Cape's ace settles into a groove, mows down Sikeston

~ Post 63 relied on its solid pitching to earn a victory in the first game.

Brad LaBruyere shut down the Sikeston offense and Mark Himmelberg provided a clutch hit as Cape Girardeau's American Legion team picked up a 4-0 win Wednesday in its district opener at Capaha Field.

Post 63 completed a doubleheader sweep with a 16-5 rout in five innings in the non-district nightcap. Cape improved to 8-1.

LaBruyere, in his debut season with Post 63, struck out 12 and pitched around five hits and three walks. Sikeston had runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings.

Cape's defense came up big, especially in the first inning. Josh Jackson sent a double off the left-field wall with one out and a runner on first. Blake Slattery took the cutoff throw in shallow left field and gunned down Seth Baker at the plate.

Mark Himmelberg tagged out Sikeston's Garret Limbaugh at second base Wednesday during the fourth inning of the first game of a doubleheader. (AARON EISENHAUER ~aeisenhauer@semissourian.com)

"The outfielder made a play at the wall, Blake made a great cut and Alex [Shell] blocked the plate well," Cape manager Dave Meyr said.

Matt Hester came up with a sliding catch in shallow center with two on in the top of the second, and Shell gunned down a runner trying to steal in the fourth. Sikeston left the bases loaded in the fourth.

LaBruyere did not allow a base runner while striking out five over the final three innings.

"I got ahead most of the time, but when I didn't I walked a few and gave up a few good hits," LaBruyere said. "After a while I realized I had to hit my spots, and when I hit my spots I got into a groove."

Sikeston starter Josh Stevens was able to get out of a couple sticky situations himself early in the game. Post 63 had a leadoff double in the third and a leadoff triple in the fourth, but failed to capitalize both times.

Sikeston's Cody Anderson beat the pickoff throw to Cape first baseman Cody Tellor during the second inning Wednesday at Capaha Park. (AARON EISENHAUER ~aeisenhauer@semissourian.com)

In the fifth inning, Cape loaded the bases thanks to an error and two walks. Himmelberg hit a line drive up the middle through a drawn-in infield to drive in the winning run and the ball got past the center fielder, allowing all four runners to score on the play.

"Both pitchers were strong," Meyr said. "They have a good team. We caught some breaks and made some plays when we had to.

"We played good defense. That's what keyed us. We kept at it. We hit the ball well all game, just right at them."

Himmelberg got some redemption with the hit after stranding a runner at third with one out in the third inning. Himmelberg hit a sharp grounder to the shortstop on that play, and his game-winning single was nearly to the same place.

"I just try to hit the ball as hard as I can every time," Himmelberg said. "I hit it hard the first two times and got unlucky."

Despite hitting what looked like a routine single, Himmelberg had little problem sprinting around the bases after the ball traveled all the way to the wall on the error.

"I actually saw the ball go up the middle and was trotting, so I had to get on my horses," Himmelberg said.

Cape managed just four hits in the win. Garrett Stevens had a double and LaBruyere added a triple.

Jackson had a pair of doubles for Sikeston.

"We know we want to come out and get all the district wins we can so we can get a good district seed," LaBruyere said.

The nightcap was not nearly as crisp, with five Sikeston errors helping aid Cape's onslaught. Post 63 had nine hits in the five-inning win. Five of those hits came in a nine-run third inning.

Stevens pitched all five innings for the win. Sikeston had six of its seven hits off Stevens in the second and third innings and scored all five runs in that two-inning span. Stevens struck out eight.

Himmelberg led Cape with three hits in the nightcap. Hester led off the first inning with a home run and finished with three RBIs. Nick Allen added two hits.