Docs Legion team splits with Klamath Falls on road

KLAMATH FALLS — The feast and famine that was Dr. Stewart’s hitting not surprisingly made for another Area 4 split in American Legion baseball play Tuesday night.

But more importantly for the Docs (25-12, 6-6 Area 4), their pitching was consistently strong across both games of the doubleheader split with Klamath Falls at Kiger Stadium.

Justin Counts couldn’t get any run support in a 2-0 heartbreaking loss in the opener, while Chad Hanson got all the support he needed and then some in a 14-4 rout in the nightcap.

“A team like that and we give up only five hits all night? That’s the story right there,” Dr. Stewart's coach Scott Shaver said. “Chad did a great job and Justin did a tremendous job ... we just came out on the short end of one of them.”

The split kept the fight between the two teams for second place in Area 4 tight, while Grants Pass made things interesting by splitting with league-leading Medford. But with good hitting and good pitching finally getting on the same page, the Docs hope to take Tuesday’s results and make a push for second on the final weekend of the regular season.

“I just tried to hit my spots and get ahead of the batters,” said Hanson, who didn’t give up a hit after two first-inning doubles by Klamath Falls. “The batters came through with a lot of support.”

Did they ever. The Docs pounded out 16 hits and took advantage of seven uncharacteristic errors by the Falcons in their most lopsided game in weeks.

Bryson Norton doubled for one of his three hits, Bo Younker reached base in all five at-bats without ever hitting the ball out of the infield, and A.J. Royal and Jordan Guthrie each drove in two runs.

“We were pretty mad after the first game,” Norton said. “We wanted to help out offensively and hit a lot better in the second game. We put the ball into play and put a lot of pressure on them.”

After getting only three hits off Klamath’s James Nygren in the opener, the Docs started early in the nightcap, loading the bases with no out in the first. Guthrie hit a sacrifice fly then Norton and Vince Ampi had two-out RBI singles.

The Falcons answered with two runs after a bizarre play in their half of the inning. With leadoff man Kelly Shannon at first, Kyle Conner hit a fly to right that Royal caught on the run, but dropped after a stride. Conner headed back for the dugout and Royal threw to first for the first out and double off Shannon.

The umpiring crew deliberated, then ruled Royal caught the ball for one out and allowed Shannon back on first. Colin Stock doubled home Shannon on the next at-bat, and Jared Nelson drove him home before being tagged out trying to stretch a double into a triple.

"That kind of got me out of my rhythm," Hanson said. "I didn't think (Royal) caught it, but that's the way it goes sometimes. That's what got us worked up. After that coach got on me and I was pretty fired up."

Hanson retired 15 of the next 17 batters, not allowing a Falcon past second base while his offense put up four runs in the second and two more in the fourth for a comfortable lead.

The Docs could have used a few of those runs in the first game, when Nygren cruised through seven innings, striking out eight and walking only two. Royal and Norton had consecutive, two-out singles in the fourth but were stranded, and Guthrie never made it past second after leading off the second with a hit.

Counts was the tough-luck loser despite pitching one of his best starts in American Legion ball. The only hit the Falcons had off the lefty through four innings was in infield single. But Waardenburg drew a walk to lead off the fifth, and moved to third on a single by Mike Mastroianni and came home on a Nate McDaniel single.

Then Shannon was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Conner drew a walk to bring home Mastroianni.

"It's pretty frustrating and Justin was mad," said Hanson, Counts' teammate at Linn-Benton Community College. "He pitched a helluva game and gave us all he had. We just couldn't get him anything at the plate."

Counts, who had been rocked in his last three starts, ended up with seven strikeouts and three walks in six innings.

Dr. Stewart's travels to Medford on Friday and hosts Grants Pass Saturday to close out the regular season.

"It's a great group of teams and the league is still up for grabs," Shaver said. "It's going to come down to who finishes out."