North Coos Bryce Weidman looks for the out call from the umpire on Nicholas Hall of Ashland during their game Saturday at the American Legion State Tournament. North Coos beat Ashland, but lost Sunday to North Medford and now needs three wins in a row to capture the state title. World Photo by Lou Sennick.

NORTH BEND — With one big swing, Mark Cokenour broke out of a weekend slump and put North Medford firmly in control of the American Legion Class A tournament Sunday evening.

Cokenour hit a grand slam in the sixth inning to lift North Medford to a 5-4 win over host North Coos and into the championship round of the eight-team double-elimination tournament at Clyde Allen Field.

To knock the Mavericks out of a trip to the regional tournament in Washington, any of the three other teams remaining in the tournament — North Coos, Ashland and Roseburg Pepsi — would have to win three straight games over the next two days.

“This was huge,” Cokenour said. “We’re in the championship game now.”

North Coos meets Roseburg Pepsi today at noon, with the winner advancing to Tuesday and the loser’s season ending. North Medford faces Ashland at 4 p.m., with Ashland needing a win to advance to Tuesday. If the Pilots beat the Mavericks, they will face the winner of the earlier game at noon on Tuesday, with North Medford waiting until a 4 p.m. game for the state title. If the Mavericks win today, they face the winner of the first game at noon, and then again at 4 p.m., if necessary, on Tuesday.

Cokenour’s blast brought North Medford from a 4-1 deficit after North Coos ace Bryce Weidman had controlled the game through the first five innings Sunday evening.

“We were battling,” Cokenour said. “He’s a great pitcher. He throws hard.”

The Mavericks managed just three hits before the sixth inning, though two of them contributed to the team’s first run. In the fourth inning, Weidman hit leadoff batter Bradey Shipley and Chris Bradshaw followed with a single over Jesse McClintock at third base. With one out, Jessie Hornbrook blooped a single that fell between McClintock and left fielder Skyler Walton to put North Medford on the scoreboard.

But the Mavericks still trailed.

North Coos got a run in the second inning when No. 9 hitter Ryan Campbell had a two-out single, moved to second on a bad pick-off throw and scored on a single to center by McClintock.

The Waterfront added a run in the fourth when Dalton Iveans hit a single to third, the ball taking a bad hop right before it reached Cokenour’s glove and hitting his chest instead. Jake Stevens had a one-out single and Walton walked, loading the bases. Nic Canaday drove in the run with a sacrifice fly to left.

After North Medford’s run in the fourth, North Coos went up 4-1 in the fifth. Iveans led off with a single and Stevens crushed a one-out fastball over the trees beyond the right field fence — his first home run since he hit two at North Eugene on June 27.

The Mavericks finally got to Weidman in the sixth inning.

Bradshaw had an infield single to third to lead off and Stephen Cole followed with a sharp single to right, which moved Bradshaw to third. Hornbrook then hit a one-hopper to McClintock, who made sure Bradshaw wasn’t breaking for home, but then threw high to Stevens at first, pulling him off the bag.

Stevens got a tag down on Hornbrook, but the first-base umpire ruled the runner had already reached the bag, loading the bases.

Stevens insisted later that he got the out.

“I know I did,” he said, adding, “That was a key moment.”

With the bases loaded and no outs, rather than two on with one out, things might have played out differently in the pitch sequence to Cokenour, Stevens said.

Weidman threw an immediate strike to Cokenour, then the North Medford batter tried to put down a suicide squeeze bunt, but fouled it off. After a ball, Weidman threw a fastball that Cokenour blasted off the roof of a home beyond left field.

Cokenour said later all he was trying to do was put the ball in play after not having any hits in wins over Jake’s Crawfish and Grants Pass earlier in the weekend.

“I was struggling the whole tournament,” he said.

North Coos came up short on a final rally in the top of the seventh.

With two outs, Stevens hit a sharp single to center and Skyler Walton walked. North Medford coach Brett Wolfe then pulled starting pitcher Travis Cash in favor of Cokenour, who worked a full count against Canaday before Canaday hit a foul tip into the glove of catcher Cory Pine to end the game.

“It was rough to lose that one,” said Stevens, adding that the team has to come back positive today knowing it still has a chance.

“We have to come out and do the same thing we’ve been doing — don’t hold onto this one,” he said. “Remember it tonight, forget it tomorrow.”

North Coos coach Brad Horning never doubted his decision to keep Weidman on the mound after he pitched a five-inning perfect game in the first round of the tournament on Friday against the Willoughby Sonics.

“Bryce threw well,” he said.

Weidman allowed just six hits and struck out seven batters Sunday night.

Like Stevens, Horning said his players need to keep a positive attitude going into their game today against a team that won three of their four matchups during the league season.

“You just have to do it,” he said. “They’ve played real well — they just happened to get beat today. We have to come out and have a good performance tomorrow.”

Notes: McClintock, Campbell and Iveans each had two singles Sunday, while Stevens had two singles and his home run. The Waterfront out-hit the Mavericks 9-6. Bradshaw was the only North Medford player with two hits. Cash and Cokenour combined for six strikeouts and North Coos stranded 10 runners in the loss.