CAPS, WATERLOO DIVVY PAIR

After 23 games, it looks like the Kohlfeld Capahas have finally found some competition on the baseball diamond.

After splitting a twinbill Friday night, the Waterloo (Ill.) Buds split another doubleheader with the Capahas Saturday night with plenty of post-Fourth of July fireworks in the Caps' 13-12 nightcap victory.

Capaha third baseman Ryan Murphy smashed three home runs in the late game, but it took a diving catch with two outs and the bases loaded by center-fielder Steve Kress to end a Waterloo rally and preserve the win in the final inning.

"That was a fitting way to end this game -- a great play," said Kohlfeld manager Jess Bolen. "I don't know how you could ask for a better game to watch."

The Caps are now 21-2 entering the final game of this five-game series today on Capaha Field at 1:30 p.m. Waterloo, the only team to beat the Capahas this season, stands 23-3.

After managing a season-low five hits in the 9-3 opening game loss, the Capahas had their bats working early in the second game. Five runs in the first and two more in the second staked the Caps to a 7-0 lead.

Murphy smashed a towering three-run homer in the first to put the Capahas up 5-0. A solo shot in the third and two-run home run in the fourth gave him three homers in his first three at-bats.

"Murphy, what can you say about that?" asked Bolen with a laugh. "My goodness, that's a week for him."

Murphy, entering his senior season at Truman State in Kirksville, had hit three home runs in an American Legion game but never on this level.

"My home runs come with good mechanics, so if I try to hit them I won't," Murphy said. "I've been hitting a lot of line drives lately and when I hit line drives that's when the home runs come."

Murphy's final home run put the Capahas ahead 12-7 in the fourth. Cory Crosnoe added a solo shot in the fifth, but Waterloo pushed across three runs in the fifth and two in the top of the seventh to close to within one run.

Those two runs in the seventh chased Capaha starter Jason Duncan and Garrett Dunning entered the game to get the save. But two walks and a double loaded the bases with one out.

Waterloo's Clay Moehrs sliced a line drive to left field that Julio Vega flagged down for the second out. Dunning went to a 3-2 count on the next batter, Jim Walig, who popped the ball up to shallow center field with the runners going on the pitch.

Kress, who was playing a deep center field, covered a lot of ground and made a diving catch to end the game.

"I was going all the way," said Kress. "I knew I would have to lay out, but I would have rather finished it there the way the game was going."

Waterloo, which had four home runs in the game, had been tagging the ball in the late innings. Kress was actually playing a little deeper than normal on the final play.

"I actually took two steps back before it was pitched because they'd been knocking ball and that made it a little harder to get to," said Kress.

Bolen has seen his center fielder make great plays before, but he didn't think the ball was catchable from his vantage point in the dugout.

"From my angle, I didn't think (Kress) was going to get it," said Bolen. "But he closes on the ball so well and he makes a lot of diving catches."

Kress and Crosnoe also had three hits in the nightcap.

In the first game, three runs in the sixth was all the caps could muster.

Danny Simpher took the loss, pitching into the sixth inning when Waterloo scored five runs (four unearned) to take a 6-0 lead. Five different players had the five hits for the Capahas.