Cape sheds slump with 10-0 rout of Sikeston

Ford & Sons posted its second straight victory.

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston American Legion team was the elixir Cape Girardeau needed to break out of a prolonged slump.

Cape Girardeau (13-20), winner of only one of its last 11 outings coming in, picked up its second and third straight wins by posting 10-0 and 11-7 decisions against Post 114 (11-19) at VFW Stadium on Friday.

Ford & Sons, which had 13 hits in the opener, set the tone with five runs in the first inning. Kelly High School product Kendall Deason and Oran's Trevor Irwin stroked RBI doubles. Kent Deason, also a Kelly graduate, and Blake Slattery from Central added RBI singles.

Cape added a single run in the second on Ty Craft's solo homer to left field, then scored a single run in the third and another in the fourth for an 8-0 lead.

Cape scored two more runs in the seventh for the final 10-0 margin, as Tony Leuckel drove in one with a single and Craft had a sacrifice-fly RBI.

Craft, Kendal Deason, Leuckel and Slattery collected two hits apiece for Cape.

Meanwhile, Cape's Kirk Boeller cruised with a four-hit shutout. He struck out five and walked three in the complete-game effort.

In the second game, Leuckel had three hits and drove in three runs to lead Ford & Sons. Cory Huskey added a triple and drove in two runs.

Lance Young was the winning pitcher after allowing five runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings. Michael Taylor closed out the final 2 1/3 innings for the save.

Ford & Sons had ended a nine-game losing streak on Thursday by beating Farmington 9-5 in a nondistrict game.

Charleston tourney

The Jackson Senior Babe Ruth team and the Scott County American Legion team posted first-round victories in the Fighting Squirrels Wood Bat Classic in Charleston on Friday night.

The Scott County American Legion team, the lone area Legion senior team in the event hosted by the Charleston Senior Babe Ruth team, defeated the Cape Girardeau Senior Babe Ruth team 4-3 in the opening round on Friday night.

Scott County Post 369 (Medicap) broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the seventh when Aaron Jenkins doubled home Shane Menz and came in to score on a squeeze bunt by Danny Wilson.

Matt Seyer came back from an arm injury to pitch three innings to open the game. He allowed one run. Russell Carroll pitched three innings and allowed two runs while picking up the win.

Caleb Daughhetee saved the game for Scott County. He entered with the bases loaded and none out in the seventh and yielded only one run on a walk. He recorded a pop out and, after the walk, struck out the final two batters.

Menz finished 2-for-2 with a double and a triple, and Jenkins was 2-for-3 with a double.

For Cape (13-8), Josh Mayberry suffered the loss. Tyler Bruce had three hits.

Scott County plays 8:15 tonight in the semifinals, while Cape Girardeau plays 11:15 a.m. today in the consolation bracket.

Jackson (24-6) defeated the Charleston Junior Babe Ruth team 10-3.

Brandon Stearnes improved to 8-0 with the pitching victory. He pitched four innings, allowing two runs and striking out seven. Brett Groening pitched three innings for the save.

Trevor Thompson had four RBIs on two hits, including the first home run of the wood bat event. Ryan Watkins added three RBIs and Tyler Profilet had two hits and an RBI.

Jackson plays Century, Ill., a 7-6 winner against the Charleston Senior Babe Ruth team on Friday. That semifinal game is set for 6 tonight.

LATE THURSDAY

Jackson Babe splits

The Jackson Senior Babe Ruth team split two games Thursday night in district play, bouncing back from a 7-6 loss at Portageville to record a 12-8 victory.

In the opener, Portageville scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to pin just the second district loss on Jackson, which is 12-2 in the district. Travis Niswonger had three hits to lead Jackson's 13-hit attack, but nine stranded baserunners hurt its cause. Tyler Profilet had two hits, including a home run.

Sam Sander pitched six innings and took the loss.

Profilet had three more hits in the nightcap, including a three-run home run. Sam Lincoln also had three hits.

Ryan Watkins pitched 4 1/3 innings to pick up the win, and Trevor Thompson pitched the final 2 1/3 to get the save.

Cape Babe splits

The Cape Girardeau Senior Babe Ruth team split a Thursday doubleheader with the Twin Rivers American Legion team.

Cape lost the opener 7-2 but won the second game 6-0 on Scott Dunaway's three-hit shutout. Dunaway struck out just one but recorded his second consecutive complete game.

-- From staff reports