Site search
sponsored by
News
Sports
Pepsi head coach Richie Charles imputed his American Legion baseball Class A team’s success to its power at the plate and consistency on the mound, but also to one other simple thing.
Its love of the game.
He’s got two Roseburg High varsity players in Tyler Bullock and Josh Davis who could have brandished their pride and said so-long to summer baseball after being cut from Dr. Stewart’s. Instead, they gladly called Pepsi home.
He’s got a bunch of Roseburg kids and only two county players in Ethan Sweeden and Blake Cupp, who’ve evolved from outsiders to leaders. And he’s got a third Roseburg High varsity athlete in Vince Ampi, who seems to be a fixture on the baseball diamond, splitting time between the Bottlecaps and Docs.
“It may not have been exactly where some of these guys wanted to be, but they have worked their tails off,” Charles said.
The Bottlecaps (22-10) hope their tangibles and intangibles continue to pay off Friday when they travel to play the Southern Division’s No. 4-seeded team, Ashland, in a first-round state tournament game at noon Friday in North Bend.
The double-elimination tournament at Clyde Allen Ballpark features eight teams and a full slate of matchups. The Grants Pass Miners will play Pendleton at 9 a.m. North Medford faces Franklin at 3 p.m. Tournament host North Coos faces Wilson in the nightcap at 6.
Pepsi earned its top spot by beating North Medford 4-2 Sunday in a seeding game that determined the Area 4 North’s No. 1 team. The Bottlecaps have won five of their last six league games.
The Pilots of Ashland (29-8) were the Single A champions last season and possess several athletes from this spring’s state 5A champion Ashland squad.
“They will give us all we can handle,” Charles said.
Pepsi ace Chris Case, whose only loss came on July 8, will start against the Pilots. While Case (6-1) has anchored the Bottlecaps’ defense on the mound, Cameron Newell, Micah Audiss, Blayne Sterling and Ampi have been offensive bastions.
Newell leads Pepsi with a .475 batting average and has recorded nine doubles. Ampi, who will also compete in home and away games against Corvallis Richey’s Market this weekend, has a .470 average with 12 doubles, four triples and a home run. Audiss (.420) has seven doubles and a home run and Sterling (.360) has six doubles.
Ampi, who is 4-0 as a pitcher, may also be called upon to throw. Newell and Jay Tovey are three-game winners on the mound, while Davis and Bullock have earned three saves apiece this summer.
The Bottlecaps will either play at noon or 6 p.m. Saturday, depending on the outcome of the Wilson-North Coos contest.
Its love of the game.
He’s got two Roseburg High varsity players in Tyler Bullock and Josh Davis who could have brandished their pride and said so-long to summer baseball after being cut from Dr. Stewart’s. Instead, they gladly called Pepsi home.
He’s got a bunch of Roseburg kids and only two county players in Ethan Sweeden and Blake Cupp, who’ve evolved from outsiders to leaders. And he’s got a third Roseburg High varsity athlete in Vince Ampi, who seems to be a fixture on the baseball diamond, splitting time between the Bottlecaps and Docs.
“It may not have been exactly where some of these guys wanted to be, but they have worked their tails off,” Charles said.
The Bottlecaps (22-10) hope their tangibles and intangibles continue to pay off Friday when they travel to play the Southern Division’s No. 4-seeded team, Ashland, in a first-round state tournament game at noon Friday in North Bend.
The double-elimination tournament at Clyde Allen Ballpark features eight teams and a full slate of matchups. The Grants Pass Miners will play Pendleton at 9 a.m. North Medford faces Franklin at 3 p.m. Tournament host North Coos faces Wilson in the nightcap at 6.
Pepsi earned its top spot by beating North Medford 4-2 Sunday in a seeding game that determined the Area 4 North’s No. 1 team. The Bottlecaps have won five of their last six league games.
The Pilots of Ashland (29-8) were the Single A champions last season and possess several athletes from this spring’s state 5A champion Ashland squad.
“They will give us all we can handle,” Charles said.
Pepsi ace Chris Case, whose only loss came on July 8, will start against the Pilots. While Case (6-1) has anchored the Bottlecaps’ defense on the mound, Cameron Newell, Micah Audiss, Blayne Sterling and Ampi have been offensive bastions.
Newell leads Pepsi with a .475 batting average and has recorded nine doubles. Ampi, who will also compete in home and away games against Corvallis Richey’s Market this weekend, has a .470 average with 12 doubles, four triples and a home run. Audiss (.420) has seven doubles and a home run and Sterling (.360) has six doubles.
Ampi, who is 4-0 as a pitcher, may also be called upon to throw. Newell and Jay Tovey are three-game winners on the mound, while Davis and Bullock have earned three saves apiece this summer.
The Bottlecaps will either play at noon or 6 p.m. Saturday, depending on the outcome of the Wilson-North Coos contest.
