The Plaza Tire Capahas routinely have beat up on the Pine Bluff (Ark.) Braves during the National Baseball Congress Mid-South Regional.

That mattered little to Plaza Tire manager Jess Bolen, who anticipated a tough game in Saturday's winners bracket final.

The Capahas got just that, but Anthony Maupin's stout pitching and a few timely hits paved the way for a 5-1 victory at Capaha Field.

Host Plaza Tire advances to today's 2 p.m. championship round in the three-team tournament.

The Capahas (17-4) need one more win to nail down their fourth straight regional title and earn an automatic bid to next month's NBC World Series in Wichita, Kan.

Plaza Tire, which has been to the NBC World Series 26 straight years, will get a rematch with Pine Bluff today.

The Braves, who knocked off the Charleston Riverdogs in Saturday night's losers bracket final 12-11, must beat the Capahas twice today to capture the crown.

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com Levi Olson scored the first run for the Capahas against Pine Bluff during the second inning Saturday at Capaha Field.

"Hopefully we can come out [today] and get the job done, but I don't expect it to be easy," said Bolen, whose squad has won 12 of its past 13 games.

Pine Bluff didn't make things easy for the Capahas, who were playing their tournament opener.

The Braves, annual regional participants, never have beaten the Capahas. Last year they lost 13-3 in the championship round, and they fell 10-3 in the 2006 title round.

"But they get better every year," Bolen said. "They gave us a good game. I expected a good game."

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com Anthony Maupin pitched for the Capahas against Pine Bluff Saturday at Capaha Field.

The Braves were sloppy in Friday night's wild 18-17 victory over the Riverdogs that opened the tournament.

But Pine Bluff was sharp against the Capahas, committing just one error while making several dazzling defensive plays and limiting Plaza Tire's normally potent offense to five hits.

"Give them all the credit in the world," Plaza Tire shortstop Zach Borowiak said. "They played well."

The biggest difference in the contest was that the Capahas had Anthony Maupin and the Braves didn't.

While Pine Bluff pitcher Christian Kidd was solid, Maupin was dominant as he continued his stellar season.

Maupin, a former Southeast Missouri State hurler who completed his collegiate eligibility in 2006, fired a nine-inning complete game for the first time this year. He allowed five hits and an unearned run while striking out 11 and walking three.

Maupin is now 6-0, having allowed just two earned runs and 16 hits in 36 innings. He has 50 strikeouts against 15 walks.

"He's pitched great all summer long," Borowiak said.

Maupin said he began to tire a bit down the stretch, but was pleased to go the distance.

"The last couple innings were tiresome, but I felt pretty good the whole way," Maupin said. "I wanted to finish."

Kidd was wilder than Maupin — Pine Bluff's pitcher walked seven and hit three batters — but also gave up only five hits, although four of them were doubles.

"Their pitcher battled. He threw well," Borowiak said. "He mixed his pitches up and kept us off balance."

Borowiak was the lone Plaza Tire player with more than one hit, as he doubled, singled and drove in two runs.

Jerry Hodges, Levi Olson and Chad Mercado also doubled for the Capahas. Hodges and Daniel Schuh added RBIs.

The Capahas had just one hit through four innings, but led 1-0 thanks to a second-inning run. Olson doubled and scored on Schuh's one-out sacrifice fly.

Pine Bluff got an unearned run in the fifth to tie things — taking advantage of Plaza Tire's lone error — before the Capahas went ahead for good with two in the bottom of the fifth.

Omar Padilla led off with a walk and scored on Borowiak's double. Borowiak came home on Hodges' double to make it 3-1.

The Capahas tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth. Borowiak had an RBI single for the lone hit in the frame.

Noteworthy

• The Capahas are making do in the tournament without first baseman Matt Wagner, all-Ohio Valley Conference as a junior at Southeast this year. Wagner recently broke a bone in his foot as he took a wrong step on the stairs in his residence. Wagner could miss the remainder of the season.

Braves 000 010 000 — 1 5 1

Capahas 010 020 02X — 5 5 1

@z_agate_no tab_no indnt_bld ld:WP — Anthony Maupin, 6-0. LP — Christian Kidd. 2B — Justin Holt (B), Zach Borowiak (C), Jerry Hodges (C), Levi Olson (C), Chad Mercado (C). Multiple hits — Braves: Jerome McCullum 2-3; Capahas: Borowiak 2-4. Records — Capahas 17-4.