Catfish walk-off Hoots

Catfish beat Hoots 17-7 as they try and win back to back Prospect League Titles

August 2, 2026

The quest for back to back titles started Sunday evening as the rematch between the Hoots and the Catfish took place at Capaha Field. Kicking the night off was Hall of Fame Catfish and local legend, Lane Crowden who threw out the 1st pitch. He fired a strike at 76 mph on the gun and the Catfish bats took over from there.

The Basics
Score: Cape Catfish 17, O’Fallon Hoots 7
Records: Cape Catfish (46-10, 1-0), O’Fallon Hoots (34-22, 0-1)
Location: Capaha Field – Cape Girardeau, Missouri

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO  – The Cape Catfish are headed to the Western Conference Championship game with a 17-7 8-inning victory over the O’Fallon Hoots on Sunday at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau.

O’Fallon grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first on John Connors’ RBI single, but Cape answered immediately with a five-run bottom of the first.

Hayden Nazarenus (Southeast Mo State) tied the game with an RBI double, then Cornelius Wouters (Winthrop) drove in two on a single. Samuel Richardson (Grand Canyon University) capped off the rally with a two-run home run. That ball was hit 107 off the bat and went 414 feet according to Trackman. The bomb put the Catfish up 5-1, a lead they would never relinquish.

Nazarenus struck again in the second, blasting a two-run home run onto over the Mercy party deck in right field to extend the lead to 7-1.

The Hoots chipped away with runs in the third and fourth, on a William Zareh sacrifice fly and a Nick Steurer RBI groundout to make it 7-3. The Catfish starter Collin Muldoon (Missouri Southern) had a little issues with his fastball command but he was effective with a final line score of 4 innings pitched, 3 earned runs, 4 hits, 4 base on balls, i hit batter and 7 strikeouts. He didn’t figure in the decision.

Cape pushed further in the sixth. Collin Senkpeil (Cumberland College) drove in one with a single before an error allowed Nazarenus to score. Paxton Flagg (Drury University) then cleared the bases with a three-run double, stretching the Catfish lead to 12-3.

O’Fallon answered back with two runs in the seventh on a Jaiden Glency groundout and a Nick Alagna sacrifice fly. Cape responded with another Senkpeil RBI, this time on a single, and made it 13-5.

The Hoots added two more in the eighth, scoring on a wild pitch and a Nick Bonczkowksi RBI single to cut the lead to 13-7.

The Catfish matched with a Pete Britton (Milliken University) 2-RBI single, before Nazarenus said enough is enough and launched a two-run shot to seal the 17-7 victory. In the last two games, Hayden Nazarenus has been perfect. He’s 8-8 with four walks including three home runs, a triple, two doubles and two singles. He’s scored nine runs and has driven in 11. Oh yeah, he hit for the cycle in one of those two games. To say he’s on a heater would be a gross understatement.

Turning Point
Hayden Nazarenus. He began the scoring in the first, extended the lead in the second, and ended the game in the eighth.

Inside The Box Score

  • Colin Muldoon picked up the victory for Cape in the start, tossing 4 innings with 3 runs and 7 strikeouts.
  • Drew Politte took the loss for O’Fallon after being tagged with 5 runs in the first.
  • The Hoots recorded 7 hits spread across 6 different hitters, but had just 1 extra-base hit, a Steurer double.
  • The Catfish had 14 hits and 6 extra-base hits, led by Nazarenus, who went 3-3 with 5 runs and 5 RBI.

Notes

  • This is the fourth division championship for Cape and their second straight.
  • The Hoots fall to the Catfish in the first round for the second straight season and third time overall.
  • The Catfish are on track to defend their Prospect League Championship, as they look for their second straight and third overall.

Up Next
The Catfish advance to Tuesday’s Conference Championship round and will host the Northwest Division Champion Quincy Doggy Paddlers. The Western Conference Championship game is set for 6:35 PM (ET) on Tuesday at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

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