Caps improve to 5-0 with win over Riverdogs

The way Friday night's game started for Jason Chavez, he said he would have probably been pleased to hang on for any kind of a victory.

Instead, Chavez finished with a flourish as the Plaza Tire Capahas knocked off the Riverdogs 8-3 in a battle of Cape Girardeau amateur baseball teams at Capaha Field.

Approximately 200 fans saw the tradition-rich Capahas improve to 5-0 on the season as they ran their all-time record against the upstart Riverdogs to 9-0. The Riverdogs, in their sixth year of existence, fell to 2-3.

Chavez allowed three hits and three runs -- two officially earned, although the damage should have probably been limited to one run -- in the top of the first inning, then gave up just four hits over the next seven scoreless innings.

A Central High School graduate who recently completed a standout junior season at Southern Illinois University, Chavez struck out 15 and walked two as he ran his record to 2-0.

"I wasn't expecting a day like that, especially after the first inning," said Chavez. "The first inning, I don't know, I couldn't find the groove. I wasn't comfortable. But I got loose and got my breaking stuff working."

Said Riverdogs co-manager Ray Craft, "Chavez got tough after the first inning."

Still, the Riverdogs could have made things plenty interesting if not for some shaky defense, especially early. The Capahas had only two earned runs, thanks to four Riverdog errors, and all six unearned runs came in the first four innings.

"We outhit them, and if we had made some plays it could have been a really good game," Riverdogs co-manager Robin Minner said. "But we have a nice club. I think we'll be all right."

The Riverdogs had eight hits and the Capahas seven. Only two players in the game had more than one hit. Plaza Tire's Eric Horstman was 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs batted in. The Riverdogs' Josh Ivy also went 2-for-4, with a double and an RBI.

Both teams used wood bats the entire game, which held the offenses down.

"With wood, you don't see a whole lot of big hitting," Capahas manager Jess Bolen said. "I thought after being off for five days, we played all right, nothing special, but we made some nice plays. Overall, it was not a well played game."

The Capahas had just one error -- that in the first inning -- which was probably the big difference in the game.

Riverdogs' starter Steve Fowler took the loss, allowing six unearned runs and six hits in four innings. He struck out five and walked two.

Tyler Nelson finished up and was impressive. In four innings, he allowed two runs and just one hit, with two strikeouts and four walks.

"I thought they both pitched well," Minner said.

Josh Parham continued his strong early-season relief work for the Capahas as he finished up in the ninth. Parham allowed a hit and a walk while fanning two. Parham, who had two saves last weekend, has worked five scoreless frames, allowing two hits and fanning eight.

After the Riverdogs went ahead 3-0 in the top of the first -- Ivy had an RBI double, Tyler Schlosser got an RBI single and Greg Craft drove in a run with a ground out -- the Capahas got three unearned runs in the bottom of the frame, with an RBI double from Bryan Kurt and an RBI single from Tom Bolen.

Two more unearned runs in the second -- there was just one hit and Horstman had the lone RBI with a ground out -- put Plaza Tire ahead for good at 5-3.

Josh Eftink's sacrifice fly in the fourth -- the Caps' final unearned run -- made it 6-3. Plaza Tire rounded out the scoring in the sixth as Horstman had an RBI triple and Lance Seasor got a sacrifice fly.

The Capahas host the St. Louis Printers today in a 4 p.m. doubleheader. The Caps, Riverdogs and Printers will combine for a Sunday tripleheader at Capaha Field, with the two local squads squaring off at about 4:30 p.m.