The Decatur Bean Ballers remained within striking distance through the middle innings, but a late offensive surge by the Cape Catfish proved to be the difference in a 7-1 Prospect League victory on Wednesday night.
After trailing by just one run entering the sixth inning, the Catfish strung together timely hits over the final four frames to pull away and hand Decatur the loss.
Cape Girardeau wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. In the bottom of the second inning, Andres Matias launched a solo home run to left field, giving the Catfish an early 1-0 advantage.
The Catfish added another run an inning later when Hayden Nazarenus lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Trey Majette to score and extend the lead to 2-0.
Despite the early deficit, Decatur’s pitching staff kept the Bean Ballers within striking distance. Starter Manuel Toro worked five innings, allowing just two runs while striking out five batters. Toro scattered four hits and kept Cape’s offense in check through much of his outing.
The Bean Ballers finally broke through in the fourth inning. Jackson Snitko reached scoring position before Oneill Feliz delivered an RBI single to center field, trimming the deficit to 2-1.
That would prove to be Decatur’s lone run of the evening.
Cape Girardeau regained momentum in the sixth inning when Paxton Flagg delivered an RBI single, scoring Cornelius Wouters to make it 3-1. Later in the inning, Jaxon Jones followed with another run-scoring single to center field, extending the Catfish lead to three.
The Catfish continued to add insurance in the seventh. Cornelius Wouters lined a two-run single through the left side, bringing home Collin Senkpeil and David Kessler to push the advantage to 6-1.
Cape Girardeau capped the scoring in the ninth when Collin Senkpeil connected on a solo home run to left field, sealing the 7-1 victory.
Although the Bean Ballers were limited to just one run, Decatur collected six hits on the night. Brandon Abernathy led the offense with a pair of hits, including a double, while Jackson Snitko also doubled and scored the club’s only run. Feliz drove in Decatur’s lone RBI with his fourth-inning single, and Jackson Miller, Caleb Crider, and Keegan Farnaus each contributed a hit.
On the mound, Toro turned in a quality start before turning the game over to the bullpen. Baron Odam, Parker Phillis, Daniel Ruiz, and Kaden Davis combined to finish the final four innings as Cape Girardeau recorded 12 hits in the contest.
The Bean Ballers threatened on several occasions, drawing three walks and putting runners aboard throughout the evening, but Cape’s pitching staff limited the damage by stranding runners and preventing a big inning.
While Decatur remained within striking distance through the first half of the game, Cape Girardeau capitalized on timely hitting late, scoring five unanswered runs over the final four innings to earn the 7-1 victory.
#16 Brandon Abernathy making the Throw Home to Catcher #21 Jackson Miller for the Tag Out
Catcher #21 Jackson Miller with the Throw to 2nd to #1 Keegan Farnaus for the Tag Out
#1 Keegan Farnaus secures the Grounder and Throw to #25 Jackson Snitko for the out
#25 Jackson Snitko takes the Grounder and gets it to #35 Manuel Toro for the Out
#25 Jackson Snitko with the Ground Rule Double over Center Field
#34 Oniell Feliz with the RBI Single to Right Field