TIGERS COME OF AGE IN VICTORY

Tatum Kitchen kicked off his 18th birthday party a bit early on Wednesday.

Kitchen, Cape Girardeau Central High's senior third baseman, smacked a towering, three-run home run in the second inning, which provided the Tigers a 6-0 cushion. Central cruised on to a mercy-rule-shortened, 11-1 walloping of visiting Jackson.

Now that Kitchen is old enough to vote, he could cast a ballot for himself as player of the game. Kitchen went 2-for-3 and scored three runs.

"It was a nice gift," Kitchen said. "It was one of the more exciting (home runs) I've had."

"(Kitchen's homer) relaxed everybody," said Central coach Steve Williams. "Tatum is really doing a good job; he's got the ability and boy, now he's really letting it shine."

The hit parade continued for Central, which totaled 13 hits. In compiling their 3-1 record, the Tigers have scored 46 runs. The game, which was halted in the fifth inning, was Central's third 10-run-rule-abbreviated affair this season.

"I'll take 46 runs in four games," Kitchen said.

"Thirteen hits, you can't be disappointed with that," said Williams. "When you can put a number up there ... your pitcher doesn't have to be so fine."

With a scout from Baylor University in the audience observing him and center fielder Ross Bennett, Central's senior ace, left-hander Craig Ringwald, had another solid outing.

Although he didn't throw a no-hitter and strike out 15 batters in five innings as he did in front of about 15 major-league scouts in the Tigers' season opener at Chaffee, the 6-foot-8 Ringwald controlled Jackson (2-2).

Ringwald allowed five hits, struck out eight batters and shut out the Indians until the last inning. By then, Central had established a 10-0 lead.

"I'll be glad when he graduates," said Jackson coach Sam Sides.

Jackson committed five errors on April Fool's Day, which didn't help losing pitcher Jason Goben. Two of the bungles came in the first inning and allowed both of Central's game-commencing runs. Two errors in the third also led to scores.

"I was just really embarrassed with the way we played," Sides said. "I was disappointed in our defense; I didn't think we were ready to play."

Central right fielder and No. 9 hitter Adam Bertrand gained his first hits of the season: a solo homer off the top of the left-field fence in the second inning and an RBI double in the third. Paul Dobbins also collected his first two hits of the year Wednesday.

After Jackson's Todd Wessel had an RBI single in the fifth inning, Central's Chris Bradshaw ended the game with a bases-loaded single.

The game, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was a victim of rain, was to be played in Jackson Wednesday. It was moved to Central after it was determined that Jackson's field was too wet.