Ford & Sons finds revenge with a 20-run surge at home

When Sikeston grabbed an early 5-0 lead Wednesday night, the revenge plans of Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team appeared to be in serious jeopardy.

But 20 unanswered runs later, Ford & Sons had avenged last week's narrow loss to Sikeston with a resounding 20-5 romp at Capaha Field. The District 14 contest was stopped after 6 1/2 innings because of the 10-run rule.

Cape, remaining red-hot, improved to 11-8 overall and 2-1 in the district by winning for the eighth time in nine games. Sikeston fell to 5-5 overall and 1-4 in the district.

"That was tough, losing to them like we did last time," Cape third baseman Tyler Schlosser said, referring to a 6-5 loss on the road after Sikeston scored the winning run in the ninth inning. "We really wanted this game."

Ford & Sons starting pitcher Blake Urhahn looked like he might be in line for an early exit when Sikeston scored five runs in the top of the second inning, thanks to five hits, a walk and a hit batter.

But Urhahn settled down and kept the visitors off the scoreboard the rest of the way. In six innings, he allowed seven hits -- all singles -- while striking out six and walking four. John Thies struck out the side in the seventh to end the contest.

"They just hit ground balls and found some holes," Urhahn said of his second-inning troubles. "I knew I could come back and get them, and I knew we'd score some runs. I had faith in my teammates."

They didn't let Urhahn down and got four runs in the bottom of the second and two in the third to grab a 6-5 lead. A nine-run fifth inning started the rout, and a five-run sixth polished things off.

"We weren't playing very well when we lost to Sikeston earlier," Cape manager Tom Reinagel said, noting his team's six errors in that earlier meeting. "We're playing really well right now, and our bats have come around. It's been up and down the lineup."

Cape pounded out 17 hits, including four triples and three doubles at spacious Capaha Field.

Urhahn helped himself with a triple and a double. Schlosser, Patrick Slattery, Lee Essner and Josh Ford all added two hits. Seth Hudson drove in four runs -- three coming on a bases-loaded triple -- while Essner, Ford, Matt Wulfers and Kyle Diveley all had two RBIs.

"We're hitting the ball now," Schlosser said. "I knew we would score some runs tonight, but I didn't know we'd score 20."

Ford & Sons, which has played 13 games in the last 10 days, will have two days off before visiting Chaffee for a key district contest Saturday afternoon.

"I hope this gets us ready for Saturday," Reinagel said.Tatum's status questionable for remaining games

Center fielder Dustin Tatum, one of Cape's top players and a member of the Southeast Missourian all-star team as a senior at Notre Dame High School this year, has a back injury that makes him questionable for the remainder of the American Legion season.

"That's a big loss if we don't have Dustin anymore," Reinagel said. "He's supposed to see some more doctors and we're keeping our fingers crossed, for him and the team."

mmishow@semissourian.com

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