Category: Daily Fog

After rain washed out the full Cape Cod Baseball League slate on Tuesday, teams got back to action last night.

Orleans and Hyannis certainly made up for the lack of baseball.

The Firebirds and the Harbor Hawks played 14 innings at Eldredge Park, the longest game of the 2012 season so far. Orleans ultimately prevailed 6-5 to move to 10-1 on the year.

I wouldn’t have picked these two teams to stage a 14-inning classic. The Firebirds have the best record in the league, and the Harbor Hawks have the worst record — now 10-1 and 1-10.

But after Orleans tied the game in the fifth inning, nothing separated the teams for the next eight innings.

The Firebirds, who are no strangers to close games, finally broke through in the bottom of the 14th. Facing Jimmy Hodgskin (Troy), the eighth Hyannis pitcher of the night, Cody Kulp (Shippensburg) started the frame with a single. A bunt moved him to second before an error on a ball off the bat of Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) allowed Kulp to score the winning run.

It was the sixth one-run game the Firebirds, and their fifth win in those games. It was their first extra-inning game.

Hyannis actually took a 5-0 lead in the second inning. Brett Michael Doran (Stanford) hit a grand slam to power the burst. But Orleans quickly chipped away, getting two in the bottom of the second, one in the third and tying the game with two in the fifth.

From there, the bullpens dominated. Six Harbor Hawk pitchers combined to allow just three hits in nine scoreless innings, led by Carson Cross (UConn), who struck out five in three innings. That bullpen work is a bright spot for Hyannis, which had struggled in that department.

Seven Orleans relievers surrendered six hits in 10 shutout innings. Kyle Crockett (Virginia) carried a big load with six strikeouts in four innings. Dylan Covey (San Diego) picked up the win after getting the final out of the 14th.

Reed Gragnani (Virginia) and J.T. Riddle (Kentucky) each hit home runs to lead the Orleans offense. And as always, an extra-innings game delivered an odd line — Orleans leadoff man Jay Gonzalez (Auburn) went 0-for-2 with five walks, and he reached base six times. The sixth was on a dropped third strike.

Elsewhere

Another game, another win for Harwich — and two more home runs. The Mariners beat Y-D 4-3 and brought their league-leading home run total to 20. Philip Ervin (Samford) hit his league-best sixth and his college teammate C.K. Irby hit his first. Ervin is now one home run away from matching the end-of-season league-leading total from each of the last two years. Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) and Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) added two hits each for Harwich. Making his second start for the Mariners, Aaron Nola (LSU) struck out five and allowed one run on three hits in six innings. His LSU teammate Joey Bourgeois allowed two runs in two innings before Zane Evans (Georgia Tech) came on for his second save. Sean Dwyer (Florida Gulf Coast) hit a home run for Y-D.

Brewster has quietly gotten right back into the Eastern Division mix. The Whitecaps beat Chatham 6-4 for their third straight win. They’re now tied for fourth with Y-D and are just a game back of Chatham for third. On this night, Brewster took a 4-0 lead in the third and never trailed. Trevor Mitsui (Washington) went 2-for-3 with three RBI, while returning all-star Jason Monda (Washington State) broke out of a slump with a 3-for-4 day. Dan Olinger (Minnesota) went 3-for-3. On the mound for the Whitecaps, James Leckenby (Washington State) was impressive in his first start of the summer, striking out seven and allowing just two hits in four shutout innings. Chatham chipped away against the Brewster bullpen, but Jake Kalish (George Mason) slammed the door with a scoreless ninth.

Wareham finally put a good offensive showing together with strong pitching performances in a 9-1 victory over Bourne. The Gatemen had lost two straight games by big margins, and before that, they scored a lot of runs but had to win a slugfest over Falmouth. This time, it all clicked. Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-5 with a double and a home run while Mott Hyde (Georgia Tech) went 3-for-5. The Gatemen finished with 14 hits. On the mound, Brad Kuntz (Baylor) surrendered just a run on two hits while striking out six in five innings. Nick Rumbelow (LSU) and Joe Filomeno (Louisville) combined for four scoreless innings of relief. Wareham improved to 5-6.

It was also a lopsided affair in Cotuit, where Falmouth beat the Kettleers 9-2. The Commodores had 13 hits — and four home runs — on their way to their sixth win of the season, which gets them back over .500. Returning all-star Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) made his debut for the Commodores and gave them a big boost as he went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Jared King (Kansas State), Michael O’Neill (Michigan) and Brad Fieger (Miami) had the other home runs. Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) went 3-for-5 to bring his average to .341, and Jonathan McGibbon (Clemson) went 2-for-4. On the mound, Trey Masek (Texas Tech) scattered five hits and didn’t allow an earned run in five innings. Three relievers combined for four scoreless innings.

What to Watch

The big Orleans-Harwich match-up that was postponed on Tuesday is set for tonight, and with one more game in the books, the match-up looks just as exciting. Orleans is now 10-1 and has won eight straight games while Harwich is 9-2 and has won seven in a row. Rice standout Austin Kubitza is scheduled to get the ball for the Firebirds, while Kentucky freshman A.J. Reed will start for Harwich. The game is at 7 p.m. in Harwich.

Also, check back here later today for the second edition of the Right Field Fog Power Rankings.

Amid Orleans’s winning streak and Harwich’s early-season power explosion, you’ve got to do something pretty good to make headlines in the Cape Cod Baseball League these days.

This would qualify.

Hyannis picked up its first win of the season in dramatic style last night, walking off with a 7-6 victory over Bourne. Will Callaway (Appalachian State) singled to score Zac Zellers (Kentucky) with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, touching off a welcome celebration for the Harbor Hawks and the home crowd.

The Harbor Hawks came in with an 0-9 record, and they were the only winless team in the league. Struggling like that after last year’s run to the Western Division title I’m sure made it sting a little more for fans, coaches and the organization. It also didn’t help that six of nine games were decided by two runs or less. Hyannis was close, but just couldn’t get over the top.

This time, right when it looked like Hyannis might find more heartbreak, the win finally happened,

The Harbor Hawks led 6-1 after four innings, but as has been the case a few times this season, they let the lead slip. Bourne scored five runs in the eighth to tie the game.

It could have been a here-we-go-again kind of situation. Instead, Hyannis seized a chance to answer.

Zellers walked to start the bottom of the ninth. A sacrifice bunt by Brandon Trinkwon (UC Santa Barbara) moved him to second before Mitchell Garver (New Mexico) popped out for the second out. But Hyannis stayed alive when Brad Zebedis (Presbyterian) reached on an error. Callaway followed with a single to right field, Zellers raced home and the celebration was on.

Throughout the first week and a half of the season, I think most people have felt like Hyannis was better than their record. Now that the seal’s been broken, we’ll see if the Harbor Hawks can get it going.

For now, they’re just happy to be in the win column.

Elsewhere

Orleans ran its league-best record to 9-1 with a 7-0 victory over Wareham, its seventh win in a row. Jerad Grundy (Kentucky) struck out four and allowed just one hit in five shutout innings and he departed with his team already up 7-0. That lead was no trouble for the strong Orleans bullpen, as four relievers combined to finish off the shutout. As for the offense, Jake Hernandez (USC) and Austin La Bruna (Duke) had two hits each, while Reed Gragnani (Virginia) hit a home run. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) picked up his seventh RBI and Mike Montville (Maryland) grabbed his ninth. Orleans has won two straight shutouts and hasn’t allowed a run since the sixth inning of Friday’s game.

Harwich kept right on rolling, as well, winning its sixth in a row with another big offensive night. Facing Y-D — the other hottest-hitting team in the league — the Mariners trailed 3-1 in the fifth before scoring four unanswered on their way to a 7-3 victory. The Mariners hit three more home runs, bringing their league-leading total to 18. Philip Ervin (Samford) hit his fifth, whole Brian Ragira (Stanford) and Austin Smith (Alabama) each smacked their first. Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame), JaCoby Jones (LSU) and Zane Evans (Georgia Tech) added two hits apiece while Austin Wilson (Stanford) picked up his seventh RBI in just four games. On the mound, Corey Littrell (Kentucky) gave up three runs in 4.1 innings but the bullpen slammed the door. Clark Labitan (Virginia Tech) picked up the win with two scoreless innings.

Orleans and Harwich also picked up some distance on third-place Chatham, as Cotuit beat the Anglers 11-5. Raph Rhymes (LSU) paced the Kettleers with a 2-for-6, five RBI performance. Mike Ford (Princeton) went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Cael Brockmeyer (Cal State Bakersfield) and Derek Smith (Pittsburgh-Bradford) each had an RBI. The Kettleers also took advantage of four Chatham errors. On the mound, Kevin Ziomek (Vanderbilt) struck out eight and gave up two runs in four innings. Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) got the win in relief and Dan Slania (Notre Dame) got seven outs without giving up a hit for his second save. Cotuit is 5-5 and moved into a tie for first in the West.

Brewster is doing its best to keep pace in the East, and the Whitecaps moved to 4-6 with a 10-5 victory over Falmouth. Brewster was out-hit 12-7 but capitalized on five Falmouth errors and got some big hits when it needed them. Dylan Davis (Oregon State) went 2-for-5 with a home run and Matt Moynihan (Texas) went 3-for-4. Trevor Mitsui (Washington) had a hit and two RBI. On the mound, Tom Windle (Minnesota) allowed one run and struck out six in five innings. Michael Burchett (Sam Houston State) shut down any hopes of a Falmouth comeback with 1.1 innings of scoreless ball to end it.

What to Watch

The makeup of Friday’s rained-out game between Chatham and Bourne is the only thing on the schedule tonight. The teams will meet at 6 p.m.

At some point, you have to think it’ll even out a little bit.

But right now, teams from the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Eastern Division are doing a lot of winning. Even Mother Nature wants in on the act.

Last night, while Harwich and Orleans kept on winning, and while Y-D and Brewster picked up victories, Chatham trailed Bourne 3-0. Then a pop-up thunderstorm crossed over Doran Park and postponed the game before it could become official.

As a result, it was an undefeated night for the East, and that’s fast becoming the norm. Orleans is 8-1, Harwich is 7-2, Chatham is 6-2 and Y-D is 5-4. Fourth-place Y-D would be tied for first in the West, where Falmouth’s 5-4 mark is the best. Even Brewster, who’s 3-6 in the East, would be fourth in the West.

Last night featured an all East vs. West schedule, and it went like you’d expect based on those standings. Orleans won its sixth straight game in dominating fashion, rolling past Falmouth 14-0. Harwich blitzed Cotuit 9-2 for its fifth win in a row. Y-D slugged past Wareham 12-1. And Brewster slipped past winless Hyannis 4-3.

Those first two are the most impressive. Orleans and Harwich have looked like they’re a step ahead of everybody and the step is starting to get bigger.

Orleans was winning close ones early in the season and wasn’t swinging the bats all that well. Now, the Firebirds have scored eight, eight and 14 in their last three games. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) hit another home run last night after blasting two the night before, while Mike Montville (Maryland) and Austin LaBruna (Duke) also hit homers. The team’s leading hitter, Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .351. Nine players drove in runs for the Firebirds.

Jarrett Arakawa (Hawaii) allowed just two hits in five shutout innings, and four relievers combined to allow one hit.

As for Harwich, the Mariners scored nine runs for the second night in a row. Slugger Austin Wilson (Stanford) hit two home runs and brought his average to .556 in three games. Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) and Brett Austin (NC State) also hit home runs. The Mariners now have a league-best 15 home runs, six more than Y-D, who’s next closest.

Harwich also got two hits from newcomers Brian Ragira (Stanford) and JaCoby Jones (LSU), while Philip Ervin (Samford) went 1-for-5.

On the mound, Eddie Campbell (Virginia Tech) allowed two runs in five innings, and the bullpen pitched 3.2 scoreless innings.

And if you’re wondering, Harwich and Orleans play each other on Tuesday. I guess something will finally give that night.

Elsewhere

Y-D’s victory was pretty impressive too, as the Red Sox scored 12 runs after scoring 13 on Thursday. They pounded out 17 hits this time, with a big day from Robert Pehl (Washington) leading the way. Pehl went 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBI. He now leads the league with 12 RBI. Mason Katz (LSU) also hit a home run, while Carlos Asuaje (Nova Southeastern), Alex Blandino (Stanford), Zak Blair (Mercyhurst) and Tyler Sciacca (Villanova) had two hits each. Andrew Thurman (UC Irvine) struck out six and allowed one run on two hits in five innings for the win.

Brewster bounced back from two straight losses and kept Hyannis winless with a 4-3 victory. Hyannis led 2-1 going into the eighth and looked well on its way to finally getting a victory, but the Whitecaps took the lead on a two-run double by Derrick Thomas (Memphis) and added an insurance run on a Dylan Davis (Oregon State) triple. Davis then came out of the bullpen in the ninth and made the lead stand up. Hyannis got a run on a Jeff Schalk (UAB) RBI single, but Davis got a groundout to end the game.

What to Watch

The top two offensive teams in the league meet in Harwich at 4 p.m., as Y-D comes to town to take on the Mariners.

Samford’s Philip Ervin hit .327 this spring with 10 home runs. Notre Dame’s Eric Jagielo hit .310 with 13 homers.

It’s summer now, but they are not slowing down.

Ervin and Jagielo have been two of the most productive and hottest hitters in the league thus far, and they’re powering Harwich to a really quick start. In a 9-5 victory over Bourne last night — the team’s fourth in a row — Ervin went 4-for-4 and hit his league-leading fourth home run. He drove in two runs to bring his league-leading total to 11, and he’s now hitting .433, good for second in the league.

Jagielo hasn’t been quite as scorching as Ervin, but he’s not far behind. He went 1-for-4 last night with his third home run of the season. He ranks third in the league in RBI with eight and is sixth in batting average.

The Mariners improved to 6-2 with the win. While their lineup is getting stronger by the day with the addition of four high-profile players, it’s Ervin and Jagielo who are just carrying the team right now. Ervin has a hit in seven of eight games, with four multi-hit performances. Seven of his 13 hits have gone for extra-bases.

Batting behind Ervin, Jagielo has a hit in six of eight games and seven of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases.

In short, there isn’t a better duo in the league right now. They’re the biggest reason why the Mariners lead the league in home runs, extra-base hits, slugging percentage and OPS.

And those are pretty good signs of success, which the Mariners have had plenty of.

Elsewhere

Bourne’s Mike Ahmed (Holy Cross) has been pretty hot himself and he had another great game in the losing effort against Harwich last night. Ahmed went 2-for-5 with his third home run. He’s now hitting .387, good for third in the league.

For all of the Harwich love around here, the Orleans Firebirds are still sitting in first place in the East. The Firebirds improved to 7-1 last night with an 8-3 victory over Hyannis. And it looks like Orleans is actually heating up. The team banged out a season-high 13 hits last night, led by a two home run night for Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt). Cody Kulp (Shippensburg) added three hits, including a home run, and three RBI. Jimmy Reed (Maryland) got the win for Orleans with five strong innings, and the bullpen allowed just three hits over the final four innings. Hyannis dropped to 0-8 with the loss.

Chatham continues to keep pace in the East as well. The Anglers beat Y-D 9-2 last night to improve to 6-2. Aaron Brown (Pepperdine) and Dale Carey (Miami) had a home run and two RBI apiece, while Andrew Knapp (California) also had two RBI. Kurt Schluter (Stetson) allowed two runs in five innings for the win. Y-D actually out-hit Chatham 9-8 but didn’t score again after getting two runs in the first.

Wareham won a wild one with Falmouth, 12-10 in 11 innings. Facing John Simms (Rice), who didn’t allow an earned run all last summer, the Gatemen scored two in the top of the 11th and eventually came away with the win. Kyle Schwarber (Indiana) scored the go-ahead run on a suicide squeeze from Mott Hyde (Georgia Tech). Matthew Walsh (Franklin Pierce) knocked in the second run with an RBI groundout. Jonathan Holder (Mississippi State), who had come on in the ninth and given up a game-tying home run to Michael O’Neill (Michigan), stayed in the game after that and worked a scoreless 11th after his team got the lead. Wareham moved within a game of Falmouth for first place.

Cotuit had its best offensive night of the season in a 10-5 victory over Brewster. Making his second appearance of the summer, LSU star Raph Rhymes went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. The Kettleers also got home runs from Aramis Garcia (Florida International) and Jacob May (Coastal Carolina). Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt) added two RBI. Adam McCreery (Arizona State) struck out five and gave up four runs — two earned — in three innings after a dominant start in his first Cape appearance. In relief, Jordan Ramsey (UNC-Wilmington) pitched three scoreless innings for the win.

We’re still at an early point in the season where one game can have a big impact on a statistic. A team’s batting average could drop pretty significantly with a bad showing.

Or it could go up by 41 points.

That’s just what happened to the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox on Thursday night. Already the league leaders with a .280 team batting average, the Red Sox pushed that mark all the way to .321 with a mammoth 22-hit performance in a 13-2 victory over Brewster. Y-D improved to 4-3 with the blowout.

Looking at rosters around the league in the preseason, I probably wouldn’t have pegged Y-D as an offensive juggernaut. It looked like the Red Sox would have a lot of guys coming off solid springs, but maybe not that many who were primed for summer stardom.

But everybody on the roster — even some fill-ins — have done nothing but hit. Tyler Sciacca (Villanova), a late addition to the roster, leads the league with a .588 batting average. Ten players are hitting .300 or better.

And Thursday was the best day yet. The game was 1-1 after three, but the Red Sox exploded over the final six innings, getting 18 of their 22 hits in that span.

Sam Travis (Indiana), Wayne Taylor (Stanford) and Alex Blandino (Stanford) each hit home runs for the biggest blows. Robert Pehl (Washington), the team’s most productive hitter thus far, went 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI.

The hitting must have been contagious too. Blandino, who was making his first appearance of the summer, went 2-for-4 with four RBI, while Tanner Mathis (Ole Miss) went 3-for-6 in his season debut. Mason Katz, who’s back with the Red Sox after not getting drafted after his junior year at LSU, also made his season debut, and went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

With that kind of display, I’m guessing Y-D’s pitchers were smiling all night. Aaron Blair (Marshall), who struck out eight in five shutout innings in his first start, delivered another quality performance. He struck out seven and allowed four hits and an unearned run in six innings. Blair hasn’t an allowed an earned run yet this year.

Elsewhere

Falmouth had a big offensive day as well, breaking through in the late innings for a 10-4 victory over Hyannis. Jared King (Kansas State) and Billy Ferriter (UConn) each hit their first home runs of the year, Mike O’Neill (Michigan) went 3-for-4 and Alex Maldonado (Holy Cross) had two hits and and two RBI. The game shaped up as a pitchers’ duel in the early going, with Falmouth starter Craig Schlitter (Bryant) and Hyannis’ Sean Manaea (Indiana State) allowing a combined six hits in the first six innings. But Falmouth scored three unearned runs off Manaea then broke out against the Hyannis bullpen. Schlitter got the win for the Commodores with nine strikeouts and just two hits allowed in six innings. The Commodores are now 5-2 and are the only team in the West with a winning record.

Harwich stretched its win streak to three with a steady 7-1 victory over host Wareham. Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) hit his second home run of the year in the first inning, and Matt Reida (Kentucky) also hit a home run, giving Harwich a league-best nine home runs on the year. Reida went 4-for-5 overall and Jagielo was 3-for-5. Three newcomers made their much anticipated debuts, with Austin Wilson (Stanford) going 2-for-3, Brian Ragira (Stanford) going 1-for-5 and Brett Austin (North Carolina State) going 2-for-4. On the mound, David Whitehead (Elon) and three relievers limited the Gatemen to just four hits.

Chatham trailed 2-1 in the fifth but caught fire late and beat Bourne 9-3. Aaron Brown (Pepperdine), Chatham’s leading hitter, had two more hits to bring his average to .389. Chad Pinder (Virginia Tech) went 2-for-5 with two RBI and is now hitting .346. Leadoff man Adam Engel (Louisville) also had two hits. Scott Frazier (Pepperdine) pitched five solid innings for Chatham, while Tate Parrish (North Carolina) got the win in relief. For Bourne, Mike Ahmed (Holy Cross) hit his second home run of the summer.

Orleans ran its league-best record to 6-1 by outlasting Cotuit 8-6. The Firebirds led 7-1 before the Kettleers made a game of it late. As usual, though, Orleans closer Trevor Gott (Kentucky) took the wind out of the comeback sails, this time picking up a six-out save after coming in with two runners on and nobody out in the eighth. After getting out of the jam with only run allowed, Gott slammed the door in the ninth for his fourth save. He still hasn’t allowed a hit. Dylan Covey (San Diego) got the win for the Firebirds with two strong innings of relief. Trevor Williams (Arizona State) made what was expected to be his last start before heading to Team USA, and he went three shutout innings. The Orleans offense was led by Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii), who went 3-for-5 with two RBI.

What to Watch

A couple of pitchers to keep an eye on tonight. Adam McCreery (Arizona State), who struck out nine in 4.1 innings in his first start, will get the ball for Cotuit as it hosts Brewster at 5 p.m. And Gonzaga lefty Marco Gonzales will make his second start for Falmouth in a 6:30 p.m. home game against Wareham. It looks like Gonzales will be headed to Team USA after this so it may be your last chance to see him.

Side note: Daily Fog won’t be up until the afternoon tomorrow, in case you’re looking for it.

Aaron Nola is only scheduled to make three starts in his first summer with Harwich. If Tuesday is any indication, he’s going to make them count.

The standout LSU freshman — and the brother of former Tiger and Mariner Austin Nola — Aaron made the first start in his abbreviated summer last night and dominated. He struck out 10 — an early-season league high — and allowed just two hits in five shutout innings. The Mariners bullpen followed suit as Harwich shut out Hyannis 2-0.

It’s a shame Nola won’t be around all summer, but LSU doesn’t want to tax his arm after a long freshman season. And you can understand why you wouldn’t want to mess with this.

Nola was a 22nd-round pick out of high school last year who might have gone higher if not for his commitment to LSU. He joined his brother in Baton Rouge this year and didn’t disappoint, earning SEC all-freshman honors. He went 7-4 with a 3.61 ERA. He struck out 89 in 89.2 innings and walked just seven, giving him the nation’s best strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Tuesday, he picked up right where he left off. He struck out the first two batters he faced and then struck out the side around a walk in the second. He struck out the side again in the third before Hyannis’ D.J. Peterson (New Mexico) finally touched him up for a hit in the fourth. He allowed one more hit in the fifth but that was it.

Out of the bullpen, four pitchers combined to allow just three more hits. Grant Gordon (Missouri State) pitched a scoreless seventh — his third scoreless outing this summer — and Zane Evans (Georgia Tech) got the save with an easy ninth.

Harwich got all the offense it needed from a Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) double and an ensuing RBI single by Phil Ervin (Samford). Justin Leeson (Georgetown) added a solo homer in the ninth, the league-leading seventh home run for the Mariners.

Harwich improved to 4-2, while Hyannis fell to 0-6. Harbor Hawks starter Scott Firth (Clemson) allowed one run in 5.2 innings. Peterson was another bright spot. The New Mexico star had struggled out of the gate but had two nights last night.

Elsewhere

Every match-up last night pitted the East against the West, and the East won four of five. The only one that went the other way was an 8-2 Falmouth victory over Chatham. Kaiana Eldredge had a home run and four RBI to lead a nine-hit Falmouth attack. Jack Colton (Harvard) went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Marco Gonzales (Gonzaga) went 1-for-4 with two RBI. Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) kept up his hot start with a 2-for-5 night, his fourth multi-hit game of the summer. Troy Scribner (Sacred Heart) got the win for Falmouth with four innings of one-run ball. Sam Paterson (Montana State) and Kyle Ruchim (Northwestern) each pitched a scoreless frame before giving way to new addition John Simms (Rice). Simms didn’t give up an earned as Falmouth’s closer last year and kept that streak in tact this year with a scoreless ninth in his debut. For Chatham, San Diego closer Mike Wagner got the start and struck out six while allowing two unearned runs in five innings.

For the first time all summer, Orleans didn’t play a one-run game, but that was no problem as the Firebirds beat Cotuit 4-1 to run their league-best record to 5-1. Mike Montville (Maryland) went 1-for-4 with his second homer of the year, while Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) had two hits and an RBI. On the mount, Rice standout Austin Kubitza scattered five hits and allowed one run in four innings. Dylan Clark (Elon) got the win in relief, before Trevor Gott picked up the final two outs for his third save of the year.

Brewster had only one win coming into last night but broke out in a big way, scoring seven runs in the first inning on their way to a 13-9 slugfest victory over Wareham. Derek Thomas (Memphis) and Derek Campbell (Cal) each went 4-for-5 to lead the charge. Campbell and Jake Kalish (George Mason) each hit home runs. Trevor Mitsui (Washington) and J.T. Files (South Alabama) had two RBI apiece. Wareham had a pretty big night of its own, getting home runs from Brandon Tessar (Oregon), Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) and Matt Walsh (Franklin Pierce). Austin Voth (Washington), a standout reliever for Brewster last summer, got the start for the Whitecaps and allowed two runs in four innings while striking out seven.

Y-D scored three runs in the third inning and got three solid pitching performances en route to a 4-1 win over Bourne. Jake Schrader (Tampa) and Zak Blair (Mercyhurst) each hit home runs to power the Red Sox. Starter Brian Gilbert (Seton Hall) struck out six and allowed one run in 3.1 innings before the bullpen dominated. Making his second appearance, Brian Verbitsky (Hofstra) struck out eight and didn’t allow a hit in four scoreless innings on his way to the win. Jonny Hoffman (Indiana) pitched 1.2 scoreless innings for the save.

What to Watch

We have a long-awaited league-wide off day today. Take a deep breath.

I was wondering last night if Orleans closer Trevor Gott (Kentucky) might approach the Cape League’s career saves record, but it isn’t likely. The record is 34, held by three-year Chatham closer and CCBL Hall of Famer Zane Carlson.

But the way this season is going, I wouldn’t put it past Gott and the Firebirds.

Orleans played a one-run game last night. That’s the team’s fifth one-run game of the season — in five games.

And Orleans has won four of them, this time posting a 3-2 victory over Bourne to improve to 4-1 on the summer. It’s kind of incredible. I don’t remember anything like it since I’ve been following the league closely.

Compared to some of the dramatics of earlier games, I guess last night was a little more ho-hum. The Firebirds rallied in the seventh inning as opposed to the ninth. Trailing 2-1, Orleans got it started with a walk to J.T. Riddle (Kentucky). Michael Montville (Maryland), who’s been at the center of a lot of the Orleans drama, knocked Riddle in with a double to tie the game. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) reached when Montville was caught in a rundown, and Gregor made it to second. He then stole third and raced home when the throw got away.

That was all the Orleans bullpen needed. Pat Christensen (La Salle) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings for the win. Kyle Crockett (Virginia) worked a scoreless eighth.

And then Gott did his thing.

The 2011 CCBL Reliever of the Year, Gott picked up his second save of the year and the 14th of his Cape League career with probably his most dominant performance yet. Gott needed exactly nine pitches to strike out the side and finish off another wild Firebirds win.

Phil and the Walk-offs

Could be a good band name, right? It’s made for a pretty good baseball team the past few days, too.

Phil Ervin (Samford) hit his third home run for Harwich last night, and this one was a grand slam that turned a 4-0 deficit into a 4-4 tie with Wareham. From there, the Mariners found some magic for the second time in three games. In the bottom of the ninth, after a walk to Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) and an intentional walk to Ervin, Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) hit a walk-off double, his second walk-off hit in three nights. He won Saturday’s game over Hyannis with a walk-off home run.

Harwich improved to 3-2 with the victory. Both teams had 10 hits, with Jagielo’s three leading the way. Ervin was 2-for-3, Dove was 2-for-2 with an RBI and Matt Reida (Kentucky) was 2-for-3 with three runs scored. For Wareham, Mott Hyde (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-4 with three RBI.

As for Ervin, I did a little research last night and found that nobody in 2009, 2010 or 2011 hit three home runs faster. In 2008, Brewster’s Nate Lape hit three in his first four games with the Whitecaps. Those were not the first four games of the season, though, so Ervin’s feat still really sticks out.

Elsewhere

Chatham kept pace with Orleans thanks to a 4-0 victory over Brewster. Four Anglers pitchers allowed one hit each on their way to the shutout. Eric Stevens (Boston College) turned in an impressive start, striking out seven and walking nobody in six innings. Louie Lechich (San Diego), Joe Dye (Stetson) and Jaime Schultz (High Point) finished it off with an inning each. Offensively, Chatham got an RBI each from Adam Engel (Louisville), Chad Morgan (Virginia Tech) and Mike Fransoso (Maine).

Cotuit had scored seven runs coming into Monday, but out-did that total in a 9-1 victory over Hyannis. The Kettleers had 14 hits and blew the game open with a four-run fourth. Jacob Valdez (San Jose State) went 3-for-5 to lead the way. Jacob May (Coastal Carolina), Aramis Garcia (Florida International), Patrick Biondi (Michigan) and Angel Rosa (Alcorn State) all had two hits. Cotuit starter Kevin Ziomek (Vanderbilt) picked up the win, as he opened his second summer on the Cape with eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Dan Slania (Notre Dame) worked a scoreless ninth, his third scoreless appearance in as many tries.

Falmouth moved to 3-2 with a 6-4 victory over Y-D. Jared King (Kansas State) went 3-for-5, his fourth multi-hit game of the summer, to lead the Commodore charge. He’s now hitting .550. Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) had two hits for the third time this season, while Jon McGibbon (Clemson) went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Alex Maldonado (Holy Cross) and Coty Blanchard (Jacksonville State) also had two hits. On the mound, Trey Masek (Texas Tech) was very impressive, striking out nine and allowing just one hit in six innings of work. Cale Elam (Wichita State) picked up his second save.

What to Watch

Lots of good pitching match-ups to choose from tonight. Standout LSU freshman Aaron Nola is slated to take the hill for Harwich as it visits Hyannis at 7 p.m. Scott Firth, an all-star with Hyannis last year and a 32nd-round pick this year, is scheduled to go for the Harbor Hawks.

San Diego closer Michael Wagner is scheduled to get a start for Chatham in a 7 p.m. home game. In Orleans at 7 p.m., Rice star Austin Kubitza will make his first start of the summer

Pitching is usually ahead of hitting at this point in the Cape Cod Baseball League season, and that’s been true this year too. For three teams, though, offense caught up on Sunday.

Wareham rolled over Cotuit 12-3, Falmouth beat Bourne 11-4 and Y-D topped Brewster 9-3 on the fourth day of the 2012 CCBL season. Those first two scores were the first double-digit run totals of the season.

The Gatemen have now won three games in a row and this was the biggest one yet. They scored two runs in the second inning and then adding at least one run in each of the next six innings. Cole Sturgeon (Louisville), Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) and Mott Hyde (Georgia Tech) each hit home runs for Wareham, the team’s first homers of the year. Sturgeon, Kyle Schwarber (Indiana) and Ethan Gross (Memphis) had two RBI each, with Gross also scoring four runs.

Wareham finished with 13 hits. Pitching was also solid for the Gatemen. Fred Shepard (Amherst) struck out six and allowed just two unearned runs in five innings.

Falmouth also had a big day with the bats, scoring six runs in the first inning on its way to the 11-4 win over Bourne. Kyle Ruchim (Northwestern) went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Jared King (Kansas State), who’s hit in every game so far, continued his hot start with a 2-for-3 night. He scored two runs and is now hitting .533. The Commodores also got one RBI from six different players. For Bourne, John Murphy (Sacred Heart) went 4-for-5.

On the mound for the Commodores, Kevin Pohle (Clemson) allowed two earned runs in five innings for the win.

Finally, Y-D set a new league-wide season high for hits with 14 in its 9-3 victory over Brewster. The top three hitters in the order — Carlos Asuaje (Nova Southeastern), Tyler Sciacca (Villanova) and Robert Pehl (Washington) — each had three hits, with Pehl also driving in three runs. Sam Travis (Indiana) continued his hot start, going 2-for-5 with two RBI.

Chris O’Hare (Yale) got the win with four scoreless innings of relief for Y-D.

Elsewhere

Orleans beat Harwich 5-4, and the Firebirds have now played a one-run game in each of their four games so far. The Firebirds trailed 4-2 going into the bottom of the ninth but broke through with three runs to again win in dramatic fashion. After an RBI single by Mike Montville (Maryland) made it 4-3, Cody Kulp (Shippensburg) hit a walk-off two-run single to give the Firebirds their third victory of the year. Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) had two hits to lead the Orleans offense. Chase Johnson (Cal Poly) got the win with a scoreless inning of relief. In a battle of Kentucky teammates, Harwich starter Corey Littrell struck out eight in four shutout innings while Orleans’ Jerad Grundy allowed three runs in five innings.

Chatham also won a one-run game with a three-run rally in the ninth. The Anglers’ came in the top half of the inning, which they entered trailing 3-1. They were down to their last out before John Martinez (Michigan State) singled. Mike Fransoso (Maine) followed with a walk before Chad Pinder (Virginia Tech) smacked a three-run home run to give Chatham the lead. Pinder’s college teammate Jake Joyce (Virginia Tech) then worked a scoreless bottom of the ninth to give Chatham the win. Hyannis dropped to 0-4.

What to Watch

Y-D has the highest team batting average in the league thus far, and the Red Sox will face the team with the lowest ERA, Falmouth, tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Falmouth. Trey Masek (Texas Tech), who made four appearances for Hyannis last summer, will make his first start for Falmouth. Michael Johnson (Dartmouth) is scheduled to go for the Red Sox.

A reminder that the Game Day link below the banner at the top of the page is your one-stop shop for links to live Cape League coverage.

We begin with an interesting fact. In the last six years, only one Cape Cod Baseball League team has won more than three consecutive games to start a season. That was, not surprisingly, the 2007 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, who had four future first-round picks and won 31 games en route to the championship.

Other than that, three was it. Many teams pulled off that feat, but four in a row was an impossible task.

This year, three in a row proved impossible.

Orleans and Cotuit both came into Saturday’s slate with 2-0 records but both took their first losses of the season. Previously winless Brewster beat Orleans 2-1 on an odd walk-off, while Bourne shut down Cotuit for a 5-1 victory.

Orleans has had a flair for the dramatic so far, winning in the eighth inning on opening night and walking off with a win on Friday. It was more of the same Saturday, but Brewster came out on the positive side. With one out and the bases loaded in the ninth inning of a 1-1 game, Derek Campbell (Cal) hit a ground ball to shortstop. Orleans tried to start a 6-4-3 double play but the throw to first wasn’t in time, Campbell was safe and Brewster had itself a victory on the old walk-off fielder’s choice.

Before the ninth-inning fireworks, the game was a pitcher’s duel all night. Brady Kirkpatrick (Maryland) allowed one unearned on four hits in five innings for the Whitecaps while Jarrett Arakawa (Hawaii) surrendered a run on six hits in five innings for Orleans. The Brewster bullpen proved to be a little stronger, with Jake McCasland (New Mexico) and Niko Spezial (Wake Forest) combining to allow just one hit in four shutout innings.

Over in Bourne, the Braves picked up their second win of the season with a steady performance against the Kettleers. Starter Jeff Thompson (Louisville), the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s top prospect a year ago, picked up where he left off, going five shutout innings and allowing two hits. Ryan Donahue (La Salle) struck out five in three scoreless innings of relief, while Hawtin Buchanan (Ole Miss) gave up a run in one inning, and that tally was all Cotuit got.

Cotuit had six pitchers take the mound, and the Braves delivered plenty of offense. North Carolina star Colin Moran went 2-for-4 with two RBI and John Murphy (Sacred Heart) scored two runs and also stole three bases. Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) had a triple and scored a run.

Elsewhere

In the most exciting game of the night, Harwich got a walk-off home run from Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) to beat Hyannis 4-2 in the 10th inning. Jagielo’s blast came with one on and two out in a 2-2 game. It was his second hit of the game and his first homer of the year. Phil Ervin (Samford) also had a home run for the Mariners, his second of the year. C.K. Irby (Samford) got the win in relief for Harwich with two shutout innings. Starter Eddie Campbell (Virginia Tech) struck out seven in five innings. Hyannis starter Scott Silverstein (Virginia) was also good, scattering seven hits and allowing one run in seven innings. Zach Alvord (Auburn) led the Hyannis offense with two hits and an RBI.

After getting shut out the night before, Chatham scored early and often on its way to a 9-2 victory over Y-D. Chad Pinder (Virginia Tech) went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Aaron Brown (Pepperdine) went 2-for-3 with three RBI to pace a 10-hit attack. Andrew Knapp (Cal) added a home run and finished 2-for-5. John Soldinger (Manhattan) worked five shutout innings before five Chatham relievers finished it off. Michael Wagner (San Diego), a standout closer this spring, made his first appearance and struck out two in a scoreless ninth. Jake Schrader (Tampa) led the Y-D offense with a hit and an RBI.

Wareham scored three runs in the first inning and made that lead stand up in a 3-1 victory over Falmouth, the second straight win for the Gatemen. Cole Sturgeon (Louisville) and Tyler McFarland (James Madison) had singles to start the first, before Kyle Schwarber (Indiana) doubled home a run. Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) knocked in a run with a groundout — for his third RBI in as many games — and Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) did the same to make it 3-0. Gatemen pitchers did the rest. While they allowed nine hits, they surrendered just a run. Dan Tobik (Tennessee Martin) struck out eight in five innings for the win. Jonathan Holder (Mississippi State) picked up the save. For Falmouth, Billy Ferriter (UConn) had three hits while Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) had two for the second night in a row. Benjamin Ballantine (Michigan) buckled down after the first inning and allowed just three more hits while going the distance.

What to Watch

Harwich and Orleans get together at 7 p.m. in Orleans for an early battle of 2-1 teams in the East. Corey Littrell, who had a strong sophomore campaign at Kentucky, is scheduled to go for the Mariners and he’ll be facing his Kentucky teammate Jerad Grundy, who also was very good this spring.

 

Ms. Right Field Fog and I made the trip over to Falmouth last night to see the rematch of last year’s championship between Harwich and Falmouth. I picked the game in large part because Marco Gonzales was pitching for the Commodores.

He didn’t disappoint.

The Gonzaga sophomore was one of the top two-way players in the country this year. After batting fifth on opening night, he took to the mound on Friday and pitched five strong innings. He allowed one run on four hits and struck out five on his way to the win as Falmouth won 3-1.

Gonzales was very much in control in the early going, striking out two in each of the first two innings. The Mariners got to him a little more after that, but only one of the four hits — a double by Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) — in the fifth was hard-hit. And Gonzales got out of that inning with minimal damage as Dove scored on a sacrifice fly.

And by then, the Commodores were in control too. Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) had an RBI single in the first inning and an RBI double in the third to help stake Falmouth to a 4-0 lead.

Harwich got a little closer in the late innings, but the Falmouth bullpen buckled down. John Colella (Holy Cross) and Sam Paterson (Montana State) combined for 1.2 innings, before closer Cale Elam (Wichita State) worked a scoreless ninth. Falmouth finished the game with a 6-4-3 double play.

A few notes:

– Gonzales was really smooth. He pounded the strike zone (73 pitches – 52 strikes) and looked in control the whole way.

– I was also impressed with Sam Paterson, a lefty who comes to the Cape from Montana State. He struck out two of the three batters he faced, and made them look pretty bad doing it.

– Drew Dosch was not on the initial Falmouth roster, but he’s a guy who might stick around. The lefty swinger hit .353 with eight home runs for Youngstown State this spring. He was 2-for-3 last night.

– We did not win the 50-50. This is news because Ms. Right Field Fog has won the 50-50 twice in the last two years. We were angry.

– In the battle of the Jared Kings, the Falmouth Jared King (Kansas State) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Harwich’s Jared King (Virginia) went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

– Falmouth stole six bases, getting two each from King, Billy Ferriter (UConn) and Alex Maldonado (Holy Cross).

– For more pictures from the game, visit Right Field Fog on Facebook.

Elsewhere

• Right Field Fog commenter Joe Cavanaugh told us earlier in the week that Cotuit’s Adam McCreery, a 6’8 lefty from Arizona State, was throwing 96 in a scrimmage. Last night, he had the results you’d expect. McCreery got the start for the Kettleers and struck out nine in 4.1 scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits and walked only one. That start was part of an overall strong day on the mound for the Kettleers, as four pitchers combined on a 3-0 shutout of the Anglers. Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) got the win with three innings of two-hit ball. James Mannara (Florida Tech) and Dan Slania (Notre Dame) finished it off. Slania, a standout closer with Notre Dame, pitched for the second night in a row and worked 1.2 hitless innings for the save. Offensively, Patrick Biondi (Michigan) had two hits and an RBI to lead Cotuit.

 

• Orleans got late heroics for the second night in a row and this time they were even later in a 6-5 victory over Y-D. J.T. Riddle tied the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth before Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) won it with a single. Mike Montville (Maryland), the hero from opening night, had two more RBI in this one, while Jay Gonzalez (Auburn) went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. The Firebirds also got strong work from their bullpen. After Y-D scored five runs in the first two innings, the tandem of Pat Christensen (La Salle) and Chase Johnson (Cal Poly) didn’t allow another run.

 

• After an opening night loss to Chatham, Wareham got into the win column with a 6-4 victory over Brewster. Clay Chapman (Florida Southern) got the win after allowing two runs in five innings. The Wareham offense got one RBI from five different players. Dustin DeMuth (Indiana) led the way with three hits and an RBI while Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) hit his second double of the year and had an RBI. Jake Kalish (George Mason) hit a home run for the Whitecaps.

 

• Bourne and Hyannis traded single runs in five consecutive half innings, but the Braves had the last laugh with a run in the bottom of the seventh. Mike Ahmed (Holy Cross), the brother of former Bourne and UConn star Nick Ahmed, continued a torrid start with an RBI triple to score what proved to be the winning run in the seventh. Ahmed went 4-for-4 after going 2-for-5 on Thursday. Josh Dezse (Ohio State) and Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) had the other RBI for Bourne. Jon Keller (Nebraska) was tremendous on the mound for the Braves, striking out nine, walking nobody and allowing just one hit in five shutout innings. Keller had an ERA over five this spring, so that’s a great start to the summer for him. For Hyannis, Steve Wilkerson (Clemson) went 3-for-4 after a 2-for-3 night on Thursday. He is your current league leader in batting average, along with Falmouth’s Jared King. Also for the Harbor Hawks, Jimmy Hodgskin (Troy) pitched two perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts.

 

What to Watch

Cotuit will try to stay perfect as it visits Bourne (1-1) at 6 p.m. Mike Ford (Princeton) is slated to go for the Kettleers against Jeff Thompson (Louisville), who was the NECBL’s top prospect last summer.