Category: Daily Fog

Maybe they were inspired by the All-Star Game.

A night after pitching dominated the Cape’s Mid-Summer Classic, the league jumped right back into regular-season action and pitchers dominated that, too. Falmouth’s Sean Hagan (St. John’s) had a no-hitter broken up in the ninth inning and settled for a complete game, one-hit shutout. Bourne’s Jeff Thompson (Louisville) pitched a six-inning no-hitter in a game that was called early due to rain. And three Cotuit pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout and a 1-0 victory over Y-D.

Together, those performances made for probably the best pitching night of the offense-filled summer.

Start with Hagan. The 6-foot-6 lefty, a 29th-round pick this year, wasn’t an All-Star but he’s had his moments this summer. In his last start, he allowed two runs in nine innings as part of an 11-inning game.

This time, the nine innings were even better. Hagan struck out nine, walked one and just mowed down the league’ third-best hitting team. He retired the first 21 batters he faced and took a perfect game into the eighth, when he hit a batter.

As he headed to the ninth, he was one out away from the league’s first nine-inning no-hitter since Jordan Pries did it in 2010. After a strikeout for out number one, Erik Forgione (Memphis) broke up the no-no with a double. Hagan then walked the next batter but finished off the shutout with a groundout and a strikeout.

Falmouth, which had 16 hits, ended up with the 6-0 win.

No-no Rain

Thompson was the top prospect in the NECBL last summer but has had his struggles on the Cape. He came into last night’s game with a 5.87 ERA. Facing Harwich, he didn’t look like a no-hitter candidate.

But there he was.

Thompson struck out nine and walked two in six innings. When the game was called, his six no-hit innings turned into a no-hitter. It’s a bit of a shame that he didn’t get the chance to go the full way. He was at 80 pitches through six so you’ve got to figure he had a few more left in him.

Maybe Harwich would have got to him later, but maybe not. Regardless, it was a great performance by Thompson.

It’s the first time Harwich has been shut-out all season.

Three’s Company

In the best pitchers’ duel of the night, Cotuit slipped past Y-D 1-0 for its eighth straight win.

The Kettleers were facing Andrew Thurman (UC Irvine), who was coming off a dominant complete game shutout in his last start. But the Kettleers matched him. Joe Broussard (LSU) started and allowed four hits in six innings, while striking out four. Cameron Griffin (Stetson) and Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) finished off the victory with a scoreless frame.

Cotuit got its lone run in the seventh when Patrick Biondi (Michigan) singled and eventually came around on a wild pitch.

The Kettleers now have the best record in the league.

Elsewhere

Orleans scored seven runs in the fourth inning and didn’t need anything else in a 7-4 victory over Hyannis. Dominic Ficociello (Arkansas) hit a home run and J.T. Riddle (Kentucky) drove in two to power the offense. On the mound, Orleans got five solid innings from Brandon McNitt (Stony Brook), who allowed three runs. Kyle Crockett (Virginia) picked up the save. The win and a Harwich loss moved the Firebirds one game out of first place.

Wareham got solid pitching and a steady performance from the offense en route to a 6-2 victory over Chatham. Jared Ruxer (Louisville) allowed one run in four innings. Dan Tobik (Tennessee-Martin) picked up the win with two scoreless innings, striking out five. Jonathan Holder (Mississippi State) followed with two scoreless innings and Cole Sturgeon (Louisville) allowed just an unearned run in the ninth to finish it off. Kyle Schwarber (Indiana) went 3-for-4 and hit his sixth home run to lead the offense. Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) went 2-for-3 with two RBI and Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) also drove in two.

What to Watch

Cotuit will try to stay hot as it hosts Chatham at 5 p.m.

In the power rankings the other day, I mentioned that Cotuit’s propensity for short outings from its starters was a little bit of a concern. I still think it’s an issue, but if anybody can handle the heavy workload, it might be the Cotuit bullpen.

Even a 14-inning game wasn’t a problem.

After starter Kyle Finnegan (Texas State) struck out seven and gave up three runs in 3.2 innings, five Cotuit relievers kept Hyannis off the board for the rest of a game that matched the longest of the summer. The Hyannis bullpen was impressive, as well, but Cotuit broke through for three runs in the top of the 14th and held off the Harbor Hawks in the bottom half for the 6-3 win. It’s the seventh victory in a row for the Kettleers.

The bullpen has been awesome throughout for the Kettleers, but this was a new level. Dusty Isaacs (Georgia Tech) relieved Finnegan and had a starter-type performance, going 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine. Jacob Stone (Weatherford) and Dan Slania (Notre Dame) followed with hitless outings, and Tim Mayza (Millersville) worked around a single in the 13th to pitch another scoreless frame.

With a lead in the 14th, Mayza gave up a leadoff single to Blake Austin (Auburn) and was replaced by Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina), who’s been the busiest and probably the most successful member of the bullpen. Connolly came through again, striking out two and getting a pop-out to finish off the victory. Amazingly, Connolly — who has not started a game — now is tied for second in the league in strikeouts with 46. He’s allowed two runs in his last nine appearances, a span of 21.1 innings.

The bullpen performance set the stage for the Kettleers in the 14th. An Aramis Garcia (Florida International) RBI single brought in the go-ahead run and an Adam Nelubowich (Washington State) squeeze bunt brought in another. Jacob May (Coastal Carolina) then delivered an RBI single to make it 6-3.

Patrick Biondi (Michigan) went 3-for-6 to lead the Cotuit offense and he’ll now carry a .404 average into the All-Star Game. May and Daniel Aldrich (College of Charleston) had two hits each.

Cotuit has now won 14 of 16 games.

For Hyannis, Austin went 3-for-5 and Brad Zebedis (Presbyterian) homered. Peter Miller (Florida State) had the best relief performance as he struck out seven in four scoreless innings.

Elsewhere

Y-D’s Ben Lively (Central Florida) matched the league’s season high in strikeouts with 15 in seven innings but he took the loss as Harwich beat the Red Sox 3-1. Lively, who struck out better than a batter an inning at UCF this spring, got off to a bit of a slow start this summer but had pitched well lately and caught fire on this night. Unfortunately for him, two of the five hits he gave up were home runs — one each by JaCoby Jones (LSU) and former Red Sox Tyler Sciacca (Villanova). And on the other side, Harwich starter A.J. Reed (Kentucky) wasn’t striking everybody out but was authoring a gem of his own. He struck out six and allowed one run in seven innings. The Harwich bullpen then slammed the door and the Mariners got out with the win. Jones and Sciacca each had two hits. Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) drove in the other run. Sam Travis (Indiana) knocked in Y-D’s only run.

I guess Falmouth just had to get that first win out of the way. After snapping an eight-game losing skid on Wednesday, the Commodores rolled over Bourne 9-0 last night. Combined with a Wareham loss, Falmouth is now in sole possession of second place in the West. Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) led the 13-hit attack with two hits and three RBI. Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) and Mike O’Neill (Michigan) had two hits and two RBI each while Casey Turgeon had two hits and two RBI and Jon McGibbon (Clemson) had three hits. Five Falmouth pitchers combined on the shutout, with the win going to Luke Farrell (Northwestern).

Orleans scored five in the eighth to break a 1-1 tie and went on to a 7-2 victory over Wareham. Orleans starter Jarrett Arakawa (Hawaii) took a no-hitter into the sixth and ended up striking out eight in 6.2 innings. He gave up a game-tying home run to Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) before departing in the seventh, but Orleans quickly went back in front. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) had a sac fly to start the eighth-inning rally. Cody Kulp (Shippensburg) continued it with a two-run double, and Angelo LaBruna (Duke) knocked in two more with a single. Dylan Covey (San Diego) got the win in relief. For Wareham, Brad Kuntz (Baylor) struck out nine in seven innings. Palka’s home run was his 10th, which creates a three-way tie atop the leaderboard.

Chatham scored a run in the top of the ninth to tie Brewster 3-3 and the game was called due to darkness after the bottom of the ninth, giving the league its first tie of the season. An RBI groundout by John Martinez (Michigan State) brought the tying run home. Tom Bourdon (Boston College) and Andrew Knapp (Cal) knocked in the other runs for the Anglers. Kevin Williams (UCLA) hit a home run for the Whitecaps. Brewster starter Austin Voth (Washington) got the no-decision but was outstanding. He struck out 11 in six innings.

What to Watch

The Cape League All-Star Game is tonight at 6 p.m. See the post below for more info.

It wasn’t all too surprising when Y-D and Orleans spent a day tied with Harwich for the Cape League’s best record. Those teams have been hot on the Mariners’ heels all summer. You could have seen that tie coming.

This one? Not quite.

Cotuit is comfortably in first place in the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Western Division, but in adding to their lead last night with a 16-3 victory over Wareham, the Kettleers matched East leader Harwich for the league’s best record at 21-12.

It’s been quite a run. All season, the West has been a step behind the East, and for a long time, Cotuit was right in the middle of that. The Kettleers fell to 8-10 when they were crushed by Hyannis the day after the Fourth of July.

Since then, they’ve gone 13-2.

The run started with a seven-game winning streak. After two losses in a row, the Kettleers have now won six straight. With the rest of the West still treading water, the surge has put the Kettleers at the top of the division. They lead it by six games, and their record looks more impressive now that it matches Harwich.

Cotuit got the win last night with its highest run total of the season. Though they only had 11 hits, the Kettleers took advantage of eight walks and four Gatemen errors. Daniel Aldrich (College of Charleston) hit two home runs and drove in four, and Aramis Garcia (Florida International) also homered. Jacob Valdez (San Jose State) added two hits and three RBI while Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt) had a triple and three RBI.

On the mound, Adam McCreery (Arizona State) went four scoreless innings before the bullpen continued its steady work. Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) — who has not started a game — picked up his sixth win of the year, going 2.2 innings and allowing one run. Cameron Griffin (Stetson), Joe Broussard (LSU) and Tim Mayza (Millersville) finished off the victory.

Wareham dropped to 15-18 with the loss. On the bright side for the Gatemen, Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) hit his 10th home run of the year to tie Harwich’s Phillip Ervin for the league lead.

Elsewhere

Falmouth snapped its eight-game losing streak with an 8-2 victory over Hyannis. It was a good opponent to snap the skid against, as the Harbor Hawks were just a game behind the Commodores in the standings. The win moves Falmouth into a second-place tie with Wareham. Craig Schlitter (Bryant), who’s been solid all year, was the stopper Falmouth has been looking for. He gave up two runs on three hits and struck out six in seven innings. And unlike Trey Masek and John Simms, who pitched well in the losing streak but ran into dominant pitching performances on the other side, Schlitter had plenty of support. Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) went 3-for-4 with his sixth home run and two RBI. Casey Turgeon (Florida) also knocked in two. John Colella (Holy Cross) and Kyle Ruchim (Northwestern) each pitched a scoreless inning in relief of Schlitter.

Brewster held off a late charge for a 4-3 win over Bourne. Reliever Erik Schoenrock (Memphis) gave up two runs in the seventh but then got out of a two-on, two-out jam to keep the Whitecaps in front. Luke Weaver (Florida State) then picked up the save. Jake Kalish (George Mason) went five innings for the win. At the plate, Trevor Mitsui (Washington) homered and drove in two, while Ryon Healy (Oregon) and Jeff McNeil (Long Beach State) each had two hits and an RBI. For Bourne, L.J. Mazzilli (UConn) homered in his third game with the Braves.

What to Watch

Harwich visits Y-D, who’s two games back of the Mariners for first place. The game is at 5 p.m. A.J. Reed (Kentucky), who’s had some quality starts goes for the Mariners against Ben Lively (Central Florida), who struck out seven in five scoreless innings his last time out.

Also check back later for a little all-star game preview.

I don’t usually like to cover the same ground over and over again in the Daily Fog. But sometimes you have to compromise.

When Sean Manaea (Indiana State) pitches, it’s hard for anybody else to make headlines.

Manaea continued his huge season — and his great recent stretch — with another dominant performance last night. He struck out nine, didn’t walk anybody and allowed just two hits in six shutout innings as Hyannis beat Brewster 4-1.

Manaea now has 75 strikeouts, six walks and a 1.44 ERA on the year. In his last four starts — when he’s gone from having a good season to having a historic season — Manaea is 4-0 with 45 strikeouts, zero walks and a 0.35 ERA.

So yeah. Good luck making headlines against that.

At this point, I think everybody’s kind of running out of adjectives. It’s easier to just present facts like this one: last night, Manaea passed the Cape League strikeout totals of Major Leaguers Tim Lincecum, Andrew Miller and Tim Stauffer. Or this one: nobody in the league has thrown more innings, but 79 pitchers have walked more than Manaea’s six.

It’s getting pretty ridiculous. Manaea is in the midst of one of the great pitching seasons the Cape League has seen in recent history. And if anybody has had a better four-game stretch than Manaea’s run, I don’t know about it.

Last night was pretty typical. Manaea struck out the side in the first inning for the fifth consecutive game. He allowed just a bloop single and a bunt single in six innings. He threw 73 pitches, 55 for strikes, and probably would have gone deeper into the game if not for his upcoming all-star start.

And Hyannis, as it’s done in each of Manaea’s last five starts, won the game. If there’s anything to take out of last night other than more Manaea reflection, it’s that the Harbor Hawks are poised for a run. They’re now 14-19, tied with Falmouth for third place. If Manaea keeps doing anything close to what he’s been doing, it’s hard to imagine a long losing streak for Hyannis. David Garner and Jeff Hoffman have pitched very well of late, too, giving Hyannis a dynamic top of the rotation.

The offense is getting it done, as well. Dominic Jose (Stanford) hit his team-leading sixth home run, five of which have come in his last 11 games. Brandon Trinkwon (UC Santa Barbara) and Mitchell Garver (New Mexico) added two hits each, while Brett Michael Doran (Stanford), Brad Zebedis (Presbyterian) and Jeff Schalk (UAB) all drove in runs.

And just as they did against Falmouth’s Trey Masek the last time Manaea pitched, the Harbor Hawks did much of their damage against a standout pitcher. Brewster’s Tom Windle (Minnesota) struck out four and allowed two runs in five innings.

One More Time

The Harwich Mariners may be disappointed that last night marked their final regular-season meeting with the Orleans Firebirds.

I don’t think they’d mind playing Orleans every night.

The Mariners beat the Firebirds 7-5 last night, their fifth victory over Orleans in five tries. The only thing keeping Harwich from a season sweep was a 5-4 Orleans victory on the fourth day of the season.

Since then, these match-ups — which have been the league’s marquee match-ups several times — have been all Harwich.

This time, the Mariners trailed 3-2 going into the seventh but came through with four runs and never looked back. JaCoby Jones (LSU) had a two-run single and Matt Reida (Kentucky) delivered a two-run double to power the rally. Harwich added a run in the eighth on a Brett Austin (NC State) home run.

C.K. Irby (Samford) was impressive in relief, recording six of his seven outs by strikeout on his way to the win. Tyler Burgess (Missouri State) got the save.

Harwich improved to 21-12, two games better than Orleans and Y-D, who are tied for second.

Elsewhere

Cotuit is hot again. After a seven-game winning streak earlier this month, the Kettleers lost two straight, but they’ve since won five more in a row, including a 9-3 victory over Falmouth last night. Adam Nelubowich (Washington State) and Daniel Aldrich (College of Charleston) each hit home runs to power a 15-hit attack, and the Kettleers broke open a tie game with five runs in the sixth. Tim Kiene (Maryland) and Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt) added two hits each. Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) got the win in relief. The Kettleers are now 20-12, with a five-game lead on second-place Wareham. Falmouth has lost eight in a row.

Chatham scored two in the eighth to break a 6-6 tie on its way to an 8-6 victory over Y-D. Adam Engel (Louisville), who went 3-for-5 with three RBI, drove in the go-ahead run with a single before Andrew Knapp (Cal) worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 8-6. Jake Joyce (Virginia Tech), who had worked a perfect eighth, then did the same thing in the ninth, striking out two to clinch the victory. Mike Fransoso (Maine) and Tom Bourdon (Boston College) also drove in runs for the Anglers, who got back to .500 with the victory. Y-D, which has lost three in a row, fell to 19-15. Sam Travis (Indiana) hit his fourth home run for the Red Sox.

Wareham beat Bourne 6-3 and kept themselves out of what would have been a four-way tie for second place in the West between Wareham, Falmouth, Hyannis and Bourne. As it is, Wareham is two points ahead of Falmouth and Hyannis, who are each two points ahead of Bourne. The Gatemen got it done thanks to three runs in the seventh, which broke a 3-3 tie. Kyle Schwarber (Indiana) had a two-run triple to start the scoring and he then raced home on a wild pitch. Colby Suggs (Arkansas) then pitched the final two innings, striking out four and allowing no hits on his way to the save. Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech), Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) and Cole Surgeon (Louisville) each added two hits and an RBI for the Gatemen. Bourne got a home run from Jordan Patterson (South Alabama).

What to Watch

Three make-up games on the schedule tonight, including two interesting West match-ups. Hyannis visits Falmouth for a 6:30 start, while Cotuit travels to Wareham at 7 p.m.

The Orleans Firebirds went 10-1 out of the gates in the 2012 Cape Cod Baseball League season and displayed a flair for the dramatic throughout that hot start. Five of the wins were by a single run.

Since those first 11 games, the Firebirds have gone 9-13. While they’re still firmly in the mix, there’s no question that things just haven’t quite clicked as well as they did in the beginning.

But for one night at least, the Firebirds looked like their old selves.

After losing a 4-3 lead in the eighth against second-place Y-D, the Firebirds walked off with a 5-4 win in the 11th inning. The victory moved them into a tie for second with the Red Sox.

Angelo LaBruna (Duke), who’s been on fire lately, was the hero in the 11th. With J.T. Riddle (Kentucky) on second, LaBruna hit a single and Riddle raced around with the winning run.

It was the third hit of the night for LaBruna, who also drove in two. Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) added two hits and two RBI, while Derek Toadvine (Kent State) had two hits and scored two runs.

Kyle Crockett (Virginia) got the win for Orleans thanks to a dominant performance in extra innings. He came on with two outs in the eighth and shut down the high-powered Y-D offense, allowing two hits and striking out two the rest of the way.

Elsewhere

Bourne won for the fourth straight time, beating Chatham 5-3, to move into a tie with Hyannis for fourth place in the West. The Braves scored all their runs in the first two innings and made the lead stand up. Jaron Long (Ohio State) allowed three runs in five innings, Tim Giel (Columbia) turned in his seventh consecutive scoreless outing with three perfect frames, and Hawtin Buchanan (Ole Miss) struck out the side in the ninth for his third save. At the plate for the Braves, Jack Reinheimer (East Carolina) went 5-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Mason Robbins (Southern Miss), Chase McDonald (East Carolina) and Mike Ahmed (Holy Cross) also drove in runs.

The rest of the games on the schedule were postponed due to rain.

What to Watch

Sean Manaea is scheduled to be back on the mound for Hyannis on the heels of his 15-strikeout performance last week. Manaea and the Harbor Hawks host Brewster at 7 p.m.

The Cotuit Kettleers are the only team in Cape Cod Baseball League’s Western Division with a winning record. On the flip side, the Eastern Division has four teams at .500 or above.

But the last two days, Cotuit has done a pretty good job carrying the torch for the West.

The Kettleers beat East leader Harwich 6-1 on Sunday and dispatched second-place Y-D with an 8-4 victory last night. Cotuit has won four in a row and is now 19-12, just one game off Harwich’s league-leading pace.

While the Kettleers have been hot before — they vaulted into first place with a seven-game winning streak not too long ago — they haven’t had any more impressive wins than these two.

And last night, the Kettleers did it despite a rough start. Brandon Bixler (Florida Gulf Coast) walked six in two-plus innings. Though he got out with only two runs coming in, he was pulled after walking the leadoff man in the third.

Against Y-D’s offense, you don’t want to be going to your bullpen in the third inning, but the Kettleers made it work. Cameron Griffin (Stetson) gave up two runs in 1.1 innings before Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) slammed the door. After pitching an inning the night before, Connolly came on in the fourth, got out of a first-and-third jam and ended up going the last 4.2 innings without allowing a run. He gave up just one hit and struck out five.

The offense delivered as well. Tim Kiene (Maryland), Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt), and Cael Brockmeyer (Cal State Bakersfield) all homered, with Kemp going 3-for-4 and driving in three. Patrick Biondi (Michigan) went 2-for-3 to raise his league-leading batting average to .414, while Daniel Aldrich (College of Charleston) and Adam Nelubowich (Washington State) also had two hits.

On the other side, Justin Shafer (Florida) had two hits and two RBI for Y-D.

For the game, Kettleer pitchers limited the Red Sox to four hits, their lowest total since another loss to Cotuit on July 10. The Kettleers are now 3-0 against the Red Sox.

Elsewhere

Hyannis got the best of Wareham in the last two meetings between the two, but with the Harbor Hawks trying to vault into second place, it was the Gatemen who came out on top this time, beating Hyannis 9-3. The win moved Wareham into a second-place tie with Falmouth and kept Hyannis a game back of those two teams. Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) led the charge for the Gatemen, hitting two home runs and driving in four. He now has nine on the year. Kyle Schwarber (Indiana) added two hits and two RBI, while Logan Uxa (Arkansas State) homered. On the mound, Kendall Gravemen (Mississippi State) gave up two runs in six strong innings on his way to the win. Clay Chapman (Florida Southern), who had an ERA over six coming in, worked 2.1 scoreless innings to finish off the victory. Hyannis got a home run from Dominic Jose (Stanford), his fifth.

Chatham rallied from a 2-0 deficit with three in the sixth en route to a 4-2 victory over Orleans. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Anglers, who are back to .500 at 16-16. Chatham had been shut-out by Orleans starter Jimmy Reed (Maryland) through five innings but came to life against the vaunted Orleans bullpen. Dale Carey (Miami) had an RBI double to start the scoring in the sixth. John Martinez (Michigan State) followed with a two-run homer to give the Anglers the lead. An Andrew Knapp (Cal) RBI double made it 4-2 in the seventh. The surge made a winner out of Kurt Schluter (Stetson), who struck out eight and gave up two runs in six innings. Aaron Brown (Pepperdine) worked 1.2 scoreless frames, before Jake Joyce (Virginia Tech) struck out three in 1.1 perfect innings.

What to Watch

Yesterday’s games were all make-ups. We’re back to a full slate of action today. Cotuit will try to stay hot as it hosts Brewster, but it’ll be a tough task with Whitecaps ace Tom Windle (Minnesota) on the mound. The Kettleers will counter with Jordan Smith (Western Carolina), who has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen.

The Y-D Red Sox have put up some pretty good pitching numbers this year, ranking fourth in the league in ERA. But their offense is so good that it’s easy to get distracted. Sometimes, it seems like the Y-D pitching staff is Aaron Blair and 13 other guys.

One of the other guys made a name for himself last night.

UC Irvine right-hander Andrew Thurman tossed the first complete game shutout of the 2012 Cape Cod Baseball League season and was dominant in doing it. He struck out 13, didn’t walk anybody and allowed just three hits. His performance sparked Y-D to a 3-0 victory over Falmouth.

Thurman, who had solid numbers for Irvine this spring, has had his moments on the Cape. He struck out nine in six innings in his second start after throwing five good frames in his debut. He struggled a bit more in his last two starts, but really broke out last night.

Thurman gave up singles in the second, third and fourth innings, but nothing came of them. Mike O’Neill (Michigan) singled in the fourth, stole second and took third on a fly ball, and reached on an error and stole second in the sixth. He was the only runner to get past first base.

And Thurman got stronger as the game went on. O’Neill was the last man to reach as Thurman retired the final 10 batters he faced. He struck out the final six he faced, all of them swinging.

The Y-D offense gave Thurman all it needed with single runs in the third, fifth and seventh innings. Sean Dwyer (Florida Gulf Coast) and Sean McHugh (Purdue) hit solo home runs. Tanner Mathis (Ole Miss) knocked in the other run.

The win — and a Harwich loss — moved Y-D back within a game of first place.

For Falmouth, John Simms (Rice) pitched well in his move from the bullpen, giving up three runs while striking out eight in seven innings.

The Commodores have lost seven in a row and have now fallen victim to dominant pitching performances twice in the last four games. They struck out 15 times against Sean Manaea on Thursday.

Elsewhere

Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) homered for the fourth time in six games and Bourne never trailed on its way to a 3-1 victory over Orleans, its third in a row. Robbins, an all-star starter, is now hitting .357 with seven home runs, and every time he heats up, it seems like the Braves do too. Mike Ahmed (Holy Cross) also homered for Bourne and Colin Moran (North Carolina) drove in his 31st run of the season. Bourne also got solid pitching. Chad Green (Louisville) gave up a run on four hits in six innings. John Farrell (William & Mary) got the save. For Orleans, Angelo LaBruna (Duke) homered for the third time in four games.

Four Cotuit pitchers gave up just three hits as the West-leading Kettleers topped Harwich 3-1 in a battle of first-place teams. Joe Broussard (LSU) gave up a run on three hits while striking out six in four innings. Jacob Stone (Weatherford), Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) and Dan Slania (Notre Dame) then combined for five hitless innings. Stone struck out five in 2.1 innings while Slania finished it off by striking out four of the five batters he faced. Harwich starter Corey Littrell (Kentucky) struck out 10 in six innings but Cotuit touched him up for two runs and added to its lead against the bullpen. Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt) had two hits and an RBI, while Patrick Biondi (Michigan) also drove in a run.

Hyannis got a quality start from Josh Walker (New Mexico) and broke out in the middle innings on its way to a 4-2 victory over Chatham. Walker allowed two runs and struck out five in six innings of work. Andrew Smithmyer (East Carolina) and Walter Wijas (Kentucky) combined for three perfect innings to finish it off. Chatham starter Ryan Thompson (Franklin Pierce) allowed just two hits through four shutout innings, but Hyannis got to him for three in the fifth and one more in the sixth. Pat Fortunato (Rhode Island), a recent addition, went 2-for-3 with two RBI after going 3-for-3 in his season debut. Brad Zebedis (Presbyterian) and Brandon Trinkwon (UC Santa Barbara) drove in the other runs. The Harbor Hawks have won seven of their last nine and are just a game out of second place. Chatham has lost five straight.

Brewster came back from a 3-2 deficit with four runs in the top of the ninth to beat Wareham 6-3. The Whitecaps did their damage against Wareham closer Konner Wade (Arizona), who had allowed a total of two runs in his first six appearances. Ryon Healy (Oregon) had an RBI single to tie the game before Erik Forgione (Washington) smacked a three-run homer — his first of the year — to put the Whitecaps on top. Brewster reliever Dylan Davis (Oregon State) got himself into a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth but got himself out thanks to a 1-2-3 game-ending double play.

Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) is making a habit of this. The Bourne standout, who’s been one of the hottest hitters on the Cape since about the third week of the season, delivered a walk-off hit last night for the second time this week — and this one was extra dramatic. Robbins hit an inside-the-park home run in the 14th inning to lift Bourne past Y-D 8-7. It was a game the Braves trailed 8-7, but they came all the way back with three runs in the eighth inning and four in the ninth. After four scoreless extra frames, Robbins came up with two outs in the 14th and delivered the game winner, one of four RBI for him on the night. Robbins is now hitting .362. Jack Reinheimer (East Carolina) added three hits for the Braves. Sam Travis (Indiana) had four hits for Y-D, who had won seven in a row.

There were also extra innings in Falmouth, where visiting Wareham edged the Commodores 3-2 in 11 innings. Mott Hyde (Georgia Tech) doubled to start a rally in the 11th and scored when Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) reached on an error. Konner Wade (Arizona) made the lead stand up with a scoreless bottom of the ninth. Hyde had three hits to lead the Wareham charge. For Falmouth, Sean Hagan (St. John’s) gave up two runs in the first inning and nothing else over the next eight but didn’t factor in the decision. Wareham starter Brad Kuntz (Baylor) also allowed two runs in the first but settled in from there to pitch 5.2 solid innings. Joe Filomeno (Louisville) got the win for the Gatemen. It was the sixth straight loss for Falmouth.

Cotuit shut down Hyannis 7-1 thanks to two solid pitching performances. Kyle Finnegan (Texas State) struck out six and allowed just a run on three hits in five innings. Jordan Ramsey (UNC Wilmington) followed him with four scoreless innings. The Cotuit offense took care of the rest, getting a home run by Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt) and three hits from Adam Nelubowich (Washington State). Cotuit now has a six-point cushion on second-place Falmouth.

Orleans moved into a tie for second in the East with Y-D thanks to a 4-3 victory over Brewster. Angelo LaBruna (Duke) went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI while Reed Gragnani (Virginia) and Jake Hernandez (USC) each had two hits. Austin Kubitza (Rice) got the win in relief and Kyle Crockett (Virginia) picked up the save.

Harwich broke a 2-2 tie with four in the sixth on its way to a 7-3 victory over Chatham. Tyler Sciacca (Villanova) hit a home run, while Austen Smith (Alabama), Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) and Mike Connolly (Maine) each delivered an RBI. Smith also made a diving catch in right field to end the game. Eddie Campbell (Virginia Tech) pitched five strong innings for the win.

Aaron Blair (Marshall) celebrated his all-star starting nod with another solid performance as Y-D beat Brewster 6-1 for its seventh straight win. Blair improved to 6-0 with five strong innings. He allowed a run on five hits and struck out five, and his ERA is now 1.27. The Y-D bats were as quiet as they’ve been throughout the streak, but still managed to push the six runs across. Alex Blandino (Stanford) had two RBI to lead the charge, while Zak Blair (Mercyhurst), Mason Katz (LSU), Justin Shafer (Florida) and Sean McHugh (Purdue) all drove in one apiece.

Harwich remained a game ahead of Y-D thanks to a 7-6 victory over Orleans, its third in a row. Phillip Ervin (Samford), whose home run pace had slowed way down, hit one for the second straight night, bringing his total to 10. Brian Ragira (Stanford) also homered, his eighth, while JaCoby Jones (LSU) hit his fourth. On the mound, David Whitehead (Elon) gave up 11 hits in six innings but only four runs. The bullpen then held off a charge by the Firebirds, with Vladimir Camacho (Franklin Pierce) picking up the save.

Cotuit edged Chatham 2-1 thanks to four strong pitching performances. Starter Adam McCreery (Arizona State) gave up a run in 4.1 innings, before relievers Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina), Brandon Bixler (Florida Gulf Coast) and Dan Slania (Notre Dame) combined for 4.2 scoreless innings. Connolly got the win, while Bixler and Slania both struck out the side in one perfect inning each. Jacob May (Coastal Carolina) and Patrick Biondi (Michigan) drove in the runs for the Kettleers.

Hyannis got another quality starting pitching performance and beat Wareham 6-4, its fourth win in a row. Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) struck out eight and gave up four runs in six innings on his way to the win. Brett Michael Doran (Stanford) had two RBI to lead the offense while newly-minted all-star Brandon Trinkwon (UC Santa Barbara) had three hits. Hyannis is now tied with Wareham for third in the West.

Bourne scored all five of its runs in the last three innings en route to a 5-4 victory over Falmouth, who has lost five straight. Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) and Trent Gilbert (Arizona) each knocked in two for the Braves, and Chase McDonald (East Carolina) had the other RBI. Hawtin Buchanan (Ole Miss) picked up the win in relief and John Farrell (William & Mary) got the save.

Before Thursday night’s game in Hyannis, about a dozen geese gathered in center field. Two bat boys from Falmouth tried chasing them away but came up empty. Hyannis center fielder Dominic Jose gave it a go next, but the geese weren’t interested in leaving.

Eventually, the Hyannis bullpen made it happen in between the top and the bottom of the first inning. But for that top of the first, Jose played center field with a gaggle all around him.

The funny thing was that nobody seemed too worried about it.

I guess with Sean Manaea (Indiana State) on the mound, you don’t care much about center field.

Manaea, the Cape League’s strikeout leader, continued his tremendous summer with his third straight dominant start. He struck out the side in that first inning on his way to 15 strikeouts in seven shutout innings. He allowed two hits, didn’t walk anybody and picked up the victory as Hyannis topped Falmouth 4-1.

Manaea has been rolling all season, and especially lately. He struck out 13 in his last start after getting nine the start before that.

I wondered what he could do for an encore, hoping that he’d be as good on the night I got to see him. He was better than I could have imagined.

Manaea had a perfect game until an error in the fourth and a no-hitter until Kyle Ruchim (Northwestern) lined a single back through the box in the fifth. He struck out every batter in the Falmouth lineup at least once. Twelve of his 15 strikeouts were of the swinging variety. The only hit other than Ruchim’s liner was an infield single to shortstop that Mike O’Neill (Michigan) beat out. He threw 92 pitches, and 70 were strikes.

Manaea now has 66 strikeouts — and six walks — in 37.2 innings. He has struck out more than the last three end-of-season strikeout leaders, with only Brandon Workman’s 67 in 2008 keeping him from making it the last six. If he continues to pitch well, Manaea may head into 2005 territory when Daniel Bard struck out 82 and Tim Norton K’d 77.

Manaea, who wasn’t getting a lot of run support early in the season, has had plenty of help lately, and that was the case again. Falmouth starter Trey Masek (Texas Tech) had his own awesome night, striking out 11 in six innings on his way to the hardest of hard-luck losses. Hyannis touched him up for two unearned runs in the second. An error opened the door and an RBI groundout by Jose plus a Zach Alvord (Auburn) RBI single brought the runs home. Falmouth added a run in the seventh on a Brett Michael Doran (Stanford) RBI double and another in the eighth on a Blake Austin (Auburn) solo home run.

Walter Wijas (Kentucky) pitched a scoreless eighth in relief of Manaea, and Peter Miller (Florida State) worked out of some trouble in the ninth to seal the victory.

There were 30 combined strikeouts between the teams.

Elsewhere

Manaea and Masek weren’t the only ones dominating last night. Orleans’ Matt Boyd (Oregon State), who had been pitching well out of the bullpen, made the jump to the rotation and shined. He struck out 12 and allowed just one hit in six scoreless innings as the Firebirds beat Chatham 7-2. The Anglers didn’t get their first hit off Boyd until the fourth and it was the only one they got. Boyd faced just two over the minimum. The offense backed him, as well. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt), Jake Hernandez (USC) and Angelo La Bruna (Duke) all hit home runs for Orleans, while Reed Gragnani (Virginia) and J.T. Riddle (Kentucky) added two hits each.

Harwich got a pitching gem on the back end of its game and it set the stage for a 13-inning, 8-6 victory over Bourne. Grant Gordon (Missouri State) pitched the final four innings for the Mariners and didn’t allow a runner on base in that span. He also struck out eight of the 12 batters he faced. That paved the way for Harwich to take a lead in the 13th. Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) had an RBI single to plate the go-ahead run, while Austin Wilson (Stanford) knocked in another run with a base hit. Before the late heroics, the Mariners hit three home runs, one each from JaCoby Jones (LSU), Brian Ragira (Stanford) and Phillip Ervin (Samford), who hit his ninth. Ervin hadn’t homered since June 30. For Bourne, Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) hit his fifth homer and Colin Moran (North Carolina) had three hits.

Y-D won a slugfest over Brewster 12-11 in a game that was called after eight innings for darkness. The Red Sox trailed 11-10 going into the bottom of the eighth but got an RBI single by Sean McHugh (Purdue) to tie the game and a base hit by Justin Shafer (Florida) to take the lead. The Red Sox finished with 17 hits. Sean Dwyer (Florida Gulf Coast) and Robert Pehl (Washington) each homered and drove in two runs. Sam Travis (Indiana) and Zak Blair (Mercyhurst) had three hits apiece. Nine different players knocked in a run for the Red Sox. On the other side, Dan Olinger (Minnesota) had three hits for the Whitecaps.

What to Watch

Harwich and Orleans get together again in Orleans tonight at 7 p.m. Former first-round pick Dylan Covey (San Diego) goes for the Firebirds against David Whitehead (Elon). There should also be a good match-up in Brewster, where Y-D sends ace Aaron Blair (Marshall) to the mound against Sam Moll (Memphis).

Also today, all-star rosters will be announced.