CENTRAL CLUBS BACK-TO-BACK HRs IN 3-1 WIN

Back-to-back home runs in a three-run fourth inning lifted the Cape Central Tigers to a 3-1 win over SEMO conference foe Chaffee at Tiger Field on Wednesday.

Cape Central and Chaffee, both coming off solid 2000 seasons, left no doubt that they will be contenders this year as well.

Chaffee went 19-6 last season, while Cape Central posted a 21-8 record and advanced to the Class 4A quarterfinals.

The contest shaped up as a pitching duel with Chaffee's Matt Stroup, tabbed as one of the premier hurlers in the area, and Cape Central's Jason Chavez taking the mound. Chavez, a senior transfer, had looked solid in preseason.

Neither disappointed as both hurlers went the distance with Chavez picking up the win on a five-hitter, while striking out six. Stroup allowed six hits and fanned six.

Trailing 1-0, the Tigers turned three consecutive hits into three big runs in the crucial fourth inning.

Zac Fidler put the Tigers in business with a lead-off single down the line past a diving third baseman.

Then Justin Welker, Cape Central's leading returning hitter from last year, cleared the bases with a blast down the right-field line to send Central ahead 2-1. Catcher Dusty Barrows, who went 2-for-3, followed with a 370-foot solo shot to straight-away center field to put the Tigers up 3-1.

"I'm tickled with the win," said Cape Central mentor Steve Williams. "It was just great to get out and play in the sunshine. Chaffee's got a good ballclub and anytime Matt Stroup's on the mound, they're going to be able to beat anybody around."

On the pitch he hit out for the game-winner, Welker said, "He (Stroup) told me he wanted to throw that curveball outside, but it came in. It was a pretty pitch so I hit it as hard as I could."

The Red Devils got their only tally in the second inning when Rusty Duncan walked and later scored on a single by center fielder Jeremy Lynn.

In Chaffee's last at-bat, Tiger center fielder Fidler, made a nice running catch before crashing into the the wall on a drive off the bat of Lynn to preserve the victory.

Chaffee coach Brian Horrell was pleased with the overall performance of his team, also.

"It was a tough loss against a quality ballclub, a 4A-ranked team in the state, but you got to like our effort," said Horrell. "I thought we played pretty sound defensively and it was an excellent pitched ballgame, take away one inning."