Cape Legion uses late double to defeat Sikeston, reach district final

Clayton Reynolds waited eight innings for his moment, and when it came, he did not hesitate.

With the game tied in the ninth inning, Reynolds pinch hit with nobody out and two runners aboard and hammered the first pitch he saw from Sikeston starter Nathan Hampton over the head of the center fielder for a two-run double to send the Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Post 63 Senior Legion baseball team to a 5-2 victory over Sikeston Post 114 in an elimination game in the District 14 Tournament on Friday night in Sikeston.

Third-seeded Cape had just two hits off Hampton before Josh Morse opened the ninth inning with a single and winning pitcher Chase Hagerty followed with a single.

That set the stage for right-handed Reynolds.

"That was huge," Post 63 coach Justin Lieser said. "Clayton has been swinging it really well. I decided to start Logan Callahan tonight at first base just because of what we thought he was capable of doing against Hampton. That's taking nothing away from Clayton. We were just trying to find Clayton a spot to come off big in, and we were talking to him all night about what scenarios might come up and situations, and credit to him for being ready. It would have been easy ... you tell a kid a few times, 'Hey, get ready to go,' and they think that they're getting ready to come in, and you don't bring him in, it's easy to kind of shut it down, and credit to Clayton, he stuck in there and was ready to go when his number was finally called."

Ryan Tegel added another insurance run with a sacrifice fly.

Hagerty, the team's No. 4 hitter, went 2 for 4 at the plate and played an even bigger role on the mound.

Hagerty struck out 14 batters, walked two and allowed five hits in a 134-pitch, complete-game effort.

Sikeston, the second seed, scored two unearned runs off Hagerty in the third inning but could do little else on offense.

"He was the man tonight," Post 63 coach Justin Lieser said Hagerty. "If he doesn't go, we might have had a different fate."

Hampton had eight strikeouts and walked four in throwing a complete game.

Cape will play top-seeded Jackson Post 158 in the district championship game at noon today.