Mac Softball: North Medford woes a lesson in ferocity for young Grizzlies

March 23

McMinnville 6

Grants Pass 7

For the No. 15-ranked Grizzlies (3-3), the North Medford Spring Break Tournament was a mixed bag of results as they went 1-3 overall and saw both good and bad, according to Head Coach Josh Terry.

The Grizzlies’ tournament began with a matchup against No. 6 Grants Pass (5-1), who scored all their runs in the first two innings.

Mac was provided with a lead by the top of the order to open the game. Junior outfielder Taylor Terry singled and stole a base, setting up senior catcher Ava Fleischman to drive the ball into right-center field for an RBI double.

Hallie Vaughan — pinch running for Fleischman — stole third base and extended the lead to 2-0, scoring on a sacrifice bunt by junior Ariel Glynn.

Junior Rylan Carton started in the circle for the Grizzlies but had trouble finding outs.

Defensive miscues also hurt, and Carton was forced out after 1 1/3 innings and five earned runs.

Some well-placed hits also went the way of Grants Pass as they rattled off big innings.

“They put the ball in play, and it seemed like every hole in the field they were finding,” Terry said.

Glynn relieved Carton, throwing four scoreless frames with eight strikeouts while Mac attempted to fight back.

An RBI double from Juliet Pesina-Wade made the score 7-3 in the third inning, and one more run in the fifth — courtesy of a Genevieve Thomas single down the right field line — brought Mac within three as they scratched back.

While facing a stretch of five games in three days, Terry and his staff got their best look at how the team is gelling. Not all was perfect, but Mac’s ability to close deficits was a bright spot as players extended their range.

“It’s a new deck of cards every year,” Terry said, “We’re trying to figure out what each team is made of, and at this point in the year, you want to see that fight. Sometimes you’ll have teams that just fold when things don’t go well, but I felt like the girls battled throughout.”

Refusing to give in, the Grizzlies came within one after two runs in the top of the sixth.

With two outs, a single and Glynn hit-by-pitch put the tying run at the plate in Pesina-Wade. Knowing the junior’s power, she was pitched carefully.

Vaughan and freshman Addyson Strong had entered to pinch run for the pitcher/catcher combo. Showing their speed and exemplifying Mac’s aggressive nature, they each advanced a duo of wild pitches, with the lead-runner Vaughan scoring while Pesina-Wade was still at the plate.

Needing to come in the zone, Pesina-Wade took a waist-high pitch from Grants Pass pitcher into left field, scoring Strong. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, it was the last hit they could record as the game ended at a time limit.

Fleischman (2-for-3, RBI, BB) and Pesina-Wade (3-for-4, two RBI) led the offensive effort.

Grants Pass out-hit Mac 11-10.

McMinnville 3

Crater 0

The end of day one offered a tough task in 5A No. 8 Crater (4-2), but Carton and Glynn handled the veteran-heavy lineup with ease to secure the shutout.

Carton started in the circle, hurling four innings while surrendering two hits and striking out two batters. Glynn pitched the final three frames, allowing a hit and recording one strikeout in her last inning of work.

Freshman Fiona Kreft scored the Grizzlies’ first run in the bottom of the third inning and was the leading hitter from the nine-hole, going 2-for-2 with a run scored.

Kreft secured a leadoff single, advanced to second base on a ground out and swiped third. She then scored on an RBI ground out from Fleischman. The 1-0 lead held until the sixth, where in order: a single, sacrifice fly, single, single scored two more for the Grizzlies.

Pesina-Wade and Thomas once again came through with the RBI swings. A hit from senior Julin Stephens helped as the second base hit of the inning.

March 24

McMinnville 6

North Medford 8

Mac was caught in a storm on day two in Medford as the No. 7-ranked North Medford Black Tornadoes (4-1) jumped all over the Grizzlies in the first four innings.

Having eliminated Mac from the 6A playoffs in a semifinal matchup, 9-2, on May 6, 2025, the Tornadoes once again carried hot bats into the festivities. They led 5-0 before the Grizzlies plated two with RBI base knocks from Kreft and Stephens in the top of the fourth.

Mac reduced the deficit, but the Tornadoes picked up more in the bottom half to lead 8-2.

In the fifth, Fleischman connected on a two-run blast over the left field fence to get back within four. Thomas and Taylor Terry then used some small ball tactics for two more, as a line drive and sacrifice bunt in the sixth gave the Grizzlies life. Fleishman stepped with a chance to tie following a walk to Glynn, but howling wind blowing in from right field knocked down a line drive to deep center to end the game.

The Grizzlies out-hit North Medford 8-7.

McMinnville 0

West Salem 11

Mac’s tournament run ended with their bats being shutout for the first time in a Medford rematch with No. 3 West Salem (5-1). The two faced each other at the same tournament in 2025, where West Salem was victorious 4-3.

This time around, the senior heavy Titans were free swinging and followed the lead of pitcher Lucy Duval, who struck out three, walked one and allowed seven hits over five innings.

A Kreft double and two more knocks from Fleischman (2-for-2, BB) put some pressure on the Titans, but were not enough to push across any scores.

All three of Mac’s losses came against teams they have beat or played closely with recent years. The program’s four-straight playoff appearances under Terry and 10 consecutive (excluding Covid years) has given them a reputation across the state. Because of this, most every team is gunning to take the Grizzlies down. Terry reminded his squad about the importance of keeping their intensity when opposing leads start to build.

“Most of the teams we’re going to face, we’ve taken it to them, so they’re all coming for us, and we have to understand that’s just the reputation of the program. So we’ve gotta have a little more fight,” Terry said.

Despite falling in three of their five games during spring break — including a victory at Roseburg — Terry acknowledged it is still a time where growth is being made across the field. Like a chess master, pieces are being moved to figure out what combinations will be most beneficial in the long run, but time is their enemy as multiple top 20 opponents loom in the coming weeks.

“If you come out of the tournament 4-0, that’s phenomenal, but when you’re weathering a lot of different things and moving pieces, these games are all about trying to figure out what’s going to give us the best opportunity to win,” Terry said.

The Grizzlies take on No. 8 Sunset (5-1) on the road on Tuesday and return to Baker Field for a 5 p.m. meeting with No. 19 Oregon City on Wednesday.