RAIN WASHES AWAY DISTRICT TITLE GAMES

SIKESTON -- The Cape Central Tiger baseball team will have nearly 24 hours -- and maybe more -- to figure out how to get out of the 3-0 hole they're in after thunderstorms forced the suspension of Thursday's Class 4A, District 1 title game with Sikeston.

Weather permitting, the two teams are scheduled to resume play today at 4 p.m., at Sikeston's VFW Stadium with one out in the top of the third inning. Central leadoff batter Mitch Ogles was heading to the plate for his second at-bat when the game was suspended due to lightning.

Heavy rains soon followed, forcing a large gathering of Bulldog and Tiger fans to their vehicles.

The contest actually started about five minutes early, at 3:55 p.m., under a threatening sky that required the field's lights to be on.

After a scoreless first inning, Sikeston plated three unearned runs in the bottom of the second off Central starter Tatum Kitchen. The top-seeded Bulldogs scored their runs without the benefit of a hit, taking advantage of two Tiger errors.

Kitchen, who struggled with his control and threw a lot of pitches in his two innings, may not continue on the mound today. Sikeston ace Brent Self, after striking out five of the nine Central batters he faced, is expected to be back on the hill when the title game resumes.

* The Class 2A, District 2 showdown in Chaffee between top-seed Notre Dame and second-seed Kelly was washed out before it even started Thursday.

The two teams will try again today at 4 p.m. Ryan LeGrand will take the hill for Notre Dame (13-8). Kelly (19-6) will likely counter with Jim Hulshof.

* Thursday's Class 1A, District 3 title game was also pushed back because of the weather. Top-seed and tourney host Oran (19-3) will try to decide the district with second-seed Advance (17-4) today at 2 p.m.

Justin McAllister is set to start for Oran. Advance is expected to send Chris Wallace out for the start.