The annual Midsummer Classic baseball tournament in Valmeyer will feature two Missouri teams for the championship on Sunday after the St. Louis Spikes proved too much for the host team Valmeyer Lakers on Saturday and the Cape Girardeau Capahas topped the Belleville Rockies.

The Spikes and Capahas will play at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Lakers will play for third place against the Rockies at 12:30 p.m.

Things started off well enough for the Lakers on Saturday in front of a sizeable crowd at Borsch Park. Ben Thoma smashed a solo home run to right-center field with two outs in the bottom of the first for a 1-0 lead. But the Spikes, who currently lead the St. Clair Division of the Mon-Clair League, answered with some power of their own in the second when Justin Hennig hit a two-run shot for a 2-1 lead off Lakers lefty starter Adam Bieber.

Wes Degener led off the bottom of the third with a bunt single for Valmeyer and came around to score on an RBI single by Adam Kunkel to make it 2-2.

The Spikes took a 3-2 lead in the fourth and built up their lead in the fifth when first baseman Mike Luczak drilled a bases loaded double to right-center to plate three runs and give the Spikes a 6-2 cushion. The Lakers would score one in the sixth to make it 6-3, but wasted a golden opportunity to plate more with the bases loaded and nobody out. The Spikes added a run in the ninth to win 7-3.

Perhaps the defensive gem of perhaps the entire tournament came in the fourth inning when Valmeyer rightfielder John Wuelling jumped up and caught a potential two-run homer off the bat of St. Louis Spikes batter Chris Scoggins.

Earlier on Saturday, the Capahas continued an amazing tourney run by topping the Rockies.

The Waterloo Millers, who suffered a tough 9-3 loss to the Rockies on Friday, bounced back Saturday to top the Fairview Heights Redbirds, 6-2. Jake Frierderich provided the offensive firepower for Waterloo, smacking a grand slam homer in the second inning. The Millers will play Millstadt VFW in the consolation championship at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Millstadt rebounded from a tough 6-5 loss to the Spikes on Friday to win against the St. Louis Printers on Saturday, 9-5.

For a recap of Friday action, here’s our earlier article: http://www.republictimes.net/midsummer-classic-under-way-in-valmeyer/