Category: Daily Fog

Y-D has more All-Star starters than any team in the East. Caleb Ramsey (Houston), Joe Panik (St. John’s) and Tyler Hanover (LSU) are all in the starting lineup, and they all figure to play big roles in tonight’s game. Ramsey is batting second, Panik cleanup and Hanover fifth.

Is it any wonder?

Before heading to Fenway, those Red Sox and their teammates got their bats going for the second straight day and scored a key 11-5 victory over Falmouth. Thanks to the win and a Brewster tie, the Red Sox head into the All-Star game in sole possession of first place in the East.

Two of the aforementioned All-Stars had nice days for the Red Sox, but the story was the team’s ability to hit up and down the lineup. Hanover had two hits and Panik had a hit and scored a run. Matt Watson (Boston College), Matt Jensen (Cal Poly) and Ben McMahan (Florida) drove in two runs apiece.

Gabriel Shaw (Louisville) got the win with six solid innings.

The Red Sox finished with 10 hits. The day before, they pounded 12 hits and scored 10 runs in the second game of a doubleheader with Harwich.

While their pitching staff has been a little up-and-down, the Red Sox have been hitting since the beginning. They’re second in the league with a .246 team average and they rank first in home runs, first in extra-base hits, first in runs and first in slugging.

It’s no surprise that several Red Sox will lead the offensive charge in the All-Star game.

I guess it’s also no surprise that they’re in first place.

Elsewhere

It looked like Chatham was dead in the water for a while, but the Anglers have turned things around. They swept a doubleheader from Bourne yesterday, winning 5-2 and 5-4 for their third and fourth straight victories. Chatham is now only two games out of the last playoff spot in the East. In game one of the twin bill, Mike Dennhardt (Boston College) turned in six solid innings and Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt) hit his fourth home run of the year to power the offense. Chatham then scored early and held off a Bourne charge to win a one-run game in the nightcap. Marc Zecchino (Virginia Tech) got the win. Jason Martin (San Jose State) and Beau Amaral (UCLA) had two hits apiece and Westlake had two RBI.

Brewster and Harwich each scored a run in the fourth inning and nothing else as they tied 1-1 at Stony Brook Field. Levi Michael (North Carolina) hit a solo home run for Harwich and Taylor Featherston (TCU) drove in Brewster’s only run. Starters Matt Crouse (Ole Miss) and Greg Peavey (Oregon State) each went seven innings.

Cotuit got another strong start from Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook) and beat Wareham 2-1. Tropeano had gone at least seven innings and allowed two runs or fewer in his previous three starts. He did it again Tuesday, scattering six hits and allowing just an unearned run in seven innings. Chad Wright (Kentucky) had three hits to lead the Cotuit offense, while Zach Cone (Georgia) and Jordan Leyland (UC Irvine) drove in runs. Cotuit improved to 18-15-2 and stretched its West lead to two games. Wareham had won four in a row, but is still sitting in third place.

What to Watch

The All-Star game is set for 7 p.m. tonight at Fenway Park. The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS College Sports Network.

The way things were going for most of the season, you had to wonder if the Brewster Whitecaps would ever struggle. They got great pitching every time out and seemed to always find a way to win.

The last week has been a little different.

Brewster has dropped its last five games, including a 5-4 extra-innings loss to Chatham last night. With Y-D splitting a doubleheader, the teams are now tied atop the East standings with 44 points each. And Y-D actually has one fewer loss right now.

The Whitecaps haven’t been falling completely flat. The first two losses in the streak were of the one-run variety. The next two were worse, as Brewster lost 9-1 to Wareham and 12-2 to Cotuit.

Last night, it was back to a nip-and-tuck affair — and Brewster put together an impressive comeback — but the result was the same. The Whitecaps trailed 4-1 but scored three in the ninth to tie the game. Derek Jones (Washington State) had a two-run double in the rally.

But in the 10th, Chatham had an answer. Riley Reynolds (Vanderbilt) hit a walk-off single to give Chatham the win. The run came off Colton Murray (Kansas), who hadn’t allowed a run in his first 13 appearances.

Brian Humphries (Pepperdine) led Chatham with three hits and two RBI. Jones had three hits for Brewster, but the team finished with just six.

Elsewhere

Y-D could have grabbed sole possession of first place but settled for a doubleheader split with Harwich. Y-D dropped the first game 2-0 but won the second 10-2. In game one, Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern) and Braden Kapteyn (Kentucky) combined on the shutout. Clint Moore (Army) and Levi Michael (North Carolina) each drove in runs. In game two, Y-D’s offense came to life. Joe Panik (St. John’s) and Jordan Ribera (Fresno State) each hit home runs as part of a 12-hit attack. Ribera, the national home run leader who got off to a slow start, now leads the league in homers.

After Ryan Carpenter (Gonzaga) took a no-hitter into the ninth for Orleans on Sunday, the Firebirds got another strong pitching performance on Monday. Matt Sisto (Hawaii) scattered six hits in six shutout innings and picked up the win. Matt Murray (Georgia Southern) struck out eight for Cotuit, but Orleans touched him up for three runs and added insurance against the bullpen in the late innings. Kolten Wong (Hawaii) went 3-for-4 for Orleans with three RBI. Matt Koch (Loyola Marymount) also had three hits. Orleans has won three in a row and is just a point back of Harwich for third place.

Wareham got a strong start from Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt) and beat Hyannis 4-2. Armstrong struck out eight and allowed a run on two hits in six innings. He improved to 3-3 and lowered his ERA to 3.18. Max Muncy (Baylor) backed Armstrong with another big day. Muncy, who drove in five RBI on Saturday, went 2-for-3 last night with two RBI. He now leads the league with 23 RBI. The Gatemen have won four in a row and are sitting in third place, just three points out of first.

Falmouth scored four in the eighth to rally past Bourne 5-2. Anthony Meo (Coastal Carolina) gave Bourne a solid start and R.J. Alvarez (Florida Atlantic) pitched two scoreless innings of relief to get Bourne through seven. But in the eighth, Falmouth rallied against Tommy Kahnle (Lynn) and Tony Zych (Louisville), two top-notch relievers. With Falmouth trailing 2-1, Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech) hit a three-run home run to give Falmouth the lead. Matt Summers (UC Irvine) got the win in relief for Falmouth.

What to Watch

Wareham will try to keep its win streak going with a match-up against first-place Cotuit. Josh Urban (Texas) gets the ball for the Gatemen. Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook) is scheduled to go for Cotuit. Tropeano has delivered three strong starts in a row.

We were having such a nice summer, Mother Nature. If you could go ahead and get us back to that, I think we’d all appreciate it. For the third time this week, games were postponed — four in all. One game was called after six innings.

On the bright side, it was nice that that game went six innings, and not five-and-a-half.

Before the rains came, Orleans rallied from a 2-1 deficit against first-place Brewster and grabbed a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth. With Brewster batting in the bottom half, the game was delayed. Because the sixth inning hadn’t been completed, the score — if the game had been called then — would have reverted to the fifth inning and Brewster would have won.

Instead, the rain lightened enough for the teams to play, and Will Clinard (Vanderbilt) allowed a run but nothing else to get six in the books. At that point, the game was called, and the comeback counted. Orleans won 4-3.

Early on, before the rainy drama, the Firebirds couldn’t get much going against Brewster’s Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State), the all-star starter. But Steve Selsky (Arizona) hit a home run in the sixth to tie the game, and Orleans got two more runs later in the inning.

That was enough to make the difference. Orleans improved to 15-18 with the victory. The loss was the second straight for Brewster, who fell to 22-11.

What to Watch

Bourne’s Anthony Meo (Coastal Carolina) stopped a Wareham four-game winning streak last Saturday, and he’ll try to do the same to Harwich this Saturday. The Mariners host the Braves and send Pierce Johnson (Missouri State) to the hill.

On a different note, I may or may not have internet tomorrow, so it’s possible that I won’t get the Daily Fog up.

That was the easiest post title ever, and this is a good time to use it.

Michael Goodnight (Houston) nearly pitched Y-D’s second no-hitter of the season last night. He needed one more out when Cotuit’s Mike Yastrzemski (Vanderbilt) ended the bid with a single. Goodnight left the game after that, having struck out nine in 8.2 innings. D.J. Baxendale (Arkansas) finished things off as Y-D won 2-0.

Goodnight is in his second summer with the Red Sox. He wasn’t one of the top arms in the league last year but he was very solid. After a pretty good spring with Houston, he was drafted in the 13th round this year by the Indians. Like a lot of guys are doing these days, Goodnight came to the Cape to see what he could do.

He’s been able to do a lot.

In his first start, he allowed four runs in five innings. In his last four, he’s allowed a total of five runs. Last time out, he allowed just an unearned run in 7.2 innings.

Last night, he took things to another level. He retired the first 12 batters he faced before a walk to Brooks Pinckard (Baylor) in the fifth. As noted in the Cape Cod Times, Goodnight turned on his ankle on a pitch in the seventh inning, but gutted through it and stayed in the game.

Though he couldn’t finish off the no-hit bid, he still delivered one of the best pitching performances of the summer — and he helped his team get a big win. With Brewster losing to Chatham, Y-D moved to within two games of the Whitecaps for first place.

And the Red Sox might have themselves a new ace.

Elsewhere

Chatham snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Brewster. Ace Logan Verrett (Baylor) was the stopper Chatham needed, taking a shutout into the ninth, but it looked like his performance might go for naught. Verrett struck out 10 in 8.1 innings but was charged with two runs in the ninth as Brewster tied the game. But Chatham finally got a break as a Brewster error in the 10th let the winning run score.

Grayson Garvin (Vanderbilt) continued to dominate as Bourne beat Hyannis 6-0. Garvin struck out six in seven shutout innings. He hasn’t allowed a run since his first start of the season. In the four starts since, he’s got a scoreless streak of 26.2 innings. He’s now 4-0 with a 0.61 ERA. Last night, he was backed by a strong offensive performance. Daniel Bowman (Coastal Carolina) hit his fifth home run, which ties him for the league lead. Nick Ahmed (Connecticut) and Josh Elander (TCU) also drove in runs. Bourne tied Cotuit for first place with the win.

What to Watch

Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State) will try to improve to 6-0 as Brewster hosts Orleans. Last year, nobody in the league had more than four wins. Nobody has had more than six since another Long Beach State pitcher, Jared Hughes, in 2005.

I’ll be honest: the Cotuit Kettleers confuse me. They’ve had 41 players suit up this summer and their lineup seems like it’s different everyday. Nobody’s hitting that well. Nobody’s been lights-out on the mound. I look at a Cotuit box score and I can’t draw any conclusions.

But it’s time to draw this conclusion: the Kettleers might be pretty good.

Cotuit beat Bourne 2-1 last night to take over first place from the Braves. The Kettleers have won five games in a row and seven of their last 10.

Their last loss was to Bourne last Thursday, but they got the upper hand in the rematch. Cotuit’s Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook) and Bourne’s Austin Stadler (Wake Forest) were locked in a pitcher’s duel until the top of the seventh. Stadler had a no-hitter into the fifth. In the seventh, Bourne’s Daniel Bowman (Coastal Carolina) hit a lead-off solo home run. At that point, it was safe to assume that Bourne would try to lock things down with its talented bullpen. Recently-named all-stars R.J. Alvarez (Florida Atlantic) and Tony Zych (Louisville) loomed.

But Cotuit was undeterred.

With Alvarez on in the bottom of the seventh, the Kettleers went to work. Jordan Leyland (UC Irvine) led off with a double. Levi Hyams (Georgia) knocked Leyland in with the tying run, and Deven Marrero (Arizona State) drove in the go-ahead run. They’re the first earned runs allowed by Alvarez all summer, and they made all the difference.

Tropeano got the win with 7.2 strong innings. All-star A.J. Achter (Michigan State) came on for the save.

Things won’t get any easier for the Kettleers in the coming days. Two of their next three games are against Y-D, the East’s second-place team. But the Kettleers are hot right now — the hottest team in the league. Confusing or not, they’re playing well.

Elsewhere

The league’s other hot team kept its streak going as well. Harwich beat Orleans 2-1 for its fourth win in a row. With the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the ninth, Tyler Pill (Cal State Fullerton) hit a solo home run to give the Mariners the lead. That set things up for Matty Ott, who closed the door and picked up his sixth save. Matt Ramsey (Tennessee) got the win in relief of Mike Wright (East Carolina), who struck out eight in six innings. Pill led Harwich with two hits. Craig Manuel (Rice) had the other RBI. Shon Roe (Nevada) went 2-for-4 for Orleans. Harwich is now just two points behind second-place Y-D.

Wareham scored four runs in the eighth and Max Perlman (Harvard) tossed a complete game in a 5-2 victory over Hyannis. Perlman struck out seven and allowed the two earned runs. His counterpart Justin Wright (Virginia Tech) was dominant for Hyannis, striking out 12 and allowing just a run on two hits in six innings. It looked like Wright would come out ahead of Perlman until Wareham’s eighth-inning rally. A two-run single by Tony Caldwell (Auburn) was the big blow. After the rally, Perlman struck out the side in the ninth inning to seal his third win.

What to Watch

Some good pitchers are taking the hill tonight all over the place. In Hyannis, Cole Cook (Pepperdine) makes his second start against Bourne and Grayson Garvin (Vanderbilt). Cook was a fifth-round pick this year and struck out seven in his first start. Garvin has been dominant and was named to the All-Star team. In Chatham, All-Star Logan Verrett (Baylor) is scheduled to start.

The top three teams in the league were all in action last night.

The third of those three teams is fitting right in.

While Brewster beat Orleans and Y-D topped Chatham, Harwich beat West-leading Bourne and now has a better record than Bourne. The duo that was separating itself — Brewster and Y-D — has become a trio thanks to Harwich’s three-game win streak. The Mariners are now six points ahead of fourth place Orleans, and they have a better record than anybody in the West.

Harwich got it done last night thanks to steady pitching and an eighth-inning rally. Sixth-round pick Greg Peavey (Oregon State) made his second start and allowed just an unearned run in six innings of work. Reliever Braden Kapteyn (Kentucky) pitched two scoreless innings, and Harwich made a winner of him in the eighth. Tyler Pill (Cal State Fullerton) drove in the go-ahead run and Steven Proscia (Virginia) knocked in two. Matty Ott (LSU) relieved Kapteyn in the ninth and picked up his fifth save.

Harwich has now won 11 of its last 14 games. When that stretch started, Harwich was floundering, but that’s not the case anymore. The team’s batting average ranks fourth in the league, and the pitching is coming around a little bit at a time. The Mariners haven’t allowed more than four runs in a game since July 6.

Elsewhere

Since the calendar turned to July, Brewster has won 11 of its 15 games. On Wednesday, the Whitecaps topped Orleans 6-2. Austin Lubinsky (Minnesota) allowed two runs in a solid six-inning start, while Daniel Renken (Cal State Fullerton) and Matt Larkins (UC Riverside) pitched well out of the bullpen. Drew Martinez (Memphis) and Danny Oh (California) led the offense with three hits each as Brewster scored four in the seventh. Oh now has a five-game hitting streak going and has raised his average to .295. Brewster is now 22-9.

Y-D also kept pace in the East with a 3-1 victory over Chatham. Tanner Poppe (Kansas) allowed a run on three hits in six innings. The Red Sox broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the eighth. Matt Watson (Boston College) drove in the go-ahead run, and Stewart Ijames (Louisville) scored the second run on a wild pitch. For Chatham, Ricky Oropesa (USC) hit his fourth home run, which ties him for the league lead. The Anglers have lost eight games in a row.

Out West, Cotuit is heating up. The Kettleers have won four in a row and their 4-1 victory over Hyannis last night moved them into a first-place tie with Bourne. Cotuit was out-hit 13-8, but capitalized on its chances. Hyannis left 10 on base. Mike Yastrzemski (Vanderbilt) had three hits and his first home run while Jordan Leyland (UC Irvine) also hit a a homer. Cotuit starter Matt Murray (Georgia Southern) allowed nine hits but only the one run. He got the win. For Hyannis, Cam Seitzer (Oklahoma) went 3-for-3 and Johnny Ruettiger (Arizona State) had two hits.

What to Watch

Before the games this evening, the Cape League is expected to announce the rosters for the All Star Game, which is scheduled for July 28. On the field tonight, Max Perlman (Harvard), who hasn’t surrendered a run in his last two starts, goes for Wareham against Hyannis.

Two of the three games on the schedule were postponed last night, but Falmouth and Wareham got their game in. As usual in any West v. West game, the outcome changed some things. Falmouth snapped a four-game losing streak with a 3-0 victory and leap-frogged Wareham into third place. The Gatemen had won four in a row at one point but have since lost three straight.

Christian Jones (Oregon) delivered an impressive start for Falmouth. In his last outing, the freshman lefty didn’t allow an earned run in six innings. This time, he didn’t allow any runs in another six-inning stint. He struck out four, walked one and gave up three hits. Jones improved to 2-3 and has a 2.63 ERA.

Nick Maronde (Florida) and Kaleb Merck (TCU) finished off the victory. Maronde allowed one hit in two scoreless innings, while Merck worked a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for the save. Merck has made four appearances since arriving from the College World Series and hasn’t allowed a run.

Offensively, Falmouth was led by Kevin Medrano (Missouri State) and Andrew Susac (Oregon State). Medrano went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Susac hit a home run for the second straight day. He’s now hitting .302 with three home runs and five doubles.

For Wareham, Jed Bradley (Georgia Tech) got the start but was apparently on a pitch count and only went four innings. He struck out three, bringing his league-best total to 44.

Elsewhere

In case you missed it, reports are that Anthony Ranaudo’s stint in Brewster is over. The College Baseball Blog initially reported the news. I thought, with the way the summer was going, that Ranaudo might stay a while, but that’s apparently not the case. It’s a blow to Brewster, obviously, but Ranaudo was far from the only good pitcher on that staff.

What to Watch

Rivals Cotuit and Hyannis get together in Hyannis tonight at 7 p.m. Matt Murray (Georgia Southern) goes for the Kettleers against Tyler Ray (Troy).

The Harwich Mariners and Chatham Anglers are heading in very different directions. On Sunday night, they kept going at full speed. Harwich beat Chatham 5-0 at Veterans Field. It’s the eighth win in 10 games for Harwich, and the ninth loss in 10 games — and seventh in a row — for Chatham. Harwich is in third place at 16-14. Chatham is in last at 12-17-1.

In their strong stretch, the Mariners have won every which way — slugfest or pitchers’ duel. On Sunday, it was a little of both, as the Mariners got great pitching and a good offensive showing.

Harwich got seven strong innings from starter Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern). He struck out three and allowed no runs on four hits. Will Locante (Tennessee) and Daniel Burawa (St. John’s) pitched one scoreless inning apiece to seal the deal.

Offensively, Taylor Dugas (Alabama), Brian Goodwin (North Carolina) and Steven Proscia (Virginia) had two hits each. The Mariners scored three of their runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back.

For me, the Mariners have been flying under the radar a bit. There lineup has been in flux since day one, but with the dust settling after Team USA trials, Harwich really only had to say goodbye to Mikie Mahtook. What’s left is a strong club that should be able to make a run. It’s no surprise that they’re doing it.

It is a surprise that Chatham is struggling so much. I really liked their offense at the beginning of the season, but they’ve cooled off a lot. The pitching staff ranks fourth in the league in ERA, though, so it’s not like things have completely fallen apart. The Anglers just haven’t been able to get going.

Both Chatham and Harwich have 14 games left in the regular season. We’ll see if they keep moving in different directions.

Elsewhere

After seeing its win streak get halted on Saturday night, Wareham lost 3-2 to Cotuit. The Gatemen are sitting in third place, now five points back of second-place Cotuit. The Kettleers got a solid start from Bobby Shore (Oklahoma), who allowed two runs in six innings. Matt Andriese (UC Riverside) and Ryan Duke (Oklahoma) combined to shut out Wareham the rest of the way. Brooks Pinckard (Baylor) hit a two-run homer in the first inning for Cotuit.

For the second time in three days, Brewster and Y-D got together in a battle of the league’s two best teams. The result was the same. Brewster, who won 9-2 on Friday, won 7-4 this time. All the offense came after the fifth inning, with Brewster scoring in four consecutive innings to take control. Drew Martinez (Memphis) and Danny Oh (California) drove in two runs apiece. Mike Dowd (Franklin Pierce) went 3-for-3 and Cohl Walla (Texas) had two hits. Taylor Featherston (TCU), playing in his third game of the summer, went 2-for-4. Matt Crouse (Ole Miss) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief. The Whitecaps are now 21-9, ahead of Y-D by six points.

Bourne stayed two points up on Cotuit with an 8-5 win over Hyannis. Scott Woodward (Coastal Carolina) had a huge day, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored from the leadoff spot. Travis Shaw (Kent State) had two hits and two RBI while Zack MacPhee (Arizona State) hit his first home run. The Braves used six pitchers, with Kevin Brady (Clemson) pitching two key innings and getting the win in his first appearance. R.J. Alvarez (Florida Atlantic), who’s been one of the best setup men in the league, pitched 1.2 scoreless innings and still hasn’t allowed an earned run. Tony Zych (Louisville) struck out three in a scoreless ninth to notch his league-best ninth save. Zych hasn’t allowed a run all summer.

Orleans edged Falmouth 5-4, sending the Commodores to their fourth loss in a row. Ryan Carpenter (Gonzaga) struck out eight and allowed two earned runs in six innings to get the win. Marcus Stroman (Duke) picked up his fifth save. The Orleans offense was led by Joe Loftus, who hit a home run and drove in two.

What to Watch

If Chatham is going to stop its streak, it’ll have to come against a first-place team with a standout pitcher. Bourne comes to town with Mike Morin (North Carolina) scheduled to start. Morin has a 1.96 ERA. Chatham counters with Marc Zecchino (Virginia Tech), who has a 2.50 ERA.

On Thursday night, the Wareham Gatemen climbed out of the basement and moved into fourth place. Last night, they jumped to third. Today, they could get to second, and Sunday, they could be in first.

Welcome to life in the Cape League’s Western Division.

It’s a little crazy. After Friday’s games, the five teams in the division are all within four points of each other. First-place Bourne has 28 points. Hyannis and Falmouth, who are tied for fourth, have 24 points. Cotuit has 26.

And Wareham — this week’s poster boy for the craziness — has 25.

The Gatemen have won four games in a row. Not too long ago, they were well off the pace, but they hopped over Hyannis with a win on Thursday and kept moving up with Friday’s 8-6 victory over Falmouth.

Eric Pfisterer (Duke) gave the Gatemen six solid innings, and the offense took care of the rest. Nico Rosthenhausler (Oklahoma State) drove in two and Jake Davies (Georgia Tech), who’s more pitcher than hitter, delivered a double and an RBI. Derek Dennis (Michigan) and Adam McClain (Memphis) also drove in runs. Those four guys did their damage from the bottom of Wareham’s order.

The Gatemen had to hold off a late charge from Falmouth but got it done. Ken Ferrer (Elon) picked up the save, his second.

The victory gives the Gatemen the longest current win streak in the league. Can they keep it going? If they do, they’ll keep moving up. Tonight, they play first-place Bourne. On Sunday, they play second-place Cotuit.

First place might not be far off. I guess in the West, it never is.

Elsewhere

Heading into Friday, Brewster had the best record in the league but was 1-2 against Y-D. In their last meeting, Y-D posted a 7-1 victory. This time, it was Brewster getting the upper hand as the Whitecaps won a big tilt by a 9-2 score. It was a typical performance for the Whitecaps, who have won three in a row and now have 20 victories. Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State) delivered a solid start, allowing a run in 5.1 innings for his league-best fifth win of the year. Kyle Hendricks (Dartmouth), Daniel Renken (Cal State Fullerton) and Jake Barrett (Arizona State) finished it off. The offense broke out for 14 hits, led by three from Cohl Walla (Texas), who also drove in two. Danny Oh (California) and Andy Burns (Kentucky) each had a home run and three RBI. And Brewster did a lot of its damage against a pitcher who’s now slouch. John Leonard (Boston College) came in with a 1.09 ERA but Brewster touched him up for four runs. The Whitecaps added five more runs against the Y-D pen.

Hyannis signed fifth-round pick Cole Cook (Pepperdine) at some point on Friday — and then he got the start Friday night. He must have been ready. Cook struck out seven and allowed one run in five innings as Hyannis beat first-place Bourne 7-1. Cook, who had a 2.93 ERA with Pepperdine and was picked by the Indians in the fifth round this year, could be a big addition. He was backed on Friday by a 12-hit attack. Johnny Ruettiger (Arizona State) went 3-for-5 to raise his average to .360. Mark Micowski (Georgia State) also had three hits, and Casey McElroy (Auburn) drove in two.

Four Orleans pitchers combined on a shutout as the Firebirds beat Chatham 2-0. Cameron Hobson (Dayton) walked five but didn’t allow a hit in 5.2 innings. Burny Mitchem (Dayton) and Will Clinard (Vanderbilt) kept the combined no-hitter going before Chatham broke through for two hits against closer Marcus Stroman (Duke). Stroman got out of trouble, though, and picked up the save. Kolten Wong (Hawaii) led the Orleans offense with three hits. He’s at .350 and has taken over the batting average lead.

Cotuit stayed in front of surging Wareham thanks to an 8-4 victory over Harwich. Standout freshman Brady Rodgers (Arizona State) made his first start for Cotuit, and though he allowed four runs on nine hits, he also struck out 10 and walked nobody in 7.2 innings. He got the win. The Cotuit offense was led by Mike Yastrzemski (Vanderbilt), who went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Chad Wright (Kentucky) drove in two. For Harwich, Pratt Maynard (NC State) had two RBI, bringing his league-leading total to 19.

What to Watch

If Wareham is going to keep rising, the Gatemen will have to get through an ace. Anthony Meo (Coastal Carolina) is back with Bourne after Team USA trials and is scheduled to get the ball tonight as the Braves host Wareham at 5:30 p.m. Wareham sends Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt) to the hill. Also of note, Austin Wood (St. Petersburg), a fourth-round pick this year goes for Cotuit as the Kettleers host Falmouth.

It was safe to expect a cameo, and not much more.

In recent summers, the Cape League has welcomed more and more drafted players looking to improve their stock. Some stick around; some leave pretty quickly. When new broke that LSU star and Red Sox supplemental first rounder Anthony Ranaudo was coming to the Cape, I expected the latter. Two starts or so, strict pitch counts — and not much of an impact.

Instead, Ranaudo has found a home. In the process, he’s become perhaps the biggest story of the 2010 Cape League season.

Ranaudo made his fifth start for Brewster last night and delivered the kind of performance that’s become the norm for him. He allowed an unearned run in the first inning against Falmouth but nothing else. He struck out nine, walked one and surrendered three hits in six innings. His record is now 3-0 and he still hasn’t allowed an earned run in 29.2 innings.

You could say he’s having a little bit of an impact.

Brewster is having a fantastic season, and everything you hear out of Brewster says this team is special, with the chemistry that makes all the difference in the Cape League. Ranaudo has been a huge part of it. By all accounts, he’s not a big-time player just making a stop and moving on. He’s a big-time player who’s helping set the tone.

At one time, Ranaudo was penciled in as the second or third overall pick in this year’s draft. After an up-and-down junior season, Ranaudo appears to be healthy and he’s certainly pitching well. He’s one of the best in the country, and his Brewster teammates know what they’re getting every time he takes the ball.

With Ranaudo and Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State) leading the way, Brewster has the best ERA in the league by far. It’s at 1.95. Second-ranked Orleans is at 2.35. For a reference point, no team has finished with an ERA under two since 2002, when Wareham did it.

Whether Brewster can keep its ERA that low remains to be seen, but I don’t think there’s any doubt that the Whitecaps are going to keep pitching well. As long as Anthony Ranaudo is on the Cape, you could say the same for him.

Elsewhere

Brewster won that game over Falmouth by a 4-1 score. Andy Burns (Kentucky) and Taylor Ard (Mt. Hood CC) had two hits apiece and Derek Jones (Washington State) drove in two. Brewster has won two in a row and is sitting at 19-8.

Ranaudo wasn’t the only pitcher who delivered a gem last night. Grayson Garvin (Vanderbilt) continued his outstanding summer with seven shutout innings as Bourne beat Cotuit 2-0. Garvin, who hasn’t allowed a run in his last three starts, struck out five this time, allowing four hits and no runs in seven innings. He lowered his ERA to 0.79. A two-run single by Daniel Bowman (Coastal Carolina) in the fourth was all the offense Bourne needed.

Max Perlman (Harvard) also shined as Wareham topped Hyannis 3-0 and leap-frogged Hyannis into fourth place. Perlman scattered five hits in eight shutout innings and finished with six strikeouts. Perlman hasn’t allowed in a run in 14 consecutive innings. The Wareham offense was led by Tony Caldwell (Auburn) and Max Muncy (Baylor), who each hit a home run.

Harwich and Orleans played the longest game of the 2010 season, with Harwich winning 2-1 in 14 innings. Ronnie Richardson (Central Florida), who was pinch-running after a Pratt Maynard (NC State) single, scored the winning run on a throwing error. That run ended a streak of 12 scoreless innings. The game had been tied 1-1 since the first. Closer Matty Ott (LSU) got the win for Harwich with three shutout innings.

Michael Goodnight (Houston) out-dueled Chatham ace Logan Verrett (Baylor) as Y-D topped Chatham 2-1. Goodnight went 7.2 innings and allowed just an unearned run. He struck out five and allowed two hits. With Y-D leading, Anthony Desclafani (Florida) relieved Goodnight and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings for the save. The two runs Verrett allowed were the first runs he’s surrendered all summer. Stewart Ijames (Louisville) and Jordan Ribera (Fresno State) drove in Y-D’s two runs.

What to Watch

There’s a great match-up at Y-D as first place Brewster visits the second-place Red Sox. Brewster sends the second part of its one-two punch to the mound. Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State), who’s tied for second in the league in strikeouts, goes for the Whitecaps. Y-D counters with an ace of its own, as John Leonard (Boston College) takes the hill. Leonard has a 1.09 ERA.