Hot offense carries Cape Legion to sweep

The Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Post 63 American Legion baseball team is looking for even bigger things this summer after a bounceback season last year.

The early returns are promising.

Cape improved to 6-0 with Wednesday night's lopsided doubleheader sweep of visiting Dexter, 12-2 in six innings and 19-1 in five innings.

"I'm very excited and glad to be part of the team," said Dustin Crowden, a Kelly High School product who ranked among the squad's top hitters last season. "We're talented in all phases."

Central graduate Ryan Grigaitis, another of Cape's top returning hitters who recently completed his freshman season at Florissant Valley Community College in St. Louis, is just as excited as Crowden.

Post 63's Ryan Grigaitis makes a catch during the fifth inning of Wednesday's first game at Capaha Field. (KRISTIN EBERTS ~ kebertssemissourian.com)

"I think we're going to have a very good year," Grigaitis said. "We've got a really good mix of guys."

Cape's tradition-rich program that has won five state championships and numerous district titles dipped badly in recent years but rebounded in 2009 to go 31-15 and win its first District 14 tournament title since 2003.

With a strong mix of key returning players and talented newcomers, it's little wonder Post 63 has such high hopes and is setting its sights on a state tournament berth.

"We have a lot of good kids. I think we mesh well and have a lot of fun together," said second-year coach Todd Pennington, a former Southeast Missouri State All-American and minor league player. "We've got a lot of good athletes. ... I think we're a pretty loaded team."

Post 63 continued to roll Wednesday despite missing seven of its 18 players for a variety of reasons.

"Senior trips, vacations," said Pennington, whose coaching staff includes another ex-Southeast All-American and minor league player in Steve Williams, along with longtime assistant Bill Bohnert. "We'll have everybody together soon."

Cape's pitching has been especially strong so far as Post 63 has allowed just five runs in its six games.

"Our pitching is really good," Crowden said. "We can go seven or eight deep."

Notre Dame graduate Tanner Hiett was impressive in his first start as he struck out 10 and did not issue a walk during Wednesday's six-inning opener.

Hiett allowed a first-inning run on three hits but gave up just one run and three hits the rest of the way.

"I struggled in the first inning but after that I settled down," Hiett said.

Hiett is among several key first-year Post 63 pitchers, joining the likes of the hard-throwing duo of Jayden Pobst from Oran and Logan Morris from Clearwater.

Cape also has back most of its top pitchers from last summer, including Central's Jamie Pickel, Josh Meyer and Andrew Williams, along with Scott City's Skylar Cobb.

"We've got a lot of pitching," Grigaitis said.

Hiett is among four Notre Dame products in his first year with Post 63, joining Jake Pewitt, Trenton St. Cin and Jeremy Essner, along with returner Jimmy Obermark.

Those five were key members of the Notre Dame program that won a state title in 2009 and was ranked No. 1 in the state this year before losing in the quarterfinals.

"We're happy to have a few of the Notre Dame kids. They've fit right in with us," Pennington said.

Said Hiett of his new team: "I'm excited to play with these guys. They're all-around good guys. Central, Scott City, Kelly, it's fun to play with them after playing against them [in high school]."

Pewitt went 3 for 4 with three runs scored and two RBIs in Wednesday's opener. Returner Tyler Glidewell from Shawnee (Ill.) added two of Cape's 10 hits.

Another promising first-year Post 63 hurler dominated the opposition in Wednesday's nightcap as Central's Ronnie Scott fired a one-hitter with nine strikeouts and two walks.

Obermark led Cape's 11-hit attack by going 3 for 3 with six RBIs. He belted a three-run homer.

Essner had two hits and three RBIs. Newcomer Blake Smith, a Central product, added two hits.