CAPE PONTIAC-GMC TO HOST WOMEN'S FAST-PITCH TOURNEY

Cape Pontiac-GMC will host its Eighth Annual Pontiac Klassic women's fast-pitch tournament this weekend and also seek its second crown.

Play begins Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Kelso City Park and continues through Sunday.

Among the 11 teams in the field will be defending champion West Frankfort, Ill., which won a rain-shortened tournament in 1994. Cape Pontiac, which won the title in 1993, and West Frankfort both advanced to last year's title game but saw the showdown washed away. West Frankfort, the winners' bracket champion, was awarded the crown.

Pontiac and West Frankfort sit in opposite sides of the bracket and likely won't meet until Sunday.

"We should be one of the two favorites along with West Frankfort," said Cape Pontiac-GMC's Geri Hennemann, also the tournament director.

Henneman said four of the teams - Cape Pontiac-GMC, Benton, St. Louis Stars and St. Peter Royals - have already qualified for the Class A National Tournament.

Cape Pontiac-GMC takes in a 10-2 record into the tournament and a lofty team batting average of .373.

Besides probably having the best hitting team in the tournament, Henneman also thinks her squad's defense should be one of the best in the field. And to boot, Henneman cites a deeper pitching staff than the one which gained Cape Pontiac-GMC a 13th-place finish at last year's national tournament.

Cape Pontiac-GMC's first game is Saturday at 11:30 a.m. against the winner of Friday's Perryville Lightning-Jackson Storm game.

The championship game is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Cost of admission is $2 for an entire day.

The complete tournament field: Heartland Travelers, Perryville Lightning, Jackson Storm, St. Peter Royals, Benton, St. Louis Stars, Southeast Missouri Travelers, Highland Heat, Manchester Cougars, West Frankfort and Cape Pontiac-GMC.