Cape finds zone

~ Cape defeated Dunklin County 5-3 in the championship game

SENATH, Mo. -- Billy Fender could not have picked a better way to return to the Bootheel.

Fender -- who lived in Kennett, Mo., until two months ago -- scored the go-ahead run in the top of the fourth inning Monday as the Ford & Sons Cape Girardeau Post 63 Senior American Legion posted a 5-3 win over Dunklin County in the championship game of the District 14 tournament.

"I've got a lot of memories with those guys," Fender said. "It was a thrill to play them in the finals of the district tournament. They played a great game. I'd like to play them again next year."

Ford & Sons (30-13) won the title game on the arms of pitchers Josh Meyer and Skylar Cobb. Meyer started and went seven innings, retiring 17 of the last 18 batters he faced, before Cobb finished the game with four straight strikeouts to earn the save.

Cape Legion pitcher Josh Meyer delivers to a Dunklin County batter during the District 14 championship game Monday in Senath, Mo.Mike BuhlerDaily Dunklin Democrat

"Josh Meyer came out a little bit slow, but regouped and settled down," Cape coach Todd Pennington said. "He didn't have his best stuff today, but battled through it. He competed well."

Fender was impressed with Meyer's outing.

"[Josh] just pretty well came in and dominated after the first inning," Fender said. "He just picked it up, and you pretty well couldn't slow him down from there."

Ford & Sons took the lead for good on a two-out rally in the top of the fourth. With Cape trailing 2-1, Brady James was hit by a pitch before Fender and Cobb walked to load the bases. Austin Greer singled to left to score James, while Fender came in when the ball was misplayed to make it 3-2.

Ryan Grigaitis followed with a double to right to chase home Cobb and Greer to cap the rally.

Dunklin County (34-9) took the lead in the bottom of the first inning when Aaron McCaig singled, went to second on a grounder, stole third and then scored on Aaron Booker's base hit.

After Cape pulled even in the top of the second, Dunklin County retook the lead in the bottom of the inning when Cale Weeks doubled home Jonathan Boone.

However, it would be the last hit the Dodgers would manage until the eighth inning.

Bo Smith and Trey Bazzell led off the bottom of the eighth with back-to-back singles to greet Cobb, while Booker reached on a two-out error to load the bases. Boone singled in pinch-runner Cameron Lincks to make it 5-3, but Cobb struck out the next batter to end the inning.

"I thought they threw the ball OK," Dunklin County manager Jamie Johnson said.

"We just hit the baseball at them today. They got hits in the right situations, and we didn't. All in all it was a good ballgame -- we just came up a little short today."

Cobb and Greer each had two hits to pace Ford & Sons, which had six hits overall.

Cape Girardeau will begin play at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Zone 4 tournament at Perryville.