7 errors lead to 6 unearned runs by Tigard in battle of tournament unbeatens

What could go wrong absolutely did go wrong for the Medford Mustangs on Day 3 of the American Legion AAA state tournament, leading to an uncharacteristic loss for the host team as the Tigard Barbers capitalized for an 11-3 win Monday night.

In a matchup of the lone unbeatens remaining in the eight-team, double-elimination tournament, the Mustangs pressed from the get-go, committing an error on the first ball put in play to set an ominous tone at Harry & David Field.

Medford (28-10) totaled seven errors by the end of the night, and a few more mental mistakes that didn’t help matters against the reigning state champions.

“I definitely think we were a little too eager to make plays, instead of just making the game simple with field the ball, throw the ball,” said Mustangs outfielder Brady Patterson. “I think we were just too eager to get the baseball.”

If possible, it almost seemed as if the Medford players wanted to win too much in what would have set them up for a guaranteed spot on championship Wednesday.

“I think that we played a little tight,” said third-year Mustangs manager John King, whose team saw its 12-game winning streak come to an end. “Right off the bat, we get a groundball on the first play and we kick it. It just seemed like from there, we kind of pressed a little bit after that.”

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“I don’t think we’ve had seven errors all year,” he added. “You’re not going to beat a team like (Tigard) when you have more errors than hits. It’s just never going to happen. I always talk to them about the baseball gods and stuff like that, and you know it’s not going to be your night when their shortstop kicks a ball with runners at first and second and it bounces straight up in the air and lands basically on second base for an out.”

As bad as the night was for the Mustangs, it didn’t wipe away their hopes for a potential 19th state title in program history. Medford will square off against the Portland Hillsdale Merchants at 3 pm. Tuesday for the right to advance into Wednesday’s final round of play.

Single-day tickets are $10, and admission is free for children 12-and-under and for military members.

“We came into the game thinking that we were going to run through these guys, and, I mean, that’s just not how it goes sometimes,” said Patterson of Monday’s matchup. “We definitely are still in this thing. I think this team is going to flush this one easy and hopefully push through the championship game and win it all.”

Portland Hillsdale (33-13) was the Area 2 runner-up to the Barbers, and eliminated Roseburg Dr. Stewart’s earlier Monday with a 17-3 win in five innings. The Merchants also own a tournament win over Area 4 champion Eugene (38-6).

Medford swept Portland Hillsdale in a closely played doubleheader two weeks ago, rallying in extra innings for a 12-11 walk-off before netting a 5-3 decision in Game 2.

“They’ve got some other players at the state tournament and they swing the bats well, so we’ll go out and see what happens,” said King.

The Barbers (32-5-1) will meet the Challengers at 7 p.m. Tuesday after Eugene opened Day 3 with a 9-1 victory to eliminate the Corvallis Marketmen.

Tigard has earned two of the last three state titles, and a win Tuesday would force an opponent to beat them twice Wednesday to pry away another potential title. Even with a loss on Tuesday, the Barbers are automatically in the championship final by virtue of being the last team to record its first defeat.

Tigard sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning Monday against Medford starter Cade Pettersen, using a walk and consecutive singles by Ryden Nakamura and Gabriel Coltman to plate the first run. Ryan Hemsley added a two-out RBI single, and Pettersen was able to leave the bases loaded with an inning-ending flyout to keep the deficit at 2-0.

In the bottom half of the frame, Patterson very quickly jolted the Mustangs right back in contention when he turned on a 3-1 pitch by Nakamura and sent a soaring home run over the right field fence.

“It felt good,” said the North Medford High product. “I was seeing the ball well, and seeing the fastball well. It was up and in, and I hit it over the fence. I thought that was going to be a momentum change, and it was for a little bit, but then I think we kind of just flatlined on defense and offense.”

Tigard got that run back on a sacrifice fly by Coltman in the second, then put four more runs on the board in the fourth by virtue of two hits, two walks, a hit batter and three errors to put Medford in a 7-1 hole.

“You have to capitalize,” said King in giving credit to the Barbers. “When a team makes an error, you need to score runs on it, and they did.”

Consecutive hits by Easton Douglas and Morgan Austin, who finished 3-for-3, set up an eventual RBI groundout by Freeman Rountree in the bottom of the fourth.

Austin moved up to third base on a wild pitch and when Keegan Painter drew a walk, there was some hope that Medford might be in for one of those big innings that have carried them through their opening two wins.

That was not to be, however, as Tigard catcher Nolan Foglio was able to backpick Austin at third base for an inning-ending out with Pettersen at the plate.

“That’s just kind of the kids wanting it too much,” said King, “and just trying to do a little bit more than what we should.”

Grady Sickler singled home Blake Patereau in the sixth inning to make it 8-3, but Tigard responded with three more runs in the top of the seventh for the final margin.

Six of the Barbers’ 11 runs were unearned for the quartet of pitchers Medford sent out in Pettersen, Jedi Robertson, Sickler and Reese Thompson.

Hemsley went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, Jaden Tragesser was 2-for-5 with three runs and one RBI and Coltman was 1-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs to pace Tigard. Nakamura scattered five hits in 5 ⅔ innings to earn the win, striking out four with three walks and three runs allowed.