Category: Daily Fog

Orleans and Y-D have begun to separate themselves atop the East division. The Firebirds own the best record in the league. Y-D is tied for the second-best mark.

They are not, however, getting a whole lot of separation from each other.

Y-D’s comeback 8-7 win Tuesday was the third one-run game in four meetings between the teams, with the other game decided by two runs.

This one was the most dramatic yet. Orleans scored four runs in the seventh to take control. But the deficit and impending darkness were no trouble for the Red Sox, who scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to win it.

Kyle Isbel (UNLV) led the Red Sox a homer, three RBI and three runs scored, including the game-winning run. Alfonso Rivas (Arizona) had the game-winning RBI. Amazingly, the rally came against Orleans closer Josh Hiatt (North Carolina), who had yet to allow a run this season.

Orleans had some more impressive numbers, with Stephen Scott (Vanderbilt) homering and notching his second six RBI game of the summer. Jimmy Herron (Duke) also homered and Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) had three hits.

In the end, the Red Sox had the offense when it counted and moved to 3-1 in the season series with the Firebirds. Orleans still holds a three-point edge in the standings.

Chatham 10, Cotuit 5

The Anglers won their second straight game and handed Cotuit its first loss since July 1. The Kettleers led 2-0, but Chatham scored five runs in the second inning and pulled away from there. Josh Stowers (Louisville) went 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and four RBI. Jacob Olson (South Carolina) had two doubles and Josh Shaw (St. John’s) drove in two runs. Adam Wolf (Louisville) earned the win in relief. For the Kettleers, Griffin Conine (Duke) hit his sixth home run and took over the league lead in RBI with 23.

Harwich 3, Bourne 1

A pair of LSU reinforcements provided the offense and Brian Christian (Northeastern) tossed seven shutout innings as Harwich snapped a five-game losing streak. Antoine Duplantis (LSU) went 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI and Josh Smith (LSU) also knocked in a run. Christian allowed one hit and faced just one over the minimum in his seven innings. Logan Browning (Florida Southern) earned the save.

Wareham 2, Brewster 1

Brewster tied the game in the top of the seventh but Wareham untied it in the bottom half and held on for a 2-1 win. Steven Kwan (Oregon State) had a sacrifice fly to score Tanner Dodson (California) with the go-ahead run. Dodson’s run made a winner out of . . . Dodson, who pitched two innings of relief for the victory. Dalton Roach (Minnesota State Mankato) and Brett Conine (Cal State Fullerton) pitched the final two innings to close the win. Willie MacIver (Washington) led the Wareham offense with two hits and stole his league-best 11th base. Michael Curry (Georgia) had three hits for Brewster. Wareham starter Miller Hogan (St. Louis) went five scoreless innings with five strikeouts.

What to Watch

LSU freshman star Zack Hess, who took the College World Series by storm, will make his first start for Bourne as it hosts Wareham tonight. Hess struck out 83 in 60.2 innings in the spring.

On the night Aaron Judge took the MLB Home Run Derby by storm, his former team played at the Cape League’s most homer-happy park. But the only balls that went flying came off the bats of the Y-D Red Sox.

Nico Hoerner (Stanford) and Alfonso Rivas (Arizona) went deep for Y-D and three pitchers combined on a shutout as the Red Sox won a battle for second place in the East 4-0 over Brewster.

Hoerner led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run, his fourth of the summer. Rivas hit a two-run shot in the third – his second homer of the summer – and Y-D was in business.

Kris Bubic (Stanford) ran with the early lead given to him by his Cardinal teammate and tossed six scoreless innings. He struck out five and allowed three hits, lowering his season ERA to 1.59 and giving him the league lead in strikeouts with 25.

Tanner Graham (UAB) and Andrew Quezada (Cal State Fullerton) finished off the shutout.

Brewster had been shut-out just once this season. Perhaps all the offensive vibes were sent to Miami to help a former Whitecap.

Orleans 8, Harwich 3

Trailing by a run in their last at-bat, the Firebirds exploded for six runs and a comeback victory over Harwich. Niko Decolati (Loyola Marymount) tied the game with an RBI single and Steve Passatempo (UMass-Lowell) doubled home the go-ahead run. Stephen Scott (Vanderbilt), Romy Gonzalez (Miami) and Cesar Salazar (Arizona) also drove in runs as the inning continued. Josh Hiatt (North Carolina) pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth – his ninth scoreless outing in as many tries – to finish off the win. Orleans ran its league-best record to 16-8. Harwich lost for the fifth straight time and fell to 7-16-1. CWS champ Jonathan India made his return to the Mariners after a strong 2016 summer and went 2-for-3.

Cotuit 9, Hyannis 9

The other division leader also delivered a ninth-inning rally, though the result wasn’t quite as good. Cotuit scored two in the bottom of the ninth to pull even with the Harbor Hawks but the game was called after the rally due to darkness. Michael Toglia (UCLA) came through with the heroics on a two-run homer with one out in the ninth. Brett Kinneman (NC State) had three hits and scored three runs for the Kettleers. Chandler Avant (Alabama) had two RBI. Robert Neustrom (Iowa) and Jake Mangum (Mississippi State) each doubled twice as part of three-hit nights for Hyannis. The tie ended Cotuit’s six-game winning streak.

Bourne 7, Falmouth 5

The Braves moved three points ahead of Falmouth for second place in the West with a victory over the Commodores. Bourne trailed 4-0 for much of the game but tied the score with a four-run sixth inning. A two-run homer by Scott Schreiber (Nebraska) put the Braves ahead for good. Schreiber finished 3-for-5 with two RBI. Zac Susi (UConn) had two hits and scored two runs for the Braves. Bryan Hoeing (Louisville) followed his college teammate Nick Bennett to the hill and tossed three scoreless innings of relief for the win. Kyle Marman (Florida Atlantic) recorded a two-inning save. Falmouth got home runs from George Janca (Texas A&M) and Cameron O’Neill (Holy Cross).

Chatham 8, Wareham 2

Chatham broke a 2-2 tie with five runs in the eighth inning to beat Wareham. Shea Langeliers (Baylor) hit a two-run homer – his fifth of the summer – to break the deadlock and the Anglers added three more runs in the big inning. Fabian Pena (Manhattan) finished 4-for-5 with an RBI for the Anglers and Antonio Ralat (UAB) had two hits and three RBI. Making his 2017 debut, Wake Forest star Johnny Aiello went 2-for-4 for Chatham. The comeback made a winner out of Rodney Hutchison Jr. (North Carolina), who pitched 3.1 scoreless innings of relief after UNC teammate Austin Bergner allowed two runs in 5.1 innings. Griffin Roberts (Wake Forest) allowed one earned run in seven innings for Wareham before the bullpen faltered.

What to Watch

The top two teams in the East meet for the first time since the second day of the season when Orleans visits Y-D. Stetson standout Logan Gilbert, who went five scoreless in his last start, gets the ball for Orleans. Tim Brennan (St. Joseph’s), one of the league’s top strikeout pitchers so far, goes for the Red Sox.

 

It was a big day for starting pitchers on the Cape, as you’ll see below, but the best pitching matchup – despite living up to the hype – had little bearing on the final outcome in the most dramatic game of the night.

Justin Montgomery (California Baptist) – the recently crowned Right Field Fog Midseason Outstanding Pitcher – went four shutout innings for Wareham, bringing his season total to 21 innings pitched without allowing a run. He also struck out five and is now tied for the league lead with 24 Ks.

Opposite him, Y-D’s Hogan Harris (Louisiana-Lafayette) didn’t allow a hit in five innings. He lowered his ERA to 1.50 and struck out four. He’s the guy Montgomery is tied with atop the league’s strikeout leaderboard.

It must have been fun to watch those two trading zeroes, but for purposes of a win or a loss, they essentially canceled each other out and made the late innings decisive. The teams each scored one run against the bullpens and went to extra innings. In the 11th, Y-D pushed two runs across for a 3-1 win.

It was the second consecutive extra-inning game for the Gatemen, who have played 23 innings the past two days, with just a tie to show for it.

The Red Sox sealed Wareham’s fate this team with a Christian Koss (UC Irvine) RBI single in the 11th, followed by an RBI single from Connor Kaiser (Vanderbilt).

Y-D closer Riley McCauley (Michigan State), who had come on in the ninth, stayed on the mound to protect the lead. Tanner Dodson (California) led off the bottom of the 11th with a double, but McCauley navigated his way through the middle of the lineup, retiring the next three in order to finish off the win.

Brewster 1, Falmouth 0

For dominant pitching that did have a bearing on the outcome, Brewster allowed just three hits to Falmouth’s powerful offense in a shutout of the Commodores. It was the fourth straight win for the Whitecaps, who remained tied with Y-D for second place in the East. Brewster’s lone run came in the bottom of the first on a Julian Infante (Vanderbilt) RBI single. Davis Daniel (Auburn) made the slim lead stand up with six innings of one-hit baseball. He came in with an 8.64 ERA, but struck out seven and walked two in the shutout performance. Paul Milto (Indiana) carried the torch with a scoreless seventh and Robert Broom (Mercer) struck out three over the final two innings to finish off the win.

Orleans 8, Chatham 2

Ryan Rolison (Ole Miss) had perhaps the best outing of the big night with five no-hit innings and eight strikeouts in Orleans’ win over Chatham. On the heels of a nine-strikeout performance in his last start, Rolison faced just one over the minimum – thanks to a five walk – and struck out exactly half the batters he faced. He left with a 7-0 lead as Orleans got two home runs from Romy Gonzalez (Miami), who went 4-for-4 with four RBI. Gonzalez was hitting .239 on July 3 but is 6 for his last 7 to push his average to .321. Brandon Riley (North Carolina) added two RBI for the Firebirds. Jake Palomaki (Boston College) homered for Chatham.

Cotuit 4, Harwich 2

The Kettleers won their sixth straight game and cleared a tough hurdle to do it. Harwich starter Tyler Baum (North Carolina) had allowed three runs all season, but the Kettleers touched him up for four in six innings. Griffin Conine (Duke) hit his fifth home run of the summer to break open a 2-1 game. Michael Toglia (UCLA) also had an RBI for Cotuit. Justin Hooper (UCLA) out-dueled Baum, striking out five and allowing one run in six innings for the win. Austin Kitchen (Coastal Carolina) and Clark Cota (UNC Wilmington) finished it out. Harwich lost for the fourth straight time.

Bourne 8, Hyannis 3

The Braves broke a 2-2 tie with three runs in the third and never looked back en route to snapping a three-game skid. Andrew Fregia (Sam Houston State) homered and drove in four as part of a 2-for-5 night. Lyle Lin (Arizona State), Scott Schreiber (Nebraska), Jared Triolo (Houston) and Richard Palacios (Towson) all had two hits as Bourne matched its season high with the eight runs. Daniel Bies (Gonzaga) allowed two runs in five innings for the win. Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) and Ryan Feltner (Ohio State) closed it out.

What to Watch

Don’t be surprised to see more great starting pitching tonight. Zane Collins (Wright State) makes his first start since his nine-inning complete game as Cotuit hosts Hyannis. Kris Bubic (Stanford) and his 2.16 ERA are set to go for Y-D against Brewster’s J.R. McDermott (Colorado Mesa), who has a 2.01 ERA. Daniel Lynch (Virginia), with two straight scoreless outings under his belt, goes for Orleans at Harwich. And Austin Bergner (North Carolina), who went six scoreless in his last start, gets the ball for Chatham at Wareham.

 

One week after their worst loss of the season, the Hyannis Harbor Hawks faced the team that handed it to them, with the same pitcher getting the start.

The response was impressive.

Tagged for 11 runs in a 17-3 loss to Orleans July 1, Michael Brettell (Central Michigan) allowed one run 4.2 innings Saturday, setting up a strong showing for the Harbor Hawks in a 2-1 win over the Firebirds.

Brettell had been Hyannis’ top pitcher until the blow-up, but there was no such trouble this time despite the familiar opponent. He worked a scoreless top of the first for the first sign of a difference and didn’t let a one-run second careen into a big inning.

Orleans loaded the bases in the fifth, which chased Brettell, but Nick Sandlin (Southern Miss) struck out Niko Decolati (Loyola Marymount) to end the inning.

Hyannis took the lead in the sixth on a Robert Neustrom (Iowa) sacrifice fly and the bullpen continued to clamp down, allowing Orleans just one more hit the rest of the way.

Hyannis ran its record to 9-12-1 – and left its worst loss of the season firmly in the past.

Cotuit 7, Bourne 4

The Kettleers won their fifth straight game and now lead the West by three points. Griffin Conine (Duke) hit his fourth home run and Luke Alexander (Mississippi State) knocked his first to lead the offense. Greyson Jenista (Wichita State), Michael Toglia (UCLA) and Miles Lewis (Michigan) drove in one run each. Noah Davis (UC Santa Barbara) earned the win with three scoreless innings in relief of starter Jason Bilous (Coastal Carolina). Chase Shugart (Texas) picked up the save. For Bourne, Zac Susi (UConn) had three hits and Grant Williams (Kennesaw State) had two.

Chatham 9, Y-D 5

Shea Langeliers (Baylor) hit an eighth inning grand slam that broke a 5-5 tie and sent the Anglers to a win over Y-D. It was the fourth home run and second grand slam of the summer for Langeliers, who has delivered almost half of his team-best 17 RBI on two swings of the bat. Nick Patten (Delaware) and Jeremy Pena (Maine) also homered for Chatham and Jacob Olson (UCLA) had two doubles. Jack Perkins (Stetson) went five strong innings before Y-D got to the Chatham bullpen, but R.J. Freure (Pittsburgh) and Jack DeGroat (Liberty) shut down the Red Sox after that. Nico Hoerner (Stanford) and Alfonso Rivas (Arizona) homered for Y-D. Chatham has won two in a row and is 10-12.

Brewster 8, Harwich 3

With Friday’s slate washed out, Brewster ended up playing Harwich in three straight games, and the Whitecaps finished off the stretch with another win. Mickey Gasper (Bryant) hit his fourth home run and Michael Curry (Georgia) also went deep. Martin Costes (Maryland) added two RBI. Ryan Avidano (Georgia) didn’t need all the run support, going six shutout innings for the win. Brewster jumped a game over .500 and is tied with Y-D for second place in the East.

Falmouth 9, Wareham 9 (12 innings)

Falmouth scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings and the teams played three of them before the game ended in a tie. With Falmouth trailing 8-5 in the ninth, pinch-hitter Joshua Breaux (LSU) launched a game-tying three-run homer. Wareham stopped the rally there and scored in its next at-bat, but Falmouth answered in the bottom of the 10th, and the tie remained. Breaux’s home run was one of three for the Commodores, with Hunter Steinmetz (Missouri State) hitting his fourth and George Janca (Texas A&M) belting his third. Willie MacIver (Washington) and Luke Bonfield (Arkansas) both homered for Wareham.

What to Watch

Streaking Cotuit will have to get through unbeaten Tyler Baum (North Carolina) and his 1.42 ERA when it visits Harwich.

 

A 13-3 blowout of Bourne on Sunday was the sixth straight win for Falmouth. With another game coming against second-place Bourne and two against third-place Cotuit, the Commodores headed into Fourth of July festivities with a chance to pull away in the West standings.

Instead, Bourne stopped the win streak Monday. And the last two days, Cotuit turned the chance to pull away into a slip to second place.

With two straight wins over Falmouth – and four straight overall – the Kettleers moved into first place by themselves with a 12-9 record. They beat the Commodores 5-3 on the Fourth of July and 9-3 yesterday.

The Kettleers have been streaky for much of the early part of the season. They started the season with four straight wins then took four straight losses. Now with their latest four-game win streak, they’re back in business.

(Wofford) went six strong innings for the win Wednesday, striking out four and allowing two runs on five hits. After reliever Chase Cohen (Georgia Southern) got into trouble in the seventh, Jayce Vancena (Michigan) came on and stranded a pair of two runners, then pitched two scoreless frames to finish out the win.

Griffin Conine (Duke) went 3-for-5 with his third home run of the summer and three RBI. Michael Toglia (UCLA) went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Miles Lewis (Michigan) had two hits, one RBI and one run scored.

Falmouth got home runs from Marty Bechina (Michigan State) – his league-best seventh in 21 games – and George Janca (Texas A&M), but Cotuit kept the big bats quiet otherwise, and both the homers were solo shots.

Chatham 4, Orleans 2

The Firebirds win streak ends at 10. Chatham scored four runs in the fourth inning and made the burst stand up throughout in a victory at Veterans Field. Josh Shaw (St. John’s), Nick Patten (Delaware), Shea Langeliers (Baylor) and Fabian Pena (Manhattan) each drove in a run in the four-run frame, after a leadoff single by Josh Stowers (Louisville) started the rally. Chatham didn’t have a hit after the fourth inning as the Orleans bullpen cruised, but the Firebirds couldn’t get a comeback off the ground. Chatham starter Adam Hill (South Carolina) went four strong innings and reliever Cameron Bishop (UC Irvine) dominated. In his second appearance of the summer, Bishop struck out eight of the 11 batters he faced over three one-hit innings. Rodney Hutchison Jr. (North Carolina) pitched the final two innings for the save.

Wareham 13, Bourne 2

The Gatemen opened with a three-run first inning and didn’t stop there, pounding out 15 hits en route to an easy win. John Toppa (UConn) – the seventh hitter in the order – went 4-for-5 with four RBI and is now hitting .379, good for second in the league. Steven Kwan (Oregon State) went 3-for-5 with two RBI and is hitting .571 since his late arrival four games ago. Tanner Dodson (California) and Willie MacIver (Washington) had two RBI apiece. Remarkably, Wareham did all its damage without a single extra-base hit. Miller Hogan (St. Louis) made the early lead comfortable with five scoreless innings. He struck out six and allowed two hits and has now turned in back-to-back scoreless outings.

Y-D 3, Hyannis 1

The Red Sox snapped a three-game skid in which they were shut out each time. It took until the fifth to get any offense Wednesday, but Nico Hoerner (Stanford) broke through with a double and came around on a passed ball. Y-D added two runs in the sixth on an RBI fielder’s choice by Connor Kaiser (Vanderbilt) and a sacrifice fly by Alex McKenna (Cal Poly). Josh McMinn (Oral Roberts) went 5.1 shutout innings and Brendan Nail (Western Carolina) went the final 3.2 innings, allowing just an unearned run, for the save.

Brewster 7, Harwich 3

The Whitecaps scored six runs in the first three innings and completed a holiday sweep of the Mariners. All nine players in the lineup had at least one hit, led by A.J. Graffanino (Washington), Hunter Bishop (Arizona State) and Darius Hill (West Virginia) with two each. Hill had two RBI. J.R. McDermott (Colorado Mesa) allowed one earned run in five innings for the win. Four relievers finished the job, with three of them – William Tribucher (Michigan), Ryan Avidano (Georgia) and Sam Bordner (Louisville) tossing a hitless inning each.

What to Watch

After a long march through the holiday, teams get a well-deserved day off today. We’ll have power rankings up later today. And with teams hitting the halfway point of the season Friday, look for Right Field Fog’s midseason awards Saturday.

 

North Carolina always sends a lot of players to the Cape Cod Baseball League. It’s a true bumper crop this year, with 13 Tar Heels spread across five different Cape teams.

The UNC Baseball twitter account is documenting head coach Mike Fox’s visit to the Cape, where he’s catching up with his guys.

pic.twitter.com/izfdcSrRTk

— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) July 4, 2017

And they are playing well in front of him. Tyler Baum went six strong innings for Harwich Sunday night, Orleans’ Josh Hiatt and Taylor Sugg shined out of the bullpen Monday.

But something had to give Tuesday night. Brewster’s Kyle Datres stepped in against UNC teammate Cole Aker in the top of the eighth in a tie game. Datres won the battle, getting an RBI single for what proved to be the winning run in a 7-6 victory.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Whitecaps, who have managed to stay close to Y-D for second place while Orleans continues to pull away. Chandler Taylor (Alabama) homered for the Whitecaps while Julian Infante (Vanderbilt) drove in two runs. Sam Bordner (Louisville) and Robert Broom (Mercer) delivered a scoreless inning each to close the door on the Mariners.

Datres finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and the RBI, and is now hitting .289, second-best among the Tar Heel hitters on the Cape. Brandon Riley’s .309 average for Orleans leads the way. The pitching has been even better, with Baum and Austin Bergner looking very good, and Hiatt dominating in the Firebirds pen.

They’re probably all hoping Coach Fox will stick around.

Orleans 4, Chatham 3

Whether they’re winning by a wide margin or prevailing in close games, the Firebirds continue to roll on. The streak hit 10 games with the Fourth of July win over the Anglers. 

The @FirebirdsCCBL are the first team to win 10 consecutive games in the CCBL since the @CotuitKettleers did so in 2012.

— League Statistician (@ccblstats) July 5, 2017

Three runs in the third inning gave the Firebirds a 4-0 lead, which they held on to against a hard-charging Chatham club. Stephen Scott (Vanderbilt) had an RBI double and Jaxx Groshans (Kansas) hit a two-run homer in the three-run third. Logan GIlbert (Stetson) went five no-hit innings with three strikeouts. Chatham did some rare damage against the Orleans’ bullpen – led by Jeremy Pena’s (Maine) two-run homer – but Brooks Wilson struck out the side in the ninth to close out the win.

Hyannis 4, Y-D 0

The Red Sox have been shut-out by 4-0 scores in three consecutive games. Hyannis was the latest, getting five strong innings from starter Austin Drury (North Florida) in his first Cape League appearance. The bullpen held up its end of the bargain, with Brooks Crawford (Clemson) tossing three innings of no-hit ball and Ryan Weiss (Wright State) pitching a scoreless ninth. Chris Proctor (Duke) led the Hyannis offense with a three-run homer. Ryan Olenek (Ole Miss) drove in the other run.

Cotuit 5, Falmouth 3

Cotuit topped Falmouth and created a three-way tie with the Commodores and Bourne for first place in the West. All three teams are 11-9. The Kettleers got two hits from Zack Kone (Duke) and RBI from Brett Kinneman (NC State), Luke Alexander (Mississippi State) and Miles Lewis (Michigan). They broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the sixth and two more in the eighth. Seth Shuman (Georgia Southern) allowed just an unearned run in five innings. Reliever Austin Kitchen (Coastal Carolina) allowed one run in three innings for the win and Clark Cota (UNC Wilmington) finished it off by stranding the tying runs on base in the ninth. Cotuit has won three in a row and Falmouth has lost two straight on the heels of a six-game win streak.

Wareham 4, Bourne 2

Wareham is a little further back in the West standings but did its part in creating the three-way tie at the top with a win over the Braves. Jarren Duran (Long Beach State), Steven Kwan (Oregon State) and Willie MacIver (Washington) drove in one run each in a three-run third inning that proved to be the difference. John Toppa (UConn) finished with two hits and two runs scored. After Griffin Roberts (Wake Forest) allowed two runs in four innings with five strikeouts, three relievers combined to limit Bourne to one hit over the final five frames. Jordan Britton (Oregon State) went three innings for the win, Grant Wolfram (Davenport) went one scoreless inning and Brett Conine (Cal State Fullerton) struck out the side in the ninth for the save.

What to Watch

The holiday home-and-home sets conclude with a full slate of games tonight.

 

It’s an annual Right Field Fog tradition to use a “Fireworks” headline around the Fourth of July. The league often cooperates, with home runs flying or runs scoring.

Not this year.

Unless you place dominant pitching in the fireworks category.

Three teams logged shutout wins on the eve of Independence Day. Cotuit’s Zane Collins (Wright State) tossed a rare nine-inning, complete game in a 2-0 win over Wareham. Five pitchers teamed up for Orleans’ 3-0 shutout of Brewster. And four pitchers did the job for Chatham in a 4-0 win over Y-D.

Collins’ performance was the Cape League’s first nine-inning complete game since Hyannis’ Devin Smeltzer no-hit Harwich in 2015. There were no nine-inning complete games last summer and just a seven-inning complete game from Tyler Baum so far this summer.

Collins hadn’t gone deeper than 4.1 innings this summer and didn’t have a complete game in the spring with Wright State. But it all came together Monday, as Collins threw 117 pitches and went the distance. He struck out eight and scattered six hits, all singles. Collins now has a 0.96 ERA.

A key error and a passed ball gave Cotuit all the offense it needed to turn Collins’ gem into a win.

Orleans’ shutout was its ninth consecutive win. Daniel Lynch (Virginia) tossed five innings of one-hit baseball for the win, striking out three. Taylor Sugg (North Carolina), Jake Wong (Grand Canyon), J.T. Hintzen (Florida Southern) and Josh Hiatt (North Carolina) closed the deal, with Hiatt picking up his fifth save and maintaining his 0.00 ERA. Two RBI by Niko Decolati (Loyola Marymount) provided the offense.

A night after Chatham announced John Schiffner’s upcoming retirement, the Anglers delivered a blast from his past as a North Carolina starter dominated, like Andrew Miller, Matt Harvey and Zac Gallen before. Austin Bergner, who pitched mostly in relief for the Heels as a freshman, struck out six and allowed three hits over six scoreless innings. And he was dealing.

Nasty stuff from Austin Bergner @DiamondHeels tonight. Much improved command/off speed feel. Sitting 94-95, touching 96 for @ChathamAnglers

— Frankie Piliere (@FPiliereD1) July 3, 2017

Adam Wolf (Louisville), Josiah Gray (LeMoyne) and Jack DeGroat (Liberty) finished off the shutout. Nick Patten (Delaware) had two RBI to lead the Chatham offense.

Bourne 6, Falmouth 4

The Braves snapped Falmouth’s six-game winning streak and moved into a tie for first place with the Commodores. Chris Holba (East Carolina), Ray Gaither (Dallas Baptist), Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) and Ryan Feltner (Ohio State) combined to hold the Commodores red-hot offense in check, at relatively speaking. Feltner faced the league’s hottest hitter Alec Bohm (Wichita State) with a runner on base in the ninth and struck him out. Bourne got its six RBI from six different players. Scott Schreiber (Nebraska) had two hits to lead the charge.

Harwich 5, Hyannis 4

Harwich saved its shutout innings for the latter part of its matchup with Hyannis, as Teddy Rodliff (Stony Brook) ended a back-and-forth with 3.1 scoreless innings. He struck out two and allowed two hits. Jake Agnos (East Carolina) allowed one earned run in five innings for the win. Andrew Moritz (UNC Greensboro) had two hits and two RBI to lead the offense.

What to Watch

Holiday home-and-home sets get underway with Fourth of July games in Cotuit, Yarmouth, Harwich, Bourne and Orleans.

 

 

A night after Orleans streaked on with its most impressive win yet, the league’s other red-hot team did the same.

Falmouth mashed 22 hits and blew past Bourne 13-3 Sunday for its sixth consecutive win and a spot alone atop the West Division. The Commodores and Braves had been tied for first place.

Power has been on full display all summer for the Commodores, who have led the league in home runs and extra-base hits basically since day one. But even for them, this was a crazy night.

Alec Bohm (Wichita State) went 5-for-6 with three RBI. Hunter Steinmetz (Missouri State) homered and went 4-for-5 with four RBI. Ignacious Janca (Texas A&M) went 5-for-5. Joshua Breaux (McLennan) homered and drove in three. Trevor Larnach (Oregon State) delivered his second three-hit game in three games with the team. Marty Bechina (Michigan State) drove in his 20th run of the season.

The Commodores actually fell behind 1-0 but a double by Bohm in the third lit the fuse on the comeback. Bohm is on quite a tear. After a rare hitless night June 25, he’s 15 for his last 27 with two homers. His .458 batting average is the best in the league by a pretty wide margin.

Five pitchers gave up a fair amount of hits to the Braves, but a back-and-forth slugfest never materialized. Cole Sands (Florida State) was credited with the win in relief.

Falmouth is now 11-7, one game back of Orleans for the best record in the league.

Orleans 5, Brewster 1

The Firebirds rolled on as well with their eighth consecutive win. A four-run third inning sparked by a Jaxx Groshans (Kansas) two-run single broke a 1-1 tie and sent Orleans on its way. After giving up a run in the first, Ryan Rolison (Ole Miss) cruised through four scoreless innings and struck out nine for the win. Cody Deason (Arizona), Brett Daniels (North Carolina) and Josh Hiatt (North Carolina) went the last four innings and allowed just one hit. Jimmy Herron (Duke) had two hits to up his average to .411. Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) had his third multi-hit game in the last four.

Wareham 4, Y-D 0

Justin Montgomery (California Baptist) dominated again, cementing himself as the league’s best starter in the early going. The 6-foot-5 righty struck out five in five scoreless innings. He has yet to allow a run – earned or unearned – in 17 innings pitched, and has struck out 19 while surrendering just 10 hits and four walks. Fitzpatrick Stadler (Arizona State) and Peyton Culbertson (Arkansas State) finished off the shutout. Based on the probable pitchers, the game was supposed to be a matchup of Montgomery versus Hogan Harris, but it was Y-D’s other standout, Kris Bubic (Stanford) who drew the start. Bubic struck out seven in 5.2 scoreless frames, but Wareham took the lead on a two-run homer by Jake Anchia (Nova Southeastern) and never looked back. Oregon State’s Steven Kwan made his debut and went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Tanner Dodson (California) also drove in a run.

Cotuit 11, Hyannis 8

The Kettleers went to 2-0 in the Barnstable Patriot Cup rivalry series with another win over the Harbor Hawks. Three players homered to lead the Cotuit attack. Gian Martellini (Boston College) and Chandler Avant (Alabama) each hit their second while Thomas Dillard (Ole Miss) went deep for the first time. Griffin Conine (Duke) added a hit and three RBI and Luke Alexander (Mississippi State) drove in two. Justin Hooper (UCLA) allowed just an unearned run in five innings for the win. Hyannis made a late push with six runs in the seventh inning but couldn’t overtake the Kettleers. Jake Mangum (Mississippi State) had three hits to lead the Harbor Hawks.

Harwich 7, Chatham 3

The Mariners got a bit of revenge after Saturday’s walk-off loss to the Anglers. A five-run fifth inning broke a 1-1 deadlock. Cameron Simmons (Virginia) had a two-run double and Nick Dalesandro (Purdue) had a two-run single to key the decisive surge. Both Simmons and Dalesandro finished with two hits. Andrew Moritz (UNC Greensboro), Ryne Ogren (Elon) and Jordan Verdon (San Diego State) drove in one run each. Tyler Baum (North Carolina) struck out six and allowed two runs in six innings for his third win in as many starts. Fabian Pena homered for Chatham. There was news for the Anglers after the game, as they announced that legendary manager John Schiffner will step down after the season.

What to Watch

Connor Higgins announced on Twitter yesterday that he’ll return to Arizona State after being selected late in this year’s draft. That also means he’ll be staying with Brewster, and he’ll be next in line to try to slow down the Orleans Firebirds when the teams meet today at Stony Brook Field.

 

How can you outdo yourself when you’re already on a six-game winning streak?

Making it seven with the league’s highest run total since 2013 will do the trick.

Orleans blasted Hyannis 17-3 Saturday night for its most impressive victory yet, which is saying something. While the start of the streak featured pretty typical margins, the Firebirds won numbers and five and six by 13-2 and 9-1 scores.

Fourteen by Y-D was the highest run total in the league this summer until the Firebirds upped the ante. No team had scored at least 17 since August 2, 2013, when Falmouth beat Bourne 18-3. Orleans also had a 17-run game that season on June 21.

Here’s some of the damage

• Every Orleans player who batted – including two subs – had at least one hit
• Orleans racked up 19 hits
• Every run scored, remarkably, was earned
• The Firebirds had six extra-base hits and two home runs
• There were 54 plate appearances by Orleans; Hyannis had a more typical 38
• The Firebirds scored 13 of their runs off a pitcher – Michael Brettell – who came in with a 3-0 record and a 0.73 ERA
• Hyannis didn’t even help much, making two errors that didn’t matter much and walking only four batters
• For good measure, Orleans pitchers didn’t allow a hit after the fifth inning

Orleans started its onslaught with a three-run first inning. Hyannis actually answered back with a run of its own, but the Firebirds scored six in the second and the rout was on. Two more in the third and two in the fifth looked like the finishing touches until Orleans added four more in the top of the ninth, which has to be among the worst cases of “away team that’s winning in the top of the ninth getting unnecessary offense” in history.

Stephen Scott (Vanderbilt) led the parade with two home runs – his first two of the summer – and six RBI. Niko Decolati (Loyola Marymount) had four hits, scored three runs and drove in two. Steve Passatempo (UMass Lowell) went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI. Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) had two hits.

Orleans is hitting .375 as a team in its last three games.

As for the pitching, Hyannis had little chance to make the game a slugfest. Chandler Day (Vanderbilt) scattered six hits and allowed three runs in five innings. Graeme Stinson (Duke) was dominant in relief, striking out seven in three scoreless innings, though he did hit three batters. Parker Kelly (Oregon) struck out the side in the ninth. h

Falmouth 6, Cotuit 3

The Commodores couldn’t quite match Orleans’ big night but stayed hot in their own right with their fifth straight win. Alec Bohm (Wichita State) went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI. His second home run broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh. Bohm on a five-game hitting streak and is batting .424 – best in the league – with three home runs and 12 RBI. Mitchell Miller (Clemson) earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief. John Cresto (Santa Clara) homered for Cotuit. The Commodores improved to 10-7 and are tied with Bourne for first place in the West.

Bourne 6, Wareham 4

The Braves kept pace with Falmouth thanks to a win over the Gatemen. Andrew Fregia (Sam Houston State) had two hits and two RBI to lead the offense. Scott Schreiber (Nebraska), Richard Palacios (Towson), Jared Triolo (Houston) and Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) drove in one run each. Daniel Bies (Gonzaga) earned the win with five strong innings of relief. Luis Alvarado (Nebraska) picked up the save.

Y-D 7, Brewster 4

As hot as Orleans is, Y-D remained just a point back in the East with a win over Brewster. A four-run seventh inning broke a 3-3 tie and sent the Red Sox on their way. Alex McKenna (Cal Poly) went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Carlos Cortes (South Carolina) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. John Rooney (Hofstra) allowed three runs in six innings for the win. With Brewster threatening in the eighth – the final inning due to darkness – Riley McCauley (Michigan State) recorded the final out for his league leading sixth save.

Chatham 3, Harwich 2

Chatham rallied from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth and won on a walk-off walk to snap a three-game slide. Harwich has lost five straight. Mason Koppens (Northeastern) drew the winning walk to force in Cody Roberts (North Carolina). Before the late rally, Jake Palomaki (Boston College) also drove in a run for the Anglers. Josiah Gray (Le Moyne) was credited with the win in relief. Starter Jeff Belge (St. John’s) struck out eight in 4.1 innings.

What to Watch

Some of the league’s top starters so far will be in action tonight, as Tyler Baum (North Carolina) goes for Harwich and Kyle Bradish (New Mexico State) gets the ball for Falmouth. But the best matchup should be in Wareham, where Justin Montgomery (California Baptist) takes his 0.00 ERA into battle against a talented Y-D team and starter Hogan Harris (Louisiana-Lafayette), who struck out nine in five innings last time out.

In an odd statistical twist, four of the five teams in the Cape League’s West Division – even the ones with winning records – own negative run differentials for the year. The one that doesn’t? The last place Wareham Gatemen.

Because when the Gatemen win, they win big.

Wareham rolled past Cotuit 11-0 Friday night to improve to 7-9. In their wins, they’ve out-scored the opposition 55-10. They’ve won games 9-0, 10-2, 11-3 and now 11-0. One of their wins was by a 4-3 score. Everything else has been by at least four runs and usually more.

Friday was their most lopsided win yet, as they knocked 16 hits and allowed just three.

Tanner Dodson (California) got in on both those feats with one of the best performances in the league this summer. He went 4-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and two RBI and also pitched 3.2 scoreless innings of relief. Dodson did both for Cal this spring and has now pitched 9.2 innings with the Gatemen while making eight starts in the outfield. He’s hitting .462, which would be good for the league lead if he weren’t a little short of the qualifying number of plate appearances.

Kyle Kasser (Oregon) added three hits while Nick Angelini (Bryant) had two hits – including a home run – and drove in three. Six different players drove in at least one run.

Before Dodson took the mound, starter Miller Hogan (St. Louis) – a 32nd-round pick of the Brewers in this year’s draft – was dominant, allowing just one hit and striking out six in five shutout innings.

Orleans 9, Harwich 1

The Firebirds won their sixth straight game and their second consecutive blowout, after a 13-2 win Thursday. Orleans scored five runs in the first inning and three in the second for a blistering start. Jimmy Herron (Duke), Stephen Scott (Vanderbilt), Niko Decolati (Loyola Marymount) and recent Omaha arrival Devin Mann (Louisville) all had two hits in the onslaught, with Herron bumping his average to .408. Both of Herron’s hits came in the all-important battle of Jimmy Herron versus Harwich pitcher Tim(my) Herrin (Indiana), Armed with the early lead, Joey Murray (Kent State) turned in his second straight dominant start, following up five shutout innings June 21 with five more in his return to the mound. He struck out five and scattered five hits. Orleans owns the league’s best record at 10-6.

Falmouth 8, Chatham 3

The Commodores just keep mashing, and a new slugger fit right in. Oregon State star Trevor Larnach made his Cape debut after the Beavers’ deep College World Series run and went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. The big entrance was part of a 16-hit attack that included six more extra-base hits added to Falmouth’s league-best total. Hunter Steinmetz (Missouri State) hit his second home run and Zeke Dodson (Lipscomb) hit his first. Marty Bechina (Michigan State) had two doubles. Alec Bohm (Wichita State) went 3-for-5 and took over the league lead in hitting with a .419 average. Connor Eason (Seminole State) earned the win in relief.

Y-D 4, Bourne 3

After losing to the Braves in both games of a doubleheader Thursday, the Red Sox avoided a three-game sweep with a narrow victory. Y-D built a 4-1 lead and held off a Bourne rally in the ninth. Nicholas Quintana (Arizona) hit his fourth home run – he has four homers and eight hits on the season – while Connor Kaiser (Vanderbilt) also went deep. Kyle Isbel (UNLV) and Alex McKenna (Cal Poly) drove in one run each. Michael Cassala (Jacksonville) earned the win in relief and Riley McCauley (Michigan State) buckled down after allowing the two ninth-inning runs on Turner Brown’s (East Carolina) homer, finishing the game with two straight strikeouts.

Hyannis 8, Brewster 3

The Harbor Hawks racked up 16 hits and blasted three home runs for a win over the Whitecaps. Hunter Stovall (Mississippi State), Micah Coffey (Minnesota) and Daniel Robinson (Central Michigan) hit the home runs, the first of the summer for all of them. Ford Proctor (Rice) added three hits, an RBI and two runs scored. Reece Hampton (Charlotte), Ryan Olenek (Ole Miss) and Robert Neustrom (Iowa) had two-hit games. After Brewster tied the game in the third, three Harbor Hawk relievers combined for six scoreless innings of relief. Chase Haney (Florida State) was credited with the win.

What to Watch

For a seventh straight victory, the Orleans Firebirds will have to go through the league leader in wins. Michael Brettell (Central Michigan) takes a 3-0 record and a 0.73 ERA to the hill for Hyannis against the Firebirds. Chandler Day (Vanderbilt) will make his first start for Orleans after a scoreless relief outing in his debut last week.