CAPE LEGION LEAVES VAN BUREN IN DARK

The lights went out at Capaha Field around 10:30 Monday night, but they had effectively gone out on Van Buren much earlier than that.

Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons' American Legion baseball team hit visiting Van Buren with two monster innings to sweep a District 14 doubleheader by scores of 11-4 and 12-3.

The second game was stopped in the top of the seventh and final inning by a sudden power outage that left Capaha Field completely dark. The lights never did come back on.

Ford & Sons improved to 15-7 overall and 5-1 in District 14 play.

"It's good to get these two wins," said Ford & Sons manager Ron Michel. "Winning district games are always important because you're fighting for the No. 1 seed (in next month's district tournament)."

For much of Monday's first game, it looked like Van Buren would pull off an upset as the Cougars -- behind the impressive pitching of lefthander Mike Emerson -- led 2-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.

But Emerson finally wore down. After giving up only two hits through five innings, Emerson and reliever Tommy Chilton were torched for eight hits and 11 runs in the sixth as Ford & Sons broke the game open.

"Their lefty was really pitching well and we were having trouble figuring him out," Michel said. "But we finally busted loose."

Trent Summers -- who reached base four times in the opener by being hit with pitches three times and walking once -- led off the sixth by drawing Emerson's first walk of the game.

Jeff Lappe followed with a ringing triple off the right-field fence and Nathan McGuire's single tied the contest.

After Chris Bradshaw was hit by a pitch, Jeff Michel tried to sacrifice -- but his bunt was so good that he beat it out to load the bases with nobody out.

Todd Pennington then delivered a two-run double to break the 2-2 tie. Later in the frame, McGuire added a two-run double to help break the game open. In all, 15 batters went to the plate as Cape made things comfortable.

Emerson was charged with seven runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven.

Pennington was the winning pitcher as he went the seven-inning distance, allowing nine hits while fanning six and walking three.

McGuire had three hits and three RBIs to pace Cape's 10-hit attack. Michel added two hits.

Van Buren also jumped on top in the nightcap, grabbing a 2-0 lead. But this time Cape's big inning was the second as Ford & Sons scored eight runs -- all of them unearned thanks to a crucial miscue that would have ended the inning -- on six hits and three errors.

Cape again had 10 hits, two by both Summers and Lappe, who drove in three runs to finish with five RBIs on the night.

Bennett went the distance to notch the win. He gave up just three hits while fanning eight and walking three. All three Van Buren runs were unearned.

Ford & Sons will return to action Wednesday when Poplar Bluff visits Capaha Field for a District 14 doubleheader.