Cal Ripken region tournament host builds on light resume, surprisingly reaches semifinals

The cry came from the postgame huddle, loud and clear.

"We're not even supposed to be here!"

But the U12 Cape All-Stars baseball team is taking full advantage of Cape Girardeau's first-ever hosting of the Cal Ripken Midwest Plains 12-year-old Major/70 Region Tournament at Shawnee Park.

Less than two weeks after, as coach Fred Brinkopf puts it, "falling on our face" at the state tournament and failing to qualify for regionals, Cape is playing only because of its berth as the host. But try telling that to all the state champions it's defeating.

On Saturday morning, the Cape All-Stars wrapped up an undefeated pool-play campaign, dropping the Iowa state champion Manchester Hawks 10-8. By going 3-0 in the first stage of the tournament, Cape clinched a top seed and a berth in the semifinal for today's final day of play.

Cape Girardeau All Stars baserunner Jon Dohogne scores the go-ahead run on a wild pitch as Manchester (Iowa) Hawks reliever Sam Niles covers the plate during the sixth inning of a pool game in the Cal Ripken Midwest Plains Regional Tournament on Saturday at Shawnee Sports Complex. Cape won 10-8 to improve to 3-0 in its pool and capture a top seed for today's bracket play.Fred Lynch

It's been an improbable three days for the young, local baseball players.

"Not doing as well as what we're doing," Brinkopf said of the expectations entering the tournament. "We went to state and fell on our faces. We couldn't hit the ball, nothing.

"We had the opportunity to be here because we're hosting it. I told them, 'You're going to have to be swinging the bat, you're going to have to have good 'D' in order for us to win,' and that's what they've done."

On Saturday, the hosts had to rally from three runs down in the penultimate inning to maintain their unblemished record. That came 24 hours after the team survived what Brinkopf described as a "nightmare" after it sat through a rain delay and fell into a seven-run hole, only to rally with eight runs in the final half-inning to defeat Kansas 16-15 in walk-off fashion Friday.

Cape also defeated Nebraska 13-9 in its first game.

Cape Girardeau All Stars batter Alex Powderly, right, receives encouragement from coach Troy Hamilton and baserunner Hunter Hamilton as the Manchester, Iowa Hawks change pitchers Saturday, July 16, 2016 during the fifth inning of a pool game in the Cal Ripken Midwest Plains Regional baseball tournament at Shawnee Sports Complex.Fred Lynch

Maybe it's home-field advantage. Maybe it's something more magical. But the Cape All-Stars have gotten the job done.

"I don't have any words, really," Brinkopf said. "I told them I'm so proud of them. Yesterday we were down so much, we came back eight runs and beat that team. I told them the same thing this morning. I said, 'Look, guys, you've just got to keep your heads up. It's a domino effect. If you get down, everybody's going to get down. If everybody's up, everybody's going to stay up.' And that's what they did."

The key, Brinkopf said, is continuity within the team. While some teams may try to round up a scattered group of all-stars, the Cape coaching staff has maintained a group of players for years, and it believes that strategy is paying off now.

"Our All-Star team is a team we've kept together since 9 years old," Brinkopf said. "... If not, we could not compete with these teams. You have two weeks to practice for these things, and with brand-new kids you don't even know who these kids are, really. That's the only reason we're able to compete."

Against Manchester, it never looked like the team's pulse rose. At a level of play where so much is about making fewer mistakes than the opposition, Cape played chicken with the Hawks and called their bluff.

Cape Girardeau All Stars reliever Isaiah Camp picks up a bunted ball to retire the Manchester (Iowa) Hawks batter during the fifth inning Saturday's pool game.

Having just given up five runs and a lead in the top of the fifth and facing two quick outs in the bottom half of the inning, Cape remained patient. Ultimately, it was Manchester who looked rattled.

A single by Caleb Gast and a walk from Isaiah Camp -- the 8 and 9 hitters, respectively -- loaded the bases before the Hawks fell apart. Jon Dohogne was hit by a pitch to drive in one run, and Hunter Hamilton drew a seven-pitch walk to plate another runner and pull the hosts within a run, 8-7.

Alex Powderly then drew another base-on-balls to knot things at 8 and chase Manchester reliever Payton Lewin from the mound.

Sam Niles then took the bump for the Hawks, but a wild pitch scored the go-ahead runner and a balk gave Cape a 10-8 lead.

"They did awesome," Brinkopf said. "I can't say anything bad about them. I can just praise them, because they played outstanding baseball."

Grant James took the mound for Cape in the top of the sixth and struck out three straight batters looking to earn the save and clinch a top seed.

Camp earned the win on the mound after a brief relief appearance for 2/3 of an inning.

Starter Powderly went 4 1/3 innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on four hits with three strikeouts and five walks, keeping his team in the game while also allowing it to rest arms for today's knockout rounds.

"Alex Powderly, that was tremendous," Brinkopf said, clapping. "I can't even talk I'm so proud of that boy. All year he was struggling, and he came in and did great. That was a big plus for us. We needed that big time."

Powderly was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI at the plate, while Anthony Lanzotti was 1-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored.

Manchester took an early 1-0 lead on a walk, an error and a ground ball in the top of the first, but the Cape All-Stars answered in the bottom of the first with four runs, thanks in part to a Lanzotti two-RBI double, a three-base error and an RBI double off the bat of Conner Wissinger.

The Hawks cut in to the 4-1 lead with two runs on two hits -- doubles from Lewin and Niles -- but Cape extended the gap to 5-3 thanks to an unearned run in the bottom of the second.

Powderly and Manchester reliever Lewin then settled in for a couple of innings until a wild fifth.

With one out, the Hawks got a two-run single from Lukas Meyer to chase Powderly from the mound, before an RBI double by Jaxson Woellert and an RBI single by Cash Hauser vaulted Manchester on top for the first time since the first inning.

But, even if they weren't supposed to be here, the Cape All-Stars never stopped believing.

"You have to have that [belief]. If you don't have that, you're just going to lay down and they're going to run right over you."

Cape will face Bismarck (N.D.) in a 9 a.m. semifinal today at Shawnee Park. Bismarck went 2-1 in pool play.

The other semifinal will be played at 11:30 a.m. between Manchester (2-1) and Southeast Denver (2-1), from Colorado.

The Hawks advanced thanks to other results during the final day of pool play.

The championship is scheduled for 2 p.m.

That, despite the improbability of it all, is what the Cape All-Stars are shooting for.

"I guess the message is to win," Brinkopf said. "There's nothing else to go for. We're trying to win the whole thing, and right now we're on the way."

Manchester 120 050 -- 8 7 2

Cape 410 05x -- 10 5 1

WP -- Isaiah Camp. LP -- Payton Lewin. S -- Grant James. 2B -- Jaxson Woellert (M), Lewin (M), Sam Niles (M), Anthony Lanzotti (C), Conner Wissinger (C). Multiple hits -- Manchester: Lewin 2-3, Niles 2-3.