FORD & SONS ROMPS PAST JACKSON IN LEGION PLA6

JACKSON -- The Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team played nine innings Friday night against Jackson.

But all the visitors needed was one big inning.

Cape scored its first seven runs in the third inning on the way to a comfortable 11-3 district victory. Ford & Sons improved to 22-22 overall and completed its district schedule at 8-4. Jackson fell to 15-20 and 0-12.

After a loss Thursday night to Poplar Bluff, the victory kept Cape Legion in the hunt for the top seed in next week's district tournament.

"That's been the story half of the year," Jackson coach Tom Campbell said of Cape's seven-run inning. "We've had a lot of that this season."

After setting Cape down 1-2-3 in the opening two innings, Jackson hurler Chris Schlick walked Adam Bertrand and Justin McAlister to open the third. Following a sacrifice bunt by Steve Fowler, Cape strung together four straight singles to open up a 4-0 lead. Andy Sweet brought home the first two runs, slicing a hit to the right side. Todd Pennington and Chris Bradshaw followed with RBI singles.

Two errors extended the inning, allowing Bertrand to drive home the seventh run with an single. Schlick pitched six innings of the loss.

After the big inning, Ford & Sons coach Ron Michel started substituting freely. Every Cape player got in the game, with several bench players seeing considerable action.

"If we had the opportunity, I was definitely going to do that," Michel said. "We could have, and maybe should have, put the game away, but we got everybody in the ballgame and had fun tonight."

Cape hit to all fields in collecting 14 hits. Shane Gibson, Scott Reinagel, Bradshaw and Bertrand all had two hits for Ford & Sons.

Jackson tagged four Cape pitchers for seven hits. Jason Banderman and Jesse Boyer both collected two hits and scored a run. Jackson scored single runs in the fourth, seventh and ninth innings.

Cape added a run in the fifth on another RBI single by Bertrand, scored two more runs in the seventh and tallied another in the ninth.

Fowler hurled the first five innings for the win, allowing just one run. Pennington allowed an unearned run in two innings of relief, followed by a scoreless eighth inning by Travis Klipfel. Dustin Glastetter closed out the game in the ninth, allowing one run while striking out the side.

* Cape lost 3-2 to Poplar Bluff Thursday in a crucial district game.

Ford & Sons outhit Bluff 11-5, but stranded 11 runners. Gibson had three hits and Pennington added two. Craig Ringwald pitched a complete game, striking out seven and allowing two earned runs.