Semoball

Lucky 13 for the unstoppable Capahas

Designated hitter Caleb Richards (7) singled and scored in the Capahas' 4-2 win over the St. Louis Printers in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, July 25, 2020.
Jeff Long ~ jlong@semissourian.com

Back in the spring, when the term COVID-19 was not yet imprinted into our minds, Capahas manager Tom Bolen was incredibly bullish about the upcoming 2020 season.

“I’m the most excited I’ve ever been about the product we’re going to put into Capahas’ uniforms,” said Bolen on March 31.

The Caps’ skipper was prescient, even prophetic.

On Sunday, the oldest amateur baseball team in U.S. history made it 13 wins in a row as the Capahas (15-3) swept the visiting St. Louis Printers, 9-4, at Capaha Field on a blazingly hot afternoon.

“The boys are having fun,” said Caps manager Tom Bolen. “I didn’t expect (to sweep).”

Ironton’s Isiah Gibbs was the offensive leader, scoring two runs and stealing four bases.

Will Gilmer, a student at Arkansas State, started and pitched three innings for the winners.

Reliever Brenan White also logged three frames and got the win.

Morgan O’Dell shut the door on the Printers by hurling a scoreless seventh.

With the victory, the Capahas have won outright their Mon-Clair League division.

“Our next goal is to be the #1 seed in the postseason,” said Bolen. The M-C League playoffs will be held August 15-16 at Capaha.

Recap

On Saturday, the Capahas took a doubleheader from the Printers, by scores of 4-3 and 4-2. On Friday, in a non-league contest, the Caps blanked Saline Co. (Ill.), 12-0.

Unsung Burnham

As sportswriters lavish praise on Cardinals warhorse hurler Adam Wainwright for a six-inning performance in a 9-1 win over Pittsburgh Saturday, consider Spencer Burnham for a moment.

Wainwright has made millions throwing a baseball to home plate. Good for him.

Burnham also pitched for the Caps Saturday and he doesn’t make a dime.

In fact, playing for Bolen’s scrappy squad costs Burnham money because he drives in for games from Van Buren in Carter County, arguably the inner-tubing capital of southeast Missouri.

Van Buren is 124 miles from Cape Girardeau.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Two hours to Cape, a minimum of four hours at Capaha Field because the team usually plays doubleheaders and another two hours before he reaches the family homestead near the Current River.

For the love of the game – indeed.

Burnham is not the only young college-age player to put in long hours just for the privilege of suiting up for the Caps, but he may have the longest journey.

“This is a special group of guys, no question,” said Bolen.

Burnham threw a complete game Saturday, the team’s first of this truncated season, to notch the Capahas’ win in the opening contest of the Printers’ doubleheader.

It was a thrilling end, as the Caps came from behind in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two in the final frame to win 4-3.

Malden’s Dee Triplett and Leopold’s Austin Bucher had doubles.

Hayden Helvey was the only Capaha with multiple hits in the victory, going 2-for-3, both singles.

Dill masterful

In Saturday’s nightcap, Notre Dame’s Austin Dill, a rising senior at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, threw a strong six innings as the Caps won, 4-2.

Triplett and Bucher also came up big in game two, with both local players stroking first-inning triples to give the Caps an early 1-0 lead.

Scott City’s Trent Pobst, the leading hitter in the Mon Clair League, added a three-bagger in the third, which chased home designated hitter Caleb Richards, who had singled earlier, for the Caps’ second run. Pobst would score a third run that same inning on Isiah Gibbs’ sacrifice fly.

Bell City's Bobby Wright had a 5th inning double for Bolen’s aluminum-bat squad and the third baseman scored the Caps’ final tally on Trent Pobst’s RBI single.

Jackson’s Tyler Martin came in and pitched a scoreless seventh in relief of Dill to secure the win and finish off the doubleheader victory.

What’s next

The Mon Clair League schedule is subject to frequent change but next on the docket for the Capahas is a Sunday road doubleheader against St. Louis’ other team, the Spikes.

On Saturday, August 8, the Caps play their final regular-season game at Belleville (Ill.).

The Caps will next be home for the playoffs in mid-August.

A worry

Bolen said he is concerned about one area of the team’s play – its fielding.

“We need to shore up our defense,” said Bolen. “We’ve got some sloppiness we need to correct and it’s our no.-1 issue right now.”

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