RAIN DECIDES TO JOIN CAPAHA CLASSIC FIELD

Ballwin, Paducah, Ky. and rain were the winners Friday as the first annual Capaha Classic American Legion baseball tournament got under way in Cape Girardeau.

Paducah, a perennial American Legion powerhouse, knocked off Chaffee 10-3 at Central High School and Ballwin held off Festus 9-8 at Capaha Field.

Host Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons then hooked up with Rogersville at Capaha Field, but rain got the better of that contest for nearly two hours.

The teams were tied 2-2 in the bottom of the second inning when lightning and then heavy rain forced a lengthy delay. With the help of players from both teams, the tarp was put on the field. It was finally removed just after 10:30 p.m.

Rogersville then exploded for 10 runs in the top of the third inning. As the Southeast Missourian went to press, Rogersville led 12-4 after three innings.

A scheduled fourth and final game of the evening, between Washington and Jefferson City, was also being delayed by the Cape vs. Rogersville contest.

"There's nothing you can do about the weather," said Cape Ford & Sons manager Ron Michel. "We got off to a good start. Paducah has an excellent team and Ballwin and Festus played a really good game."

The Cape vs. Rogersville contest marked the return to the area of coach Bob Coons, now the head coach of both the Rogersville American Legion team and also the Logan-Rogersville High School squad.

Coons spent more than a decade in Southeast Missouri, first as the head coach at Chaffee High School and later as an assistant coach at Central High School. He also spent several years coaching with Cape's American Legion program before moving to the Springfield area for the 1997-98 school year.

"It's good to be back," said Coons prior to the contest.

Eight more games are scheduled for today in the tournament that features two four-team pools.