Apr 27th, 2008
No. 1 North completes sweep of Panthers
North Medford sophomore Matt Maurer enjoyed his time on the mound last year, but he entered this season energized by the prospect of being able to step back into the batter’s box after a one-year hiatus.
If South Medford baseball fans had their druthers on Saturday, the left-hander wouldn’t have been in either spot at Harry & David Field.
recap: Matt Maurer strikes out 11 and allows two hits in the opener and belts four doubles in seven at-bats overall to keep North Medford undefeated.
up next: Tuesday, North Medford at Roseburg; Sheldon at South Medford.
Maurer struck out 11 and allowed only two hits in a 6-0 victory to open Saturday’s doubleheader.
He then stepped to the plate in the nightcap and slapped three doubles to help the top-ranked Black Tornado to a season sweep of the Panthers with a 12-4 triumph.
Overall, Maurer went 4-for-7 — all doubles — with one RBI and five runs scored (combined between him and courtesy runner Sharif Young).
“Taking the ball opposite field has been my work this year because I’ve always tried to pull it,” said Maurer, who credited work with North assistant coach Paul White and head coach Brett Wolfe for his success at the plate. “Just finding a pitch to hit and going opposite field was the biggest part of everything today.”
In comparison, South Medford managed only two extra-base efforts and eight hits overall.
North Medford improved to 20-0 overall and 9-0 in SWC play, while South Medford dropped to 9-11 and 1-8 with its eighth straight loss.
“We’ve kinda hit a crossroads,” said South Medford coach Tom Britton. “There’s some issues that we need to address, but the thing that’s really hurting us is we’re not producing. A lot of it is because we’re banged up, and a lot of it is we’ve got some kids that just haven’t stepped up and gotten the job done.”
Tags: game, nemesis