PERRY REMAINS PERFECT FOR CAPS

Kyle Perry was looking for a place to pitch this summer without having to venture all that far from his hometown of Benton, Ky., which is near Paducah.

He has found the perfect place in Cape Girardeau. And Craftsman Union Capahas manager Jess Bolen couldn't be happier.

Perry, who will be a sophomore at Murray State University, has been a pleasant surprise for Bolen's Capahas. The right-hander is 4-0 and has been impressive virtually every time out.

Saturday afternoon was no exception as Perry hurled a dominating two-hitter to lead the Capahas past the Springfield (Ill.) Pally's 5-0 at Capaha Field.

The Capahas went on to suffer a 3-2 loss to the Goreville (Ill.) Diamondbacks as part of a three-team, round-robin affair. In the other game, Springfield knocked off Goreville 4-2.

"Kyle has been outstanding so far," said Bolen, whose team has a 12-5 record. "He's pitched good for us every time out."

While not imposing physically, Perry has a popping fastball that can reach close to 90 miles per hour. Used primarily as a reliever for Murray State this spring, Perry went 5-1 with one save as a freshman. Last summer, he helped lead the perennially strong Paducah American Legion team to a second-place finish in the Legion World Series.

"I'm taking a summer class at Murray State, so I wanted to play some place that was pretty close to where I live," said Perry. "I'm having fun playing here. They have a real good program."

Bolen was tipped off about Perry by Murray State assistant coach Bart Osborne, a former assistant at Southeast Missouri State University.

"Bart called me and told me that Kyle would be a good pitcher for me," Bolen said. "I respect Bart's opinion a lot."

Against an overmatched Springfield squad Saturday, Perry was rarely in trouble. He struck one nine and walked one while facing just three batters over the minimum in the seven-inning contest.

"I feel like I'm throwing pretty well," Perry said. "I took a little time off after the college season and I think that's really helped me."

The Capahas didn't exactly batter Springfield hurler Jared Marshall, who allowed six hits and three earned runs. Dan Berry led the way with two hits and he drove in a run. Kevin Meyer had two RBIs while Denver Stuckey doubled and reached base all three times he came to the plate.

Craftsman Union had even less success offensively in its next game, against Goreville. The Capahas had just two hits, singles by Jody Gajewski in the third inning and Dave Lawson in the sixth.

Goreville hurler Sean Patrick recorded no strikeouts and he walked six, but the Capahas hit very few balls hard off the right-hander.

The Capahas were missing several key offensive players for a variety of reasons during both games, but Bolen refused to use that as an excuse.

"I thought their kid threw a good ballgame," he said. "He was around the plate and we couldn't do much with him."

The Diamondbacks got a leadoff home run from Kyle Rinella in the second inning and they never trailed. The Capahas tied it with an unearned run in the fourth, but starter Brent Self got wild in the fifth, walking three as Goreville took the lead for good, the tie-breaking run coming home on a bases-loaded free pass by Aaron Sloan.

Self allowed five hits and two runs in five innings. He fanned seven and walked four. Charlie Robison gave up one hit and an unearned run in two innings.

Shawn Tripp, a former player at Southeast, had two of the Diamondbacks' six hits.

The Capahas will play a 1 p.m. road doubleheader today against the St. Louis Printers.