Region will host high-stakes baseball tourneys

Area baseball fans looking for something to do later this week won't have to go far to catch tournaments with plenty at stake.

The region will be teeming with high-school-age players, along with some who already have put in a year of college.

Right here in Cape Girardeau, the Ford & Sons Post 63 Senior American Legion squad will host the five-team Zone 4 tournament at Capaha Field.

This event probably will feature the most overall talent as several future Division I players generally are involved.

Just a few miles up the road, the Jackson Junior American Legion squad will host the five-team state tournament featuring Senior Legion stars of the future.

And about 30 miles down the highway, the Charleston Fighting Squirrels will host the eight-team Senior Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional that features champions from various states.

It's a virtual baseball bonanza. The only tough decision for fans will be which tournament to attend. You probably can't go wrong with any of them.

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The amazing 20-strikeout, one-hit shutout by Dunklin County's Tyler Thompson against Jackson on Friday night at the Senior Legion District 14 tournament in Sikeston, Mo., got me thinking about other huge strikeout performances in this area.

The first that came to mind was one I covered more than 20 years ago, in the late 1980s, as Cape Legion's Steve Goodman fanned a mind-boggling 24 Festus batters.

It was one of the more incredible things I've witnessed and will be hard to top.

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Congratulations to Plaza Tire Capahas manager Jess Bolen on notching career win No. 1,400, courtesy of Friday night's 6-4 victory over Perryville.

That started a four-game weekend homestand for the Capahas, who won three times against the St. Louis Raging Bulls on Saturday and Sunday.

Bolen has a 1,403-375 record in his 45th season with the Capahas, who are having another fine year at 19-3.

And Bolen, a former standout player for the Capahas, still has a pretty fair arm.

Bolen showed that off Thursday night as he delivered the first pitch during the opening ceremonies at the Senior Babe Ruth state tournament in Chaffee, Mo.

Bolen, throwing from the mound to the plate, fired a strike to draw a rousing ovation. I was there to witness the offering and promised him if it bounced I wouldn't mention it, but if it was impressive, I'd give him some props.

So there you go, Jess.

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One more Capahas note: Plaza Tire is getting ready for its annual grueling road trip that marks the end of its season and ultimately helps determine what type of year it was.

The Capahas will compete in the Union Printers national tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla., that begins this weekend and lasts about five or six days.

After returning from Daytona Beach -- which is about 900 miles from Cape Girardeau -- the Capahas will have a brief stay at home before heading to Wichita, Kan., for the National Baseball Congress World Series.

Wichita is about 550 miles from Cape. That makes for nearly 3,000 miles of driving.

And it makes for some kind of road trip.

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I's something of a minor miracle that the Cardinals were able to withstand their myriad of injuries to emerge from the All-Star break right in the thick of the title chase in the National League Central Division.

The way the Cardinals have persevered, and considering they're about as healthy now as they have been in some time, you've got to think they're positioned to stay in the race until the very end.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.