Staff Reports ~ Standard Democrat

ABERDEEN, Md. -- The Sikeston 12-year-old all-star baseball team lost its first two games at the 2007 Cal Ripken World Series during play Saturday and Sunday.

Tampa, Fla., defeated Sikeston 4-2 on Saturday at Cal Ripken Sr. Field before Emmorton, Md., edged Sikeston 3-2 on Sunday at Memorial Field.

Emmorton 3, Sikeston 2

Single tallies in the fifth and sixth innings were not enough for Sikeston to overcome Emmorton, which plated three runs in its second inning.

Trailing 3-0 in the fifth, Cord Sheehy's double to left field started a two-out rally for Sikeston. He took third after a wild pitch and scored Sikeston's first run on Billy Dearth's second wild pitch of the inning.

With one out in the Sikeston sixth, Tyler Anderson's home run down the left field line cut the Emmorton lead to one run (3-2). Ryan Katelan, who relieved Dearth at the start of the inning, recorded a strikeout for the second out, but walked Drew Harper and Joshua Hampton.

A wild pitch from Katelan placed Sikeston runners at second and third, but the Emmorton reliever ended the game with a strikeout.

Sheehy's double and Anderson's home run were the only hits Sikeston recorded. Emmorton had three hits in the game.

Trey Tigart hurled a complete game for Sikeston. He yielded three runs (two earned) on three hits, while striking out seven and walking two. Tigart threw two wild pitches and hit one Emmorton batter.

Tampa 4, Sikeston 2

A two-run home run from Vince Miniet was the difference as Tampa handed Sikeston its first loss of the 2007 Cal Ripken World Series on Saturday.

Tampa built leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but Sikeston rallied with single tallies in the second and fourth innings to tie the score.

Taylor Scott scored Sikeston's first run when Tigart grounded into a second-inning fielder's choice. In the fourth with one out, Scott singled and went to second on an infield ground out. He advanced to third on Sheehy's base hit before coming home on Bubba Olivera's wild pitch.

Sikeston outhit Tampa 6-5 during the game, which was played without any errors. Scott collected a pair of singles, while Sheehy, Brandon Goodwin, Tyler Neal and Connor Landers accounted for the rest of the Sikeston hits.

Anderson absorbed the loss after pitching three innings. He allowed three earned runs on three hits while walking six, throwing two wild pitches and recorded one strikeout. Goodwin hurled two innings in relief, yielding one earned run on two hits. He walked two and struck out one.