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Capahas baseball strikes early, Heisserer takes care of business in 6-0 win
After a sluggish performance in Game 2 of a Saturday baseball doubleheader, the Burger King Capahas wanted to find their spark again on Sunday. It didn't take long.
The Caps scored three times in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back, as they got a strong pitching performance from Cody Heisserer and clinched a three-game series win with a 6-0, seven-inning victory over Crestwood (Ill.) at Capaha Field.
"I always preach to the guys, 'Win the inning. Let's win each inning,'" Capahas manager Tom Bolen said. "By the end of the game if you've won more than you've lost then the outcome should be good. But they came out -- we were flat the second game yesterday -- and swung and I was proud of them."
Heisserer got the win on the mound, allowing no runs and three hits in six innings of work, striking out six and walking three. He threw 80 pitches.
"Cody, we have a couple guys on the team -- Lance Young and Cody Heisserer -- where it's pivotal for them on the pitching staff to lead by example," Bolen said. "They're veterans, they know how to pitch, they go out there and get after it. He was hitting on all cylinders. I didn't want to take him out, but we needed to get another pitcher in for a little work. It's a good problem to have."
Heisserer was working in front for all but the first three outs of the game, as the Capahas (8-9) wasted no time in jumping on top of the Panthers, scoring three times on three hits and a walk in the first inning.
Leadoff man Austin Bucher drew a free pass to open the game, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on a Kyle James single. Drew Harper, who reached on a hit by a pitch, then scored on a wild pitch, and James was plated by an Adam Connor one-out double.
"I think with the addition mid season of Austin Bucher, he's come in and really did extremely well for us," Bolen said. "He's done more than what we expected."
That lead was more than enough for the home team.
Bucher was 2-for-3 on the day, while James was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI and Trent Pobst was 2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly.
Adam Connor went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in and a pair of doubles.
"Adam is great to have on the team," Bolen said. "He works full time and he tries to get here as much as he can, but veteran leadership from people like him (is important). He knows the game and plays the game at a high level, and he's important in the middle of the lineup."
Chad Desgroot took the loss for Crestwood, allowing four runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out one, walked two and hit a batter.
Johnny Sanchez threw 3 2/3 innings in relief for the Panthers, allowing two runs on three hits with a strikeout and a walk.
Zach Moore threw one inning in relief for the Capahas, sitting down the side in order in the top of the seventh inning and striking out one.
The Caps made it 4-0 in the third inning, with Pobst reaching on a one-out single, stealing second, and then scoring on a base hit by Aaron Primm.
Connor hit his second RBI double of the day in the bottom of the fourth, scoring Drew Harper, and Pobst lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score James and making things 6-0.
Crestwood's best chances to score came in the fourth and sixth innings, as the first two Panther batters of each inning reached base safely. But Heisserer shut things down from there and got some help from his defense -- Capahas catcher Stephen Carter threw out Mack Martin attempting to steal third in the fourth inning, and a line-drive 4-6 double play in the sixth provided a nice escape hatch for Heisserer.
In the end, the right-hander kept zeros on the scoreboard in both innings.
"I let the pitchers work themselves out of it, especially someone like Cody," Bolen said. "He's a veteran and a leader and a great kid to have on the team. He knows. He's got to get ahead of the hitters. Especially in a big ball park and especially with the lead. Don't let them get any freebies."
Carter twice threw out base runners on steal attempts.
Missing in action
Although Jess Bolen handed the team's reins to his son at the end of last summer following 50 years as Capahas manager, he and wife Mary, who helps run the team, have remained constant fixtures at Capaha Field this season. In fact, Jess has often still been in the dugout, keeping the scorebook.
But on Sunday the pair was nowhere to be found.
Instead, Jess and Mary were in St. Louis, taking in a Cardinals game.
Their absence marked an extremely rare occurrence, dating back half a century -- a Capahas game without the senior Bolens.
"You know, in the 50 years, you can count on one hand how many times they haven't been at a Capaha ballgame," Tom Bolen said. "One of the last times was probably my state championship in '94, so it's very odd that they wouldn't be here, but it's good for them to get away and enjoy the Cardinal game."
And they get to come home to a positive result.
| Crestwood | 000 | 000 | 0 | -- | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Capahas | 301 | 200 | x | -- | 6 | 10 | 0 |
WP -- Cody Heisserer. LP -- Chad Desgroot. 2B -- Adam Conner (CAP) 2. Multiple hits -- Capahas: Austin Bucher 2-3, Kyle James 2-4, Connor 2-4, Pobst 2-2.