Jackson, Cape open district play with wins

Both teams posted five-run victories in the District 14 tournament.

SENATH, Mo. -- Two local baseball teams continued late-season surges as they posted first-round victories Monday night in the American Legion District 14 Tournament.

Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons, seeded fifth in the six-team event, defeated fourth-seeded Twin Rivers 8-3. Third-seeded Jackson knocked off sixth-seeded Scott County 10-5.

Cape and Jackson advance to today's winner's bracket semifinals. Cape faces host and top-seeded Dunklin County at 5 p.m., followed by a game between Jackson and second-seeded Sikeston at 8 p.m. Scott County and Twin Rivers play elimination contests Wednesday.

Ford & Sons (18-21) won for the eighth time in nine games as Kirk Boeller pitched all nine innings. He struck out seven, walked one and allowed six hits in improving to 4-1.

"Kirk threw a great game," Cape coach David Meyr said. "He's really coming around."

Cape had 10 hits, led by Zac Hudson and Scott Brueckner with two apiece. Blake Slattery drove in two runs. Twin Rivers also helped out with five errors, while Cape had just one error.

"Put the ball in play and force them to make their plays," Meyr said. "They didn't make some of the plays today, that's a big part of the game right there, and we had good defense today."

Ford & Sons, which never trailed, snapped a 3-3 tie with two runs in the top of the seventh inning. Hudson doubled and Kendal Deason broke the deadlock with an RBI single. Slattery later had an RBI single. Cape added three in the ninth.

John Patty had two hits, including a home run, for Twin Rivers.

Cape jumped on top 3-0 after scoring once in the second and twice in the third. Twin Rivers got one in the fourth and tied things with two in the fifth before Ford & Sons took control in the late going.

Jackson (24-12) posted its 12th consecutive victory behind the pitching of Austin Morrison, who allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked three. Brandon Gendron and Jason Meystedt finished up with one inning apiece.

"Austin pitched well," Jackson coach Mark Lewis said.

Jackson had 13 hits, led by Gendron with three, along with four RBIs. Tyler Beussink, Tony Longman and Derrick Biri all added two hits.

Scott County led 3-2 before Jackson scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to go ahead for good.