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Cape Girardeau, Mo., June 23 – The Cape Catfish are in unchartered territory. The 2021 Prospect League champions have now lost seven consecutive games after losing to the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp Thursday night 8-5.

Asked if Cape has ever experienced a seven-game losing streak, Catfish general manager Mark Hogan thought for a moment and said, “Not on my watch.” Hogan’s “watch” as the team’s GM goes back to the team’s founding in 2019.

The loss dropped Cape’s record to 7-14 while Illinois Valley improved to 14-7, extending their winning streak to six.

The Pistol Shrimp took an early lead Thursday night, scoring an unearned run in the top of the first off Catfish starter and Jackson native Colton Weber (Oral Roberts University).

The Catfish tied the game in the third when the Pistol Shrimp committed three errors that allowed Cape to score without a hit. Cape scored two more runs in the fourth inning on a two-out single by Blake Barton (Belmont University) and a home run by the next batter, Dalton Rudd (Western Kentucky University), his first of the season.

But Illinois Valley answered with four runs in the fifth inning thanks to a leadoff walk to Isaiah Hart (Purdue University-Fort Wayne), an RBI double by Chance Resetich (Southeast Missouri State), RBI singles off the bats of Jack Johnson and Tucker Bougie (both from the University of California).

The Pistol Shrimp added two more runs in the sixth driven in on another single by Bougie and one additional run in the eighth inning when Harry Mauterer (Washington University in St. Louis) picked up an RBI on a single to right.

The Catfish picked up two runs in the eighth inning when Dante Zamudio (West Virginia State University) was hit by a pitch and scored on a double by Danny Sperling (Southeast Missouri State). Sperling then scored on a double by Rudd.

Pistol Shrimp Jason Shanner (North Central College) pitched into the eighth inning and got the win, his first of the season. He was responsible for all five Cape runs, allowing eight hits while striking out six and walking just one Cape batter. Daniel Vogt relieved Shanner in the eighth and recorded the final six outs, allowing one hit and striking out two, for the save.

Weber pitched into the fifth inning for the Catfish, allowing four hits and four runs, only one of which was earned. His record fell to 0-1.

Cape and Illinois Valley will face each other again Friday at Capaha Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.