Riley pitches gem in NBC opener

~ The Capahas debuted with a 3-1 victory over the Junction City Generals.

WICHITA, Kan. -- Phillip Riley answered any lingering questions about the health of his elbow Thursday at the NBC World Series.

The Plaza Tire Capahas pitcher had thrown just two inning since being struck on his throwing arm by a line drive during the NBC Mid-South Regional.

On Thursday, the Capahas' ace passed a nine-inning test with an off-the-chart performance. Riley struck out 12 batters and allowed just one hit as the Capahas opened play at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium with a 3-1 victory over the Junction City (Kan.) Generals.

"Phillip was unbelievable," Capahas manager Jess Bolen said. "He was just overpowering. He was throwing very hard. I don't think I've ever seen him throw this hard.

"I won't say he had great command of the strike zone, but they would chase balls that were up, and that's a good sign a pitcher's ball is really moving."

Bolen said he threw Riley just two innings in Sunday's doubleheader split against the St. Louis Kings, but that was enough to know his ace was in form.

"We knew this game, him starting, he was going to be fine health-wise," Bolen said.

Riley allowed just a clean single up the middle in the fifth inning as Plaza Tire advanced to Saturday's second-round game against the Havasu (Ariz.) Heat. Havasu improved to 42-2 with its 21st consecutive victory, a 10-0 win over the Pratt, Kan., Drillers.

Riley (6-1), who recently completed his eligibility at Southeast Missouri State, was making his Wichita debut. He walked two and hit two batters.

"It was great," Riley said of his first NBC World Series encounter. "Scouts were out there and it was the first win for our team and gets our confidence going. It felt really, really good."

The Capahas (29-6) countered with 12 hits, including three hits apiece by first baseman Zack Blemker and catcher Levi Olsen. Left fielder Asif Shah added two hits and knocked home Plaza Tire's first two runs.

Junction City, which had four players from Kansas State on its roster among numerous college players, had beaten Nevada, Mo., 6-1 in a play-in game Monday.

Plaza Tire wasted little time in setting the tone for the game, as Blemker opened the top of the first with a double. After the next two batters were retired, Shah chased Blemker home with a single to left field.

"It's very important," Bolen said of scoring the game's first run. "Even though we only got one run first, it kind of makes the team know you're here and ready to play."

Meanwhile, Riley was establishing his dominance in 94-degree heat. He struck out the the side in the third inning, and he retired the side in order in the fourth.

"It was very hot," Riley said. "The longer you stay out there the harder it is to pitch. It was good I was able to throw strikes, make them hit ball, make them chase a few and get us back in dugout pretty quick."

The Capahas extended the lead to 3-0 with four hits in the fifth.

Omar Padilla opened the inning with a double and scored on a one-out double by Shah, one of three consecutive hits by the Capahas. Shah stopped at third on a single by Daryl Graham and scored on a single by Olsen.

Junction City outfielder Paul McCoy broke up Riley's no-hit bid with a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth.

Junction City plated an unearned run in the sixth after its leadoff man reached on a two-base throwing error and later scored on a ground out.

Riley issued just a two-out walk in the seventh, then retired the final seven batters he faced. In the eighth and ninth he went through the top six batters in the Generals' lineup. He capped a 1-2=3 ninth by striking out the final two batters.

"Levi said he had never seen him have better stuff than what he had today," Bolen said.

Jason Chavez will get the start in Saturday's second-round game.

CAPAHAS 3, JUNCTION CITY (Kan.) 1

Capahas 100 020 000 -- 3 12 1

Junction City 000 001 000 -- 1 1 2

WP -- Phillip Riley, 0-0. LP -- Jason Grisham. 2B -- Zack Blemker (C), Omar Padilla (C), Asif Shah (C). Multiple hits -- Capahas, Blemker 3-4, Shah 2-4, Levi Olsen 3-4. Records -- Capahas 29-6.

Winner Havasue Heat (41-2), Pratt, Kan.

20-game wining streak