Harwich split a doubleheader with Orleans and Brewster on Tuesday.

So many things happened in that simple split.

– First, Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest) hit three home runs in the opening game of the twin bil, becoming the second Mariner to make such history this season.

– Then, Jacob Palisch (Stanford) dominated again and took over the league lead in ERA.

– Finally, when the second game concluded, the Mariners clinched the final up-for-grabs playoff spot in the league.

Lanzilli would be the lone headliner on most days. A few weeks ago, Lanzilli’s Harwich teammate Niko Kavadas (Notre Dame) became the ninth player in Cape League history to hit three home runs in a game, and now, soon after, we’ve got a tenth.

Since the game was part of a doubleheader, it was just seven innings, but Lanzilli still made history, hitting the three homers in his only three at-bats. He went deep in the first inning, the third inning and the sixth inning. Lanzilli has been swinging an extremely hot bat lately, with 14 hits over his last six games, but this was a new level. Remarkably, he was hitting .186 when that six-game ride began. Now he’s hitting .303 with four home runs. What a turnaround. Congrats to Chris.

Despite Lanzilli’s power show, Harwich lost that game, but they had Palisch going in the nightcap. The lefty followed up the first complete game shutout since 2017 and his no-hitter with six spotless innings as the Mariners beat Brewster 6-0. Palisch allowed seven hits but didn’t walk a batter and struck out five, always escaping the trouble he found.

Palisch previously hadn’t qualified for the ERA crown, but he’s in the mix now and appeared at the top of the leaderboard with a 0.77 mark.

Chris Galland (Boston College) and Cory Acton (Florida) homered to back Palisch, and Joe Boyle (Notre Dame) pitched the final inning to close out the win and send the Mariners to the playoffs.

 

Orleans 8, Harwich 5; Orleans 4, Chatham 0

Chatham was swept in a split doubleheader with Brewster and Orleans, opening the door for . . . the Orleans Firebirds? It’s been Chatham and Y-D in the top two spots for a while now, but Orleans has been lying in wait. And with Y-D also losing Tuesday, it’s the Firebirds who have moved into a first-place tie with Chatham. Their busy day started with the 8-5 win over Harwich. Shay Whitcomb (UC San Diego) went 3-for-4 with his eighth home run of the summer, going deep for the fourth time in his last nine games. Max Troiani (Bentley) added two hits and two RBI. In the second game, Tanner Murray (UC Davis) and Trevin Esquerra (Loyola Marymount) drove in two runs each to back dominant pitching. Jared Shuster (Wake Forest) went five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and Jeffrey Praml (Southern New Hampshire) pitched two scoreless to finish it off.

 

Bourne 14, Wareham 6

Can you really challenge a three-homer game for best performance of the night? Zavier Warren (Central Michigan) might have a case. The Bourne star went 5-for-6 with a double, a triple, three runs scored and three RBI as the Braves blasted Wareham 14-6. Warren has been a breakout prospect this summer and a recent surge has given him the production to match. With hits in six of his last seven games, he’s turned solid numbers into great numbers. And they get an even bigger bump after Tuesday’s action. Warren is now hitting .310 with an .828 OPS. Warren had help from Ben Rivoli (Virginia), who had two hits and four RBI. Nick Dombkowski (Hartford) allowed just an unearned run in four innings for the win. Bourne has won three in a row.

 

Falmouth 6, Cotuit 4

The Commodores are guaranteed to finish with the best regular-season record in the league after a win over Cotuit and Chatham’s two losses. Falmouth trailed 4-3 after four but tied the game in the fifth and took the lead for good in the seventh. Matheu Nelson (Florida State) homered, while Zach DeLoach (Texas A&M) and Blake Dunn (Western Michigan) each had two hits and an RBI. Aidan Maldonado (Illinois) earned the win in relief of Franco Aleman (St John’s River), with Tyler Ras (Alabama) getting the save. Matthew Mervis (Duke) and Oraj Anu (Wallace CC) both homered for Cotuit.

 

Hyannis 1, Y-D 0

It’s been a really rough season for the Harbor Hawks, but they get a legitimate highlight here. Against one of the best hitting teams in the league, Tommy McCollum (Wingate) and Landon Kelly (Memphis) combined on a one-hit shutout. McCollum, making just his third appearance since coming on board in mid-July, allowed a hit in the first inning and nothing else across six frames. He struck out four and walked one. Kelly didn’t strike out a batter in his relief stint, but was flawless nonetheless, going nine up, nine down to finish off the win. Hyannis scored the game’s lone run in the fourth after Trevor Hauver (Arizona) doubled and came home on an error.

 

What to Watch

Someone will take sole possession of first place in the East when Chatham hosts Orleans.

 
Playoff spots are being secured, but it’s a team with work still to do that’s playing as well as anybody in the East Division.

The Harwich Mariners blasted Chatham 11-0 on Monday night, their second straight win over the first-place Anglers. The Mariners are 6-3-1 over their last 10 games, the best mark in the East in that span.

With a 20-20-1 record, Harwich has a five-point lead on Brewster for the final playoff spot. If they can hold the Whitecaps off, they’ll be a dangerous squad in the postseason, especially if they match up with the Chatham team that they’ve had good luck against lately.

Harwich had the more players in the All-Star Game than any other team. It seemed odd when selections were made, but it speaks to the talent in place. And it’s starting to shine through.

The Mariners had it all working Monday. Start with the pitching. Will Heflin (Tennesse) struck out six in five scoreless innings, and Nick Stewart (James Madison) was even better out of the pen, pitching four no-hit innings with seven strikeouts.

At the plate, Cory Acton (Florida) homered and had five RBI. Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest) went 4-for-4 with two RBI, giving him six hits in his six at-bats over the last two games. Chris Galland (Boston College) added two hits and an RBI.

 

Orleans 7, Y-D 2

In another potential East Division playoff preview, Orleans rallied from a 2-1 deficit with six unanswered runs for a victory over Y-D. The first steps of the rally came on solo home runs, as Rob Emery (San Francisco) hit one to tie it and Tanner Murray (UC Davis) gave Orleans the lead two batters later. A run in the sixth and two in the seventh sent the Firebirds on their way. Max Troiani (Bentley) went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Jacob Hurtubise (Army) had two hits and scored two runs. Angelo Smith (Michigan) pitched four scoreless innings of relief for the win.

 

Wareham 7, Cotuit 2

Falmouth’s hot streak has them in position for the top seed in the West, but there’s still a battle for the second spot. Wareham fired a shot on that front with a win over Cotuit. The Gatemen trailed 2-0 early but broke out for six runs in the fifth inning. In his first game on the Cape, Pete Derkay (Tennessee) hit a two-run triple to start the big inning. Jacob Teter (Florida Southern), Adrian Del Castillo (Miami) and Dallas Beaver (South Carolina) chipped in one RBI each. Tanner Bibee (Cal State Fullerton) and Brandon Pfaadt (Bellarmine) were dominant in relief, Bibee striking out two in three scoreless innings and Pfaadt striking out six in three innings of no-hit baseball. Cotuit, which has dropped two in a row, got two hits from Nick Gonzales, who may follow up his NCAA batting title with a Cape crown. He now leads the lead at .352.

 

Falmouth 9, Hyannis 5; Falmouth 5, Hyannis 5

The Commodores got back to their winning ways in game one at McKeon Park but couldn’t quite start a new streak as they played Hyannis to a tie in the nightcap at Guv Fuller Field. Blake Dunn (Western Michigan) hit a grand slam in the opener, and Kevin Kendall (UCLA) also went deep. Hayden Cantrelle (Louisiana Lafayette) had two hits, an RBI and a run scored. Making just his second appearance, Christian Edwards (Jacksonville State) struck out five of the seven batters he faced to quiet a late push by Hyannis. In the second game, Hyannis took a 5-2 lead in the third, but Falmouth scored two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to pull even. Jackson Olson (Hartford) homered and drove in three for the Harbor Hawks, while Jared DeSantolo (Florida Atlantic) had two hits and two RBI. Austin Masel (Holy Cross) and Tim Tawa (Stanford) each had two hits for Falmouth.

 

Bourne 13, Brewster 3

Bourne scored three runs in the top of the first. Brewster answered with two in the bottom half, but the Braves kept scoring and kept the Whitecaps’ end of the slugfest from materializing. Ryan Cusick (Wake Forest) allowed just those two runs while Karl Johnson (UConn) pitched three scoreless innings of relief. The Braves piled on with two runs in the third, three in the fifth and five in the sixth. Cody Morissette (Boston College) went 3-for-5 with a triple, a double and three RBI. Brendan Rivoli (Virginia) went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. Cade Beloso (LSU) also had three RBI.

 

What to Watch

You can watch a lot of baseball in about a 15-mile radius tomorrow as the East Division goes qild with split doubleheaders. Chatham hosts Brewster at 1 p.m., Harwich hosts Orleans at 2, Harwich hosts Brewster at 6:30 and Orleans welcomes Chatham at 7. It’s like a round robin tournament.

 
Braiden Ward (Washington) went 0-for-3 for Wareham in Sunday’s win over Hyannis. But he reached base with a walk, and when he gets on base, he runs.

With his league-leading 25th steal, Ward has now stolen more bags in the regular season than any Cape League player since 2010. League leaders since then have mostly been in the low 20s or high teens. Ward is well past that and showing no signs of slowing down.

Ward stole 26 bases for Washington over 52 games in the spring. He’s been on an even better pace this summer, with the 25 steals coming across 35 games. Ward is also batting .290 with three home runs and 20 RBI.

The steals have been there almost since the beginning. He didn’t steal any bags in his first game this season, but then stole at least one in six in a row. Overall, he has logged at least one steal in 20 games. He has been caught stealing five times.

Heading into Sunday, Ward had already stolen more bags than anyone since Brewster’s Scott Heineman in 2013. Now he’s passed Heineman and matched Brewster’s Andy Burns, who stole 25 in 2010.

The next guy on the list will be tough to top. Cotuit’s Chris Brisson swiped 36 in 2009. But if Ward keeps getting on base, he’s going to keep running.

 

Wareham 7, Hyannis 1; Wareham 3, Hyannis 3

Beyond Ward’s bit of history, Wareham won the first game of a twin bill with Hyannis, before the teams played to a tie in the second game. Dallas Beaver (South Carolina) and recent addition Zack Mathis, a juco transfer who’s headed to LSU, both homered in the opening game. William Fleming (Wake Forest) allowed one earned run in four innings and Trent Palmer (Jacksonville) pitched three scoreless innings of relief. Wareham led 3-0 in the sixth inning of game two but Hyannis rallied to tie the game. Jared DeSantolo (Florida Atlantic) hit a pinch-hit two-run homer to pull the Harbor Hawks within one and Trevor Hauver (Arizona State) went back-to-back to tie the game. Angus McCloskey (Pace) pitched a scoreless seventh for Hyannis. Jason Ruffcorn (Oklahoma), who had given up the runs in the sixth, did the same for Wareham in the bottom of the seventh. Mathis led the Wareham offense with two more RBI, giving him four in the twin bill.

 

Bourne 5, Falmouth 3

Falmouth’s 11-game heater – the longest in the league since 2002 – is over. Bourne scored five runs from the fifth inning on and held off the Commodores. Jake Mackenzie (Fordham) went 3-for-4 with two home runs to lead the Braves. Jud Fabian (Florida) also went deep. Jimmy Glowenke (Dallas Baptist) had two hits and two RBI. Jared Poland (Louisville) earned the win in relief and Kieran Shaw (Harvard) picked up the save. Falmouth got a home run from Trei Cruz (Rice) and two RBI from Jackson Coutts (Rhode Island).

 

Y-D 9, Cotuit 1

Y-D led early and pulled away late for a blowout win over Cotuit. Brad Beesley (Cal Poly) and Carson Taylor (Virginia Tech) homered to lead Y-D’s 15-hit attack. Noah Campbell (South Carolina) added three hits and Austin Wells (Arizona) had two doubles. Seven different players had at least one RBI for the Red Sox. Brady Corrigan (Arizona State) went three scoreless innings and Jack Jett (Hofstra) kept the shutout going through the seventh. Michael Weisberg (Cal State Fullerton) allowed a run in the ninth but still finished off the win. Y-D has won two in a row and with Chatham dropping two straight, now sits one point out of first place.

 

Harwich 5, Chatham 1

Both teams had just four hits, but Harwich capitalized on opportunities better than Chatham did and came away with the win. Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest) had two hits and two RBI. Dylan Neuse (Texas Tech) knocked in a run and scored a run. Jared Wetherbee (Elon) went three scoreless innings before a brilliant long relief outing by Connor Sechler (Missouri State), who struck out seven and allowed one run on just two hits in six innings.

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Brewster 2, Orleans 2

Brewster scored two in the first and led until the eighth, when Orleans scored two to tie the game. Shay Whitcomb (UC San Diego) pulled the Firebirds even with one swing of the bat, belting a two-run shot for his seventh home run of the summer. Gage Workman (Arizona State) and T.J. Collett (Kentucky) had driven in runs for Brewster. Dawson McCarville (Grand Canyon) didn’t allow anything else for Orleans, and two relievers were also lights out. Connor Shamblin (Alabama) pitched seven scoreless innings for Brewster.

 

What to Watch

Falmouth can start a new streak in one day’s time as it takes on Hyannis in a two-location doubleheader. The first game is set for noon in Hyannis, with the second at 6 pm in Falmouth.

Scott Heineman 2013 – 24

Falmouth won its 10th and 11th consecutive games in a doubleheader sweep of Bourne on Saturday.

Let’s put 11 into perspective:

– The Cape League regular season is 44 games. Eleven is one quarter of that. Falmouth is unbeaten in a quarter of the summer.

– Falmouth has more consecutive wins than Hyannis has total wins this season.

– According to the Commodore social media crew, 11 is the longest win streak for the franchise since 1967. It’s also the longest in the league in at least a decade.

– The Commodores have done it in a brutally busy stretch. The 11 wins have come in 13 days, as rescheduled games piled up.

The two most recent wins were 4-2 and 6-4 triumphs over Bourne. The Commodores now own a league-best 24-12-1 record, and the extra games they’re playing are setting the stage for them to pull away. Cotuit has won two in a row but is now seven points back of Falmouth for first place.

Chris Gonzalez (Stetson) – who was on the hook for the loss the last time Falmouth was defeated – turned in his third straight strong start. He allowed two runs in five innings and struck out six on his way to the win. Sam Weatherly (Clemson) and Austin Langworthy (Florida) put the finishing touches on the win.

Hayden Cantrelle (Louisiana Lafayett) and Jackson Coutts (Rhode Island) had three hits each, while Zach DeLoach had two RBI.

In the second game, Falmouth built an early lead and held on. A three-run homer by Steven Moretto (Cal State Sacramento) provided much of the early surge. Trei Cruz (Rice) had an RBI and Cantrelle logged two more hits.

After Brant Brown (Eckerd) allowed two runs in five innings, Aidan Maldonado (Illinois) struck out four of the six batters he faced to finish out the win.

 

Orleans 4, Brewster 3; Brewster 7, Orleans 3

The Firebirds and Whitecaps split a twin bill at Stony Brook Field. In the opener, Shay Whitcomb (UC San Diego) went 3-for-3 with a home run. Zach Britton (Louisville) also homered and drove in two. Chase Wallace (Tennessee) earned the win out of the bullpen with three scoreless innings. For Brewster, T.J. Collett homered in the first game, moving into a tie for the league lead with nine. In the second game, Brewster didn’t homer but successfully rallied from 2-1 deficit in the fifth inning. Jesse Franklin (Michigan) led the way with two hits and three RBI.

 

Cotuit 10, Chatham 3

Chatham owned a decent win streak of its own, but Cotuit stopped it emphatically at four games. Oraj Anu (Wallace State), Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State), Matthew Mervis (Duke) and Adam Oviedo (Oral Roberts) did the damage in a 15-hit attack. Anu and Mervis had four hits each, while Gonzales had three hits and four RBI. Gonzales has shaken off a brief cold spell with a 6-for-11 stretch over his last three games. Ranking second in hitting, tied for fourth in home runs and second in RBI, Gonzales has to be the MVP favorite at this point. Jackson Wolf (West Virginia), Bo Hofstra (Purdue) and Mervis – a two-way player – were the beneficiaries of the offensive burst on the mound.

 

Y-D 13, Harwich 7

After playing to a tie the day before, Y-D and Harwich met again and the Red Sox prevailed in a slugfest. Austin Wells (Arizona) went 4-for-4 with an RBI, Riley King (Georgia) went 4-for-5 and Noah Cardenas (UCLA) drove in a three-run homer. Ledgend Smith (Oklahoma) gave up five runs, but only one was earned. Gordon Ingebritsen (UC Irvine) earned the save with three solid innings.

 

Wareham 9, Hyannis 1

After a long break, Ian Bedell (Missouri) picked up where he left off, striking out eight in five scoreless innings. That’s now five scoreless outings in his six starts this summer. His ERA stands at 0.59 and his 36 strikeouts rank fourth. He had plenty of offensive support in this one. Braiden Ward (Washington) went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Matt McClain (UCLA) went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

 

What to Watch

Falmouth is at the top of the watch priority list at this point. The Commodores will take on Bourne again at Doran Park tonight.

A Brewster Whitecap won the Cape League’s home run derby, and now his team is leading the season-long derby.

With three home runs in Friday’s 8-1 win over Hyannis, the Whitecaps overtook Cotuit – who has been at the top all season – for the league lead in homers. They’re up to 34 in 36 games.

The Whitecaps can claim two of the top three spots on the individual leaderboard, but those guys – derby champ Tyler Hardman (Oklahoma) and derby runner-up T.J. Collett (Kentucky) – weren’t even involved in Friday’s slugging.

Gage Workman (Arizona State) and Jesse Franklin (Michigan) both got in on the act with their first home runs of the summer, while Tyler Gentry (Alabama) hit his second. The Whitecaps have hit at least one homer in four consecutive games.

The pitching beneficiaries on Friday included Stephen Emanuels (Washington), who went 4.1 scoreless innings, and Daniel Harper (Kentucky), who was credited with the win.

Brewster won its second straight and is four points out of a playoff spot in the East.

Friday’s loss eliminated Hyannis from postseason contention.

 

Falmouth 2, Orleans 1

It may catch up to them at some point, but for now, the Commodores are actually taking advantage of their busy schedule rather than getting worn down by it. With their ninth straight win – a 2-1 triumph over Orleans – they’re opened up a five-point lead at the top of the West standings. Zach DeLoach (Texas A&M) went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Steven Moretto (Cal State Sacramento) drove in the other run as part of a 2-for-3 night. The slim lead was enough for four Falmouth pitchers. Carmen Mlodzinski (South Carolina) struck out five in five shutout innings for the win, while moving into a tie for the league lead in Ks. Christian Edwards (Jacksonville State) followed with two scoreless frames. Caleb Wurster (UConn) gave up a run in the eighth but also stranded the tying run on third to keep Falmouth on front. Zachary Brzykcy (Virginia Tech) recorded his league-best seventh save – and his fourth in the win streak.

 

Chatham 6, Bourne 2

Chatham won its fourth in a row, and like Falmouth, has a five-point cushion in first place. Four runs in the top of the first inning – against one of the top pitchers in the league, Mac Lardner (Gonzaga) set the tone. Alex Toral (Miami) drove in two with a single, Jamal O’Guinn (USC) knocked in one with a base hit and Kendrick Calilao (Florida) plated one on a fielder’s choice. Two pitchers were both solid for the Anglers, Ty Madden (Texas) allowing one run in four innings and Jack Owen (Auburn) giving up one run in five innings. Lardner was charged with four earned runs, though he did manage nine strikeouts. With Hyannis losing, Bourne clinched the final playoff spot in the West despite the loss.

 

Cotuit 6, Wareham 1

Oraj Anu (Wallace State CC) moved into the leadoff spot, led off the bottom of the first with a single, and ended up going 2-for-3 with his fifth home run of the summer as Cotuit beat Wareham. Anu added three RBI. Joey Loperfido (Duke), Casey Schmitt (San Diego State), and Coltyn Kessler (Kentucky) had one RBI each. Schmitt also starred in relief, striking out three in 4.1 hitless, scoreless innings. The win moved Cotuit one point ahead of Wareham for second place.

 

Harwich 4, Y-D 4

Down to its last strike in the top of the ninth, Y-D got an RBI single from Wyatt Young to tie the game, and that’s how it would end. Young went 2-for-5 and is back atop the batting average leaderboard. Carson Taylor (Virginia Tech) homered and drove in three for the Red Sox, while Jake Palmer (UC Irvine) scored two runs. For Harwich, Hal Hughes (LSU) and Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest) each had two hits and an RBI. Antonio Menendez (Wake Forest) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before giving up two singles and the homer to Taylor.

 

What to Watch

Ian Bedell (Missouri) hasn’t had a chance to bolster his status as the league’s top pitcher in a while, but will get the ball as Wareham hosts Hyannis. Bedell was coming off six shutout innings in a July 10 start when his next start was washed out. Bedell has a 0.70 ERA.

Y-D has been challenging Chatham for first place in the East for a while now, but the Anglers always seem to emerge in the top spot.

Consistently beating Y-D is a big reason why.

Thursday’s game at Veterans Field marked the end of the season series between the teams. Chatham won the game 4-3, finishing off an unbeaten run against the Red Sox. The Anglers won five of the games in the six-game series, with one tie mixed in. It’s been a very impressive show of strength, and it currently has the Anglers with a four-point cushion in the top perch.

Chatham won the first meeting in June by a 7-3 score. A week later, it was a 4-2 win. After that came a dominant performance on July 1, a 15-1 win that still stands as the team’s best offensive night of the season. Y-D fought to a 1-1 tie in the July 12 meeting, but even that featured a late rally by Chatham.

Then this week, the series concluded with games on back-to-back days. Chatham won 5-0 on Wednesday.

Y-D led 3-1 after four innings in Thursday’s game, but Chatham tied the game on a two-run homer by Alex Toral (Miami) in the sixth inning. In the eighth, Ben Ramirez (USC) walked, took second on a groundout, stole third and scampered home when the throw to third got away.

Y-D put runners on first and second in the ninth, but Hugh Fisher (Vanderbilt) struck out Austin Wells (Arizona), the only batter he faced, to finish off the victory.

Jeremy Wu-Yelland (Hawaii) earned the win with 4.2 scoreless innings of relief.

The win pushed Chatham’s league-best record to 22-12-2. It’s worth wondering where Y-D would be with better results against Chatham; after all, the Red Sox are 20-11-1 against everybody else.

But not the Anglers.

 

Falmouth 6, Orleans 1

Falmouth rolled on, winning its eighth in a row. It’s the longest win streak in the league this season. The Commodores took a lead in the middle innings and didn’t allow Orleans to score until the final frame. Baron Radcliff (Georgia Tech) hit his fifth home run, while Blake Dunn (Western Michigan) and Tim Tawa (Stanford) got in on the act, each hitting their first. Justin Wrobleski (Clemson) went five shutout innings with three strikeouts. Bradley Littleton (Lewis) and Sean Mullen (UCLA) kept the shutout going, with Mullen striking out four of the seven batters he faced. Logan Hoffman (Northwwestern State) surrendered a run in the ninth but nothing else. Falmouth now has a four-point edge on Wareham for first place in the West.

 

Bourne 4, Hyannis 2; Bourne 5, Hyannis 4

If Hyannis was going to make a miracle push to the playoffs, it was going to have to include a sweep here. Instead, Bourne got the sweep and moved within one win of clinching a playoff spot and eliminating the Harbor Hawks. The Braves rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the first game. Jimmy Glowenke (Dallas Baptist) hit a solo home run in the fourth to tie the game, then had an RBI single in the fifth to un-tie it. Glowenke finished 3-for-3 with three RBI. Harriston Rutkowski (Rutgers) allowed two runs in five innings for the win. Jared Poland (Louisville) and Kieran Shaw (Harvard) closed it out. For Hyannis in the first game, Konner Ash (Missouri) struck out four and took over the league lead in Ks with 40. The second game was tied 4-4 in the eighth – the first extra-inning since it was a doubleheader – when Bourne walked off with the win. Glowenke was the hero again, as his sacrifice fly plated Brendan Ravoli (Virginia) with the game-winning run. As usual, Hunter Goodman (Memphis) was a bright spot for Hyannis, hitting his seventh home run and pushing his league-best RBI total to 35.

 

Harwich 9, Cotuit 1

Harwich raced to a 4-0 lead in the second inning and didn’t need even that much as three pitchers combined to shut down Cotuit. Niko Kavadas (Notre Dame) hit his league-best ninth home run, giving him more than the end-of-season league leaders in five of the past six seasons. The one exception was Griffin Conine, who had nine in 2017. Joey Wiemer Jr. (Cincinnati) added two hits and an RBI, while Daniel Cabrera (LSU) knocked in two runs. Connor McCullough (Kansas State) struck out three in five scoreless innings. Nick Zwack (Xavier) allowed one run in three innings of relief, and Devin Ortiz (Virginia) tossed a perfect ninth.

 

What to Watch

Falmouth and Orleans meet again in what should be a very good pitching matchup. Carmen Mlodzinski (South Carolina), who ranks third in the league in strikeouts, goes for Falmouth against Jake Eder (Vanderbilt), who has yet to allow a run since arriving from Omaha.

How do you top the first complete-game shutout in the league since 2017?

How about the first no-hitter since 2015?

Jacob Palisch (Stanford) did exactly that for Harwich on Wednesday night. He now owns two complete-game shutouts this season, and the second one was better than the first. He walked two, struck out seven and didn’t surrender a hit in a 2-0 Harwich win over Orleans.

It’s a rare feat in the Cape League. There have been a few no-hitters with caveats – combined efforts by a few pitchers, weather-shortened achievements. Just this year, Nick Dombkowski threw a five-inning perfect game that was called due to rain.

I suppose Palisch’s gem also comes with an asterisk. Since the game was part of a doubleheader, it was a seven-inning game, but because it was scheduled that way and not shortened, we’ll put this no-hitter into the official category. It’s the first such no-hitter in the league since Devin Smeltzer did it for Hyannis in 2015. Before that, it was another Stanford pitcher who did it – Jordan Pries in 2010.

Palisch hit a batter in the first inning and walked one in the third, but then retired 14 in a row before issuing a two-out walk in the final frame. The last chance to break up the no-no-, Rob Emery, flew out to center field for the final out.

Palisch lowered his ERA to 0.93, which ranks second in the league. But his two complete-game gems most certainly rank first.

 

Orleans 8, Harwich 3

Palisch’s no-hitter was in the first game of the doubleheader with Orleans, and the Firebirds rebounded for a win in the second game. Emery, Shay Whitcomb (UC San Diego) and Josh Zamora (Nevada) all went deep for Orleans, while Max Troiani (Bentley) had three hits and three RBI. Jared Shuster (Wake Forest) allowed three runs in four innings for the win.

 

Falmouth 2, Wareham 1

We almost had two no-hitters on the same night. Instead, Falmouth broke up Wareham’s combined no-hit bid in the eighth and came away with an improbable win. Levi Prater (Oklahoma) and Brandon Pfaadt (Bellarmine) put together the no-hit effort, Prater going the first two innings and Pfaadt dominating in 5.1 innings. Austin Langworthy (Florida) broke up the no-no with a single to lead off the eighth. An Austin Masel (Holy Cross) sacrifice fly tied the game. Later in the inning, a bases-loaded walk to Zach DeLoach (Texas A&M) plated the go-ahead run. Zachary Brzykcy (Virginia Tech) pitched the ninth to finish off the win for Falmouth. Brant Brown (Eckerd) pitched three hitless of innings of relief for the win. Before all that, Falmouth starter Franco Aleman (St. John’s River) finally allowed an earned run, his first of the summer. He still leads the league in ERA at 0.32. The win was the seventh in a row for Falmouth.

 

Brewster 3, Cotuit 0

Mason Black (Lehigh) starred again and T.J. Collett (Kentucky) ended a pitcher’s duel with his eighth home run of the summer as Brewster topped Cotuit. Black struck out five and allowed three hits in five innings, lowering his ERA to 1.44. Sean Fisher (Maryland) kept the shutout going with four innings of one-hit ball. Trey Holland (Sewanee) struck out seven in five scoreless for Cotuit, but Collett broke the ice against the Kettleer bullpen. The two-run blast moved Collett into a tie for the league lead with Harwich’s Niko Kavadas.

 

Chatham 5, Y-D 0

Three Anglers combined on a shutout as Chatham reclaimed sole possession of first place with a win over Y-D, who had entered the day locked in a first-place tie. Cole Ayers (Kentucky) struck out five and allowed just two hits in five scoreless innings. Just like the last time Ayers pitched, his Kentucky teammate Mason Hazelwood followed him to the mound, this time tossing three hitless innings of relief. Dawson Merryman (Midland) – who I don’t think has any connection to Kentucky – pitched the final inning. Five different players drove in each of the five runs. Ben Ramirez (USC) and Hueston Morrill (Oklahoma State) had two hits each.

 

What to Watch

Y-D and Chatham, the top two teams in the East, will meet for the second straight night, this one at Veterans Field.

 
It was just a one-day all-star break for the hottest team in the league, and it didn’t slow them down.

Falmouth won its sixth game in a row Monday night, beating Brewster 4-1 in seven innings. With Cotuit getting rained out and Wareham idle, the Commdores are now in sole possession of first place in the West standings. And like Cotuit, they’ve also taken advantage of the struggles of Hyannis to clinch a playoff spot.

Monday’s game marked one week since the streak began with a 2-0 victory over Hyannis. The Commodores haven’t been racking up big offensive numbers but haven’t needed to thanks to strong pitching. In the six wins, Falmouth has allowed a total of seven earned runs.

Nick Nastrini (UCLA) and Aidan Maldonado (Illinois) teamed up for another strong showing Monday. Nastrini struck out six and allowed one run in five innings of work for the win. Maldonado fanned four in two shutout innings en route to the save.

Brewster made the highlight reel with a triple play in the third inning, but Falmouth got all the offense it would need an inning later, with a four-run burst. An error let the first run home. Trei Cruz (Rice) followed with an RBI single and Jackson Coutts (Rhode Island) had a two-run single. T.J. Collett (Kentucky) hit his seventh home run for Brewster, but that would be their only offense.

 

Y-D 5, Bourne 0

For the third time in four meetings, a Y-D/Bourne matchup ended with a shutout. Bourne did it once and Y-D has now donw it twice. Jack Leftwich (Florida) started things off with five strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Chase Walter (Western Carolina) and Brady Corrigan (Arizona State) closed it out. Noah Campbell and Jack-Thomas Wold (UNLV) each had two hits and two RBI to pace the offense. Y-D has won two in a row and is now tied with Chatham atop the East.

 

Orleans 4, Hyannis 2

Austin Love (North Carolina) pitched five scoreless innings and the bullpen held off a charge as Orleans beat Hyannis. Love struck out six, walked one and scattered five hits. Hyannis touched up Chase Wallace (Tennessee) for two runs, but Angelo Smith (Michigan) and Connor Pellerin (Tulane) shut the door. Pellerin earned his third save and kept his ERA at 0.00 across 10 innings. Zach Daniels (Tennessee) led the offense with a home run and three RBI. Eddie McCabe (Georgetown) had three hits and scored three runs.

 

What to Watch

Wareham and Y-D are in Hartford, Connecticut, for an off-Cape game at Dunkin Donuts Park, home of the minor league Yard Goats.

 
At the All-Star break, three of the five teams in the West Division can call themselves first place teams, thanks to wins by Wareham and Falmouth and a loss by Cotuit. It’s a three-way tie for the top spot.

 

Falmouth 3, Orleans 1

Falmouth has surged into its first-place tie, winning its fifth straight game. Sometimes a streak elevates performances and maybe that was the case for Falmouth starter Chris Gonzalez (Stetson), who came in with an ERA of 7.17 and promptly pitched six shutout innings. Brant Brown (Eckerd), Caleb Wurster (UConn) and Zachary Brzykcy (Virginia Tech) closed it out. Zach DeLoach (Texas A&M) had two hits and an RBI, while Baron Radcliff (Georgia Tech) and Steven Moretto (Cal State Sacramento) drove in one run each. Orleans got a home run from Shay Whitcomb (UC San Diego).

 

Wareham 7, Bourne 5

Wareham used a five-run fourth inning to build a lead and held on from there, shaking off Friday’s doubleheader sweep by Falmouth in the process. Darren Baker (Cal) had a two-run single in the big inning, while Braiden Ward (Washington), Jacob Teter (Florida Southern) and Adrian Del Castillo (Miami) plated one run each. Baker finished 3-for-5 with two RBI. The first two pitchers on the mound for Wareham went one inning each, but Lukas Veinbergs (Missouri) picked up the slack with six solid innings.

 

Hyannis 6, Cotuit 2

Down 5-0 in the season series, Hyannis salvaged a win in the finale. The Harbor Hawks took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, gave up two runs, then broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth and led the rest of the way. Bryce Teodosio (Clemson) homered for the Harbor Hawks, while Hunter Goodman (Memphis) went 3-for-4 and upped his league best RBI total to 29. Jared DeSantolo (Florida Atlantic) also drove in two runs. Glenn Albanese (Louisville) allowed two runs before shutout relief work by Kyle Murphy (Northeastern) and Konner Ash (Missouri). Murphy went 2.1 innings and Ash pitched the final 1.1.

 

Y-D 6, Brewster 5

Over in the East, Y-D won in dramatic fashion and looked poised to move into a first-place tie as well, but Chatham rallied past Harwich to stay alone in first. Y-D came back from a 5-3 deficit in the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off win. Erik Tolman (Arizona State) homered to start the comeback and Austin Wells (Arizona) tied the game with an RBI single. Andrew Eyster (South Carolina) played hero, smacking a single through the left side that scored Brad Beesley (Cal Poly) with the winning run. Interestingly, Tolman and Eyster were both pinch-hitting in those spots. Talk about pushing the right buttons. The rally made a win out of Taylor Dollard (Cal Poly). Oscar Carvajal (Fresno State) was solid in relief before that, striking out six in three scoreless innings. Brewster built its lead on the shoulders of T.J. Collett (Kentucky), who hit a grand slam in the fifth inning for his sixth home run of the summer.

 

Chatham 6, Harwich 4

Harwich led 4-2 into the late innings, but Chatham tied the game in the seventh and took the lead in the eighth. Alex Toral (Miami) had a two-run double to pull the Anglers even. Jorge Arenas (Stetson) gave Chatham the lead on one swing in the eighth, hitting a solo home run. Austin Vernon (NC Central) pitched the final two innings and earned the win. Luke Bartnicki (Georgia Tech) also pitched well in relief.

 

What to Watch

The All-Star Game will be played in Orleans. For a full schedule, visit capecodbaseball.org.

 
With Hyannis really struggling this season, there were bound to be some playoff tickets punched early in the West Division, and Cotuit was the first to do it. The Kettleers rolled over Hyannis 15-5, improving to 17-13-3 and securing a bid with 11 games still remaining in the regular season.

Hyannis actually took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and held it until the third, but it was all Cotuit from there. The Kettleers knocked 12 hits, including three home runs, to pull away.

Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State) hit his seventh home run, part of a 2-for-5, three RBI night. He just hasn’t slowed down. He had an 0-for-5 July 9 and is on a six-game hitting streak – with three home runs – since then. He’s the league MVP favorite in my book.

Gonzales has some company, with Cotuit continuing to lead the league in home runs. Parker Chavers (Coastal Carolina) hit his fifth on this night and drove in three. Joey Loperfido (Duke) also went deep and drove in three. Oraj Anu (Wallace CC) added two hits and two RBI. Jackson Wolf (West Virginia) struck out five in four innings. Richard Brereton (Emery) earned the win in relief.

Cotuit has taken over first place in the West. The Kettleers are also 5-0 against Hyannis this summer.

 

Falmouth 5, Wareham 2; Falmouth 6, Wareham 4

There were also some interesting happenings just below Cotuit in the West standings last night. Falmouth swept a doubleheader from Wareham – who’s been hovering near the top of the standings all summer – and moved into a second-place tie with the Gatemen. Three pitchers quieted the Gatemen bats in game one. Carmen Mlodzinski (South Carolina) struck out four and allowed just an unearned run in five innings. Aidan Maldonado (Illinois) and Sean Mullen (UCLA) finished it off. Zach DeLoach (Texas A&M) and Trei Cruz (Rice) homered. In game two, Falmouth rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 4-3 lead before Wareham tied the game in its last at-bat on an RBI single by Benjamin Sems (Kansas). But Baron Radcliff (Georgia Tech) played hero in the eighth – the first extra inning since it was a doubleheader – smashing a two-run homer for the lead. Austin Langworthy (Florida) worked the home half of the eighth for the save. Falmouth has won four in a row.

 

Orleans 8, Bourne 3

Orleans built an early lead and didn’t allow a run until the eighth en route to a win over Bourne. Jake Eder (Vanderbilt) was dominant over five scoreless innings, striking out six and surrendering two hits. Zach Britton (Louisville), Trevin Esquerra (Loyola Marymount) and Rob Emery (San Francisco) homered for the Firebirds, and Max Troiani (Bentley) had three hits.

 

Harwich 9, Y-D 4

Harwich used a five-run seventh inning to break open a close game en route to its third straight win. Dylan Neuse (Texas Tech), who had been scuffling since a late arrival from Omaha, hit two home runs in a 3-for-4, 5 RBI night. Chris Galland (Boston College) delivered his second consecutive three-hit night and added an RBI. Nick Stewart (James Madison) earned the win in relief and Connor Sechler (Missouri State) finished it off. For Y-D, Austin Wells (Arizona) hit his seventh home run and Whatt Young (Pepperdine) had three hits. Young is back atop the batting average leaderboard at .371.

 

Brewster 9, Chatham 1

Brewster rode strong pitching and a 10-hit attack to a win over first-place Chatham. Tyler Follis (Louisiana Tech) allowed one run in 5.2 innings and Sean Fisher (Maryland) tossed scoreless ball over the final 3.1 innings. Gage Workman (Arizona State) went 4-for-5 with three RBI and T.J. Collett (Kentucky) had two hits and three RBI.

 

What to Watch

Cotuit will try to finish off a season series sweep of Hyannis as it hosts the Harbor Hawks at Lowell Park.