CHAFFEE CAPTURES DISTRICT

SENATH, Mo. -- The Chaffee Medicap Pharmacy American Legion baseball team put on a powerful display in winning its first district championship Sunday night.

Top-seeded Chaffee ended fifth-seeded Poplar Bluff's improbable run in the District 14 Tournament by rolling to a 19-4 victory. The title game was stopped after the top of the seventh inning by the 10-run mercy rule.

Chaffee, which had its 31-game winning streak snapped by Poplar Bluff Saturday night to force Sunday's if-necessary contest, will carry a 44-9 record into the Zone Tournament that begins Thursday and will also be played here.

Poplar Bluff, which had won five straight games after falling into the loser's bracket on the first day of the eight-team district tourney, finishes at 30-18.

"I think it's wonderful," said Chaffee manager Jeff Graviett of the program's initial district crown. "It's great for the town. We've got a lot of baseball tradition and we don't want to stop here. We want to keep it going."

Chaffee scored seven second-inning runs. After Poplar Bluff got three in the third, Chaffee came back with three in the bottom of the frame and then broke things wide open with a nine-run fourth.

Matt Stroup, Chaffee's ace pitcher, notched his third win of the tournament. He went all seven innings, allowing four hits and no walks, with 11 strikeouts. Stroup, who worked 19 innings in the tourney -- all since Wednesday -- improved to 11-2.

"Matt is amazing," Graviett said. "Going into a game, he's the guy I want on the mound, and he wants the ball."

Said Stroup, "It's a lot easier to pitch when the team scores a lot of runs."

Chaffee had 15 hits off five Poplar Bluff pitchers. Justin Simpher had three hits -- including a home run -- and drove in four runs. Todd Friend also had three hits. John O'Rourke had two hits and four RBIs while G.P. Glueck, Perry Rice and Lance Dohogne all added two hits.

Kurt Humphrey homered for Poplar Bluff.

Graviett dedicated the victory to his younger brother Denny, 20. Denny Graviett, because of a birth defect, had spinal cord surgery Friday and faces another surgery today.

"This is a gift for him," said Jeff Graviett. "It's been a tough time for the family. This is the first whole tournament my parents have ever missed. They haven't missed too many of my games since I've been little. They've been supportive of everything I've done."