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Doc Stewarts sweeps away Mustangs By KEVIN GOFF With undefeated league rival Roseburg Doctor Stewarts coming to town, the Medford Mustangs American Legion baseball team handed the ball to a reliable source hoping for the win. Former South Medford High standout Chris Empio, who sported a 9-1 mark in 1999 and a 5-3 record with a team-leading 2.43 ERA last season with the Mustangs, has continued his consistent work for Medford this summer. But on Friday, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander was hit early and often and Medford (11-11, 4-4) was blanked for the first time this season in a 7-0, Game 1 loss to Doc Stewarts. Roseburg completed the sweep with a 6-1 victory in the nightcap. Roseburg (15-0, 4-0 league) shelled the sophomore-to-be at Albertson College in Caldwell, Idaho, for 11 hits and pushed seven runs across. "I left the ball up too much," said Empio. "My control wasn't very good and I got behind (in the count) a lot." Doc Stewarts came out swinging right out of the gate. Lead-off hitter Colton Frost lined the first offering from Empio into left for a hit. Frost was erased on an attempted steal, but after Empio struck out D.J. Kooken, John Jefferson smacked a solo home run to left to set the tone for the rest of the contest. "They're a good-hitting club," said Medford coach Brent Watts. "He (Empio) struggled with his location early and they hit the ball." The Mustangs mustered only three hits off crafty left-hander Andrew Renyer - two by Phil Ouellette - and couldn't crack into the scoring column. Renyer, who pitched for Class 1A Umpqua Christian High, threw only 78 pitches while improving to 5-0 on the season. As if one run wasn't enough, Doc Stewarts put two more on the board in the second inning on three consecutive hits capped off by a Joel Shoop two-run double. In the third, Kooken singled to lead off and was at third when Matt Skundrick misplayed a two-out infield hit by Chad Bellis to bring home a run. David Powell and Shoop capped the scoring and the beginning of the end for Empio with RBI singles. Ouellette went 3-for-3 with a walk and had six of the Mustangs' 11 hits over both games. Medford took an early 1-0 lead in the nightcap, but Roseburg quickly answered with two of its own in the second inning and put the game away with a pair in the fifth and seventh. Rob Folsom had a 2-for-3 performance in the second game for Medford, while Jefferson smacked another solo shot in the seventh for Doc Stewarts. After the opening-game loss, Empio's record dropped to 3-2, but Watts likes what he's brought to the mound so far. "Chris has been solid for us,' said Watts. "Anytime you get a kid back from college he's definitely going to be a big plus." So far in his young pitching career, Empio has the blueprint for success firmly engraved in his mind. "I've been doing what I wanted to do so far this season (with the Mustangs)," said the 18-year-old Empio. "I've been keeping the ball down and hitting my spots." At Albertson, Empio began the season in the starting rotation but then turned to relief when the postseason arrived. In 25� innings of work, Empio posted a 1-2 mark with a 6.66 ERA and 17 strikeouts. "It was great (at Albertson) this year," said Empio. "I've learned a lot about the mental side of baseball and how important it is. "I talked to coach and he said that next year I could be the third man in the rotation." Empio and the Mustangs host a doubleheader today at 1 p.m. with the Humboldt Giants at Miles Field. FIRST GAME Roseburg.............................................123 100 0 - 7 12 0 Medford.................................................000 000 0 - 0 5 2 Reyner, Zumwalt (6) and Shoop; Empio, McArthur (5) and Folsom. W - Reyner (5-0). L - Empio (3-2). 2B - R: Jefferson, Sheldon, Shoop. HR - R: Jefferson. SECOND GAME Roseburg...............................................020 020 2 - 6 9 4 Medford..................................................100 000 0 - 1 6 4 Bellis, Jefferson (5) and Shoop; Conklin and Folsom. W - Jefferson (1-0). L - Conklin (3-3). 2B - R: Powell. HR - Jefferson. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.