Capahas rally past Fairview Heights

~ Plaza Tire plated three runs in the 7th to win the opener of Saturday's doubleheader

Plaza Tire Capahas third baseman Adam Connor almost didn't make it to Capaha Park in time for Saturday's game against Fairview Heights (Illinois).

The Capahas and manager Jess Bolen are glad he did.

Connor's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning plated the winning run, capping a three-run rally that lifted the Capahas over the Redbirds 5-4 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Connor had phoned Bolen earlier in the day, saying he was having problems with his car and might not make it in time for the 1 p.m. start.

"My car decided to act up on me," Connor said with a laugh after the game. "I guess the security system locked up, so I had to wait 30 minutes to reset the car before it would start.

"I got here about 12:50 [p.m.], suited up and got out there."

With the Capahas facing a 4-2 deficit heading into the bottom of the seventh, ninth-place hitter Brandon Bennett drew a leadoff walk and went to third on Cody Heisserer's single to right. Hunter Flippo's single to center scored Bennett, and Blake Slattery's bunt single loaded the bases. With Kenton Parmley at bat and the count 2-and-1, Redbirds pitcher Brandon Waeltz uncorked a wild pitch that scored Heisserer and moved the other runners up a base.

With first base open, Waeltz intentionally walked Parmley to load the bases. Up stepped Connor, who drove a pitch from Waeltz deep enough to score Flippo with the winning run.

"Coach said if we get the first guy on base, he'll guarantee a win," Flippo said. "So that's what we did. Throughout the year, we've come through at the end."

"It was 4-2. Two runs is easy to put across, especially for these guys," Connor said. "There's a lot of talent here. We had some good at-bats. Bennett started us off with a walk, and that was big. And Heisserer ... everybody. Flippo put one in the gap. Everybody did their job and it worked out."

The Capahas have shown plenty of resiliency in a tough early season stretch that has them at 7-2.

"If they've got any quit in them, they're playing for the wrong guy," Bolen said. "That's the way the Capahas have played ever since I've coached them. We've won too many ball games in the last inning to allow guys to sit back and think the game is over in the fifth or sixth [inning]."

Fairview Heights roughed up Capahas starter Andrew Williams for three runs in the top of the first -- two on Mickey Seller's double to the base of the fence in left-center -- but the Capahas' right-hander settled down after that, allowing just one run on five hits the rest of the way. Williams allowed four runs -- all earned -- on eight hits. He struck out three and didn't walk a batter.

That allowed the Capahas to chip away at the early deficit. Alex Heuring's second-inning single scored Chase Simmons from third to make it 3-1. The Redbirds upped that lead to 4-1 in the top of the third on a run-scoring single to right by Brad Dunnigan, who was gunned down trying to stretch the hit into a double on a strong throw from Capahas right fielder Drew Morecraft.

Parmley lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score Heisserer in the bottom of the third to make it 4-2.

Heuring's alertness defensively thwarted a potential Redbirds rally in the top of the seventh. Sellers led off with a single, and Andy Tretter followed with a sharp grounder to third. Connor's throw to second forced Sellers, but Heisserer's relay skipped past Heuring at first base. Heuring quickly retrieved the ball and fired a strike to second in time to catch Tretter sliding into the bag for an unconventional double play.

The play proved critical as the next two Redbirds reached base before Williams got out of the inning, inducing a groundout.

Slattery and Simmons both finished with two of the Capahas six hits.

Flippo, who commutes from Jonesboro, Arkansas, to play ball for the Capahas -- was one of four first-year Plaza Tire players who contributed to the win.

"These are good ballplayers," Bolen said. "Just because they're young ... sometimes they make mistakes that cost you a ball game, a lot of times they don't, too. These guys are good ballplayers or they wouldn't be playing on a collegiate level or playing summer baseball on a team that's got a bunch of Division I ballplayers."

The Capahas return to action today with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against visiting Springfield (Illinois).

Fairview Heights 301 000 0 -- 4 8 1

Plaza Tire 011 000 3 -- 5 6 1

WP -- Andrew Williams. LP -- Brandon Waeltz. 2B -- Marshall Vallandingham (FH), Mickey Sellers (FH). Multiple hits -- Fairview Heights: Vallandingham 2-3, Sellers 2-3. Plaza Tire: Blake Slattery 2-4, Chase Simmons 2-3.