CAPS FALL IN WILD FINISH 4-3

Ninth inning pitching problems for the Kohlfeld Capahas helped O.B. Clark of St. Louis to erase a two-run Capahas lead and defeat the home squad 4-3 Saturday at Capaha Field.

"We led 3-1 going into the last inning and if we would have gotten the ball over the plate we would have won the game; I have no doubt in my mind," Capahas manager Jess Bolen said. "We just had a little lapse of control."

Three Capahas pitchers allowed three walks and two hits to enable O.B. Clark to score three earned runs in the ninth that the Capahas were unable to answer.

Cliff Pollitte pitched eight strong innings for the Capahas but after walking the leadoff hitter and throwing two balls to the following batter in the ninth, he yielded the mound to Dan Simpher. Simpher completed the walk, which was charged to Pollitte, and walked the next hitter to load the bases before the Caps managed an out.

Tom Broyles and Keith Kimberlin followed with RBI singles for O.B. Clark to simultaneously tie the game and knock Simpher out of it while still leaving the bases stacked.

"Simpher just simply did not have it," Bolen said.

Jerry Wolsey came in to pitch and walked Brian Binkholder to force in O.B. Clark's winning run. He retired his next two batters to end the opposition's run.

"They're a veteran club so they're not going to chase balls out of the strike zone and get overanxious," Bolen said of the Caps inability to throw strikes.

Three runs were charged to Pollitte and one to Simpher, who also received the loss. O.B. Clark reliever Dan Archer earned the win. He pitched three no-hit innings, striking out four and allowing one earned run.

Hitting was roughly even as O.B. tallied six -- four off Pollitte and two off Simpher -- and the Capahas nailed five -- all off starter Shawn McMullen.

The Capahas claimed a 1-0 lead in the first on two singles, including an RBI hit up the middle by Tom Breuer, who finished the day with two hits. They added another run in the third on a leadoff homer from Shawn Pemberton over the 380-foot mark in the right field power alley.

Both teams scored once in the seventh. O.B. Clark's Terry Oetting sacrificed his team's first run while Jamie Lewis scored from third on a passed ball.

Saturday's game marked the first at Capaha Field for longtime Capahas shortstop Cory Crosnoe as a member of an opposing team. Crosnoe recently completed his first season as an assistant coach for the Southeast Missouri State University baseball squad and was forced off the Capahas by an NCAA regulation which forbids him from playing on a team which includes players he coaches.

"I'm glad to see him playing because too good a ballplayer not to be playing," Bolen said.

The former Capaha went 0 for 4 with one walk. In the fourth inning he was robbed of a sure home run when right fielder Brian Schaefer, who played under Crosnoe at Southeast this season, jumped high and reached over the outfield fence to make a brilliant catch.

The Caps and O.B. Clark square off again today in a 1 p.m. doubleheader.