SIKESTON KNOCKS CAPE LEGION OUT OF TOURNEY

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston tried to gift-wrap a victory for Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team Thursday night -- but Cape could not take advantage of the offering.

As a result, Ford & Sons' season is over.

Cape, seeded fourth in the seven-team District 14 Tournament, scored six unearned runs -- including two in the ninth inning to force extra frames -- but third-seeded Sikeston pushed across a run in the bottom of the 11th to prevail 8-7 in an elimination game at Hillhouse Park.

"They tried to give it to us and we couldn't take it," lamented Cape manager Ron Michel after his squad's defeat.

In another elimination contest Thursday night, top-seeded Chaffee rebounded from Tuesday's loss to Poplar Bluff by rolling past sixth-seeded and host Charleston 19-6 in seven innings.

Today at 5 p.m., second-seeded Dunklin County and fifth-seeded Poplar Bluff -- the only two undefeated tourney squads remaining -- meet in the winner's bracket final for the right to advance to Saturday's 4 p.m. championship game.

Then at 8 tonight, Sikeston and Chaffee square off. The loser is eliminated while the winner advances to Saturday's 1 p.m. loser's bracket final, after which the field will be sliced to just two squads.

Sikeston (26-17) and Cape (28-20) hooked up in a back-and-forth affair that saw several lead changes. Sikeston finally scored four runs on four hits in the seventh inning to surge ahead 7-5 and seemingly take control of things. Chris Hood had the big blow, a two-run double.

But two routine throwing errors by relief pitcher Billy Puckett in the top of the ninth helped Cape tie the contest, a two-out RBI single by Tommy Wencewicz forcing extra innings.

The score remained 7-7 until the bottom of the 11th, when Adam Garrett led off with a double and scored on Bobby Landers' one-out as Sikeston remained alive.

"They could have folded the tents real easy, but they didn't. They hung in there," said Sikeston manager Charlie Dye of his squad.

Cape ace Garrett Broshuis suffered the loss in relief. He hurled two perfect frames before Sikeston got to him in the 11th.

Starter Justin Cook allowed six hits and three runs (two earned) in 4 2/3 innings. Justin Welker gave up four hits and four runs in 1 2/3 innings. Jay Pierce hurled 1 2/3 scoreless frames, allowing two hits.

Landers got the victory. He pitched the final two innings, allowing two hits and no runs.

Sikeston starter Lance Sipes gave up eight hits and five runs -- but just one earned -- in six-plus innings. Puckett hurled three innings, allowing two hits and the two unearned runs in the ninth.

Wencewicz and Mark Fisher each had three of Cape's 12 hits. T.J. Erlacker drove in two runs.

Puckett had three of Sikeston's 14 hits. Landers, Hood, Adam Garrett and Stephen Abanathy all added two. Hood had three RBIs.

Chaffee (32-6) got a 4-for-4 performance from slugger Josh Eftink, who had five RBIs and four runs scored. Scott Eftink was the winning pitcher.