CAPE LEGION SPLITS PAIR WITH SIKESTON

A slumping Ford & Sons Legion team headed into Thursday's doubleheader with Sikeston needing some confidence.

It didn't get it in the first game, losing 9-2, but Cape manager Ron Michel hopes that his team may have started something in its 14-4, five-inning win in the second game.

"We're going down to Bell City to play Dexter then to Bluff and we've got a good shot at winning all four of those games so we could get on a roll," Michel said.

In a doubleheader with Sikeston (23-11) earlier this year, Cape (16-17) twice took leads into the seventh inning and twice came away with a loss. In one of those games, Cape rocked starter Chris Hood for six first-inning runs, held an 8-0 lead but eventually lost 9-8.

After the first-game debacle in which several errors contributed to a loss, Cape jumped out on top with a six-run first against Hood.

Sound familiar?

But this time, Cape kept hammering the ball, adding five more in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth.

"We got six runs against them and I said let's not do that again," said Michel. "We finally put somebody away."

Nearly everyone who batted in the second game had big games at the plate.

Leadoff hitter Tommy Wencewicz hit the ball particularly hard, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three runs batted in. Wencewicz also had two hits in the first game.

He led off the game with a double and had two hits in the first inning, including a two-out, two-run double.

"He definitely started us off right and we fed off him," said Michel.

Josh McIntosh who usually plays outfield but saw time at second and third base in the second game had two doubles to right field, the last of which ended the game. Matt Jones went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.

In its six-run first, Cape took advantage of two Sikeston errors both of which were on potential double-play balls and scored four unearned runs.

Cape went down in order in the second inning, but added five more runs on six hits in the third. Cape strung together six consecutive hits to start the inning and the first seven reached base.

While Cape's batters were whacking the ball at the plate, Garrett Broshuis was mowing down batters from the mound.

Broshuis gave up four runs, three of which were earned. He allowed two homers a solo, opposite-field shot off the bat of Adam Garrett which barely cleared the right-field fence to start off the game and a two-run shot off the bat of Jamie Puckett in the fifth.

Broshuis struck out six batters in five innings. He gave up five hits and didn't walk anyone.

In the first game, Justin Cook was handed the loss, though he didn't get much help from his defense.

Cook went six innings and gave up nine runs, six earned, on 11 hits.

Zac Fidler's solo home run in the first accounted for one of Cape's two runs. Scott Reinagel had two hits.