Rogues show positive signs in opener

“I thought it was pretty good, actually, getting to see these kids play for the first time,” said Berberet. “I saw some really good things. The pitchers struggled a little bit but overall I thought they did a good job getting through some jams, so there were a lot of positives coming out of last night for me. Obviously, we want to come away with a ‘W’ but I like the group we have and I’m excited to see what we can do moving forward.”

The Rogues (0-1) trailed 5-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning but kept plugging away and were rewarded for it when third baseman Jonathan Mendez connected for a two-run triple and wound up running all the way to home following a Seattle error.

Caleb Richter had previously been hit by a pitch to start the seventh and leadoff hitter Mike LaVigne drew a two-out walk to set the stage for Mendez.

“It was nice to see us show some life late in the game,” said Berberet. “That means a lot to what this team will do the rest of the year.”

“It was a huge point in the game and, obviously, fun to see him score on that as well,” added the coach. “Jonathan showed some really good things last night and that was a really clutch hit for the team. We were just one rally away from coming back.”

Seattle starter Sam Hellinger set the tone for his team early, striking out six with two walks over five innings of work. Hellinger, who pitched at Gonzaga and was drafted in 2013 in the 39th round by the Seattle Mariners, spent the 2019 and 2021 summers in the minor leagues before pitching last summer for the Missoula PaddleHeads in the Pioneer League.

“Their starting pitcher was an ex-pro guy and pitched in the minor leagues so it’s tough to ask college hitters to be ready to face something like that,” said Berberet. “I think they did a lot better off the relievers, but I think it was just a good experience for them to see that kind of arm.”

Soon-to-be South Medford High graduate Cameron Sewell had a two-out single in the first inning off Hellinger and Deshon Thomas followed with a double, but the Rogues were unable to capitalize.

Hellinger dispatched nine straight batters overall after that early dent before Zach Justice managed a two-out single in the fourth inning. He allowed five hits overall.

“The at-bats just kept getting better and better all night,” said Berberet. “I thought as we got deeper into the game, they got deeper into counts and it paid off.”

Rogues starter Will Clair pitched four innings with four hits and three walks allowed, and neither of the runs against him were earned following a two-out, third-inning error that ultimately kept the door open for a two-run double by Landon Riker.

Ashland’s Gabe Brabec pitched the final 2 ⅔ innings for the Rogues, allowing one hit and one run with two walks and two strikeouts.

Medford was set to entertain the Studs for two more nights, Friday and Saturday, before starting a span of six straight home dates on Tuesday.

“It’s all just about getting better from here,” said Berberet. “The first thing you have to do is assess what you’ve got and then you have to communicate with them to see how they want to improve their game. Then it’s about, obviously, getting them reps through playing time but also getting them out to early work and working on some weaknesses and maybe making a couple slight changes with some of these guys, but nothing too drastic.”

“It’s more about focusing on how they can get ready for next season and maybe what their coach wants them to work on or maybe what they feel is lacking in their game,” added the first-year manager, in his fourth summer with the Rogues. “Having that honest communication with the players on how they can not just keep playing but actually get better during these two months is really important.”

Seattle Studs 002 021 010 — 6 10 1

Medford Rogues 000 000 300 — 3 6 1

Hellinger, Anderson (6), Rumanski (9) and Hinkle; Clair, Eakin (5), Brabec (7) and Justice, Buckley (6). W — Hellinger. L — Clair. S — Rumanski. 2B — S: Riker, Schnurman 2; M: Thomas. 3B — M: Mendez.