Capahas recover from first loss, sweep Pallys

It didn't take the Plaza Tire Capahas long to rebound from their first loss of the season.

The Capahas were back on the field about 15 hours after Friday night's 3-2 setback to the Raging Bulls in Cahokia, Ill.

Plaza Tire saw the visiting Springfield (Ill.) Pallys take a first-inning lead in each end of Saturday afternoon's doubleheader before the Capahas rallied for 7-4 and 6-3 victories.

The sweep of the two seven-inning games pushed the Capahas' record to 9-1. The Pallys, primarily composed of players from Lincoln Land Junior College in Springfield, Ill., fell to 4-4.

"We just wanted to get back out there," Capahas center fielder Christian Cavaness said. "You don't want to lose two in a row."

Saturday's twin bill at Capaha Field was highlighted by two strong Plaza Tire pitching performances and a bench-clearing incident in the nightcap after the Capahas' Adam Blum was hit by a pitch for the second straight inning.

Blum, after being plunked in the first inning by Pallys starter Connor Creasy -- a recent high school graduate who walked six in 3 1/3 innings -- was also hit by Creasy in the second inning.

Blum immediately flung his bat in Creasy's direction, although it didn't come close to hitting the hurler. Blum was intercepted by players on each team as he trotted to first base and both benches quickly emptied, although no punches were thrown and order was quickly restored.

"You never want to see something like that happen," Capahas manager Jess Bolen said.

Tossing a bat toward the opposing pitcher normally leads to an automatic ejection, but Blum was allowed to stay in the game.

"It was wild," Capahas pitcher Billy Roll said. "I was surprised they didn't eject him."

Roll, despite the flaring of tempers, was the story of the 6-3 nightcap.

The 35-year-old Cape Girardeau native continues to defy Father Time. His first outing of the summer featured a complete-game four-hitter with five strikeouts and four walks. He allowed two earned runs.

"I felt pretty good," said Roll, a 1996 Notre Dame Regional High School graduate, after throwing 103 pitches.

Roll, who has made his home in the St. Louis area for a while, spent one season with the Capahas in the early 2000s but played for the St. Louis Printers the past several summers

Roll, who has pitched some strong games against his hometown team over the years, joined the Capahas for the 2012 National Baseball Congress World Series.

This year Roll decided to make the Capahas his sole team, although he primarily will pitch when Plaza Tire plays games in the St. Louis area.

"We actually win now," Roll said with a smile.

Roll, who has remained in good physical condition over the years, said he prepared his arm for this season by throwing batting practice to his 11-year-old son's team that he coaches.

"I was a little nervous going in because I threw like 20 buckets of balls to my 11-year-old team last Tuesday and I had some shoulder soreness," Roll said. "But I felt fine."

Bolen is glad to have Roll on the Capahas' side for a change.

"Billy is phenomenal. He's a quality pitcher and a quality guy. We're lucky to have him," Bolen said. "He just goes out there and does it ... the love of the game. I always admire that."

The Capahas had just two hits in the nightcap, one an infield single, but they took advantage of nine walks, two hit batters and four errors.

After the Pallys scored a run in the top of the first inning, the Capahas got three runs in the bottom of the frame without a hit. They received three walks, a hit batter and an error.

"You don't always have to get hits to score runs," Bolen said. "I thought we were kind of opportunistic, and they helped us with some errors."

Kyle Marshall fired a complete game in the 7-4 opener, scattering nine hits. He struck out two and walked three.

Springfield scored twice in the top of the first but the Capahas got one in the bottom of the frame and took the lead for good with a three-run second.

"I thought Kyle, after giving up two runs in the first, settled down and pitched good," Bolen said.

The Capahas had eight hits, led by Cavaness with three. He doubled and drove in two runs before missing the nightcap with a sore knee.

"It just tightened up on me," he said.

Blum had two hits, including a double, and scored three runs.

Friday's loss to the Bulls featured an impressive pitchers duel.

The Capahas' Andrew Williams suffered the loss despite working a complete game. He allowed just one earned run over eight innings.

Ryan Willis, who also beat the Capahas last year, struck out 13 for the Bulls.

"We faced a really good pitcher, and Andrew threw great for us," Bolen said.

Today the Capahas take a break from competition for a reunion game that will serve as a benefit for St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. At least 40 former Capahas players are expected to participate.

Activities will get under way at 5 p.m. with a meet-and-greet. A modified game featuring the former Capahas players will start between 6 and 6:30 p.m.

Everybody participating in the event will make a donation and fans are also encouraged to donate, with all proceeds going to St. Jude. Free food and soft drinks will be provided by the Southeast Missouri Central Labor Council.

"We're really looking forward to it," Bolen said.

(Game 1)

Pallys 200 010 1 -- 4 9 2

Capahas 130 300 x -- 7 8 1

WP -- Kyle Marshall. LP -- Brennan Malham. 2B -- Brandon Weller (P), Christian Cavaness (C), Adam Blum (C). Multiple hits -- Pallys: Malham 2-3, Michael Reavy 2-4. Records -- Pallys 4-3, Capahas 8-1.

(Game 2)

Pallys 101 100 0 -- 3 4 4

Capahas 320 010 x -- 6 2 3

WP -- Billy Roll. LP -- Connor Creasy. 2B -- Brennan Malham (P). Records -- Pallys 4-4, Capahas 9-1.