CAPE DUNK-ED IN FINAL

(in Sikeston)

Wednesday's Results

(Game 1) Sikeston 3, Van Buren 2

(Game 2): Chaffee 10, Poplar Bluff 4

(Game 3): Dunklin Co. 9, Jackson 3

(Game 4): Sikeston 3, Cape Ford & Sons 2

Thursday's Results

(Game 6): Jackson 13, Poplar Bluff 1 (8 inn.), P. Bluff eliminated

(Game 5): Dunklin Co. 2, Chaffee 1 (12 inn.)

(Game 8): Cape Ford & Sons 14, Jackson 1 (7 inn.), Jackson eliminated

(Game 7): Chaffee 14, Van Buren 4 (8 inn.), Van Buren eliminated

Friday's Results

(Game 9): Dunklin Co. 8, Sikeston 7

(Game 10): Cape Ford & Sons 9, Chaffee 1, Chaffee eliminated

(Game 11): Cape Ford & Sons 10, Sikeston 6, Sikeston eliminated

Saturday's Results

(Championship)

(Game 12): Dunklin Co. 5, Cape Ford & Sons 1

Dunklin County wins District 14 Tournament 5-1

By Marty Mishow

SIKESTON -- Dunklin County is in only its third season of playing American Legion baseball, but the new kids on the block showed the old veterans a thing or two Saturday during the championship round of the District 14 Tournament.

Behind the brilliant pitching of Matt Palmer, Dunklin County knocked off Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons 5-1 at Sikeston's VFW Field to capture its first-ever District 14 title.

Dunklin County (32-10) thus qualifies for the five-team Zone 4 Tournament that Sikeston will host beginning Thursday. As the host squad, Sikeston -- which finished third in the seven-team district tourney -- earns an automatic berth.

Dunklin County, seeded second, went through the double-elimination district meet without a loss, winning all four games.

Top-seeded Cape (39-14) lost its tournament opener to Sikeston on Wednesday night and won three straight games before faltering Saturday. Ford & Sons would have needed to defeat Dunklin County twice in order to claim the title.

"Losing that first game of the tournament really put us in a bad spot," said Ford & Sons manager Ron Michel. "We were faced with having to win four games in about 24 hours. That would be tough for any team to do."

And it would have been especially tough for Cape to do considering that Palmer was on the mound. Used strictly in relief during Dunklin County's previous games in the tournament, Palmer gave Ford & Sons no room to breath Saturday.

The hard-throwing righthander, who also has an exceptional breaking ball, allowed just four hits and no runs while striking out 11 and walking two in 8 1/3 innings.

Palmer had to come out of the game after fanning the first batter in the ninth because he had reached the maximum of 12 innings pitched over three days under American Legion rules.

Cape finally scored its lone run after Palmer had exited, but it was too little and too late.

"When you fall behind 5-0 against a pitcher like that, unless he falls apart, it's just too much," said Michel. "He was too much for us."

Said Dunklin County manager Randy Smith, "It's nice for our program that we finally had a chance to get into the finals. Cape had to play a lot of games and that hurt them. Palmer is tough. He's a real good competitor."

Dunklin County did all of its damage in the first two innings, scoring once in the first and four times in the second against Ford & Sons starter Nathan McGuire.

In the first, Matt Gardner singled, stole second, continued to third on a throwing error and scored on a sacrifice fly by David Nail.

The second inning was the real killer for Cape. Chris McClain doubled with one out and Jared Cude walked. McGuire fanned the next better, but then No. 9 hitter Gary Burnside -- facing a one-two count -- singled up the middle to score McClain.

Gardner was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Nail singled to drive in two more runs. McGuire then balked, allowing Gardner to score the game's fifth run.

"That second inning was devastating," Michel said.

Dunklin County had just six hits and only two after the second inning. Cape's Craig Ringwald was tremendous in relief, keeping his team within striking distance by hurling five scoreless innings. Ringwald allowed two hits and two walks while fanning six.

But Cape, which also finished the game with six hits, could muster little offense against Palmer. Ford & Sons did have a chance in the fourth by loading the bases, but Palmer got a strikeout to end the threat.

Cape finally broke through in the ninth after Palmer went to right field and Keith Robertson came in to pitch.

With one out, Shane Gibson singled and pinch-hitter Todd Pennington reached on an error.

With two outs, Jeff Beasley singled to right as Gibson scored. Palmer booted Beasley's hit, but then fired to second to nail Beasley, who had been trying to advance on the play.

"It would have been nice to see what would have happened at the end," said Michel.

Beasley and Gibson both had two hits for Cape.

Of his first season as Cape's manager, Michel said, "I'm happy with the year we had. We were up and down, but overall it was a good year."