Baseball Game Preview: Grants Pass Cavemen vs. North Medford Black Tornado

The Grants Pass Cavemen will head out to take on the North Medford Black Tornado at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Grants Pass' pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so North Medford's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Grants Pass managed to slip by South Medford the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Cavemen lost 9-2 to the Panthers on Tuesday. The Cavemen's loss signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.

North Medford not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 13, 2024. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over South Eugene. The Black Tornado haven't had any issues with the Axe recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.

Ben Morgan and Brady Pattersen did most of the damage at the plate: Morgan got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three RBI, one triple, and one run, while Pattersen scored three runs while going 3-for-4. Those three RBI gave Morgan a new career-high. Macen Baker was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.

They weren't the only one making solid contact: North Medford kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive games.

North Medford pushed their record up to 9-3 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Grants Pass, their defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 7-3.