Errors cost Capahas in road loss to Golden Spikes

~ Plaza Tire closed its regular season with a 4-3 loss

The Plaza Tire Capahas concluded their regular season Tuesday night with a 4-3 road loss against the St. Louis Golden Spikes.

All four Golden Spikes runs were unearned as the Capahas fell to 25-7 on the season.

Plaza Tire went unbeaten in 20 games at home this season, but fell to just 5-7 away from Capaha Field.

The Capahas committed four errors in the game.

Capahas starter Kyle Marshall was the hard-luck loser, allowing just six hits in eight innings. He struck out two and walked two.

"They've got good hitters up and down their lineup," Capahas manager Jess Bolen said. "That's why when a guy goes out there and holds that team to six hits and no earned runs, you don't like to lose."

It marked the second road loss for the Capahas against the Golden Spikes this season. The Capahas had committed five errors in a 10-run loss in the teams' first meeting in June, then swept the St. Louis squad in a doubleheader later that month at Capaha Field.

Shortstop Jordan Kimball went 4 for 5 on Tuesday to lead the Capahas' 11-hit attack.

Designated hitter Brandon Bennett added two hits, while Cole Bieser had an RBI triple.

The Capahas took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by Mark Hagedorn, but the Golden Spikes pulled even with an unearned run in the third.

The St. Louis squad moved ahead with three runs in the sixth inning when the Capahas committed three of their four errors.

Plaza Tire scored twice in the seventh. Bieser's one-out triple scored Joe Campbell, who had singled. Bieser then scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 4-3.

The Capahas eventually stranded two runners in the inning, and again stranded a pair of runners in the eighth before going down in order in the ninth.

"We hit several line drives right at people," Bolen said. "Two line drives to the shortstop, one line drive to the third baseman and one bullet to the left fielder. When you make that kind of contact with wood and don't get nothing out of it, you're not going to score a lot of runs."

The Capahas will make their 31st consecutive trip to the National Baseball Congress World Series next week in Wichita, Kan.

The Capahas will play their first game Monday against the champion of the Walter Johnson League in Kansas. Bolen said he expects Topeka, Kan., to win the league title.

Plaza Tire lost both its games in last year's tournament and is 1-6 in Wichita over its last three appearances.

"Our defense has got to play better than [they did tonight]," Bolen said. "You can't play like that out in Wichita or you'll be home in a hurry."