Capahas wait out the rain in Wichita

By MARTY MISHOW

Southeast Missourian

The Plaza Tire Capahas barely beat the rain late Saturday night to pull out a thrilling 13-inning victory during their opening game at their 32nd consecutive National Baseball Congress World Series appearance.

Rain got the better of the Capahas on Sunday as they never took the field for their scheduled 7 p.m. second-round contest of the 79th annual 32-team, double-elimination tournament in Wichita, Kan.

Heavy rain that fell late Saturday and into Sunday pushed the tournament schedule back considerably, so the Capahas knew early Sunday that they would not be playing that day.

The Capahas are now slated to play their second-round game at 10 a.m. today against the Kansas Cannons, who beat the Colorado Cardinals 4-2 in a first-round contest Sunday.

"They just have to do what they have to do to get all these games in," Capahas manager Jess Bolen said Sunday afternoon.

At least the wait for the Capahas has been a lot more pleasant than it might have been had they not posted a 5-4 win over the Kansas Alumni in a game that ended just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday and saw the final several innings played in a steady rain.

"It really rained hard enough to stop the game but we kept playing," Bolen said. "We played about the last hour and a half in the rain."

The Capahas, who improved to 29-3, outlasted a squad primarily made up of former professional players that was basically put together for the tournament.

"It was a great game," Bolen said. "They had a lot of ex-pros and a few ex-major leaguers. But no matter how good you are, if you really haven't had a lot of times at-bat it'll show up.

"They were just a hair slow on certain plays. ... You could tell they weren't as sharp as if they played 30, 40 games this summer."

That was apparent by the fact the Capahas played errorless baseball while Kansas committed four errors that led to a pair of unearned runs.

The Capahas led 2-0 after four innings. Kansas scored three in the top of the fifth before Plaza Tire got a run in the bottom of the fifth for a 3-3 tie.

That's the way things stood until the top of the 13th, when Kansas pushed across the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded walk.

Plaza Tire's Brandon Bennett singled with one out in the bottom of the 13th. Adam Blum delivered an RBI triple that tied the contest.

"Brandon got it started and then Adam had the really big hit," Bolen said.

Blum scored the winning run on a squeeze bunt by Chase Fieldhouse that was mishandled by pitcher Jared Simon for an error.

"I don't know if we would have scored on that play or not had he [Simon] fielded the ball," Bolen said. "But you still have to get the bunt down."

Fieldhouse, who competes for the Crestwood (Ill.) Panthers, is one of several players Bolen picked up for the tournament.

Brady Wright, another tournament pickup who plays for the Charleston Riverdogs, was the winning pitcher after he recorded the final out in the top of the 13th with the bases loaded.

Kyle Marshall was brilliant in relief, allowing five hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two.

"He kept us in the game. He threw great," Bolen said.

Starter Skylar Cobb gave up three runs and six hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked three.

"He pitched really well. He just got tired," Bolen said.

The Kansas pitchers were also impressive, as might be expected.

Starter Tobi Stoner, a former major-leaguer, allowed eight hits and three runs, two earned, in five innings. He struck out three and walked one.

Stoner pitched in five games for the Mets in 2009 and 2010 before later struggling in the minors and being released. He was drafted in the 16th round in 2006.

Tyson Corley, a former minor-leaguer drafted in the 13th round in 2006, totally dominated the Capahas. He allowed one hit in seven innings while striking out eight and walking three.

"He was really good," Bolen said.

The Capahas then got to Simon, Kansas' third and final hurler.

Both teams had 11 hits. Adam Connor, a late-season pickup by Bolen, led the Capahas with three hits and an RBI.

Bolen said Tyler Thompson, another tournament pickup, will start the Capahas' second-round game this morning.

Thompson, who pitched for Missouri State this year, pitched against the Capahas for the Charleston Riverdogs earlier this summer.