Category: Daily Fog

So, about those power rankings.

A few hours after the Y-D Red Sox earned the top spot, they headed to Bourne for a doubleheader, and the Braves were not impressed. With 6-2 and 5-3 victories, the Braves sent Y-D to its first losing skid of the season and matched Orleans for the best record in the league at 9-6. Y-D fell to 8-6-1.

Bourne won the opener thanks to a pair of three-run innings and a strong duo on the mound. Grant Witherspoon (Tulane) had a two-run double to spark the first rally and had an RBI single in the fifth for a 2-for-3, three RBI day. Zac Susi (UConn) had two hits and an RBI, while Lyle Lin (Arizona State) and Richard Palacios (Towson) drove in one run each.

Y-D out-hit the Braves 8-6, but Brian Eichhorn (Georgia Southern) didn’t walk a batter and struck out five while allowing two runs in five innings. Ryan Feltner (Ohio State) struck out two in two scoreless innings to finish it off. Feltner has a 0.00 ERA in six appearances.

The second game followed a similar script, with the Braves grabbing the lead and riding solid pitching. Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) went 3-for-3 with a double, a triple and three RBI. Andrew Fregia (Sam Houston State) also drove in a run. Zach Mort (George Mason) gave up one run in four innings for the win. Ray Gaither (Dallas Baptist) followed with a scoreless inning and Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) worked around trouble in the final two innings for the save.

Cotuit 12, Hyannis 6

Rescheduled after a rain-out on the fourth day of the season, the long-awaited first game in the Barnstable Patriot Cup series went to the Kettleers. Cotuit opened with a four-run top of the first and rolled on, finishing with 13 hits. Hyannis had 14 hits, but their pitchers’ nine walks helped Cotuit pile on. Gian Martellini (Boston College) had two hits and four RBI, while Brett Kinneman (NC State) hit his first home run as part of a 3-for-4, four-run night. Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) had two hits and scored three runs, while Chandler Avant (Alabama) drove in two runs. Chase Cohen (Georgia Southern) earned the win in relief. For Hyannis, Micah Coffey (Minnesota) had four hits and two RBI.

Brewster 6, Chatham 4

The Whitecaps rallied from a 4-2 hole with four runs in the sixth inning to beat Chatham and move into a second-place tie with Y-D. Justin Kunz (Gardner-Webb) scored on an RBI groundout to start the sixth-inning scoring, and Mickey Gasper (Bryant) delivered the big blow with a three-run double to give Brewster the lead. Gasper now ranks second in the league in RBI with 16. Connor Smith (Western Michigan) added two hits and two runs scored for the Whitecaps. Relievers Christopher Machamer (Kentucky) and Joe Demers (Washington) combined for 5.1 scoreless innings of relief. Jeremy Pena (Maine) led Chatham with three hits.

What to Watch

Back to a full slate of games tonight, highlighted by another match-up between Bourne and Y-D, this one at Red Wilson Field. Dylan Coleman, who led Super Regional squad Missouri State in strikeouts this spring, will make his first start for the Braves. Spencer Van Scoyoc and his 1.50 ERA go for Y-D.

There isn’t much separation in the standings yet, but the top three teams in the East have looked the part lately, especially Wednesday night.

Orleans rolled over Cotuit 13-2 for its fifth consecutive win and is the first team to nine victories this season. Y-D blew past Harwich 12-1 and is one points behind the Firebirds for first place. And Brewster hammered Chatham 11-1. The Whitecaps are two points back of Y-D.

While it’s just one night, that’s a combined 36-4 score for three teams that have already had their share of impressive moments this summer. Y-D owns the league’s top batting average, Orleans has the best ERA and Brewster has three of the top four on the strikeout leaderboard.

Orleans is riding the longest win streak for any team this summer. The first four wins in the streak were lower-scoring, closer affairs, but number five was an easy one. The Firebirds smacked 15 hits and capitalized on three Cotuit errors and eight walks by Kettleer pitchers.

Steve Passatempo (UMass-Lowell) had three hits, including a home run, and four RBI. Stephen Scott (Vanderbilt) had three hits and three runs scored, while teammate Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) homered and had two RBI. Five pitchers maintained a shutout into the ninth when Cotuit got on the board. Taylor Sugg (North Carolina) was credited with the win in relief after starter Kevin Smith (Georgia) struck out six in four hitless innings.

The 15-hit attack wasn’t even the best of the night though, as Y-D pounded 18 hits in the victory over Harwich. Nicholas Quintana (Arizona) homered and drove in three, Kyle Isbel (UNLV) went 2-for-6 with four RBI and Luke Miller (Indiana) had three hits. Seven different players had multi-hit games. Harwich was no match, managing just four hits off three Y-D pitchers. Tim Brennan (St. Joseph’s) delivered one of the summer’s best starts with 10 strikeouts and one run allowed in seven innings, and he now leads the league in Ks with 20. Hunter Parsons (Maryland) and Tommy Henry (Michigan) finished off the win.

Brewster had the strangest line score of the night, getting out-hit 9-7 and somehow turning that into an 11-1 win. Chatham committed three errors, which led to five unearned runs. Angler pitchers also walked seven batters. Mickey Gasper (Bryant) helped Brewster take advantage with his third home run, and Justin Kunz (Gardner-Webb) also went deep. Nick Dunn (Maryland) and Connor Smith (Western Michigan) drove in two runs apiece. Tony Locey (Georgia) struck out seven in five scoreless innings and now ranks second in the league in strikeouts. Ryan Broom, who ranks third, struck out three in two innings of relief.

Falmouth 8, Wareham 4

Down three runs late, the Commodores tied the game with a run in the eighth and two in the ninth then won it in extras thanks to a four-run 11th inning. Marty Bechina (Michigan State) drove home the go-ahead run in the 11th for his league-best 19th RBI of the summer. Willie Burger (Penn State) and Alec Bohm (Wichita State) had two hits and an RBI apiece, with Lee Solomon (Lipscomb) and Ignacious Janca (Texas A&M) driving in one run each. Derrick Adams (Jacksonville State), Thomas Ponticelli (San Francisco) and Ryan Zeferjahn (Kansas) combined for 4.2 scoreless innings of relief. Falmouth jumped one game over .500 at 8-7 while Wareham fell to 6-9.

Hyannis 5, Bourne 3

Seven players had hits and four pitchers teamed up in short outings as Hyannis nipped Bourne. Reece Hampton (Charlotte) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and now leads the league with a .407 batting average. Chris Proctor (Duke) also had two hits and an RBI while Ryan Olenek (Ole Miss) drove in two runs. Fresh off the College World Series, Chase Haney (Florida State) made his first appearance and earned the win with 2.1 hitless innings of relief. The Harbor Hawks are 6-7-1 while Bourne is 7-6.

What to Watch

Y-D and Bourne will square off in a rescheduled doubleheader, beginning at 4 p.m. at Doran Park.

Yarmouth-Dennis led 3-1 when Orleans starter Logan Gilbert (Stetson) departed in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s game. It was a good place to be – except for what the Red Sox were due to face next.

Two Orleans relievers didn’t allow another hit and the Firebirds rallied with three runs in the sixth for a 4-3 win that vaulted them past the Red Sox into first place in the East Division.

Credit the rally, of course, but the bullpen success jumps out, as it has throughout the four-game win streak that has sent Orleans to the top of the heap. In 14 innings pitched the last four games, Orleans relievers have allowed one earned run on seven hits, with 14 strikeouts.

J.J. Hintzen (Florida Southern) and Josh Hiatt (North Carolina) did the job Tuesday. Hintzen has allowed two hits in six appearances this summer and was perfect this time out. He struck out three of the seven batters he faced. Hiatt has also given up just two hits so far. He came on in the eighth and worked a one-two-three frame. In the ninth, he worked around an error to finish off his fourth save.

The decisive rally that put the bullpen in control started with a Jaxx Groshans (Kansas) single. Brandon Riley (North Carolina) followed with an RBI double, Jeff Houghtby (San Diego) hit an RBI groundout to plate the tying run and Lars Nootbaar (USC) raced home on a wild pitch with the go-ahead run.

And with Orleans’ bullpen taking over, it was pretty clearly going to be the winning run.

Commodores go yard again

The Falmouth Commodores already had the most home runs in the league.

Then they hit four in Tuesday’s 7-1 win over Brewster. That’s more in one game than three Cape League teams have hit all summer. The Commodores now have 14 homers on the season, five more than anybody else.

As usual, Marty Bechina (Michigan State) led the way. The Cape League leader delivered his second two-homer game of the summer and now has six on the year. He launched a solo shot in the third and hit a two-run blast in the eighth. Logan Davidson (Clemson) hit his first home run of the summer for the game’s first offense in the second inning. For good measure, Willie Burger (Penn State) followed up Bechina’s eighth-inning homer with a solo blast later in the frame.

Six of the seven runs Falmouth scored came on the home runs.

The Commodores improved to 7-7 with the win, so all the power hasn’t yielded big success yet. Pitching has been a little further behind, which is why the other angle of Tuesday’s win might be more significant. Four pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout. Scott Politz went six innings for the win. Thomas Ponticelli (San Francisco), Mitchell Miller (Clemson) and Ryan Zeferjahn (Kansas) went one inning each to finish it out.

Cotuit 3, Harwich 0

Three pitchers combined on a shutout as Cotuit jumped over .500 with a win over Harwich. Zane Collins (Wright State) struck out four in 4.1 innings, and David Inman earned the win with one inning of relief. Clark Cota (UNC Wilmington), who earned the save, had the most impressive outing of all, striking out six of the 12-batters he faced in 3.2 innings of one-hit baseball. John Cresto (Santa Clara) and Brett Kinneman (NC State) drove in runs, Griffin Conine (Duke) scored twice and Greyson Jenista (Wichita State)  had three hits for Cotuit.

Chatham 8, Bourne 2

Chatham rebounded from Sunday’s sweep at the hands of Hyannis with a big offensive night against West-leading Bourne. Jacob Olson (UCLA) went 2-for-4 with three RBI and D.J. Artis (Liberty) had two hits and an RBI to lead the Anglers. Nick Patten (Delaware) and Shea Langeliers (Baylor) – the league’s first and second hitter of the week award winners this summer – each drove in a run. Starter Dan Hammer (Pittsburgh) didn’t need as much support as he got thanks to six shutout innings with five strikeouts. For Bourne, Zac Susi (UConn) and Andrew Fregia (Sam Houston State) each homered.

Wareham 5, Hyannis 1

Wareham broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth and rode strong pitching all night to its second straight win. Luke Bonfield (Arkansas) delivered the go-ahead RBI with a single and John Toppa (UConn) followed with a two-run single for what proved to be an insurmountable lead. Starter Justin Glover (Georgia) allowed one run in five innings, while Noah Zavolas (Harvard) and Franklin German (North Florida) combined for four hitless innings of relief.

What to Watch

Orleans will look for a fifth straight win when it visits Cotuit. Kevin Smith (Georgia) and his 2.70 ERA will get the start.

 

The Bourne Braves have shown a knack for winning close games this summer. In matching Y-D for the most wins in the league with seven, the Braves have won five one-run games and two two-run games.

Timely hitting, good pitching down the stretch and late heroics have all helped.

A lockdown closer is also good to have.

Ryan Feltner (Ohio State) picked up his fourth save of the summer last night as the Braves beat Brewster 5-3 in the only game on the Cape League schedule. The four saves are tied for the league lead. Feltner has given up just two hits in five innings pitched, both in the same outing, meaning teams haven’t had a hit in four of his appearances. He has yet to allow a run and has struck out nine of the 18 batters he faced.

And Feltner is throwing gas.

Electric stuff from Ryan Feltner @OhioState_BASE tonight for @BourneBraves – easy 95-97, located to both sides, feel for slider & changeup

— Frankie Piliere (@FPiliereD1) June 27, 2017

Oddly enough, Feltner didn’t have a great spring at Ohio State. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound sophomore made seven starts and 10 relief appearances. He finished with a 6.32 ERA thanks to 75 hits allowed and 28 walks in 62.2 innings. He struck out 57.

But Feltner has certainly found a home at the back end of the Bourne bullpen.

The Braves made Monday’s game a little more comfortable than usual – Feltner’s three previous saves were all in one-run games – by building a 5-3 lead in the fifth. Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) went 4-for-4 with a run and an RBI, following up a 2-for-3 day Sunday. Grant Williams (Kennesaw State) added two hits and Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) had two RBI.

Five pitchers combined to slow down the Whitecaps, with Nick Johnson (Rhode Island) earning the win. Dylan Coleman (Missouri State) and Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) had scoreless outings to get the game to Feltner.

The win came on the heels of a doubleheader sweep of the Braves by Brewster Sunday.

What to Watch

Y-D visits Orleans in a battle for first place in the East. The Red Sox have 15 points in the standings and the Firebirds are right behind with 14. Hogan Harris, who had a very strong season in the Louisiana-Lafayette weekend rotation, will make his second start for Y-D after allowing one run in four innings the first time out. Stetson standout Logan Gilbert, who allowed just an unearned run in six innings in his first start, goes for Orleans.

It’s a good thing Harwich’s Tyler Baum and Wareham’s Justin Montgomery pitched different games in Sunday’s doubleheader. Had they squared off, that pitchers duel might still be going.

Baum (North Carolina) struck out nine in seven innings as the Mariners won the first game of the twin bill 4-1. Montgomery (California Baptist) struck out eight and tossed five innings of one-hit ball in game two as the Gatemen posted a 5-1 victory.

With the dust settled on Sunday’s slate of doubleheaders, Montgomery and Baum rank one-two on the league’s ERA leaderboard.

They’re an interesting pair. Baum was a top 100 prospect out of high school who had a strong first season at one of America’s college baseball blue bloods. Montgomery was lightly recruited and headed to Division II California Baptist. He had a fairly anonymous freshman season last spring before breaking out in the Alaska League, where he was a top-five prospect according to Perfect Game.

But the two have been on similar trajectories this summer. In two starts, Baum has allowed one run and six hits over 13 innings while striking out 12 and walking one. Montgomery hasn’t allowed a run in 12 innings of work – two starts, one relief appearance – and has struck out 14.

Baum’s effort Sunday goes in the book as the summer’s first complete game, since doubleheaders are seven inning affairs. He gave up a run in the second inning on a double by Willie MacIver (Washington) and a wild pitch two batters later, but cruised from there, retiring 11 in a row at one point.

Harwich made him a winner with three runs in the third to break a 1-1 tie. Cobie Vance (Alabama) had two RBI for the Mariners and Bradley Debo (NC State) homered.

Montgomery didn’t go quite as deep into the game as Baum did, but he was even more dominant. He faced just one over the minimum in his five innings and struck out half of those 16 batters. Harwich managed one run off reliever Frankie Bartow (Miami) but nothing else. The Gatemen got three hits from Robert Metz (George Washington) and RBI from Kyle Kasser (Oregon), Luke Bonfield (Arkansas) and Ben Baird (Washington).

Hyannis 8, Chatham 5; Hyannis 9, Chatham 2

RLosers of four straight coming in, Hyannis got back on track in one fell swoop with a sweep of Chatham. Reece Hampton (Charlotte) led the big day for the offense with six hits across the two games and four RBI. Dominic DiCaprio (Rice) drove in three runs in the opener and Robert Neustrom (Iowa) led the way in the second game with three hits – including a home run – and four RBI. Michael Brettel (Central Michigan) earned his league-best third win of the season in the opener with five strong innings. Christian Tripp (New Mexico) got the nightcap win with three scoreless innings of relief.

Orleans 6, Cotuit 4; Orleans 4, Cotuit 0

Orleans swept Cotuit at Eldredge Park for its second and third wins in a row. A six-run third inning did the trick in the opener, highlighted by a two-run single from Kevin Strohschein (Tennessee Tech). Jaxx Groshans (Kansas), Romy Gonzalez (Miami) and Niko Decolati (Loyola Marymount) also drove in runs. Starter Ryan Rolison (Ole Miss) allowed two runs in 4.1 innings for the win and Brett Daniels (North Carolina) picked up the save. The Firebirds were able to slow down Cotuit in part by cooling off the red-hot Griffin Conine (Duke) and John Cresto (Santa Clara). Conine went without a hit for the first time this summer and Cresto was 0-for-3. In the nightcap, the Cotuit bats were even quieter as Daniel Lynch (Virginia) and Brooks Wilson (Stetson) combined on a shutout. Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) had three hits to lead the Orleans offense while Groshans drove in two runs.

Brewster 6, Bourne 4; Brewster 4, Bourne 3

Brewster also swept a West Division foe, in the process giving the East the three best records in the league. The first game went to extra innings and the Whitecaps walked off in emphatic fashion in the eighth as Martin Costes (Maryland) hit a two-run home run for the win. Before the late drama, Hunter Bishop (Arizona State) had two RBI and Mickey Gasper (Bryant) had two hits. Bourne suffered a rare close-game loss in the nightcap as Brewster built an early 4-0 lead and held on. Gasper drove in two runs while Bishop and Justin Kunz (Gardner-Webb) knocked in one each. Starter Davis Daniel (Auburn) allowed three runs in four innings before Robert Broom (Mercer) stopped Bourne’s comeback attempts in their tracks. Broom allowed just one hit in a three-inning save.

Y-D 14, Falmouth 3; Falmouth 2, Y-D 1

Y-D blew past Falmouth in the opener but the Commodores were undeterred and came back for a split of the twin bill. The Red Sox racked up 10 hits, six for extra bases, in the first game. Nico Hoerner (Stanford) homered and a pinch hitter for him, Christian Koss (UC Irvine), also went deep. Connor Kaiser (Vanderbilt) drove in three runs. All the offense was more than enough for Kyle Bubic (Stanford), who struck out nine and allowed one run on four hits in five innings for his second win. The Red Sox scored early in game two but the second-inning RBI by Domenic DeRenzo (Oklahoma) would be their only tally of the day. Hunter Steinmetz (Missouri State) tied the game with a solo home run in the fifth and Marty Bechina (Michigan State) put the Commodores ahead later that same inning with an RBI double. Matt Mercer (Oregon) allowed one run in four innings for the win. Thomas Ponticelli (San Francisco) went one scoreless inning out of the bullpen and Mitchell Miller (Clemson) struck out three in a two-inning save.

What to Watch

Brewster and Bourne will play for the third straight time as they get together for a make-up game at Doran Park. First pitch is at 6 p.m.

Heading into Saturday’s slate of games, the Cape League’s strikeout leaderboard was topped by a pair of relievers with 12 Ks each. The big, double-digit strikeout starts have been missing so far this summer.

Until last night.

Kyle Bradish (New Mexico State) fanned 10 in five innings as Falmouth beat Wareham 5-3. Paired with five strikeouts in his first start, Bradish’s total of 15 now ranks first in the league.

Falmouth pitchers have struck out more batters than any other team on the Cape, but walks and a pretty high batting average against have kept that number from translating to dominant performances. But Bradish changed the script. He walked just one and scattered six hits, allowing two earned runs.

Bradish had a strong spring with the Aggies, posting a 3.20 ERA and leading the team – while ranking second in the WAC – with 89 strikeouts. He now has a 3.00 ERA and two wins with the Commodores.

His teammates followed suit when the bullpen took over. Brian Gadsby (UCLA), Mitchell Miller (Clemson) and Ryan Zeferjahn (Kansas) combined for four scoreless frames and allowed just one hit in that span. Zeferjahn recorded his second save.

Falmouth broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning on a Clayton Daniel (Jacksonville State) home run. Cameron O’Neill (Holy Cross) also homered as part of a 3-for-3 night.

Falmouth improved to 5-6 with the victory.

Cotuit 9, Y-D 2

With a four-game skid snapped Friday, Cotuit started a better streak and handed Y-D just its second loss with a big win at Lowell Park. Griffin Conine (Duke) went 2-for-4 – his ninth two-hit game in 10 tries and his seventh straight – and hit his second home run. John Cresto (Santa Clara) also stayed hot, going 3-for-5 with two RBI to bump his season average to .389. Michael Toglia (UCLA), Brett Kinneman (NC State), Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) and Luke Alexander (Mississippi State) also drove in runs. Starter Noah Davis (UC Santa Barbara) went four strong innings. Jayce Vancena (Michigan) earned the win in relief. Y-D was held to five hits, a season low, in losing for the first time since June 17.

Bourne 8, Hyannis 6

Bourne won a game by more than one run for the first time this season – by two, of course. The win combined with Y-D’s loss makes the Braves’ 6-2 record the best in the league (Y-D is 6-2-1). Scott Schreiber (Nebraska) continued a blistering start, following up a walk-off hit in his first game and a home run in his second with a 3-for-5, 3 RBI day. Grant Witherspoon (Tulane) had two RBI and Grant Williams (Kennesaw State) had two hits and two runs scored. The Braves ran wild on the base paths with five stolen bases. Witherspoon got in on the act and is tied for the league lead with six. Christian Ryder (Georgia) earned the win in relief for the Braves and Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) struck out two in the ninth for the save. Hyannis, which lost its fourth in a row, had some big offensive days. Hunter Stovall (Mississippi State) went 4-for-4 and scored three runs. Jake Mangum (Mississippi State) and Ford Proctor (Rice) each had two hits.

Chatham 5, Brewster 4

The Anglers scored all the runs they needed in the third inning for a win over Brewster. Josh Shaw (St. John’s) had a two-run single, Jacob Olson (UCLA) hit a two-run double and Shea Langelliers (Baylor) doubled home a run in the big innings. Olson and Shaw both finished with two hits. The Chatham bullpen allowed one run over the final six innings to make the lead stand up. Daniel Metzdorf (Boston College) went three scoreless for the win. Jack DeGroat (Liberty) struck out four in two innings for the save. Brewster got two hits and two RBI from Mickey Gasper (Bryant).

Orleans 7, Harwich 4

The Firebirds also had a five-run inning, but theirs was a bit more dramatic. Trailing 4-2 in the eighth, they surged into the lead and held on for a win over the Mariners. Brandon Riley (North Carolina) had a three-run triple that plated the go-ahead run in the eighth and Cesar Salazar (Arizona) followed with a two-run homer. Strong bullpen work from the Firebirds set the stage for the rally, as Chandler Day (Vanderbilt) – in his summer debut – teamed with Cody Deason (Arizona) and Josh Hiatt (North Carolina) for 5.2 scoreless innings. Deason got the win and Hiatt picked up the save, his third.

What to Watch

The second – and final – Sunday doubleheader day is on tap. Falmouth and Y-D, who met earlier this week for the first time since last year’s championship series, present the most intriguing matchup today.

Three teams racked up double digit runs in the Cape League Friday night.

It was fitting that the night’s poster boy hails from a squad that did the same plenty of times in the spring.

Tristan Pompey hit .361 with 10 home runs for a Kentucky team that ranked seventh nationally in runs scored and fourth in on-base percentage. In his Cape League debut, Pompey went 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI as Wareham blasted Orleans 11-3.

Pompey ranked right behind first-round pick Evan White in the team hitting rankings and was second in home runs behind former Orleans star and third-round pick Riley Mahan.

In a year in which a lot of guys are off to blistering – and powerful – starts at the plate, Pompey immediately inserted himself into the conversation with about as good a debut as you’ll ever see on the Cape. After singles in his first two at-bats, he smashed a three-run homer in the fifth and another in the sixth.

Pompey’s performance helped Wareham swing back in the right direction in a pendulum of blowouts. They won 10-2 Wednesday and lost 9-2 Thursday. The 11-3 win over Orleans – who hadn’t allowed more than six runs in a game this season – moved the Gatemen to 4-6.

Jarren Duran (Long Beach State) chipped in with four runs scored and Jake Anchia (Nova Southeastern) had a home run and two RBI. Justin Glover (Georgia) got the win with three strong innings of relief.

Cotuit 12, Brewster 6

The Kettleers snapped a four-game skid in emphatic fashion – and unlike Wareham, leaned on their familiar faces. John Cresto (Santa Clara) went 3-for-5 with four RBI and his fourth, fifth and sixth doubles of the season, while Griffin Conine (Duke) had two hits for the eighth time in nine games and Zack Kone (Duke) homered. The Kettleers racked up 13 hits, seven of which went for extra bases. All of it came against a Brewster team that was leading the league in team ERA, and it came after the Kettleers fell behind 4-0 in the first inning. Reliever Adam Scott (Wofford) stopped the bleeding in the first and ended up going 4.2 scoreless frames for the win.

Harwich 11, Chatham 2

Harwich joined the blowout brigade in odd fashion. Leading 3-2 and looking for a bit of insurance in the top of the ninth, the Mariners scored eight runs to blow the game completely wide open. Cobie Vance (Alabama) and Matt Vierling (Notre Dame) each had two-run singles in the big inning. Vance finished the night with two hits and three RBI to lead the Mariner offense. Brian Christian (Northeastern) went six strong innings for the win and three relievers combined to allow just one hit. Shea Langeliers (Baylor) homered for Chatham.

Y-D 5, Falmouth 1

On a big offensive night around the league, two Y-D pitchers held down the Cape’s top slugging offense. Spencer Van Scoyoc (Arizona State) struck out five and allowed three hits in 5.2 innings. Troy Terzi (Keystone College) struck out five of the 12 batters he faced for a 3.2-inning save. Nicholas Quintana (Arizona) led the Y-D offense with his second home run in three games since arriving. Carlos Cortes (South Carolina) went 2-for-4 for his fifth multi-hit game and is right behind Conine for the league lead in hitting. Y-D is 6-1-1.

Bourne 7, Hyannis 6

The Braves are just padding the one-run games stat at this point. For their fifth one-run win of the season, they built a 7-2 lead, let Hyannis all the way back in the game with a five-run eighth then held on for the 7-6 win. Scott Schreiber (Nebraska) followed up his walk-off hit in Thursday’s win with a home run and three RBI to lead the offense. It was the team’s first home run of the season. Grant Witherspoon (Tulane) and Zac Susi (UConn) added two hits each. Brian Eichhorn (Georgia Southern) went five strong innings for the win. After Hyannis’ charge, Ryan Feltner (Ohio State) struck out the side in the ninth for his third save.

What to Watch

A pair of North Carolina Tar Heels will square off as Harwich starts Tyler Baum against Orleans and Taylor Sugg. Sugg has a 2.07 ERA in two relief appearances. Baum, coming off a big freshman year, had one of the best starts of the season’s first week with six innings of shutout, two-hit baseball against Hyannis.

 

Brewster owns the league’s best team ERA. And after the last two days, it’s clear that the Whitecaps can hit a little bit, too. They’ve scored 16 runs on 26 hits in wins over Falmouth and Wareham. A 9-2 victory over the Gatemen last night was the bigger performance, with the Whitecaps smacking 16 hits, seven of which went for extra bases.

Coming into the last two, Brewster had eight extra-base hits on the season. They’re up to 18 now and suddenly rank second in the league in team batting average behind Chatham.

The game with the Gatemen was tied 2-2 in the sixth when Brewster blew it open.

After hitting two home runs against Falmouth, Chandler Taylor (Alabama) went deep for the second straight day against Wareham. Cesar Trejo (UNC Greensboro) also homered.

No one else went deep, but almost everybody else got in on the act in other big ways. The fourth through eighth spots in the order did the most damage, going a combined 10-for-21 with nine RBI. Each of those players had two hits. Michael Curry (Georgia) doubled and drove in three to lead the charge.

Brewster’s pitching staff didn’t slow down much with the added cushion. J.R. McDermott (Colorado Mesa) came up with his second strong start of the summer, striking out seven and allowing one earned run in 4.1 innings. Three relievers delivered scoreless outings, with Andrew Pagnozzi (Ole Miss) earning the win. Robert Broom (Mercer) struck out three in two innings, moving into a tie for the league lead in strikeouts with 12.

Brewster is now 4-2-1. Wareham fell to 3-6.

Y-D 5, Cotuit 3

The Red Sox continued to roll, upping their league-best record to 5-1-1 with a win over Cotuit, which has lost four straight. Josh McMinn (Oral Roberts) allowed three runs in 5.1 innings before a dominant performance by the Y-D bullpen. Brendan Nail (Western Carolina) struck out four in 3.1 hitless innings. Riley McCauley (Michigan State) recorded the final out for his fourth save. Luke Miller (Indiana) hit his first home run of the summer to lead the Y-D offense. Carlos Cortes (South Carolina) had two hits and two RBI, running his batting average to .458. For Cotuit, Griffin Conine (Duke) again had two hits – the seventh time he’s done that in eight games. He leads the league with a .469 batting average.

Bourne 3, Harwich 2

The Braves are now 4-0 in one-run games after a comeback, walk-off win over the Mariners. Bourne trailed 2-1 in the ninth when Grant Witherspoon (Tulane) started the rally with an infield hit. Lyle Lin (Arizona State) followed with a double. Logan McRae (College of Charleston) notched his third hit of the night on a single to center that plated the tying run, and Scott Schreiber (Nebraska) delivered the walk-off on a base hit (video below courtesy the Braves). The comeback made a winner out of reliever Nick Johnson (Rhode Island), who tossed two scoreless innings. McRae and Richard Palacios (Towson) paced the Bourne offense with three hits each. Harwich got a home run from Kyler Murray (Oklahoma).

Schreiber hits the FIRST walk-off of the season in the Braves 3-2 victory over the Harwich Mariners! #CCBL#GoBravespic.twitter.com/YXm9jLP8EW

— Bourne Braves (@BourneBraves) June 23, 2017

Orleans 4, Chatham 3

Orleans relievers allowed one hit over the final 5.2 innings, and with the stage set, the Firebirds delivered a comeback win. The Anglers led 3-0 after four but were unable to add to their lead. Jake Wong (Grand Canyon) struck out four in 2.2 scoreless frames. Brett Daniels (North Carolina) also fanned four in two hitless frames and Josh Hiatt (North Carolina) worked a scoreless ninth for the save. By then, the Firebirds had taken advantage of the opportunity with one run in the fifth and three in the sixth. Jeff Houghtby (San Diego) had an RBI double in the fifth. Brandon Riley (North Carolina) knocked home his college rival Jimmy Herron (Duke) in the seventh and Cesar Salazar (Arizona) hit a go-ahead two-run homer. For Chatham, Nick Patten (Delaware) stretched his season-long hit streak to seven games.

Falmouth 10, Hyannis 5

Something about the eighth inning lately. One night after Y-D’s nine-run explosion, Falmouth surged to a seven-run eighth in a win over Hyannis. The Commodores led at the time, so it wasn’t quite the same situation, but they ended up needing the insurance after the Harbor Hawks scored three in the ninth. Falmouth, the league leader in extra-base hits, continued to rack them up with two home runs and three doubles. Marty Bechina (Michigan State) hit his fourth home run and drove in three to bring his season RBI total to 13. He now leads the league in both categories. Cameron O’Neill (Holy Cross) also homered, while Alec Bohm (Wichita State) had two doubles. Starting pitching Tyler Blohm (Maryland) struck out seven and allowed two runs in five innings. Thomas Ponticelli (San Francisco) went three scoreless innings of relief for the win. Hyannis got three hits and three RBI from Daniel Robinson (Central Michigan). Jake Mangum (Mississippi State) had two hits for the third straight game since joining the Harbor Hawks.

What to Watch

Y-D and Falmouth meet for the first time since last year’s championship series as the Red Sox visit Guv Fuller Field.

The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox totaled 10 runs in their first three wins of the season.

For their fourth, they tallied 11 – and nine of them came in one inning.

Trailing 8-2 in the eighth inning of Wednesday night’s game against Chatham, the Red Sox sent 12 men to the plate, knocked seven hits, smacked two home runs and surged to an 11-8 win.

Chatham seemed primed to move to 5-2 on the year – which would have been the best record in the league. Instead, the Red Sox jumped into first place in the East thanks to the big inning comeback.

It started with singles by Kyle Isbel (UNLV) and Nicholas Quintana (Arizona). A wild pitch and a ball that got away on a dropped third strike allowed them to score. A Carter Pharis (UAB) RBI single kept the rally going before a two-run single by Alex McKenna (Cal Poly) made it an 8-7 game. Then came the big hits, as Nico Hoerner (Stanford) hit a three-run homer to give Y-D the lead and Isbel – in his second at-bat of the inning – went back-to-back with a solo shot.

Karl Kauffmann (Michigan) made sure there was no answer for Chatham with a scoreless top of the ninth.

Before Y-D’s explosion, Chatham’s league-best offense was on a roll again. Nick Patten (Delaware) had his fourth multi-hit game of the season and Cody Roberts (North Carolina) went 2-for-5 with a home run.

Wareham 10, Hyannis 2

Wareham didn’t have an inning like Y-D but poured on the offense in a win over Hyannis, smacking 13 hits, including three home runs. Luke Bonfield (Arkansas), who played for Y-D in 2015 and very briefly for Wareham last year, was 0-for-12 to start his third summer but went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Blake Sabol (USC) and Jake Anchia (Nova Southeastern) also homered for the Gatemen, while Willie MacIver (Washington) delivered his second straight three-hit game. Frankie Bartow (Miami) and Justin Montgomery (California Baptist) combined to hold Hyannis scoreless for the first seven innings.

Orleans 4, Bourne 0

After giving up two runs in four innings in his first start, MAC Pitcher of the Year Joey Murray (Kent State) tossed five scoreless frames for the Firebirds. Cody Deason (Arizona) and J.T. Hintzen (Florida Southern) went two innings each to finish off the shutout, with Deason striking out four for the second straight outing. Jimmy Herron (Duke) and Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) knocked in one run each, while Steve Passatempo (UMass-Lowell) drove in two.

Brewster 7, Falmouth 4

Chandler Taylor (Alabama) hit two home runs and drove in four as the Whitecaps improved to 3-2-1. Taylor – who hit 16 home runs for the Crimson Tide this spring – was 1-for-11 before the breakout night. Nick Dunn (Maryland) and Darius Hill (West Virginia) each added two hits and an RBI. Connor Higgins (Arizona State) – the Cape League’s first pitcher of the week honoree – allowed one earned run in five innings in his second start. Jonathan Stiever (Indiana) earned the win in relief.

Harwich 6, Cotuit 3

The Mariners handed Cotuit its second straight loss, riding three-run innings in the first and the seventh. Ryne Ogren (Elon) had three hits for the second straight night and moved into the league lead in batting average, while also driving in three runs. Jordan Verdon (San Diego State) homered and knocked in three, as well. Chris Gau (Jacksonville) allowed three runs in six innings for the win and Cole Aker (North Carolina) went three scoreless frames for the save. For Cotuit, Griffin Conine (Duke) went 2-for-4 for his sixth multi-hit game in seven tries.

What to Watch

Chatham visits Orleans in the first installment of their East Division rivalry. Graeme Stinson (Duke) makes his first start for the Firebirds against Taylor Luciani (Quinnipiac), who will make his second start.

 

Every team on the Cape has scored more runs than the Bourne Braves so far this season. A big reason why is that the Braves have had three games postponed due to weather, so they’re behind schedule.

But winning by the slimmest of margins also has something to do with it.

And the Braves have been very good at that.

A 5-4 victory over Cotuit Thursday was Bourne’s third win of the season, and each one has been by one run. The Braves beat Chatham 4-3 and Orleans 2-1 before edging the Kettleers. At 3-1, they have the best winning percentage in the league.

The latest win came on the strength of six shutout innings by the bullpen and a rally in the seventh. After falling behind 2-0, the Braves scored four runs in the third – thanks in large part to a three-run double by Grant Witherspoon (Tulane) – before giving two right back. From there, a parade of five relievers kept Cotuit quiet and set the stage for the Braves to break through. They did it in the seventh thanks to a single, a hit-by-pitch, a walk and an RBI infield hit by Lyle Lin (Arizona State).

The bullpen then finished the job, continuing a trend in the one-run victories. Bourne relievers have allowed one run in 16.2 innings the last three games. Daniel Bies (Gonzaga) handled the biggest load Tuesday with three scoreless frames. Ryan Feltner (Ohio State) earned the save.

In the loss, Cotuit’s hot bats didn’t cool off much, as Zack Kone (Duke) went 4-for-4 to raise his average to .526 while Griffin Conine (Duke) went 2-for-4 for his fifth multi-hit game in six tries. The Kettleers fell to 4-2.

Orleans 2, Wareham 0

Three pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout as the Firebirds edged Wareham. Kevin Smith (Georgia) got the win with five innings of two-hit ball. Parker Kelly (Oregon) and Josh Hiatt (North Carolina) went two innings each, with Hiatt picking up the save. Brandon Riley (North Carolina) had three hits and an RBI to lead the Orleans offense, and Jeff Houghtby (San Diego) also knocked home a run. Orleans improved to 2-4. Wareham, which dropped to 2-5, got three hits from Willie MacIver (Washington), who ran his average to .400.

Hyannis 5, Chatham 3

Returning Harbor Hawk Ford Proctor (Rice) was 0-for-13 on the summer when he came up with a big first hit. Proctor’s three-run homer in the sixth broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Harbor Hawks on their way to a 5-3 win over the Anglers. Ryan Olenek (Ole Miss) had delivered the game-tying RBI an inning before and Chris Proctor (Duke) added a bit of insurance with an RBI single in the seventh. The sixth-inning homer made a winner out of starter Ryan Weiss (Wright State), who allowed one run and struck out seven in five innings. Christian Tripp (New Mexico) picked up his third save. Hyannis is 3-2-1. Chatham fell to 4-2. Nick Patten (Delaware) and Josh Shaw (ASA College) drove in one run each for the Anglers.

Falmouth 4, Harwich 2

The Commodores out-scored the Mariners 3-2 in the first inning, shut them out the rest of the way and tacked on one additional run for the 4-2 win. Alec Bohm (Wichita State), Marty Bechina (Michigan State) and Willie Burger (Penn State) all had RBI hits in the big first inning and Bechina added another in the third. Scott Politz (Yale) allowed the two runs to Harwich in the bottom half of the first but escaped a bases-loaded jam and met smooth sailing from there. He went five innings for the win. Brian Gadsby (UCLA) and Ryan Zeferjahn (Kansas) handled the final four innings, with Zeferjahn earning the save. Harwich got two hits and two RBI from Cobie Vance (Alabama). Falmouth is 3-4 while Harwich is 2-4-1.

Brewster 7, Y-D 7

The Whitecaps tied the game with five runs in the sixth inning and neither team scored again in a darkness-induced draw. Cesar Trejo (UNC Greensboro) had the big blow in the game-tying comeback with a three-run double. Mickey Gasper (Bryant) added three RBI for the Whitecaps and A.J. Graffanino (Washington) had three hits. Y-D got three hits and two RBI from Connor Kaiser (Vanderbilt) and a home run by Carlos Cortes (South Carolina). Y-D’s Karl Blum (Rutgers) starred in relief, striking out six of the nine batters he faced. Brewster is 2-2-1 while Y-D is 3-1-1.

What to Watch

Connor Higgins (Arizona State) – the first winner of the league’s Pitcher of the Week award – makes his second start for Brewster as Falmouth comes to town. Higgins went five scoreless innings with six strikeouts in his first start.