit a pair of solo home runs and the Roseburg Dr. Stewart’s topped the Grants Pass Nuggets 5-1 in the nightcap of an Area 4 doubleheader on Friday at Agnew-Lytle Field, clinching a league series win for the first time this season.
The Docs took 3-of-4 games against the Nuggets last week. The lone defeat was a 2-0 loss in Game 1 on Friday night.
Robbins was 2-for-3 in the nightcap, blasting two long-balls over the left field fence to bring his season total to four home runs. That alone would have been enough for starting pitcher Cam Hartsell, but the Docs also added three runs on an error, a Teagan Sprague single and a Logan Anderson sacrifice fly.
Hartsell was on top of his game for Roseburg (14-15, 6-6 Area 4). The Nuggets struckout 10 times against Hartsell, a former Roseburg Indian and current Umpqua Riverhawk. He allowed just four hits and two walks in the complete-game performance.
Grants Pass (16-10-2, 3-7) scored its lone run against Hartsell in the first inning. Cole Carnes led off with a triple and scored on a single by Jace McGowan. Hartsell held the Nuggets to no runs and just two hits over the final six innings.
The opener of the twin bill was a classic pitcher’s duel between Roseburg’s Jake Johnson and Grants Pass’ Jedidiah Robertson. Both pitchers went the distance and shutout the opposing side through the first five innings.
The Nuggets manufactured a pair of runs in the sixth inning against Johnson. Nathan Bassett led off the inning with a bloop single to left field. Kasen Orr followed with a grounder to third baseman Daniel Withers, who attempted to begin a double-play at second base, but his throw was off the mark and the Docs missed the opportunity for an out.
Grants Pass pounced on the moment. Evan Valenzuela laid down a bunt single to load the bases and McGowan drove in a pair with a sharp ground ball back up the middle. Johnson eventually got out of the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
Roseburg had plenty of chances to erase the goose egg on the scoreboard, but failed to get the clutch hit. The Docs left 10 runners stranded on base and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
The most egregious moment was in the final at-bats for the Stewies. Sprague drew a one-out walk and Burke followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position with just one out. Robertson pitched through the jam with a pair of strikeouts to finish the game.
Robertson fanned nine Roseburg batters, walked three and scattered seven hits over seven innings. Johnson took his first loss of the summer, allowing two runs on six hits over six innings with no walks and seven punchouts.
The split, paired with a split between Redmond and Eugene on Friday, means the Docs remained alone in third place in the Area 4 standings. Roseburg trails Medford by two games. Redmond is one-game behind Medford, Eugene trails by three games and Grants Pass is four games back in fifth place.
Roseburg has four league games — all of them against the Redmond SunWest Generals — left to play. That four-game series begins with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Monday at Champion Car Wash Field in Roseburg.
First Game
Roseburg;000;000;0;—;0;7;1
Grants Pass;000;002;X;—;2;6;0
Johnson and Robbins; Robertson and Bassett. W — Robertson. L — Johnson (1-1). 2B — Burke (R).
Second Game
Roseburg;000;140;0;—;5;6;0
Grants Pass;100;000;0;—;1;4;1
Hartsell and Bowers; Zauher and Bassett. W — Hartsell (1-3). L — Zauher. 2B — Pezqueda (GP). 3B — Carnes (GP). HR — Robbins 2 (R).
