CAPE JR. LEGION LOSES TOURNEY ON HOMER

CHAFFEE -- The championship game of the Wood & Huston Bank Invitational Junior American Legion Baseball Tournament ended in thrilling fashion Sunday evening.

With the contest moved to Chaffee under the lights because of rain in Cape Girardeau earlier in the day, Festus' Tad Basler hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to hand host Cape Girardeau Wood & Huston Bank a 6-5 defeat.

Festus had also beaten Cape the day before during pool play with a homer in the seventh.

"It was an exciting game, well played," said Cape manager Steve Williams, whose team is 15-7. "It's a little frustrating to lose two days in a row to the same team on a home run in the last inning, but our kids played well."

Cape had eight hits, including three home runs. Dusty Barrows homered and tripled while Andrew DePeder and Jeff Daniels also homered.

Cape led 3-0 and later 5-2 before Festus tied things with three in the fifth. That set the stage for Basler's dramatic blast.

Jay Pierce took the loss in relief. He hurled a 1 1/3 scoreless innings before allowing the homer in the seventh. Starter John Snider gave up three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Chaffee (12-5) finished third in the eight-team event by beating Kirkwood 9-4. Aaron Cantrell pitched a six-hitter while Justin Simpher led the offense with three hits. Adam Rainey, Matt Stroup and Perry Rice all had two hits, with Rainey homering.

In other results, Paducah (Ky.) finished fifth with an 8-0 win over Perryville while Anheuser-Busch placed seventh by beating Imperial 13-12.