American Legion Baseball: Docs eliminated at state tournament with 4-1 loss to Canyon Crushers
PORTLAND — With their backs against the wall, the Roseburg Dr. Stewart’s were unable to come through in crunch time at the American Legion Baseball AAA Oregon State Tournament at Joe Etzel Field at the University of Portland.
The Stewies saw their season come to an end with a 4-1 loss to the Stayton Post 58 Canyon Crushers on Sunday. Roseburg ended the season on a three-game losing skid and finished with a 21-20 overall record.
Roseburg’s bats were once again the primary issue. The Docs mustered just four hits against Crushers’ starting pitcher Slade Hudson, who pitched all seven innings to get the complete-game victory. He allowed just one run with seven strikeouts and five walks.
“Stringing some hits together, getting the offense going was a struggle for us this weekend, where as of late it wasn’t a struggle,” Roseburg coach Tim Sustaire said. “That happens, but bad timing.”
Paxton Burke had an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning to score Teagan Sprague and get the Docs within three runs of Stayton. Roseburg’s Jake Johnson had a two-out double in the sixth inning and Daniel Withers drew a walk, but that’s as close as the Stewies would get to tying the game.
Hudson only allowed two Roseburg base-runners to reach scoring position. The Docs were playing without one of their top hitters, Cal Robbins, who was dealing with a hand injury.
Docs’ starter Danner Wertz gave up four runs on six hits over 3 1/3 innings. He allowed just two hits the first time through the order, but the Crushers broke through as the top of the order hit for a second time in the third inning.
Colton Connally got the scoring started with a two-out triple and Colson Swartz followed with an RBI single that scored Connally and gave Stayton a 2-0 lead. A passed ball and an RBI base hit by Owen Zerr scored two more runs in the fourth.
Camden Hartsell took over for Wertz in the fourth inning and allowed just two hits with two walks and three strikeouts over 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He helped keep the Docs within reach, but Hudson closed out the game by getting the Docs to hit three weak fly outs in the seventh.
“Whether (our pitchers) always have their best stuff or not, they gave us a chance to win,” Sustaire said. “We’ve got to have their back defensively. We had some mistakes on the field that didn’t help our pitchers out.”
Stayton (20-22) advanced to face the Corvallis Gerding Builders Marketmen in another elimination game at 4 p.m. Monday.
Roseburg will see six players age-out of the program, with recent high school graduates Johnson and Logan Anderson eligible to return for a final season next year.
The Docs will have eight underclassmen that could possibly return for another season next summer.
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Stayton;002;200;x;—;4;8;0
Wertz, Hartsell (4) and Bowers; Hudson and Postlewait. W — Hudson. L — Wertz (3-2). 2B — Johnson (R), Bergdahl (S). 3B — Connally (S).
