Cape Legion split doubleheader with Dyersburg

It took the Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Post 63 American Legion baseball team a while to get its offense going Wednesday.

Five innings, to be exact.

Cape exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to blow open a close game and run-rule visiting Dyersburg, Tenn., 14-4 in the opener of a doubleheader.

"We haven't played in a few days," Cape coach Todd Pennington said. "We just needed a few innings under our belt to start hitting the ball."

Post 63 (20-8) continued its offensive surge in the nightcap but could not complete the sweep at Capaha Field as Dyersburg rallied for a 13-11 victory.

Cape Girardeau Post 63 third baseman Ross Moldenhauer looks for the call after tagging Dyersburg's Ryan Smith during the second inning of the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader at Capaha Field. Smith was out on the play. (Fred Lynch)

"Everybody starting hitting," Logan Morris said of the sixth-inning explosion in the opener. "Hitting is contagious."

Morris caught whatever was going around. He shook off a recent slump to get four hits in as many first-game plate appearances. He doubled, singled three times and drove in three runs.

"I've been struggling hitting lately. Today it kind of all came together," Morris said. "I was just trying to keep my body down and drive through the ball."

Morris also was the winning pitcher as he came on to start the third inning with the score tied 2-2.

Morris went the rest of the way. He allowed just two hits and two runs, both unearned, in four innings while striking out three and walking three.

"He did a good job," Pennington said. "He threw strikes and kept us in the game until our offense got going."

Josh Hiett had three hits for Cape. He matched Morris with a double and three RBIs.

Ross Moldenhauer and Jimmy Obermark both added two hits.

Cape had seven hits through five innings before getting eight in the final frame.

That helped make up for five errors, although Dyersburg was generous in its own right with six errors.

"We made a few errors but we also made a few good plays," Pennington said.

That includes two by Andrew Williams at first base. He made a sliding catch of a pop foul and turned a diving stop of a hard-hit ground ball into an unassisted putout.

Dyersburg grabbed a 2-0 first-inning lead. Cape went up 4-2 before the visitors rallied for a 4-4 tie.

Post 63 scored an unearned run in the fifth inning to go ahead for good.

Cape then broke things open in the sixth as the first nine batters reached base, seven on consecutive singles after the first two hitters walked.

Jamie Pickel's two-RBI double made it 14-4 and enacted the mercy rule.

"It was a really good inning for us," Morris said.

The wild second game saw Dyersburg score five runs in the top of the seventh inning to erase a 10-8 Cape lead.

Post 63 had 12 hits, giving it 27 on the night.

Moldenhauer and Obermark led the way with three hits apiece in the second game.

Hiett, Trey Gardner and Cody Livesay all added two hits. Moldenhauer and Gardner each delivered three RBIs.

Luke Hinkebein pitched the seventh inning and took the loss.

Cape resumes District 14 play today with a 6 p.m. home game against Sikeston in a makeup from Monday's scheduled contest that was rained out.