CAPE SR. LEGION PLUGS AWAY, CAPTURES CAPAHA CLASSIC TITLE

By early Sunday evening, Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team was a weary yet extremely satisfied group.

Cape played three consecutive games Sunday and won them all, including a come-from-behind 7-5 victory over Ballwin in the championship game of the third annual Capaha Classic Tournament.

Host Ford & Sons went 5-0 in the five-team event that began Friday. Cape is now 9-2 overall and off to its best start in several years.

"I couldn't be prouder of the guys," said a beaming Cape manager Ron Michel. "I don't know when a team has won three in one day like we did. They really battled.

"And the whole thing about the weekend, it wasn't one individual out there. It was all about the team. We were shorthanded (nearly half the squad has been gone this week for a variety of reasons), but everybody chipped in and contributed."

Two things made Sunday's action especially sweet for Cape. First, Ballwin was considered a solid pre-tourney favorite; the team has eight players off the Lafayette High School squad that finished second in the Class 4A state tournament this year.

And second, while Ford & Sons had already played twice Sunday before meeting Ballwin in the finals, the St. Louis squad was playing its first game of the day and should have conceivably been the much fresher team.

"To play the third game of the day, and beat a fresh squad, says something about our guys," Michel said. "Ballwin is a very good group. It's been a little while since we had beaten them, so this is sweet."

Cape actually defeated Ballwin twice in the tournament, including a come-from-behind 4-3 win Saturday during round-robin play.

Ford & Sons, which beat Rogersville 6-3 and Manchester 7-5 in other action Sunday, went 4-0 in round-robin play while Ballwin went 3-1 to set up the championship matchup.

And quite a matchup it was. Ballwin jumped on top 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning and later led 4-2. Cape pulled to within 4-3 and then rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh. Ballwin came back with a run in the bottom of the seventh but left two runners on base as the game ended.

"We had two very good games with Cape in this tournament," said Ballwin manager Ken Eckardt. "We've built up a good rivalry over the years. It's always fun to play them."

Cape's seventh-inning rally Sunday started when leadoff batter Zac Fidler ripped a triple to the center-field wall. Mark Fisher's double to right scored Fidler and tied the contest.

Wes Steele singled to left, with Fisher stopping at third, and Steele stole second. One out later, Garrett Broshuis hit a hot smash that got past Ballwin's drawn-in second baseman, scoring both Fisher and Steele. Later in the frame, Daniel Turner drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the final run.

Dusty Barrows led Cape offensively as he had three of the team's 11 hits. Steele and Josh McIntosh both added two.

Mark Ostendorf overcame a shaky start he allowed two runs and three hits in the opening frame to pitch six solid innings and get the win. He allowed six hits and was charged with all five runs. He struck out one and walked two.

Broshuis relieved in the seventh after Ostendorf walked the leadoff batter, who eventually scored. But Broshuis, who allowed a hit and a walk, fanned two in the frame to nail down the victory.

Joey Sonntag and Jake Horn each had two of Ballwin's seven hits. Starter Jason Sharp got the loss, allowing eight hits and five runs in six-plus innings.

In Cape's first game Sunday, against Rogersville, John Snider pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings of relief after Turner struggled early. Snider allowed three hits and one walk while fanning five.

Barrows doubled twice while Fidler also had two of Cape's seven hits.

Then against Manchester, McIntosh got the win as he allowed three hits and four runs over the first four innings. Turner closed things out, allowing one hit and one run over the final three frames.

Turner and Broshuis each had two of Cape's nine hits.

Ford & Sons will resume District 14 action today when Poplar Bluff visits Capaha Field for a 5 p.m. doubleheader.