Cape Senior Legion trumps Blytheville in 12 innings

The Cape Girardeau Ford and Sons Post 63 Senior American Legion baseball team was desperate to break its season-long four-game losing streak.

So Cape didn't mind having to work a little overtime.

Post 63 came within one out of a regulation victory before the visiting Blytheville (Ark.) Casons pushed across the tying run in the top of the ninth inning Sunday afternoon.

Cape, undeterred, wound up outlasting the Casons 4-3 in 12 innings at Capaha Field.

"It would have been nice to get it done in nine, but a win is a win -- especially the way we've been playing lately," Cape's Alex McRaven said. "This is definitely a confidence booster."

Cape Girardeau Post 63 Senior American Legion shortstop Alex McRaven handles a ground ball during the first inning of Sunday’s game.

Cape, playing its final home game of the year, improved to 19-21 while Blytheville fell to 17-8.

"It was rough, but any day you get a win is a good day," Cape's Calvin Lovig said.

Cape used strong pitching, solid defense -- Post 63 turned two double plays -- and just enough offense to get past the Casons.

"This was probably the best team win we've had all year," Post 63 coach Justin Lieser said. "Everybody contributed. We played really solid defense. All our pitchers threw the ball well.

"Blytheville is a really good team, so it's a good win for us."

Cape Girardeau Post 63 Senior American Legion’s Alex McRaven slides into third base with a stolen base before the tag by Blytheville’ Ty Wagganer during the sixth inning Sunday at Capaha Field. (Fred Lynch)

Cape, which never trailed, scored twice in the second inning on wild pitches to build a 2-0 lead. Post 63 stayed ahead until the ninth.

Devin Austin, who was solid in relief, retired the first two batters in the ninth before issuing a walk to Jamal Washington.

Ricky Gable Jr. singled and Brady Jones's hard ground ball to the left side that might have been fielded sneaked through for an RBI single as Washington scored for a 3-3 tie.

Things remained that way until the bottom of the 12th.

Drew Bartels was hit by a pitch leading off. Cambron Womack sacrificed Bartels to second, and he remained there with two outs when Lovig stepped to the plate.

Lovig bounced a ground ball into right field as Bartels raced home with the winning run on the walk-off RBI single.

"Put the ball in play. That's all you can do," Lovig said about his approach during the crucial at-bat.

Cape had only six hits against two Blytheville pitchers while four Post 63 hurlers combined to allow 10 hits.

Post 63 starter Josh Morse gave up three hits and an unearned run in five innings. He struck out one and walked four.

Womack allowed four hits and a run in 2 1/3 innings, while Austin gave up three hits and a run in 3 2/3 innings.

Trevor Propst received credit for the victory after he worked a hitless 12th inning.

"We wanted to get it done early instead of having to go 12, but a win's a win," Propst said.

Lovig and McRaven both had two hits for Cape. Lovig drove in two runs, the first with a fifth-inning single that put Post 63 on top 3-1.

The Casons, who scored their first run in the fifth, pulled to within 3-2 in the eighth before tying it in the ninth.

Jones had two hits and two RBIs for the Casons, who also received two hits from Gable Jr.

The hard-throwing Jones pitched the first four innings, allowing just one hit but two runs.

Jones struck out five, walked three and hit a batter. He later threw out a runner at the plate from right field.

Will Camp went the rest of the way on the mound for Blytheville and was the tough-luck loser. He allowed five hits and two runs in 7 2/3 innings. He struck out six, walked one and hit a pair.

Lieser hopes the win helps Cape build some momentum for the District 14 tournament that begins Thursday at Dunklin County.

"One thing we talked about before the game is that mentally for us, districts start today [Sunday]," said Lieser, whose team split a doubleheader at Blytheville in late June.

Post 63 plays its final regular-season game today with a 6 p.m. matchup at the Charleston Fighting Squirrels, a powerhouse Senior Babe Ruth team.

Charleston swept a doubleheader at Cape in late May.