Weather can take, as it did a few weeks ago when Harwich saw an 11-0 lead erased by a rainout before the game became official.

And it can give.

The favor was returned for Harwich Wednesday night, as the Mariners built another big lead against Brewster, played enough innings to make the game official and watched dark rain clouds force the game to be called, just in time to stop a Whitecaps rally.

Weather also turned five perfect innings by Bourne’s Nick Dombkowski (Hartford) into a five-inning perfect game as the Braves beat Y-D 6-0.

Harwich ended up winning 12-11 in one of the wildest games of the season. They led 11-0 after the third inning, gave up six runs, scored one more and gave up five in the sixth. After Harwich escaped the sixth with the lead, the game was called in the top of the seventh.

Niko Kavadas (Notre Dame) hit his league-best eighth home run for the Mariners, while Chris Galland (Boston College) had three hits and three RBI. Brewster’s rally was led by Tyler Hardman (Oklahoma), who went 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI. Kurt Wilson (Texas Tech) also homered and drove in two.

Harwich has won two in a row and has a three-point lead over Brewster in the East standings.

As for the weather impacts in Bourne, it’s too bad Dombkowski didn’t get a chance to keep his dominance going, but a perfect game is a perfect game. He struck out seven of the 15 batters he faced. He lowered his season ERA from 3.43 to 2.92.

A home run by Jimmy Glowenke (Dallas Baptist), who went 3-for-3, provided most of the offensive backing for Dombkowski’s gem.

 

Cotuit 7, Hyannis 6

In the only other game that survived the weather, Cotuit scored four runs in the sixth inning for a comeback win over Hyannis. A two-run single by Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) tied the game and a Parker Chavers (Coastal Carolina) RBI single gave the Kettleers the lead. The game was called in the top of the seventh. Trey Holland (Sewanee) earned the win. Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State) hit his sixth home run for the Kettleers. Hyannis, which has lost five in a row and fell to 6-24-1, got a home run from all-star Jared DeSantolo (Florida Atlantic) and three hits by Ian Fair (Northeastern).

 

What to Watch

Chatham and Y-D have been matching results for a while now, so much so that they tied in their last meeting. Chatham remains in first place, two points ahead of Y-D, but they’ll meet again tonight at Veterans Field.

 
Trei Cruz (Rice) had two hits on Tuesday night.

This is not new.

The Falmouth shortstop has tallied two hits in six of his last seven games, a serious hot streak that has raised his batting average from .294 to .347, good for third in the league. He slacked off and had a one hit in the one game that wasn’t a two-hit effort, but is still hitting .481 (13-27) in this stretch.

Cruz has had two strong seasons at Rice and has strong Major League bloodlines. His dad is Jose Cruz, Jr., and his grandfather is Jose Cruz. Trei has been drafted twice, in the 33rd round out of high school and in the 37th round this year as a draft-eligible sophomore.

If he opts to return to Rice, he’ll do it off a big summer, thanks to the hot streak. The two-hit performance Tuesday helped Falmouth beat West-leading Wareham 3-1. Cruz had an RBI, as did Baron Radcliff (Georgia Tech). Caleb Wurster (UConn) earned the win in relief.

 

Orleans 1, Cotuit 0

Four pitchers combined on Orleans’ league-best sixth shutout of the season. Jared Shuster (Wake Forest) struck out five and allowed three hits in five innings. Isaac Esqueda (USC), Chase Wallace (Tennessee) and Connor Pellerin (Tulane) did the rest, each of them facing the minimum over the final four innings. Sean Sullivan (Cal) matched them for Cotuit, striking out six in six shutout innings but Orleans touched up the bullpen for a run in the eighth. Pinch runner Zach Daniels (Tennessee) scored it on a wild pitch.

 

Chatham 7, Brewster 2

There was a bluegrass flavor as Chatham kept rolling with its fourth consecutive win. Kentucky’s Cole Ayers allowed one run in 4.1 innings and Wildcat teammate Mason Hazelwood picked up the win with 2.2 scoreless innings. Zach Cable (Oklahoma State) went the final two innings. Two runs in the first inning and three in the second staked the Wildcat pitchers to a lead they never relinquished. Cooper Davis (Vanderbilt) went 3-for-5 with an RBI, Alex Toral (Miami) stayed red-hot with his third straight two-RBI game, and Saul Garza (LSU) homered.

 

Y-D 9, Bourne 4

Chatham is hot, but Y-D is keeping pace, winning its third straight to remain two points back in the East. The Red Sox broke a 3-3 tie with six runs in the seventh inning. A two-run single by Brad Beesley (Cal Poly) and a two-run homer by Jack-Thomas Wold (UNLV) – his second homer in as many days – powered the breakthrough. Beesley finished with three hits, as did Joseph Hall (Clemson). For Bourne, Jud Fabian (Florida) hit his fifth home run, while Zavier Warren (Central Michigan) went deep for his third.

 

Harwich 4, Hyannis 3

Chris Galland (Boston College) drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning to snap a 3-3 tie and send Harwich on its way to the victory. Armed with the lead, Will Heflin (Tennessee) struck out the side around a walk in the ninth to finish off the win. Tommy Vail (Notre Dame) was the winner in relief after striking out eight in 3.2 innings. Galland led the offense with two RBI. Jordan Westburg (Mississippi State) had two hits for Hyannis.

 

What to Watch

Falmouth will try to beat Wareham for a second straight night but will face an uphill battle against West Division all-star starter Ian Bedell (Missouri). Bedell, with his 0.70 ERA, will make his sixth start.

A lot of spotlight posts on pitchers lately. They keep forcing the issue.

Franco Aleman is the latest to join the party. He went six scoreless innings in Falmouth’s 2-0 win over Hyannis on Monday night, keeping his ERA at 0.00. He now qualifies for the ERA title and, obviously, leads the league.

Aleman pitched this past season at Florida International. He’s now headed to the juco ranks at St. John’s River and has committed to the University of Florida for the year after.

And he’s been terrific on the Cape.

He allowed three unearned runs in his last start but has otherwise been untouchable – five scoreless innings against Chatham, six scoreless against Bourne and now seven scoreless versus Hyannis. This time, he struck out six, matching a season high, walked one and allowed four hits. On the season, he has 18 strikeouts against two walks in 23 innings pitched.

Aleman is front and center in a group of starters who have just been awesome – Ian Bedell, Kolby Kubichek, Mac Lardner, Mason Black, Ian Seymour. There isn’t much depth around the league behind those guys in terms of workhorse performances, but they’ve been top-notch.

Aleman’s performance Monday helped Falmouth stop a two-game slide. Backing him, Baron Radcliff (Georgia Tech) homered and Trei Cruz (Rice) drove in the other run. Cruz has five two-hit games in his last six. Logan Hoffman (Northwestern State) and Thomas Girard (Duke) finished off the shutout.

 

Bourne 3, Cotuit 2

The aforementioned Mac Lardner (Gonzaga) gave up home runs to the first two batters of the game – in a span of six pitches – but he didn’t allow another run and the Braves rallied back for a win. Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State) led off the game with his fifth blast of the summer, and Casey Schmitt (San Diego State) went back-to-back, also hitting his fifth. From there, Lardner allowed four more hits and struck out five in six innings. Bourne’s comeback started quickly as Kyle Hess (Pittsburgh) hit a two-run single in the second inning to tie the game. The deadlock persisted until the eighth, when Jud Fabian (Florida) hit his fourth home run of the summer to break the tie and send the Braves on their way. Kieran Shaw (Harvard) finished off the win with a scoreless ninth for his third save.

 

Y-D 5, Harwich 4

Y-D trailed 4-1 in the late innings, but scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth en route to a comeback win. Tate Samuelson (Cal Poly) had an RBI single to start the rally and Jack-Thomas Wold (UNLV) finished it with one swing, cranking a three-run homer to give Y-D the lead. The Red Sox held onto it from there as Taylor Dollard (Cal Poly) pitched a perfect ninth for his league-best fifth save. Noah Campbell (South Carolina) added two hits and an RBI, and Austin Wells (Arizona) had three hits for Y-D. Joey Wiemer Jr (Cincinnati) went 3-for-4 with four RBI for Harwich. Jordan Butler (Florida) allowed one run in six innings before Y-D rallied against the bullpen.

 

Chatham 4, Brewster 2

Chatham won its third in a row and retained the best record in the league at 18-11-4. It was a second straight comeback victory. The Anglers trailed 2-1 before scoring three runs in the seventh inning to grab the lead. Kaden Polcovich (Northwest Florida) tied the game with an RBI single, Jamal O’Guinn (USC) drew a bases-loaded walk for the lead and Alejandro Toral (Miami) added insurance with a sac fly. Jeremy Wu-Yelland (Hawaii) was already on the mound and pitching well, and he ran with the lead once he got it. He pitched four scoreless innings with six strikeouts, his fifth consecutive scoreless outing. Starter Zarion Sharpe (UNC Wilmington) was also solid, allowing one earned run in five innings.

 

What to Watch

Fresh off his nine-strikeout, eight shutout inning performance, Connor McCullough (Kansas State) gets the ball for Harwich against Hyannis.

Ian Seymour (Virginia Tech) let go of his five-inning, nine-strikeout trademark, but the Y-D Red Sox are fine with what he did instead.

The league’s strikeout leader, Seymour fanned seven in six shutout innings, and two relievers finished the job as Y-D pitched a two-hit shutout in a 7-0 victory over Falmouth.

Seymour is now up to 39 strikeouts in 25.1 innings. The six-inning stint was his longest of the season and probably his best. He walked one and allowed one hit, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He faced two batters over the minimum and didn’t let a runner past second base. Seymour’s ERA drops to 2.49.

Carlos Lomeli (St. Mary’s) followed with 1.2 innings of one-hit ball, and Jacob Winger (High Point) retired all four batters he faced over the final 1.1 innings.

The strong pitching performance came just a day after Y-D allowed 15 runs in a loss to Orleans.

Riley King (Georgia) went 3-for-4 with his third home run to lead the Y-D offense. R.J. Yeager (Mercer) had two hits and Wyatt Young (Pepperdine) delivered two RBI.

 

Chatham 4, Hyannis 1

Down 1-0 for much of the game, Chatham scored four runs in the seventh for a comeback win over Hyannis. An RBI single by Colin Hall (Georgia Tech) tied the game, and a two-run single by Alejandro Toral (Miami) gave Chatham the lead. A Cade Cabbiness (Oklahoma State) sac fly finished off the rally. Chatham’s bullpen had no trouble keeping it a 1-0 deficit and then holding the lead. R.J. Dabovich (Arizona State) was dominant, striking out nine of the 13 batters he faced in four shutout innings. Dawson Merryman (Midland) pitched a perfect ninth for the save. Chatham has won two in a row.

 

Wareham 8, Brewster 3

Wareham didn’t need a comeback this time. Two days after rallying past Brewster, the Gatemen jumped ahead of the Whitecaps early and broke the game open late for an 8-3 win. Jacob Teter (Florida Southern) and Adrian Del Castillo (Miami) drove in two runs each for the Gatemen. Braiden Ward (Washington) stole two more bases for a season total of 19 and scored a pair of runs. Trey Dillard (Missouri) struck out seven in 3.2 innings of relief for the win.

 

Orleans 6, Cotuit 6

Cotuit led 6-1, but Orleans scored five in the sixth and the teams got just one more inning in before darkness fell. A two-run single by Tanner Murray (UC Davis) capped the rally for Orleans. Jacob Hurtubise (Army), Zach Britton (Louisville) and Eddie McCabe (Georgetown) each finished with an RBI to pace the Firebird offense. Dawson McCarville (Grand Canyon), Isaac Esqueda (USC) and Connor Pellerin (Tulane) pitched shutout ball out of the pen after Orleans tied it. Cotuit’s offense was led by Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State) with two hits and an RBI.

 

Bourne 2, Harwich 1

Kyle Hess (Pittsburgh) hit a two-run homer and that was all the offense Bourne needed as it shut down Harwich. Ryan Cusick (Wake Forest) struck out seven and allowed one run in 6.2 innings for the Braves. Nick Trogrlic-Iverson (Gonzaga) and Kieran Shaw (Harvard) polished off the win.

 

What to Watch

Mac Lardner, who has a 0.81 ERA and struck out eight in seven shutout innings last time out, starts for Bourne against Cotuit.

Niko Kavadas (Notre Dame) was selected for the Cape League’s All-Star Game Home Run Derby on Saturday morning.

Does he know the competition hasn’t started yet?

Kavadas smashed three home runs Saturday night as Harwich beat Wareham 5-1. The achievement matches a Cape League record, as Kavadas becomes the ninth player to hit three homers in a game. The most recent was last year’s opening night star, Peyton Burdick of Cotuit. Before that, it was Chris Dominguez. And before that, it was Frank Thomas. So, yeah, it’s a pretty good club.

Kavadas hit 12 home runs in the spring for Notre Dame. He was displaying plenty of pop for Harwich before Saturday’s explosion with four homers, hence the derby invite. Now, he leads the league with seven homers.

Saturday night’s performance had humble beginnings. Kavadas grounded into a double play in his first at-bat. He didn’t bat again until the fourth inning, when he smacked a two-run homer. In the fifth, daniel Cabrera (LSU) again got on ahead of him, and Kavadas again hit a three-run bomb. Finally, in the eighth, he hit a solo shot.

Kavadas finished 3-for-5 with five RBI, as Harwich beat Wareham 6-1. The blasts backed another strong effor by Jacob Palisch (Stanford), who allowed one run in five innings.

But the night belonged to Kavadas, and he’ll have a spot in the record books to remember it by.

 

Orleans 15, Y-D 3

Kelly Nicholson’s 350th Cape League win was an emphatic one. His Orleans Firebirds blasted their way to a 15-3 win over a Y-D squad that entered Saturday night in a tie for first place. The Firebirds smacked 18 hits, eight of which went for extra bases, including three home runs. Zach Britton (Louisville) led the onslaught with two homers, part of a 3-for-4, four run, six RBI night. Shay Whitcomb (UC San Diego), Eddie McCabe (Georgetown) and Tanner Murray (UC Davis) drove in two runs each, with Whitcomb also homering. Armed with the lead from the first inning on, seven pitchers took the mound for the Firebirds and limited Y-D to three runs on eight hits. Nick Garcia (Chapman) was credited with the win.

 

Cotuit 5, Bourne 0

Casey Schmitt (San Diego State) had three hits and scored a run, then took the mound and finished off a shutout. Not sure if he cooked the postgame meal. Schmitt went the final 3.2 innings, striking out five and allowing no runs on two hits. That followed a great start by Zachary McCambley (Coastal Carolina), who struck out seven in 5.1 scoreless innings. Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) and Adam Oviedo (TCU) drove in two runs each to back the strong pitching. Cotuit has one three straight and is one point back of first-place Wareham.

 

Brewster 4, Falmouth 3

C
Brewster broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the 10th and held off a Falmouth rally in the bottom half. A two-run single by Tyler Gentry (Alabama) plated the go-ahead runs for the Whitecaps. Austin Masel (Holy Cross) singled and later scored in the home half of the 10th, but Sean Fisher (Maryland) retired the league’s hottest hitter, Zach DeLoach (Texas A&M) to end the game. Fisher got the win for Brewster. Mason Dodd (Belmont Abbey), who was released by Cotuit earlier this year, added two hits in his fourth game since joining Brewster. Carmen Mlodzinski (South Carolina) struck out seven for Falmouth, moving one off the league lead. Steven Moretto (Cal State Sacramento) homered.

 

Chatham 6, Hyannis 3

Chatham snapped a 3-3 tie with three runs in the top of the ninth en route to a win over Hyannis. Kaden Polcovich (Northwest Florida) broke the deadlock with an RBI double, and an error allowed two more runs to score. Hugh Fisher (Vanderbilt) pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth to preserve the win. Before the late drama, Kolby Kubichek (Texas) was terrific for Chatham, striking out eight in five shutout innings. Left off the all-star roster, Kubicheck now owns a 1.08 ERA. Chatham snapped a four-game winless streak.

 

What to Watch

League strikeout leader Ian Seymour (Virginia Tech) was scheduled to start Saturday but didn’t. He’s now slated to get the ball today as Y-D hosts Falmouth.

 
This post should be all about Zach DeLoach.

But his teammates are crashing the party.

Falmouth’s DeLoach (Texas A&M) continued his assualt on Cape League pitching Thursday night, going 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. He’s now batting .420, and this is pretty deep into the season to be batting .420. He also has four home runs.

And with all that, he didn’t even have the best night on his team Thursday. Baron Radcliff (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-5 with two home runs and eight RBI. Taylor Smith (Grayson County CC) also homered, his fifth of the summer. As you might guess, that adds up to a pretty good night for Falmouth. The Commodores blasted Chatham 15-6.

The production for DeLoach is nothing new, at least this summer. But it was a different story in the spring, when DeLoach followed a solid freshman year with a sophomore slump that left him hitting .200. On the Cape, he went hitless in his first five at-bats, but in his third game, he went 4-for-4 and hasn’t really stopped. DeLoach has hits in 13 of his last 14 games, six of them multi-hit performances. In addition to leading the league in hitting, he tops the circuit in on-base percentage.

He certainly has some company, too. Radcliff was hitting just .156 with no homers and four RBI before his breakout performance. Smith is hitting only .226 but has an OPS of 1.157. Tim Tawa (Stanford) added three hits, Trei Cruz (Rice) had two and Hayden Cantrelle (Louisiana Lafayette) had two to go with two stolen bases.

Falmouth isn ow 13-10-1.

 

Hyannis 2, Orleans 0

Hyannis had its best pitching night of the season and got a big hit from its star in the top of the ninth inning for a 2-0 win over Orleans. Cole Pletka (Dayton), Patrick Fredrickson (Minnesota) and Trevor DeLaite (Maine) combined on the team’s first shutout of the year, with Fredrickson earning the win. He and Pletka both struck out five in four-inning stints. Orleans matched them until the ninth, when one swing of the bat by Hunter Goodman (Memphis) broke the deadlock. Goodman hit a two-run homer, his fifth of the summer, that proved to be the game-winner. One of the top freshman hitters in the nation this year, Goodman now leads the league in RBI with 24.

 

Cotuit 2, Harwich 0

Reid Johnston (NC State) and Matthew Mervis (Duke) combined on an ACC-flavored shutout as Cotuit beat Harwich. Johnston struck out four and allowed only two hits in six innings. In four starts – two shorts ones and two longer ones – Johnston owns a 0.52 ERA. Mervis was even better, striking out seven of the 10 batters he faced in 10 hitless innings. The two-way standout has a 2.25 ERA and is hitting .296. Donta Williams (Arizona) hit a solo home run to stake the Kettleers to an early lead.

 

Wareham 4, Bourne 2

Strong relief work and late, tie-breaking offense propelled Wareham to its third straight win. Levi Prater (Oklahoma) struck out seven in four innings of one-hit ball out of the bullpen for the win. Ben Leeper (Oklahoma State) picked up the save. Matt McClain (UCLA) had a two-run single in the first inning for the Gatemen. The game was tied 2-2 until the seventh, when Dallas Beaver (Central Florida) hit an RBI single for the lead. Jacob Teter (Florida Southern) added an RBI single in the eighth, part of a three-hit night. Darren Baker (Cal) and Braiden Ward (Washington) added two hits each, and Ward stole his 17th base.

 

Y-D 5, Brewster 3

Does it seem like these two are always playing each other? In their fifth meeting in the last 12 days, Y-D broke through after two straight losses to the Whitecaps. Riley King (Georgia) went 4-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI for the Red Sox, his first homers of the season. He’s now hitting .349. Austin Wells (Arizona) also went deep and regained sole possession of the league lead at six bombs. The offense backed a strong effort by starting pitcher Erik Tolman (Arizona State), who struck out eight and allowed one run in 5.2 innings. Taylor Dollard (Cal Poly) stopped a rally in the eighth for his fourth save.

 

What to Watch

Franco Aleman (St. John’s River CC) will make his fourth start as Falmouth hosts Bourne. He has yet to allow an earned run.

In 2017 and 2018, the Cape League fell victim to college-dictated innings limits more than ever before. The days of Andrew Miller and Sean Manaea seemed far away. There were dominant arms, to be sure, but they weren’t pitching enough to have the kind of dominant Cape League seasons we were used to. Last year, four pitchers – four! – logged enough innings to qualify for the ERA title.

The trend is still lurking this year – eight pitchers currently qualify – but we’re seeing some dominance among them.

And after Wednesday night, there’s officially an ace of the aces.

Wareham’s Ian Bedell (Missouri) was spectacular for the fifth time in five starts this summer, striking out eight and allowing just one hit over six shutout innings as the Gatemen beat Chatham 7-0.

Bedell now owns a league-best 0.70 ERA. He’s 3-0, he has totaled 28 strikeouts to just three walks in 25.2 innings, and opponents are hitting .149 against him. In four of his five starts, he has pitched shutout ball. In the other, he allowed two runs in his fifth and final inning of work after stretching his shutout streak to 18.2 innings. Chatham is leading the East Division, but had no answer Wednesday.

The big summer is part of an unique journey for Bedell. A top prospect out of high school, he graduated early and enrolled at Missouri ahead of the 2018 season. The transition to the college ranks proved difficult as Bedell finished his freshman year with an ERA over six in limited action, though he did strike out 13 in 11.2 innings. He didn’t light it up in the Northwoods League either, posting a 5.09 ERA in four outings last summer.

This past season, Bedell emerged as a star in the Mizzou bullpen, tallying five saves and a 1.56 ERA. Now transitioning to the rotation for Wareham, the emergence has been accelerated.

The Gatemen love it, of course. They’ve won four of his five starts. Wednesday, Trent Palmer (Jacksonville) finished off the shutout with two scoreless innings. Braiden Ward (Washington) hit his third home run and stole two more bases to give him a league-high 16.

 

Bourne 4, Hyannis 2

The Braves won their third in a row, breaking a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning en route to the 4-2 win. Jimmy Glowenke (Dallas Baptist) scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and Zavier Warren (Central Michigan) hit an RBI single for the final margin. Jared Poland (Louisville) earned the win out of the bullpen, with Kieran Shaw (Harvard) picking up the save. For Hyannis, Jordan Westburg (Mississippi State) finally had a bad night after an incredible first week on the Cape. How good was it? He took an 0-for-5 Wednesday and is still hitting .480.

 

Orleans 3, Harwich 2

The Firebirds appear to be a streaky bunch. After winning five in a row and losing six in a row, they’ve now won two straight thanks to a narrow victory over the Mariners. Eddie McCabe (Georgetown) snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth when he drew a walk, moved up on a groundout, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball. Max Troiani (Bentley) went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the offense. Jake Eder (Vanderbilt) went four scoreless innings.

 

Brewster 7, Y-D 4

Brewster moved a game above .500 and handed Y-D its third straight defeat. Trailing 4-1 after five innings, the Whitecaps rallied with two runs in the sixth and four in the seventh. The game was called for darkness in the eighth. Christian Molfetta (Stanford) and Gage Workman (Arizona State) started the comeback efforts with RBIs in the sixth. Tyler Gentry (Alabama) hit an RBI triple in the seventh and T.J. Collett (Kentucky) followed with a two-run homer, his fifth of the summer, which ties him for the league lead. Jesse Franklin, fresh off Michigan’s Omaha run, went 2-for-4 in his second game back on the Cape. Sean Fisher (Maryland) earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings out of the pen. Austin Wells (Arizona) and Noah Campbell (South Carolina) each had three hits for Y-D, while Wyatt Young (Pepperdine) tallied two hits for the third straight game.

 

Cotuit 6, Falmouth 1

Cotuit took the lead in the fourth and piled on late for its first win of the summer over Falmouth, after two losses to open the season series. Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) had had three hits and an RBI, A while Allbry Major (Xavier) and Christian Robinson (Stanford) knocked in two runs apiece. Sean Sullivan (Cal) struck out seven and allowed one run in four innings before some dominant relief work. Bo Hofstra (Purdue) went two scoreless innings and Kyle Nicolas (Ball State) struck out four in three scoreless.

 

What to Watch

Y-D and Brewster will meet for the second straight night.

 
Jacob Palisch is the Cape League’s Pitcher of the Week award winner and one of his Harwich teammates may well be the next honoree.

After Palisch tossed the first complete game shutout in the league since 2017 on Saturday, Connor McCullough was just as dominant Tuesday night, striking out nine in eight scoreless innings as Harwich beat East-leading Chatham 2-0.

Harwich has won four of its last five and is sitting at 12-13. Pitching has set the course – the Mariners rank last in the league in runs scored but first in runs allowed. They also lead the league in strikeouts and opponents batting average.

Palisch owns the team’s best performance, but McCullough actually pitched deeper into his gem. The complete game designation for Palisch came because he was pitching in a doubleheader, with seven-inning games.

McCullough started the summer with two relief appearances. He made his first start against Chatham last week and pitched well, striking out five and allowing just an unearned run in 4.1 innings. Matched up with the Anglers again on Tuesday, he was tremendous, allowing just three singles and nothing else, facing just two batters over the minimum. He struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter.

Interestingly, this summer is serving as McCullough’s collegiate debut. He spent the fall semester of 2018 at Arkansas then transferred to Kansas State before he played game, but still had to sit out this past season under NCAA transfer rules.

Jared Wetherbee (Elon) pitched the ninth to preserve the shutout and the win. Zarion Sharpe (UNC Wilmington) took a shutout into the fourth for Chatham but Niko Kavadas (Notre Dame) hit a two-run homer for the game’s only offense.

For another Harwich ace, it was enough.

 

Falmouth 8, Hyannis 1

Zach DeLoach (Texas A&M) is also worthy of being the lead item here. The emerging star for the Commodores has been scorching hot lately and kept rolling Tuesday, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI. His batting average that was already the league’s best is up to .400. He also has three homers and 12 RBI. DeLoach is riding a four-game hitting streak and has logged five multi-hit games in his last 10. THe Falmouth win also featured two RBI from Baron Radcliff (Georgia Tech) and six strong innings by Samuel Strickland (Samford), who struck out seven. Robert Ahlstrom (Oregon) worked the final three innings for the save.

 

Wareham 13, Y-D 2

The Gatemen are in the midst of a wild stretch – they gave up 13 runs in a loss Saturday, scored 12 in a win Sunday, gave up 11 in a loss Monday and now scored 13 in Tuesday’s win over Y-D. The latest explosion was powered by two home runs from Matthew Rudick (San Diego State), who finished 3-for-5 with three RBI. Matt McClain (UCLA) added three hits and two RBI, while Dallas Beaver (Central Florida) also had three hits. Three pitchers went three innings each for Wareham, with Coy Cobb (Texas) earning the win and Jeremy Williams (Nova Southeastern) getting the save.

 

Bourne 6, Cotuit 4

Bourne’s Jud Fabian (Florida) hit a home run on the first pitch of the game then blasted a three-run shot for the final blow in the eighth inning as Bourne beat Cotuit. Fabian finished 3-for-5 with four RBI and is now hitting .333. Jimmy Glowenke (Dallas Baptist) also drove in a run for the Braves. Harrison Rutkowski (Rutgers) allowed one run in five innings for the win. Cotuit’s Oraj Anu (Wallace CC) hit a home run and drove in four in the loss.

 

Orleans 6, Brewster 3

The Firebirds snapped a six-game losing streak with a win over Brewster. Adam Seminaris (Long Beach State) allowed three runs in three innings but left with the lead thanks to six early runs. Isaac Esqueda (USC) starred out of the bullpen, pitching the final six innings without allowing a run. He struck out eight, didn’t walk a batter and gave up only three hits. Tanner Murray (UC Davis) had two RBI to lead the attack for Orleans. Zach Britton (Louisville) had an RBI double. Orleans also got two runs on wild pitches and another on a balk.

 

What to Watch

Ian Bedell (Missouri) puts his 0.91 ERA on the line as Wareham visits Chatham.

On the night Pete Alonso won the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, his old Cape League team did him proud.

The Bourne Braves had their best offensive night of the season in a 14-0 blowout of Falmouth. The win snapped a three-game slide.

The Braves weren’t as homer-happy as Alonso, but their one blast was a big one. Jackson Greer (East Tennessee State) hit a grand slam in the eighth inning that put the finishing touches on the win.

Jared Poland (Louisville) added two hits and three RBI. Cody Morissette (Boston College) and Jimmy Glowenke (Dallas Baptist) drove in two runs each.

As good as the offense was, the Braves had the pitching to match. Mac Lardner (Gonzaga) struck out and allowed just two hits in seven scoreless innings. Karl Johnson (UConn) finished off the shutout.

 

Chatham 6, Orleans 1

The first player in from Vanderbilt’s national championship squad, Cooper Davis, joined Chatham and went 3-for-5 in the leadoff spot as the Anglers beat Orleans again. Kaden Polcovich (Northwest Florida) added two RBI for the Anglers, and four other players drove in one run each. Parker Scott (Oklahoma State) was fantastic on the mound, striking out nine in seven shutout innings. Chatham now leads the East by two games, and their performances against Orleans have certainly helped the cause. The Anglers are 3-0 against the Firebirds.

 

Cotuit 11, Wareham 5

Cotuit is back in first place in the ever-changing West standings after a win over Wareham. Cotuit had 14 hits and Wareham had 12, but the Kettleers had a little more power behind theirs, blasting two home runs and six extra-base hits. Casey Schmitt (San Diego State) and Parker Chavers (Coastal Carolina) both went deep for their fourth home runs of the summer, with Schmitt going 3-for-5 and driving in five runs. Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) had two doubles and three RBI. Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State) drove in two runs. Matt Moore (Purdue) was the only pitcher on either side to toss a scoreless outing and earned the win.

 

Harwich 4, Y-D 2

The Mariners won for the third time in four games. Jordan Butler (Florida) and Nick Stewart (James Madison) teamed up for a strong pitching performance, each allowing one run in their stints. Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest) led the Harwich offense with two RBI.

 

What to Watch

Chatham will try for more East dominance as it visits Harwich.