Caps take 4-0 mark into busy weekend

After winning four games to open their season last weekend, the Plaza Tire Capahas are looking for another perfect home weekend.

But Capahas manager Jess Bolen knows that won't be easy to accomplish, with two of the contests against the St. Joseph (Mo.) Saints.

"We'll have our work cut out for us," Bolen said. "For us to stay undefeated after this weekend, we're really going to have to play well."

The Capahas (4-0) kick off another busy weekend at 7 tonight with a contest at Capaha Field against the Riverdogs, their Cape Girardeau rivals.

Plaza Tire entertains the Saints at 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, followed by a 5:30 p.m. Sunday matchup against the Riverdogs. All four games with be played exclusively with wood bats.

"I'd say about 90 percent of our games the rest of the season will be totally with wood," Bolen said.

The Saints, who were 8-3 prior to a game Thursday night, have not been around nearly as long as the Capahas, but they have built quite a reputation in a relatively short period of time.

While the Capahas, who were founded in 1894, have made 23 consecutive appearances in the coveted National Baseball Congress World Series, the Saints have qualified for the NBC World Series six times in nine years.

But last season was a disappointing one for the Saints, who are in only their 10th year of existence. They went 27-19 but just 10-16 in the wood-bat M.I.N.K. League that consists of teams from Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.

After winning three consecutive M.I.N.K. League titles, the Saints' faltered and failed to qualify for the 2004 NBC World Series.

"It was a huge disappointment because that's expected every year," said Saints third-year head coach Jason Huskey, who led the squad to a 44-17 record in 2003, including a 3-2 mark at the NBC World Series "But the league we're in has gotten a lot tougher. There are no easy games."

While Huskey believes the Saints -- who feature very few returning players -- are improved from last year, they were off to just a 1-3 league start prior to Thursday.

"I have a really mature team, but like everybody else, we're trying to figure out the wood bats," Huskey said. "It is a big adjustment, learning how to play small ball, learning how to sacrifice a guy over, because you don't have the three-run homer waiting on deck."

While the Capahas feature primarily Division I college players with a few older veterans sprinkled in, the Saints are strictly a college team, with quite a few Division I and junior college players.

"We've got quite a few jucos this year, not as many Division I players as we typically have, but we have a lot of jucos who have already signed with Division I programs," Huskey said.

Last year, in the first regular-season series between the teams, the Saints won two out of three in St. Joseph, prevailing 2-1 and 1-0 and losing 6-0. The squads also squared off in the 2003 NBC World Series, with the Saints squeezing out a 6-5, 11-inning victory.

"I expect two good games," Bolen said. "That's a tough ballclub, and they play in a really tough league."

Said Huskey: "Based on what I remember of them, they'll be one of the best teams we play all year."

Bolen also is wary of the Riverdogs (1-4), despite the fact the Capahas are 15-0 all-time against the seventh-year squad, including a 10-0 victory last Sunday.

"Nobody wants to beat us more than the Riverdogs, and I'll have to focus my pitching on the St. Joe series," Bolen said. "Not that I'll overlook the Riverdogs, but they'll get guys that haven't thrown as much yet. They've played us tough a lot, and I expect the same this weekend."

The Capahas have outscored the opposition 42-6 so far in sweeping a three-game series from the Valmeyer (Ill.) Lakers and beating the Riverdogs.

Several Plaza Tire players are off to hot starts offensively, led by left fielder Seth Hudson (8-for-15, two doubles, four RBIs, eight runs scored), second baseman Lance Seasor (8-for-16, two doubles, one triple, three RBIs, four runs), and shortstop Robby Moore (6-for-15, three doubles, seven RBIs, five runs).

Bolen said Matt Stroup likely will start against the Riverdogs tonight, with Jason Chavez going against the Saints Saturday and Derek Herbig facing the Saints on Sunday. Jamie McAlister probably will get the call against the Riverdogs on Sunday.