TIGERS' POWER DECKS FESTUS

In the third inning of Cape Central's 8-3 win over Festus at Tiger Field, Central first baseman Paul Dobbins watched three straight pitches from Festus pitcher Adam Easter go by for strikes to end the inning.

"I looked at three straight pitches -- in the same place -- and struckout," Dobbins said in disgust.

With the bases loaded in the fifth inning, Dobbins wasn't so selective at the plate.

The Central senior belted Easter's first pitch well over the center-field fence for a grand slam that put Central ahead 7-1.

"I guess I learned my lesson," said a smiling Dobbins. "Coach (Steve Williams) pulled me aside before that at-bat and told me to look for something that I want.

"I was looking for a fastball down the middle and it was there."

In a battle of Tigers, Cape Central improved to 13-3 while the Tigers of Festus fell to 4-6.

Williams also remembered Dobbins' third-inning plate appearance and instructed his player not to let another strike get past him.

"I called him down the (third-base) line and said, `If that first one's in there, hit it,'" Williams said. "I basically told him to be ready to hit when he gets a good pitch. That time he was."

Dobbins' blast, which happened to be his first varsity home run with the Tigers, may have also been the direct result of a recent equipment change.

"I just started using Ross's new bat, and it felt real good," Dobbins said in reference to teammate Ross Bennett. "That was probably the hardest ball I've hit all year and I might continue to use that bat for the rest of the season."

Dobbins' grand slam wasn't the only big blow for Central. Starting pitcher Tatum Kitchen helped himself with a three-run home run in the first inning to put the Tigers on top 3-1.

Seven of Central's eight runs came on those two swings. The Tigers, who outhit Festus 7-6, got their final run in the sixth inning on a bases-loaded walk by Chris Bradshaw.

"A bunch of bloops and two bombs," was how Williams described his team's offense. Kitchen and David Ham both had two hits.

Kitchen pitched all seven innings, striking out five and walking four. Easter, just a freshman, pitched well despite the loss. He also struck out five batters.

"I thought he did a tremendous job," said Festus coach Don Buechting. "You take away the two big bombs, and if we would have played a little defense, he's right in the ballgame."

Festus committed three errors, leading to just two unearned runs. Central committed only one error, a dropped fly ball in right field by Adam Bertrand to start the game, that led to an unearned Festus run.

As far as defense goes, Central catcher Gregg Craft put together a clinic on how to erase runners on the bases. Craft gunned down a runner at second base trying to steal in the second inning, picked a runner off first to end the third and thwarted another stolen base attempt at second in the fourth.

"Gregg was outstanding today and it's a hard thing (to do) when somebody's throwing hard like Tatum," Williams said. "It's tough to have to bounce around back there, but Gregg did a good job.

"He's probably throwing out about 50 percent of the runners that try to steal on him which is an excellent percentage."

Central plays at Farmington on Monday.