CAPE LEGION SPLITS DOUBLEHEADER

All things considered, Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team had to feel pretty fortunate to come away with a split Saturday.

Ford & Sons scored in only two innings and was out-hit 23 to 9 by Creve Coeur, but Cape managed to rally for a 9-8 win in the nightcap after suffering a 6-0 loss in the opener of the twi-night doubleheader at Capaha Field.

Cape is now 8-4 while Creve Coeur is 5-2.

"We have to feel pretty lucky to get a split tonight," said Ford & Sons manager Ron Michel. "Nine hits in a doubleheader isn't very good."

Ford & Sons also hurt itself with seven errors in the two games while the visitors from St. Louis County did not commit a miscue.

"They've got a good team. And they've got a young team," said Michel of Creve Coeur, which draws primarily from Parkway North High School. The Vikings had a highly successful team this year despite starting very few seniors.

One of Creve Coeur's youngsters was simply too much for Cape in Saturday's opener. Brent Kraner, who just completed his sophomore season at Parkway North, hurled a masterful one-hitter.

Kraner, a right-hander with good movement on his pitches and exceptional control, faced only 22 batters, which is one over the minimum for a seven-inning game.

Only a couple of balls were hit even fairly hard against Kraner, who gave up just a two-out single to Trent Summers in the bottom of the fifth inning. Summers grounded a ball toward right field that the second baseman could have fielded, but it glanced off him as he ranged far to his left.

"He threw an outstanding ballgame," said Michel of Kraner, who struck out eight and walked two. "Their coach told me he hasn't allowed an earned run yet this summer. He's not overpowering, but he really hits his spots and his ball moves."

Craig Ringwald suffered the loss, also pitching all seven innings. He gave up 10 hits and three earned runs while fanning five and walking none.

In the second game, Cape struck for six runs in the first inning -- Ben Gosche drilled a two-run homer over the left-field fence to highlight the uprising -- but later had to rally for the victory.

Creve Coeur scored eight unanswered runs to go ahead 8-6. But Andy Sweet's bases-loaded triple to right-center in the bottom of the sixth proved to be the game-winning hit.

"Sweet really came through with a big hit for us," Michel said. "We needed that one."

Nathan McGuire posted the victory despite allowing 13 hits in six innings. Thanks to five Cape errors, only three runs were earned. McGuire fanned eight and walked one.

Todd Pennington earned a save by pitching a scoreless seventh, even though Creve Coeur put two runners on base.

"That's the second time in a row Todd has come in and gotten a big save for us," said Michel. "He can really be a good closer."

Sweet had two of Cape's eight hits in the nightcap. Summers was Cape's only other player to have two hits in the doubleheader.

Leading hitters on the evening for Creve Coeur were Dusty Deschamp with five and Brett Katz and Chris Knopp with four apiece.

Ford & Sons will visit Imperial today for a 1 p.m. single game.