Late rally nullified, rainout generously hands Cape yet another loss at Jackson

Cape's Lane Crowden stands at the plate during a Sunday, June 2, 2024 game between the Cape Catfish and the Jackson Rockabillys at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Cape defeated Jackson, 8-4.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

After a lightning delay of more than an hour on Tuesday night, the Cape Catfish saw their eighth-inning rally to tie get crossed out in a 5-4 loss by technicality.

Entering the bottom of the eighth, with Jackson approaching the dish looking to potentially retake its lead, the game entered a delay and was eventually called by its score after seven innings – 5-4 Jackson.

Cape (2-4) led by as much as three early in the fifth inning, but a rally from Jackson got it back in front in the sixth as the Catfish looked to get the bats hot again.

With Henley Parker’s game-tying single in the eighth, the fifth run of the night for Cape, it appeared as if the Catfish had a late spark, but the Rockabillys (5-2) benefitted from a generous ruling for their fifth win of the young season.

Matching up for the fourth time in six games, Cape appeared to have a bead on Jackson, with the Rockabillys leading 2–1 in the season series entering the contest.

But in the Catfish’s third game at Jackson heading in the direction of a late decision, they were robbed of that opportunity to even the season series back up.

Now two games below .500 again, Cape prepares for another road trip, this time in a Wednesday contest at Alton.

Traveling to face the River Dragons of Alton, Illinois, Cape has a chance to ice out some early-season struggles, but it’ll come against a 5-2, division-leading Alton squad.

Offense Keeping Hot

After a disappointing opening game at Jackson, in which the Catfish failed to score while stranding 11 runners on base, the offense has been the least of troubles for Cape.

By the fifth inning, Cape had already put four runs across as it mounted a three-run lead against the Rockabillys.

In that fifth-inning rally, the Catfish strung together five singles against Jackson starter Matthew Riley to put the pressure on the Rockabillys early.

With Tuesday’s five-plus run effort, it marks the fourth consecutive game that the Catfish have reached that mark.

The last game they didn’t reach that mark was their 9-4 loss to Full Count Rhythm, putting together a dismal two hits in a five-run loss to the youngest team in the league.

If Cape can lean on a reliable offensive effort, it’ll win plenty of games in the 2024 Prospect League season as half the battle this year has been putting up good enough numbers to compete with these explosive teams.

Quest For Quality

The problem, of course, has been unreliable pitching as the Catfish have struggled to put a great defense behind that fantastic offense.

Going into the Tuesday matchup at Jackson, the Catfish were allowing a ridiculous 5.4 runs per game, largely hinging on the early-game struggles for Cape.

Through six games, the Catfish have still yet to put up a quality start, with four different starting pitchers failing to reach the six-inning mark with three or less runs.

Whether or not you have great production on the offensive end, you’re going to struggle to put wins on the board when the other team puts up big numbers on your starters.

The bullpen, at times, has been phenomenal this season for Cape, but that doesn’t totally alleviate some of the pain its been feeling in the midgame this season.

Moving forward, it ought to be a big focal point for the Catfish as they look for an answer to their early struggles on the mound.

Raymond Ochoa made his second start of the year for Cape on Tuesday, and despite the narrative, it actually wasn’t too shabby.

The second-year Catfish starter finished his day with 4.1 innings pitched, allowing two hits, three walks and two runs, with one run earned.

Despite this, first-year manager Phil Butler had Ochoa pulled early in the fifth, and reliever Bryce Kemper saw the lead collapse with two earned runs with just two outs recorded.

If the Catfish can find a healthy balance between front success and back success, the pitching staff could be dangerous heading into the Prospect League midseason.

Exciting Debuts

It’s almost like a new season is beginning for the Catfish once again as many of its holdout players are finally coming around following the conclusion of many college seasons.

In particular, four players made their first starts on Tuesday night, including two local guys and two Division-I players.

Hayden Nazarenus of Cooter and Quinton Borders of Jackson both made their first starts of 2024, fresh off some long seasons in the NJCAA.

Meanwhile, Corbin Malott of Purdue and Trace Harrington of Republic High School, on his way to SIU-Edwardsville next spring, hit the field as well.

Both Malott and Harrington notched hits in the loss, with Malott driving in one of Cape’s “technically” four runs in the loss.

There are still some question marks for the impending future, including the debut of the heralded Brooks Kettering of Southeast Missouri State, who had an unbelievable performance in the Fayetteville Regional last weekend.

Though it’s rough sledding early for the Catfish, there’s still a lot to be seen about what this squad has got heading into the dog days of summer.