Elks Split Non-League Series With Old Foe
Matt Dallas takes a swing during batting practice as Elks head coach Kyle Nobach watches. (Noah Wolf)
Noah Wolf, director of media relations
noahwolf51 (at) gmail (dot) com
BEND, Ore. - The Elks split a two-game non-league series against the Medford Rogues, who played in the West Coast League from 2013-15.
July 13, 2021 Elks Drop Contest with Old Foe Medford 4, Bend 2
For the Medford Rogues, revenge was 2,174 days in the making.
The last time Medford faced off with the Bend Elks, they lost, 6-5, at Harry and David Field in Medford.
That was July 31, 2015, when Medford was in the West Coast League along with the Elks.
Tuesday, almost six full years later, with Medford competing in its third different league, the Rogues finally got revenge for where they left off with the Elks, defeating Bend 4-2.
It was a pitchers' duel, with Turner Thompson (Tulane) pitching brilliantly for the Elks. The starter tossed five innings of one-hit baseball, allowing one earned run while striking out five batters. He came out of the game when it was tied, 1-1.
Bend took the lead, 1-0, in the second inning, after Julian Kodama (Seattle U.) led off the inning with a double, which would end up being the game's only extra-base hit. He scored from second on a sacrifice fly by Gavin Logan (Oregon St.) after the Medford centerfielder fell down catching the ball.
After falling behind 2-1, the Elks scored a run on no hits in the seventh inning. Bryce Boettcher (U. Oregon), who went 2-for-3 on the day, reached when he was hit by a pitch and scored on a ground ball fielder's choice to tie the game at 2.
But Medford scored two in the top of the eighth, and held the Elks scoreless in their final two chances to win the game 4-2.
Apart from the starter Thompson, the Elks had great pitching performances from Ben Ferrer (S.C. Upstate) and Eli Ankeney (Grand Canyon), who each spun a perfect inning of baseball with two strikeouts apiece.
July 14, 2021 Elks Squeak It Out Against Medford Bend 7, Medford 6
When old rivals come to town, there's bound to be some close games.
That proved to be the case again on Wednesday night.
The Bend Elks defeated Medford, 7-6, at Vince Genna Stadium to split a two-game non-league series with the Rogues.
For the second night in a row, the Elks got out to an early lead, this time 2-0 in the first inning. Daniel Garcia (Grand Canyon) had the lone hit in the frame, an RBI single to score Bennett Thompson (U. Oregon). Garcia later scored in the inning on a passed ball.
Bend would give up four runs over the next two innings to trail Medford 4-2 after the third inning. They weren't down for long, though. Matt Dallas (U. Oregon), Gavin Rork, Julian Kodama (both Seattle U.) and Bryce Boettcher (U. Oregon) started the fourth inning with four straight hits, and they all scored in the frame to give the Elks a 6-4 lead.
They extended that lead in the fifth inning, when Dallas singled with two outs and Rork hit a triple to score him.
Bend would hold that 7-4 lead through the next three innings, despite Medford putting runners in scoring position in each of the sixth, seventh and eighth frames. Reid Madariaga (Pierce Col., Wash.), Jake Snyder (Creighton) and Brooks Juhasz (Lewis-Clark St.) combined for four scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit between them. Medford would have the tying run in scoring position in the ninth, but only scored two runs in the frame, falling 7-6.
Defensively, the Elks had a great night, committing just one error. The Bend defense turned two double plays and a triple play in the game, their first triple play of the summer.
Performance of the series: Turner Thompson (Tulane) tossed five innings as the starter on Tuesday, giving up one earned run on one hit, walking three and striking out five. Thompson did not take a decision in the Bend loss.
Player of the series: Bryce Boettcher (U. Oregon) had two hits in each game, scoring two runs and driving in one over the course of the two-game set.
Play of the series: With nobody out and two men aboard in the seventh inning of game two, the Rogues hit a ground ball to the left side of the infield. Julian Kodama fielded it, stepped on third base, fired to Matt Dallas at second, who turned it to Daniel Garcia at first for a triple play, the Elks’ first of the summer.
Up next: Bend returns to league play on Friday, hosting the Bellingham Bells at Vince Genna Stadium for a three-game series. The series marks the beginning of second-half play for the WCL season. First pitch at 6:35 p.m.