SPRINGFIELD -- Just a couple of weeks ago, Jeff Lappe was helping lead Cape Girardeau's SEMO Bank baseball team to the 1995 Junior American Legion state championship.

Saturday afternoon, Lappe helped Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons baseball team stay alive in the 1995 Senior American Legion State Tournament.

Lappe, a lefthanded pitcher, spent most of the season as one of the ace hurlers for Cape's Junior Legion squad. He was also officially a squad member of Cape's Senior Legion team and, with the Junior team having recently completed its season, could devote his full attention to Ford & Sons.

Lappe wasn't needed during last weekend's zone tournament as Cape won the title by going 3-0. But Ford & Sons fell into the loser's bracket of the state meet during its second game, meaning it would take plenty of pitching in order for the squad to stay alive.

During Saturday's elimination game against Jefferson City, Cape manager Doc Yallaly turned to Lappe as his starting hurler. And Lappe responded with a strong performance as Ford & Sons rallied for an 8-6 victory to advance to Saturday night's finals round with Blue Springs.

Lappe, the winning pitcher, worked the first seven innings. He gave up eight hits and six runs, but the first four Jefferson City runs might very easily not have scored. Lappe struck out seven and walked four before giving way to Brandon West, who hurled two scoreless innings to earn a save.

"Lappe was beautiful," said Yallaly. "He's a crafty pitcher and we had confidence in him. He did exactly what we needed."

Asked if Saturday's game felt like his Junior Legion days, Lappe grinned and said, "Not at all. It was a lot different. The hitters are a lot tougher here."

Cape's 10-hit attack was led by Scott VanGennip with three hits and two runs batted in. Robert Kern had two hits while Ben Arbeiter and Jason Bowers both had home runs. Bowers had the game's key blow, a two-run homer in the sixth that broke a 5-5 tie. Cape at one time trailed 5-1.

Jefferson City jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning even though Cape very easily could have escaped the frame unscathed. Lappe fanned two of the first three batters, the strikeouts sandwiched around a double. Cleanup batter Matt Norfleet then struck out on a pitch in the dirt, but the ball bounced away and Norfleet was able to reach first on the wild pitch. Chris Smith followed with a three-run homer to left-center.

Trailing 4-0 after a Cape miscue led to a Jefferson City run in the third, Ford & Sons got that tally back in the fourth as Arbeiter belted a two-out homer to left field.

Jefferson City made it 5-1 in the fifth, but Cape exploded for four runs in the bottom of the frame to tie the contest, taking advantage of two Jefferson City errors and getting four hits. Jeremy Johnson's two-run double knotted things at 5-5.

Ford & Sons snapped the deadlock with a three-run sixth, the tie-breaking blow a two-run homer to left by Bowers. With two outs, Lance Craft walked, stole second for his third theft of the game and came home on VanGennip's third single of the contest.

Brian Center homered for Jefferson City in the seventh, making it 8-6. West closed the door over the final two innings, allowing two hits while fanning three and walking one.