CAPE'S CAPAHAS HAVE THE TALENT FOR BIG YEAR

Cape Girardeau's highest-level baseball team the Kohlfeld Capahas has had some kind of year. Not only did the club win the National Baseball Congress state championship at Capaha Park on Saturday night, but it did it with the style of true champions by coming from behind twice to beat the St. Louis Pointers 10-7.

It was the third consecutive year that the Capahas have won the state championship. And in what better year could they have done it than in this, their 100th year?

Capahas coach Jess Bolen, who has led the team for 27 years, compiling a remarkable 891-289 record, put the win in perspective. "This team deserves a lot of credit because it really is hard to `three-peat,'" Bolen said of the third consecutive state title.

The Capahas have won 33 games and lost only eight this year. Under Bolen, the team has made 30-plus-victory seasons the rule rather than the exception.

With the state championship under their belt, the Capahas automatically earn a berth in the prestigious NBC World Series at Wichita, Kan., next month. But that's nothing new: they've been selected to compete in that tournament each year over the past decade. In 1988, one of their best years, the Capahas finished fifth in the NBC World Series.

We wish the Capahas the best of luck in Wichita. A national title in the team's 100th year would be fitting. And a talented team of its caliber could very well pull it off.