SIKESTON UPSETS CAPE IN 9TH 3-2

American Legion District 14 Tournament

(in Sikeston)

Wednesday's Results

(Game 1): Sikeston vs. Van Buren

(Game 2): Chaffee vs. Poplar Bluff

(Game 3): Dunklin Co. vs. Jackson

(Game 4): Cape Ford & Sons vs. Game 1 winner

Today's Schedule

10 a.m. (Game 6): Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser

1 p.m. (Game 5): Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner

5:30 p.m. (Game 8): Game 4 loser vs. Game 6 winner

8:30 p.m. (Game 7) Game 1 loser vs. Game 5 loser

Friday's Schedule

1 p.m. (Game 9): Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner

5:30 p.m. (Game 10): Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner

8:30 p.m. (Game 11): Game 9 loser vs. Game 10 winner

Saturday's Schedule

(Championship)

1 p.m. (Game 12): Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 winner (second game to follow if no team is undefeated)

SIKESTON -- Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team defeated Sikeston three out of four regular season games, but all that mattered little Wednesday night as the District 14 Tournament got underway at Sikeston's VFW Stadium.

Sikeston pushed across a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to upend top-seeded Cape 3-2 in a winners bracket semifinal game.

Sikeston scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on a two-out bases-loaded single which plated pinch runner Derek Driskell.

In first round play earlier Wednesday, fourth-seed Sikeston beat fifth-seed Van Buren 3-2, No. 3 seed Chaffee defeated Poplar Bluff 10-4 and second-seed Dunklin County knocked off seventh-seed Jackson 9-3.

Sikeston, now 32-15, advances into Friday's 1 p.m., winners bracket final. Cape, 36-13, will play at 5:30 p.m. today in an elimination contest.

Chaffee and Dunklin County will square off in a winners bracket semifinal at 1 p.m. today. Jackson and Poplar Bluff will meet in an elimination game today at 10 a.m. There will also be an elimination game at 8:30 p.m.

Sikeston took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning as Robbie Sims tripled and scored on a passed ball.

Cape tied it in the top of the fourth and missed out on an opportunity for a much bigger inning. Jeff Lappe led off with a single, Ross Bennett singled and Nathan McGuire doubled in a run. Trent Summers then walked to load the bases with nobody out, but a strikeout and a double play got Sikeston out of the jam.

Ford & Sons took a 2-1 lead as McGuire hit a home run with one out. McGuire's fly ball just snuck over the right field fence inside the foul pole at the 290-foot mark.

Sikeston countered with a run in the bottom of the sixth and also missed a chance at a much bigger inning. Sikeston scored it's run and still had the bases loaded with only one out, but could not do any more damage in the inning.

Cape's Lanson DeBrock and Sikeston's Chris Barnfield hooked up in a dandy pitchers duel. DeBrock went the distance, allowing eight hits and striking out nine in 8 2/3 innings.

Barnfield worked the first seven innings, allowing six hits and both Cape runs. Clay Hooper got the win in relief, pitching two scoreless innings.

Chaffee improved it's record to 26-14 by getting a nine-inning complete game pitching performance from Denver Stuckey. He scattered eight hits, while striking out 11 and walking five.

"Denver pitched a good game," said Chaffee manager Bruce Qualls. "He gave us exactly what we needed. It was really important that we only use one pitcher and Denver came through for us."

Chaffee had 12 hits, led by Jason Harrell's three. Kenny Gaebler, Jeremy Endlere, John Livingston and Stuckey all added two hits.

Chaffee trailed 1-0 early but took the lead for good with a three run second inning. Chaffee added three runs in the fifth to go up 6-2 and coasted the rest of the game.

"We hit the ball pretty well and did what we had to do," said Qualls. "It was a good way to start the tournament for us.

"We've got our pitching set up pretty well. Justin Vetter will start against Dunklin County. They've got a good team and it should be a good ball game."

Jackson, the last seed in the tournament, put up a good fight against Dunklin County but still saw it's record fall to 2-29. Dunklin County improved to 29-10.

Chris Leimer pitched six strong innings for Jackson, but was knocked out in the late stages as Dunklin County pulled away with two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth.

Jackson had seven hits, two from Todd Wessel. Chris Schlick hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning, but it was too little too late for Jackson.

Jackson fell behind 3-0 in the first inning, but trailed only 4-2 after six innings. Jackson missed a golden opportunity in the top of the sixth with the bases loaded and nobody out. But Dunklin County got out of the jam without allowing a run.