CAPS DEFUSE WIZARDS' WANDS, SWEEP PAIR

There was nothing magical or mystical about the Wizards' bats Saturday.

The offense of the Sauget (Ill.) Wizards baseball team was no match for the pitching of the Craftsman Union Capahas as the Cape Girardeau squad swept a twi-night doubleheader 2-0 and 5-1 at Capaha Field.

Starters Richie Phillips and Jake Alley did the bulk of the work while two other hurlers chipped in as the Capahas (4-2) limited the Wizards (3-4) to just two hits in each game.

"I thought before the season that our strong point would be pitching and that's what it looks like right now," said Capahas manager Jess Bolen. "I thought all the pitchers we used tonight really threw well, especially Richie and Jake."

First-year Wizards manager Robert White, a native of Jackson, Mo., figured his young squad might have some tough times against the talented Craftsman Union pitchers.

White, an assistant baseball coach at Harris-Stowe College in St. Louis, has a host of Harris-Stowe players on his summer team and most of them are not too far removed from high school.

"We're really young," said White. "We've got three guys who will just be entering college in the fall. We're just trying to play a lot of games and get some experience."

White's Wizards feature a healthy dose of local products in Cape Girardeau natives Leroy McCauley and Chad Jones and Jackson's George White, who is Robert's twin brother. Jones and George White play for Harris-Stowe.

"I'm just trying to play a little baseball and have fun," said McCauley, who was one of the area's premier all-around athletes in the mid-1990s at Central High School and was selected in baseball's amateur draft, although he never played professionally.

McCauley played a couple of years of college baseball and now lives in St. Louis, where he works.

"It always nice to come back and play on this field," said McCauley, who had one of the Wizards' four hits Saturday. "I've played a lot of games here."

While the Wizards struggled offensively, the Capahas did not exactly thrive at the plate either as they had just 10 hits total and scored only four earned runs.

"I said before the season we really don't have a powerful offensive team," Bolen said. "Our pitching and defense will have to carry us."

Those two facets were in fine form Saturday. In addition to the mound work, the Capahas made several strong defensive plays, most notably by first baseman Tristen McDonald in the opener and shortstop Denver Stuckey in both games.

Phillips worked six innings in the opener, allowing two hits, with eight strikeouts and two walks. Aaron Gurley hurled a hitless seventh.

Sauget first-game starter Bill George was also impressive, allowing four hits and two runs -- both in the opening frame -- in 5 1/3 innings.

In the nightcap, Alley allowed one hit in five shutout innings. He fanned 10, walked two and hit a batter. Gurley gave up an unearned run in a hitless sixth while James Beever closed things out with a hitless seventh.

Stuckey had two of the Capahas' six second-game hits and he had three hits on the day. Kevin Meyer was the Capahas' only other multiple hitter as he had a hit in each contest.

* In Friday night's game that ended after the Southeast Missourian went to press, the visiting Waterloo (Ill.) Buds knocked off the Capahas 5-4 in 10 innings.

Waterloo's John Wahlig hit a solo home run in the top of the 10th off Lanson Debrock to break a 4-4 tie.