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Red Hot Return

Gio Brusa is riding an 11-game hit streak for Y-D, who has won four in a row.
Gio Brusa is riding an 11-game hit streak for Y-D, who has won four in a row.

 
Baseball America listed Gio Brusa (Pacific) as the Cape League’s fourth-best prospect last summer. The other players in the top five all were selected among the first 73 picks in the 2015 draft. Brusa was selected with pick number 701, in the 23rd round. The 6’3, 225-pound outfielder was coming off an injury-hampered junior season and he had reportedly indicated to teams before the draft that he was leaning toward a return to Pacific.

With another year of college ahead, Brusa headed for the Cape and hooked on with the Y-D Red Sox, after spending last summer in Brewster. He got off to a shaky start, going 3-for-23 out of the gates, but since then, he has looked the part of the guy who kept good prospect company last year.

Brusa is on an 11-game hitting streak and hit his fifth home run in that span last night as Y-D beat Harwich 5-3. Brusa is now hitting .277, is tied for the league lead in home runs with five and ranks sixth in the league in RBI with 14.

Again, he has done essentially all of this in 11 games.

Brusa’s hot streak has helped the Red Sox find their footing, too. Tuesday’s win was their fourth in a row. They’re 7-4 in the month of July and have moved one game over .500 at 15-14.

Tuesday, they were tied with Harwich 1-1 before Brusa’s three-run homer powered a four-run fifth inning.

Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State) and Tommy Edman (Stanford) added two hits and an RBI each. Edman is on a hot streak of his own, with hits in nine straight games.

Stater Brett Adcock (Michigan) allowed two runs in 4.2 innings before a strong showing by the Y-D bullpen. Dalton Lehnen (Cincinnati) got the win in relief and Ben Bowden (Vanderbilt) picked up his first save. Bowden, a late arrival after Vandy’s run in Omaha, has struck out 12 in 6.1 scoreless innings this summer.

Y-D is now tied with Brewster for third place in the East and only one game back of Chatham for second. With Brusa streaking toward a second straight all-star summer, the defending champion Red Sox may be primed for another run.
 

Brewster 6, Chatham 0

Alec Rash (Missouri) delivered perhaps the best performance of his college and Cape League career as Brewster shut out Chatham. Rash, a former second-round pick of the Phillies that has struggled at Missouri, tossed six innings of one-hit ball against the Anglers. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. Three relievers followed him to the hill and finished off the shutout, as Chatham managed just three hits. Toby Handley (Stony Brook) led the Brewster offense with two hits and two RBI. League batting and RBI leader Nick Senzel (Tennessee) went 1-for-5 and knocked in his 19th run. J.C. Escarra (Florida International) and Ryan Peurifoy (Georgia Tech) also had RBI. Brewster is now just one game back of Chatham for second place in the East.
 

Hyannis 5, Falmouth 2

The Harbor Hawks stopped Falmouth’s four-game winning streak and upped their West division lead to four games with a 5-2 victory. Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast) delivered his best start since his no-hitter last month, giving up one earned run and striking out five in 6.2 innings of work. Aaron Civale (Northeastern) notched his third save in relief of Smeltzer. Ryne Birk (Texas A&M) went 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Hyannis attack. Austin Hays (Jacksonville) homered, while Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) and Arden Pabst (Georgia Tech) had two hits each.
 

Orleans 8, Wareham 2

East-leading Orleans also gained a little more distance, pushing its lead to five games with a win over Wareham and a Chatham loss. Eric Lauer (Kent State), who’s doing his best to keep up with teammate Mitchell Jordan, struck out nine and gave up one run on two hits in five innings of work. Lauer is now second in the league in strikeouts to Jordan with 39 and fifth in ERA with a 1.45 mark. Catcher Sean Murphy (Wright State) went 3-for-5 for the second time in four games, raising his average to .235 and continuing his emergence as another big bat in the powerful Firebirds lineup. Bryson Brigman (San Diego) added two RBI.
 

Cotuit 3, Bourne 1

The Kettleers moved within two games of second-place Bourne in the tightly-packed West standings with a 3-1 win over the Braves. Jeren Kendall (Vanderbilt) had two hits, a home run and an RBI, giving him six hits in five games since his late arrival. Brett Stephens (UCLA) added two hits. Matthew Milburn (Wofford) allowed just an unearned run in 5.2 innings for the win. Justin Dunn (Boston College) tallied his fourth save.
 

What to Watch

Daulton Jefferies (California), who had a 2.57 ERA with Team USA, makes his return to Wareham as the Gatemen visit Chatham tonight.
 

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Nick of Time

Nick Senzel is hitting .463 in his last 10 games and has taken over the league lead in hitting.
Nick Senzel is hitting .463 in his last 10 games and has taken over the league lead in hitting.

 
Nick Senzel has had two very good spring seasons at Tennessee, but his first taste of summer baseball last year wasn’t quite so good. Senzel hit three home runs but only batted .210 for the Matsu Miners in the Alaska Baseball League.

This year, Senzel is having the kind of summer that matches his springs. With a 4-for-5 night in Brewster’s 2-0 win over Cotuit Sunday, Senzel is now leading the Cape League in hitting, RBI, extra-base hits and slugging percentage.

The 6’1, 205-pound infielder got off to a strong start for the Whitecaps and really turned it on when the calendar flipped to July. Senzel has a hit in eight of his last 10 games and is batting .463 in that span, raising his average from .306 up to the current league leading mark of .369. He has six multi-hit games, two home runs and six extra-base hits in the month of July.

Senzel has set the pace for a Brewster team that has the best batting average in the league. Sunday, his 4-for-5 day included a double and an RBI as the Whitecaps topped Cotuit. For good measure, Senzel stole a pair of bases, giving him 11 on the summer, which is tied for the league lead.

The two runs didn’t represent a typical performance for the Whitecaps, who don’t often win pitchers duels. But with the offense providing just enough, Tyson Miller (California Baptist) went five scoreless innings and the bullpen gave up just one hit over the final four innings to seal the win.

Tyler Ramirez (North Carolina) added an RBI.

The Whitecaps improved to 14-14 good for a third-place tie with Y-D in the East. With Senzel leading the charge, July may get even better.
 

Orleans 5, Hyannis 4 (10 innings)

Kyle Lewis (Mercer) has had some big moments this summer, but few could match Sunday, when Lewis hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th to give the Firebirds a 5-4 victory over Hyannis in a match-up of division leaders. Hyannis had scored two in the ninth to force extra innings, but three walks loaded the bases for Lewis in the 10th. With two outs, he smacked a base hit to plate the winning run. The victory moved Orleans to 20-8, and the Firebirds are now four games better than any team in the league. Jared Carkuff (Austin Peay) picked up the win in relief. Nick Zammarelli (Elon), Ronnie Dawson (Ohio State) and Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) all had two hits for the Firebirds, with Dalbec hitting his fifth home run in just 13 games and his first since returning from a Team USA stint. For Hyannis, Jake Rogers (Tulane) hit a two-run homer that tied the game in the ninth.
 

Y-D 3, Wareham 2 (10 innings)

There was also free baseball at Red Wilson Field, where Y-D rallied from a late 2-0 deficit and won it in the 10th on a walk-off single by Mike Donadio (St. John’s). The Red Sox scored a run in the seventh and one in the ninth to force extras. A single by Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State) and a double by Gio Brusa (Washington) set the table for Donadio, who came through with the two-out base hit to score Walton. The rally made a winner out of Cory Malcolm (Arkansas Little Rock). Tommy Edman (Stanford) had three hits for the Red Sox while Connor Wong (Houston) homered. For Wareham, Andrew Calica (UC Santa Barbara) came through with his fourth consecutive two-hit game.
 

Chatham 2, Harwich 0

Four pitchers combined to surrender just four hits as the Anglers shut out Harwich at Whitehouse Field. Garrett Williams (Oklahoma State), a lefty with big potential, made his first start after four relief appearances and tossed five scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Brandon Miller (Millersville), Cameron Stone (Stony Brook) and Aaron McGarity (Virginia Tech) followed suit, going the final four innings to finish off the shutout. Harwich pitching was also strong, but Chatham broke up the shutout with two runs in the fifth on RBI singles from Garrett Hampson (Long Beach State) – who’s back from Team USA – and Kyle Brooks (North Florida).
 

Falmouth 8, Bourne 6

Because they began the run at the bottom of the West standings, it’s been a little quiet, but Falmouth has won four in a row and is the hottest team in the league. J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI to lead a 12-hit attack in the win over Bourne. Logan Ice (Oregon State) added two hits and two RBI, while Heath Quinn (Samford) chipped in two hits and two runs scored. Falmouth used six pitchers, with Jack Finnegan (McLennan CC) getting the win. Wyatt Short (Ole Miss) struck out four of the five batters he faced for the save. Falmouth is now just two points out of second place in the West.
 

What to Watch

League-wide off-day today. When action resumes Tuesday, Hyannis will try to slow down red-hot Falmouth when it visits Guv Fuller Field.
 

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Be Like Mitch

Mitchell Jordan tossed six shutout innings to improve to 5-0.
Mitchell Jordan tossed six shutout innings to improve to 5-0.

 
News flash: Mitchell Jordan (Stetson) allowed an extra-base hit Saturday night.

But it was a return to originally-scheduled programming soon after.

Jordan continued his absolutely dominant summer with six more shutout innings as Orleans beat Brewster 2-0. Jordan – six starts and 33 innings into his Cape League career – still has a 0.00 ERA.

Brewster’s Ryan Peurifoy (Georgia Tech) doubled in the third inning for the first extra-base hit allowed by Jordan this summer. It put runners on second and third, an earned run just 90 feet away. Jordan responded by striking out Brewster’s best hitter, Nick Senzel (Tennessee) to end the inning. He didn’t allow another hit, finishing with six innings of two-hit baseball, to go with nine strikeouts.

This is the time of year back in 2012 that Sean Manaea – who will be the measuring stick for Cape League aces for a long time – started to fully cement an incredible summer, with dominant start after dominant start. Jordan isn’t quite on the same strikeout pace as the former Hyannis star, but as RFF commenter Orville suggested, his overall performance is looking downright Manaean. This is not simply a great beginning or a hot streak – Jordan is having a tremendous summer.

Jordan leads the league in wins with five, strikeouts with 40 and ERA at 0.00. He has given up 11 hits the entire summer, for an opponents batting average of .104. He has gone at least five innings in every start and hasn’t surrendered more than three hits in any of them. He was won five consecutive starts after a no-decision in his summer debut.

Saturday’s win also came at an important time for the Firebirds, who had lost two in a row. They scratched a run across in the first on an error and added one in the ninth on a Willie Abreu (Miami) sacrifice fly.

Two runs were plenty. Brewster’s J.D. Busfield (Loyola Marymount) had a strong start as well, giving up one run in six innings. But as has been the case all summer, it wasn’t good enough to keep up with Mitchell Jordan.
 

Y-D 8, Chatham 1

Gio Brusa (Pacific) hit two home runs and drove in five, and Ricky Thomas (Fresno State) picked up his fifth win as Y-D stopped Chatham’s four-game winning streak. Brusa, who got off to a slow start in his second summer on the Cape, now has a hit in nine straight games and is batting .286 with four home runs. He hit a three-run shot in the third inning Saturday and added a solo shot in the fifth. Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State), Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) and Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) each chipped in two hits, and Y-D scored five earned runs off Zac Gallen (North Carolina), who came in with a 0.00 ERA in three starts. Thomas allowed one run in 5.2 innings for his fifth win in as many tries. With the win, Y-D moved one point ahead of Harwich for fourth place in the East.
 

Bourne 4, Hyannis 1

The Braves have moved into second place in the West, and though they’re still six points back of division leader Hyannis, they’re also 3-0 against the Harbor Hawks after Saturday’s win. Bourne was shut-out for six innings but scored three in the seventh and one in the ninth. Nick Solak (Louisville) and Pete Alonso (Florida) each had two hits and an RBI. Ryan Boldt (Nebraska) also had two hits. Cody Sedlock (Illinois) allowed one run in 5.2 innings of work. Doug Norman (LSU) got the win in relief and Austin Conway (Indiana State) tallied his sixth save. For Hyannis, ace Nick Deeg (Central Michigan) righted the ship after a tough outing in his last start, going 5.2 scoreless innings.
 

Wareham 2, Cotuit 1

Evan Hill (Michigan) turned in his third great start, going six innings with one unearned run as Wareham edged Cotuit 2-1. Hill, a 6-5 lefty, has now had three starts in which he’s gone at least five innings without giving up an earned run. He also struck out seven on Saturday and gave up only one hit. Ian Hamilton (Washington State) took the baton in the seventh and tossed three scoreless innings to finish off the win. The Wareham offense was sparked by Andrew Calica (UC Santa Barbara), who went 2-for-4 with an RBI, who has delivered two hits in three straight games.
 

Falmouth 4, Harwich 1

Austin Tribby (Missouri) went six strong innings and the Falmouth offense smacked four doubles in a 4-1 victory over Harwich. Tribby scattered six hits and gave up one run in six innings for the win. Cobi Johnson (Florida State) got the save. Michael Tinsley (Kansas) went 3-for-4 while Heath Quinn (Samford) was 2-for-4 with two RBI.
 

What to Watch

Division leaders Orleans and Hyannis will meet for the third time, this one at Eldredge Park. They have split their first two meetings.
 

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Tightening Up

Cole Billingsley had two hits and two RBI as Y-D shut-out Orleans.
Cole Billingsley had two hits and two RBI as Y-D shut-out Orleans.

 
It’s big news that Team USA’s Bobby Dalbec and Bryson Brigman have returned to Orleans, now that the national team’s summer is over. Dalbec was already at four home runs when he departed while Brigman was one of the league’s leading hitters. Their return gives the best team in the league that much more firepower.

But they return to a race that’s finally turning into a bit of a race.

Hyannis and Orleans have led their divisions almost since day one. While the Harbor Hawks pulled further away from Wareham with a win over the Gatemen last night, the Firebirds have seen their challengers make up some ground in recent days. Y-D shut-out the Firebirds 5-0 Friday and Chatham blew past Brewster 9-1. It’s now a three-game, six-point lead for Orleans over the second-place Anglers. That’s still a big lead, of course, but for a while there, it looked like nobody would ever get close.

Y-D set the stage last night when it three-hit the Firebirds and handed them their first shutout of the season. Brandon Bailey (Gonzaga) had a lot to do with it, striking out eight in 6.2 innings. Bailey came into the summer off a good spring but had been a little up-and-down. This was most definitely an up.

Cory Malcolm (Arkansas Little Rock) did the rest with 2.1 hitless frames.

The Y-D offense put up five runs against Corbin Burnes (Loyola Marymount), one of Orleans’ many aces, who had come in with a 2.82 ERA. Cole Billingsley (Fresno State) had two hits and two RBI to lead the way. Josh Vidales (Houston) also knocked in two.

Around the same time that the Red Sox were shutting down Orleans, Chatham was pulling away from Brewster in a 9-1 win. Aaron Barnett (Pepperdine) went 4-for-5 with four RBI while Will Craig (Wake Forest) had two hits and two RBI. Jake Fraley (LSU) and Luke Persico (UCLA) each scored two runs.

Chatham is on a four-game winning streak and has scored 38 runs in those games. Friday was also their best pitching performance in the win streak, with A.J. Puckett (Pepperdine) and Daniel Castano (Baylor) tossing four strong innings each.

 

Hyannis 3, Wareham 1

The Harbor Hawks were out-hit 11-4 but Wareham stranded 10 runners on base and Hyannis made its hits count in a 3-1 win. David Martinelli (Dallas Baptist) homered and and J.J. Arrington (Baylor) and Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) each drove in a run. Mike King (Boston College) scattered eight hits and gave up one run in five innings of work. Dakota Hudson (Mississippi State) pitched in three scoreless innings of relief and Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast) made his first relief appearance to get the save. Hyannis now has an eight-point lead on the Gatemen in the standings.
 

Cotuit 4, Bourne 3

The Kettleers scored four in the third and didn’t need any more in a 4-3 victory over the Braves. Brett Stephens (UCLA) and Branden Berry (Cal State Northridge) knocked in the runs after rally-starting hits by Cole Fabio (Bryant) and Jeren Kendall (Vanderbilt), who was making his second start since arriving from Omaha. Jonathan King (Georgia Tech) gave up two runs in 4.2 innings, Jack Anderson (Penn State) got the win in relief and Justin Dunn (Boston College) picked up his third save.
 

Falmouth 3, Harwich 2

Falmouth got only three hits and struck out eight times against Harwich starter Cam Vieaux (Michigan State) but broke through against the Mariner bullpen with two in the eighth for a 3-2 win. Michael Tinsley (Kansas) hit a two-run home run to power the eighth inning, after a double by J.B. Woodman (Ole Miss). Wyatt Short (Ole Miss) then tossed a scoreless eighth inning before Stephen Villines (Kansas) pitched into then out of a jam for the save. Harwich scored one run off Villines, but with the tying run on third and the winning run on second, Villines got Sheldon Neuse (Oklahoma) to ground out.
 

What to Watch

Orleans will have ace Mitchell Jordan (Stetson), Right Field Fog’s Midseason Pitcher of the Year, on the hill as it visits Brewster. And there should be a very good pitching match-up in Chatham, where Zac Gallen and his 0.00 ERA go for the Anglers against Y-D’s Ricky Thomas, who’s 4-0 with a 0.73 ERA.
 

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Daily Fog: Second Time Around

Nick Senzel is red-hot for Brewster and helped power a win over Orleans Thursday.
Nick Senzel is red-hot for Brewster and helped power a win over Orleans Thursday.

 
Before Thursday’s rescheduled game, Orleans and Brewster had only played once this season. The first meeting was a 6-4 Brewster win, part of a 3-0 start. Much has changed since, with Orleans storming to the best record in the league at a ridiculous pace, but the second meeting ended the same way as the first.

In the only game of the day, three Brewster pitchers combined to limit Orleans to one run on three hits, and the Whitecap offense delivered two big innings in a 7-1 win.

Vanderbilt’s Jordan Sheffield, who had a strong year pitching mostly out of the Commodores bullpen, made his first Cape start and allowed one run on three hits in six innings. He struck out six in quieting an offense that had scored 24 runs in its last two games. Orleans did not have an extra-base hit.

Nick Highberger (Creighton) followed Sheffield to the mound and tossed two scoreless innings. Trent Paddon (Oregon) pitched the final inning.

At the plate, Brewster put up four runs in the fourth and three in the ninth. Nick Senzel (Tennessee) went 2-for-5 with his third home run and two RBI. Senzel is hitting .462 in his six-game hitting streak.

Cassidy Brown (Loyola Marymount) also drove in two. J.C. Escarra (Florida International) and Jack Meggs (Washington) had two hits and one RBI apiece.

Brewster scored four of its runs – three earned – against Orleans’ Kyle Serrano (Tennessee), who came in with a 2.75 ERA.

Brewster improved to 13-12, while Orleans fell to 18-7.
 

What to Watch

Brewster will host Chatham as the two continue battling it out for second place in the East.
 

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Lucky 13

Chatham has had a lot to celebrate with three straight wins.
Chatham has had a lot to celebrate with three straight wins.

 
The only teams in the Cape League currently sporting a win streak are the teams already stationed atop the East division. With lopsided victories last night, first-place Orleans and second-place Chatham gained a little more cushion.

Orleans beat Cotuit 13-2 at Eldredge Park for its fourth straight win. The Firebirds are now 18-6 (that’s .750 baseball, if you’re scoring at home).

In neighboring Chatham, the Anglers won their third straight, beating Wareham 13-6. The Anglers are still eight points behind Orleans but have a three-point cushion on third-place Harwich and are just one win off the pace of Hyannis for the second-best record in the league.

For Orleans, a win streak is nothing new. At various points, the Firebirds have won six, four and three games in a row this summer, accounting for most of their wins. But the 13-2 win was their highest-scoring game and it came on the heels of an 11-2 win Tuesday. Perhaps the Firebirds are getting even hotter.

Orleans got 17 hits and blasted three home runs against the Kettleers. Ronnie Dawson (Ohio State) hit one for the second straight game, while going 3-for-5 with four RBI. Willie Abreu (Miami) and Justin Jones (Georgia State) each hit their first home runs. Orleans now has 20 homers on the summer, nine more than any other team.

Kyle Lewis (Mercer) and Nick Zammarelli (Elon) had three hits apiece, with Zammarelli doing it for the second straight night. Lewis went for a multi-hit game for the fifth time in seven games, raising his average to .360. Vanderbilt’s Bryan Reynolds, making his second appearance since arriving late from Omaha, went 2-for-4.

Eric Lauer (Kent State) had no trouble making the lead stand up, tossing six innings of no-run, one-hit baseball. He struck out eight and brought his ERA to 1.38.

Over in Chatham, the Anglers didn’t flash quite as much pop as the Firebirds, getting only one extra-base hit, but they piled up the singles in hitting a season-high in runs. Like Orleans, it wasn’t their first big game of the week. They beat Harwich 12-4 on Sunday.

Tuesday, they scored five runs against highly-touted lefty Matt Krook (Oregon). Leadoff man Trenton Brooks (Nevada) went 4-for-6 with three RBI and two runs scored. Jake Fraley (LSU) and Todd Czinege (Villanova) each went 3-for-5. Fraley is now hitting .400 and Chatham is 4-2 in the six games he’s played.

Luke Persico (UCLA) and Nick Sciortino (Boston College) drove in two runs each.

Ty Damron (Texas Tech) made his first start since June 22 and the big offensive night helped make it a warm welcome. Damron gave up one unearned run in six innings. Wareham scored five runs in the top of the ninth against the Chatham bullpen but the deficit was much too large.

Two streaking teams scoring 13 runs each are pretty tough to beat.
 

Falmouth 6, Hyannis 1

Falmouth’s Michael Tinsley (Kansas) hit the third pitch he saw from Hyannis ace Nick Deeg (Central Michigan) out of the park, and the Commodores were off-and-running. They scored five runs and chased Deeg – he of the 0.32 ERA – before he could even escape the first. J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) had an RBI and Shane Benes (Missouri) had two. Staked to the early lead, Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) turned in his best start of the summer, giving up one run on three hits in seven innings of work.
 

Harwich 4, Y-D 3

The bottom three teams in the East are trading places nearly every day and Harwich continued the musical chairs with a seventh-inning rally to beat Y-D. With his team trailing 3-2, Sheldon Neuse (Oklahoma) hit a two-run triple in the seventh and Harwich was in business from there. The bullpen didn’t allow a run in the final four innings and Luke Scherzer (Virginia Tech) nabbed his league-leading seventh save. Harwich also got a home run from Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) and two hits from Brock Deatherage (NC State).
 

Bourne 5, Brewster 4

The Braves and Whitecaps scored all their runs in the final four innings, and Bourne managed one more in a 5-4 victory over Brewster. Corey Julks (Houston) had two hits and two RBI. Nick Solak (Louisville), Pete Alonso (Florida) and Jason Delay (Vanderbilt) had one RBI each. Bourne’s Josh Rogers (Louisville) and Brewster’s Alex Schick (California) both delivered solid starts before the bats arrived. Austin Conway (Indiana State) got the save for the Braves.
 

What to Watch

Just a make-up game between Brewster and Orleans on tap tonight. The Firebirds will be going for their fifth win in a row.
 

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Something Brewing

Nico Giarratano and Brewster have won four of six to move into third place.
Nico Giarratano and Brewster have won four of six to move into third place.

 
The Cape League’s best hitting team was shut-out 1-0 in its final June game. Since the calendar flipped to July, one run has not been enough to beat the Brewster Whitecaps.

Powered by its fourth double-digit hit game in its last six, Brewster not coincidentally won the fourth time in six games Tuesday, 9-4 over Y-D. In the victories, the Whitecaps have racked up 57 hits, bringing their league-best batting average to .273.

They’re still only one game over .500 and behind two teams in the East, but it’s pretty clear at this point that the Whitecaps can hit. They are not near the top in extra-base hits, but what they lack in pop, they make up for in sheer volume.

In Tuesday’s win, the Whitecaps totaled 16 hits. Every player in the lineup had at least one. Five players had multi-hit games. And there was a little pop – two doubles and two home runs.

Cassidy Brown (Loyola Marymount) – who’s emerging as the top offensive catcher on the Cape – went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBI. He’s riding a seven-game hitting streak.

Robbie Tenerowicz (California) went 2-for-4 and hit his fourth home run of the summer. Toby Handley (Stony Brook) added a double and scored three runs. Nick Senzel (Tennessee), who’s been red-hot, had his second straight three-hit night, scored three runs and knocked in two. Senzel is now second in the league in hitting.

Brewster’s pitching numbers have remained in the middle of the pack for much of the summer, but all the offense certainly helps the cause. Alec Rash (Missouri) gave up two runs in three innings Tuesday before a strong relief performance by Anthony Arias (Fresno State), who struck out 10 and gave up two runs in five innings.
 

Orleans 11, Falmouth 2

If Brewster is the league’s best hitting team, Orleans is its most powerful. The Firebirds hit two more runs – bringing their league-best total to 17 – in an 11-2 victory over Falmouth. Sean Murphy (Wright State) hit his third in a 3-for-5 night while Ronnie Dawson (Ohio State) smacked his second. Murphy also tripled. Nick Zammarelli (Elon) added three hits and two RBI for the Firebirds. Five pitchers had no trouble making the lead stand up, with Tanner Tully (Ohio State) picking up the win in relief. Falmouth’s Turner Larkins (Texas A&M) allowed just an unearned run in five innings but Orleans broke through against the Falmouth bullpen. The Firebirds have won three in a row and are now 17-6.
 

Chatham 4, Bourne 3

With Orleans and Brewster winning, Chatham also kept pace thanks to a victory over Bourne. The Anglers scored four runs in the first two innings and held onto the lead from there. Brandon Miller (Millersville) got the win in relief while Aaron McGarity (Virginia Tech) pitched two innings for his fourth save. Jake Fraley (LSU) went 2-for-4 and is batting .350 since his late arrival in Chatham. Aaron Knapp (California) also had two hits. Chatham is now 13-11, which is suddenly the third-best record in the league.
 

Hyannis 4, Harwich 1

The Harbor Hawks were getting a push from Wareham in the West standings for a while there, but with their second straight win and Wareham’s third straight loss, they now have a seven-point cushion at the top. Vance Tatum (Mississippi State) and Aaron Civale (Northeastern) worked in tandem for the second time in as many Tatum starts. Tatum gave up one run in 5.2 innings and Civale went 3.1 innings without allowing a hit, bringing his ERA to 0.54. The Hyannis offense was led by Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast), who surged back to the top of the batting average leaderboard with a 3-for-4 night. He also hit his first home run. Errol Robinson (Ole Miss) added three hits for the Harbor Hawks.
 

Cotuit 2, Wareham 1

Cotuit may not have great starting pitching depth, but the Kettleers have officially found themselves an ace. Jon Woodcock (Virginia Tech) tossed seven shutout innings, striking out five and giving up five hits, as Cotuit edged Wareham. Woodcock now has a 0.99 ERA and has gone at least 5.2 innings with no more than one run allowed in his last three starts. Justin Dunn (Boston College) grabbed the save Tuesday. Jackson Klein (Stanford) had an RBI single and Brody Weiss (UCLA) had a sacrifice fly to bring in two runs in the fifth, which was all the offense Cotuit needed. The Kettleers moved ahead of Falmouth for fourth place in the West.
 

What to Watch

Several of the league’s best arms are slated to be on the mound tonight. Nick Deeg (Central Michigan) goes for Hyannis in Falmouth. Matt Krook (Oregon) starts for Wareham in Chatham. Eric Lauer gets the ball for Orleans at home against Cotuit.
 

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Daily Fog: Flair for the Dramatic

The Harwich Mariners celebrate their walk-off win on the Fourth of July. They also delivered a late comeback to win Monday.
The Harwich Mariners celebrate their walk-off win on the Fourth of July. They also delivered a late comeback to win Monday.

 
Wins have not been easy to come by for the Harwich Mariners this summer, but when victories have been within reach the last few days, the Mariners have gone out and grabbed them.

After a walk-off win over Brewster on July 4, the Mariners rallied for two runs in the eighth inning to beat Wareham Monday night.

The comeback wins have helped keep the Mariners within striking distance in the East. Had the comebacks stalled, Harwich could easily be sliding. Three losses in their last five would have turned into a five-game losing streak without the rallies.

Monday, they trailed the Gatemen 2-0 in the sixth but cut the deficit in half on a Sheldon Neuse (Oklahoma) RBI single. Two innings later – with the bullpen keeping it a 2-1 game – Harwich and Neuse were at it again. Base hits by Adam Pate (North Carolina) and Johnny Adams (Boston College) set the table for Neuse and he delivered with a double to score Pate. Adams came around in the same sequence, on an error by the centerfielder.

Armed with a lead, Luke Scherzer (Virginia Tech) tossed a scoreless ninth for his league-best sixth save.

Neuse finished 2-for-4 with the two RBI. Adams and Preston Palmeiro (NC State) also had two hits apiece.

Harwich is now 11-11-1, good for third place in the East.
 

Brewster 5, Falmouth 3

Brewster is also doing its best to keep pace in the East and its win Monday further tightens the race. Second-place Chatham and fifth-place Y-D are two points apart, with Harwich and Brewster in between. The Whitecaps again had their league-leading offense going, knocking 13 hits to beat the Commodores. Falmouth tied the game in the eighth before Brewster plated a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Nick Senzel (Tennessee) went 3-for-5, his second three-hit game in five days. J.C. Escarra (Florida International), Robbie Tenerowicz (California), Toby Handley (Stony Brook) and Nico Giarratano (San Francisco) all had two hits. Tyson Miller (California Baptist) didn’t factor in the decision, but went six strong innings, allowing just one run. Trent Paddon (Oregon) got the win and Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s) the save. For Falmouth, J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) went 3-for-3 with a home run.
 

Cotuit 4, Bourne 3

The Kettleers rallied from a 3-2 deficit with two runs in the top of the ninth to beat Bourne 4-3. Kort Peterson (UCLA) started the ninth-inning rally with a triple and Spencer Gaa (Bradley) had a pinch-hit, RBI single to tie the game. Matt Albanese (Bryant) followed with an RBI single that put Cotuit ahead. Justin Dunn (Boston College) worked around a one-out single to toss a scoreless ninth for the save. Albanese finished with two hits to pace the Cotuit attack. Branden Berry (Cal State Northridge) homered. For Bourne, Nick Solak (Louisville) went 4-for-5 and took over the league lead in hitting with a .350 average.
 

What to Watch

As if Orleans needed any help, Boston’s sixth-round pick last month, Travis Lakins (Ohio State), will make his first start for the Firebirds tonight when they visit Falmouth. Lakins, a draft-eligible sophomore, had a 3.75 ERA with 84 strikeouts this spring. Last summer, he tossed the first perfect game in Prospect League history.
 

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Raising the Cup

JaVon Shelby had a big day as Hyannis rolled past Cotuit.
JaVon Shelby had a big day as Hyannis rolled past Cotuit.

 
I saw news last night that Hyannis had won the Barnstable Patriot Cup and didn’t believe it. The season isn’t even halfway over, I told myself. There’s no way they could have done it that quickly.

Well, the season is halfway over, exactly halfway in fact. And Hyannis won the rivalry trophy as quickly as possible.

The Harbor Hawks beat the Kettleers 11-5 at McKeon Park for their fourth win in four games against the Kettleers. That clinches the six-game season series between the teams and brings the cup to Hyannis.

Hyannis has had a lot of people’s number on its wire-to-wire run in the West, but Cotuit has had a particularly tough time. The Harbor Hawks won the first meeting 5-0 and the second 7-3. Cotuit made a push in the third match-up, losing 2-1.

Sunday, Hyannis grabbed the cup with a flourish, racing to an 11-0 lead in the first six innings of the game. Errol Robinson (Ole Miss) went 3-for-4 with three RBI while JaVon Shelby (Kentucky) went 3-for-5 with an RBI. The league’s leading hitter Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) smacked his ninth double as part of a 2-for-4 night. Ben DeLuzio (Florida State), Blake Tiberi (Louisville) and Corey Bird (Marshall) all chipped in two hits.

Blake Quinn (Cal State Fullerton), making his fourth start, was at his best after getting staked to the early lead. He tossed five shutout innings, striking out two and allowing three hits. Cotuit scored five runs off the Hyannis bullpen, but the hole was too deep.

The cup belongs to Hyannis.
 

Orleans 5, Wareham 0

Mitchell Jordan (Stetson) dominated for the fifth time and sent Orleans on its way to a shutout of Wareham. Jordan tossed six shutout innings and moved to 4-0, while keeping his season ERA at 0.00. The one unearned run he allowed in his last start remains the only run he’s given up. Jordan also struck out six on Sunday and didn’t walk a batter. He leads the league in strikeouts with 31 in 27 innings. He has given up just nine hits all summer. The Orleans offense was also up to its usual tricks Sunday, with Kyle Lewis (Mercer) hitting his leagie-best fifth home run. Alex Call (Ball State) also homered. The Firebirds have won two in a row and have an eight-point cushion on second-place Chatham.
 

Y-D 10, Brewster 2

Y-D has won two straight and six of its last 10 to move into third place in the East. The Red Sox topped Brewster 10-2 on Sunday to move to 11-12. They were coming off a 7-0 shutout of Hyannis on the Fourth of July. In their last two games, the Red Sox have pounded 27 hits. Gio Brusa (Washington), the late pick-up who starred for Brewster last summer, has now delivered a hit in five straight games. He homered Sunday, scored three runs and drove in two. Ryan Noda (Cincinnati) also homered and had four RBI. Connor Wong (Houston) went 3-for-3 and Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) went 3-for-4. Leading hitter Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State), the one guy who’s been hot since day one, went 1-for-4, giving him eight hits in his last five games. Four different Red Sox took the hill for short stints, with Cory Malcolm (Arkansas-Little Rock) picking up the win.
 

Chatham 12, Harwich 4

The Anglers scored a season-high 12 runs in breezing past Harwich and moving one game over .500. Luke Persico (UCLA) led the charge with a third-inning grand slam. He added an RBI single in the seventh to finish 2-for-5 with five RBI. Kyle Brooks (North Florida) and Nate Mondou (Wake Forest) chipped in two hits apiece, with Zack Short (Sacred Heart) knocking in a pair of runs. Short is now tied for third in the league in RBI with 12, despite batting just .191. Parker Dunshee (Wake Forest) was the beneficiary of the big day at the plate. He struck out nine and gave up three earned runs in six innings for the win.
 

Bourne 4, Falmouth 2

Both teams had 12 hits but Bourne made a few more of them count in a 4-2 victory over Falmouth. Vince Fernandez (UC Riverside) and Brian Serven (Arizona State) had two hits and an RBI each, while Ryan Boldt (Nebraska) also knocked in a run. Nick Solak (Louisville) scored two runs and Jacob Robson (Mississippi State) went 3-for-4. Ryan Keaffaber (Indiana State) allowed one run in five innings before a four-inning save by Cody Sedlock (Illinois). Sedlock gave up seven hits and one earned run, but also struck out eight in just four innings. Bourne moved to 10-10-2 and continued to gain separation from Falmouth and Cotuit, who have fallen off the pace in the West.
 

What to Watch

Three make-up games on the docket today. With Hyannis idle, Wareham will try to make up a little ground in the West as it visits Harwich.
 

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Independence Day

Donnie Walton and Y-D cruised past Hyannis on Saturday.
Donnie Walton and Y-D cruised past Hyannis on Saturday.

 
Four Cape League teams celebrated their independence on the Fourth of July – independence from the previous day’s results.

In the second games of the annual holiday series, the team that lost Friday won on Saturday in four cases. The fifth of those series – Bourne and Wareham – ended in a 0-0 tie yesterday, so there’s even a taste of independence for the Braves.

The most impressive turnaround belonged to the Y-D Red Sox, who lost 6-2 to Hyannis on Friday but came back with a dominant 7-0 shutout Saturday.

The Red Sox scored three runs off Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast) and added four more against the Hyannis pen. Five different Red Sox had two-hit games: Gio Brusa (Washington), Stephen Wrenn (Georgia), Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State), Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) and Ryan Noda (Cincinnati). Brusa, the 2014 All-Star with Brewster, has six hits in his last four games after scuffling out of the gate.

The offensive burst was plenty for Ricky Thomas (Fresno State), who turned in his best performance yet in picking up his league-best fourth win. Thomas allowed just three hits – all singles – in seven shutout innings. He struck out three and walked two. The lefty, who had a 3.92 ERA for Fresno, has picked up a win in each of his starts, and he’s deserved every one of them. He’s gone at least 5.2 innings and hasn’t allowed more than one run in any of his four outings.

Y-D went to 10-12 with the win and is now one of three teams in the East with 10 victories. Hyannis is 13-9.
 

Harwich 5, Brewster 4

Two Harwich pitchers quieted Brewster’s bats just long enough to set up a ninth-inning rally for the Mariners, who walked off on an RBI single by Nick Walker (Old Dominion) in the bottom of the ninth. Brewster had won two straight – and had pounded 28 hits in those games. The Whitecaps were limited to four hits Saturday by Scott Tully (Notre Dame) and Hunter Newman (LSU). They still managed four runs and carried a 4-2 lead into the ninth, but Harwich plated three runs for the win. Brock Deatherage (NC State) capped off a 4-for-5 night with the single to score the tying run. With the bases loaded, Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s) struck out the next two batters with the bases loaded, but Walker cracked the base hit to win it.
 

Orleans 4, Chatham 2

Orleans scored all the runs it needed in the third inning and topped Chatham to regain an eight-point lead in the East standings. Daniel Pinero (Virginia) and Alex Call (Ball State) knocked in runs in the big inning, with Call plating two on a double. Call is five for his last 12 and has emerged as a key piece to the Firebirds lineup. Corbin Burnes (St. Mary’s) got the win after allowing one earned run in 5.1 innings. Four relievers closed the deal, with Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) getting each of his four outs via the strikeouts and Jason Harper (Southern Connecticut) picking up his fourth save. For Chatham, Jake Fraley (LSU) went 2-for-5 and is 5-for-13 in three games since joining the Anglers after LSU’s run to Omaha. Fraley hit .307 and stole 23 bases for the Tigers.
 

Falmouth 4, Cotuit 1

Austin Tribby (Missouri) went six strong innings and Falmouth scored two runs in the third and fourth innings for a win over Cotuit. Tribby struck out four, scattered five hits and surrendered one run in six innings of work. He improved to 1-1, and his ERA now stands at 1.56. Andrew Frankenreider (Northern Illinois) pitched two scoreless innings of relief, keeping his ERA at 0.00 in eight appearances. Stephen Villines (Kansas) grabbed his fourth save. The Falmouth offense was led by J.B. Woodman (Ole Miss) and Logan Ice (Oregon State), who both had two hits and two RBI. Falmouth moved one game ahead of Cotuit for fourth place in the West.
 

Bourne 0, Wareham 0, 12 innings

Nine different pitchers took the hill at Doran Park and none of them allowed a run as Bourne and Wareham played to a 0-0 tie. Bourne threatened to walk off with a win several times, stranding two runners in the ninth and 10th innings and loading the bases but coming up empty in the 11th. Tyler Thorne (Stanford) escaped that final jam with a strikeout. For Bourne, Ryan Smoyer (Notre Dame) started and allowed four hits in six innings. Shaun Anderson (Florida) struck out six and gave up one hit in five innings for Wareham.
 

What to Watch

Orleans makes the Cape League’s longest trip as the Firebirds head to Wareham, but they’ll have standout Mitchell Jordan (Stetson) on the mound when they arrive. Jordan is 3-0 and hasn’t allowed an earned run in four starts. Wareham counters with Ryan Williamson (NC State), who will make his second start. He has a 5.55 ERA.