Category: Playoffs

They weren’t the hottest team or the coldest when the playoffs began. They didn’t have the best hitting or the best pitching. And they didn’t take the easy way on Saturday night.

But the Harwich Mariners are the 2011 Cape Cod Baseball League champions.

The Mariners clinched the title — their second in four years — with a wild 7-5 victory over Falmouth last night in game two of the championship series. Harwich had taken game one the night before, and this time, held off a 16-hit attack by the Commodores to win.

It was fitting that the clincher wasn’t smooth. Harwich looked like a contender early this season when it got out to a 10-4 start in the first two weeks, but the label wasn’t always sticking. The Mariners were a contender in the way everybody’s a contender, but they didn’t look like the best. They hit .238 as a team, second-worst in the league. Their team ERA was 3.35, good for only sixth in the league. And they never seemed to get on a roll — in one mid-season stretch, they were in a tight battle with Brewster for first place, but the way it went, it almost looked like neither team wanted to win the battle.

The playoffs got off to a rough start, too. Harwich dropped its first game to Brewster by a 3-1 score.

But Harwich didn’t count itself out.

“We were next-to-last in hitting and sixth in pitching,” manager Steve Englert told the Cape Cod Times. “They don’t have a column for (intestinal fortitude). If they had a column for it, we’d be No. 1.”

That’s not just something you say after you win, something to explain how you did it. Englert and anybody who saw the Mariners over the past week could see it.

After the first-game loss to Brewster, the Mariners didn’t lose again. They won two straight to take the series then swept Y-D for a spot in the finals. Matching up against a hot Falmouth squad, the Mariners found a way to win both games by narrow margins.

That’s probably the best way to sum it up — they found a way.

On Saturday, the way included three errors, 16 hits by Falmouth and a DH doubling as a pitcher for just the third time this season. Somehow, it worked.

Jake Davies (Georgia Tech), who had made two appearances in the regular season, got the start for Harwich and was charged with four runs in 2.1 innings. Only one of the runs was earned. Harwich trailed 4-3 when he left the game, handing it to the bullpen with a lot of game left.

In the fifth, Harwich got the lead when John Wooten (East Carolina) hit a home run, his second in as many nights. But Falmouth came back with a run in the bottom of the sixth to tie it.

But the final three innings — somehow, some way — belonged to Harwich. In the top of the seventh — against a pitcher, DeAndre Smelter (Georgia Tech), who hadn’t allowed a run in the playoffs — Darnell Sweeney (Central Florida) drew a walk and came around with the go-ahead run on a double by Davies. With Falmouth’s lights-out closer John Simms (Rice) coming in, Harwich still managed to add an insurance run as Mike Garza (Georgetown) plated Davies with a single.

Then the Harwich bullpen — a unit that’s been awesome this year — went to work. Even for them, it wasn’t a smooth path, but they managed to navigate it.

In the seventh, Falmouth loaded the bases with one out against Grant Gordon (Missouri State), but Blake Hauser (VCU) came in and got out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout against the top of Falmouth’s order.

In the eighth, Falmouth put two more on thanks to a walk and a single. With two outs, Chris Overman (NC State) replaced Hauser and struck out Ryan Moore (UConn) to end the inning.

Then in the ninth, Falmouth loaded the bases again on three singles, and this time did it with nobody out. On top of that, Falmouth’s hottest hitters were coming up.

But one more time, Overman and the Commodores found a way. Overman got Reid Redman (Texas Tech) to pop out then struck out Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s) on four pitches. Then, on a 3-2 pitch, Overman got Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) to hit a popup. Catcher Alex Swim (Elon) got under it and squeezed it for the final out.

Harwich could celebrate.

It was fitting, too, that Overman was the one to end it. He made 23 appearances this summer and didn’t allow an earned run. The spots he was in Saturday were some of his toughest — he had never allowed more than two hits in an outing and rarely more than one. But he found a way.

That was good enough for Harwich. And good enough for a championship.

Harwich may not have looked the part at every turn, but with the summer over, it’s official — the Mariners are the best.

If I were a betting man, I would have put some money on the team that could get a late lead in game one of the Cape League championship series. Both Falmouth and Harwich have bullpens that can turn the lights out quickly.

If I had known Blake Hauser would pitch like he did, I would have put a lot of money on it.

After John Wooten (East Carolina) gave Harwich a 5-4 lead with a solo home run in the sixth inning, Hauser (VCU) came out of the bullpen and absolutely slammed the door. He went the final three innings, allowed one hit and struck out five as Harwich held on for the 5-4 victory.

For the first time in a few years, my work schedule actually cooperated with the championship schedule, so I was able to make the trip down to Harwich. I was treated to a great back-and-forth game in front of an enormous crowd.

And Hauser stole the show.

His stuff was just nasty. You know the oohs and aahs a pitcher gets when he makes a hitter look particularly silly? Hauser got those seven or eight times. I can’t believe he actually gave up a hit. Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) somehow got his bat on a ball in the seventh and looped a double down the left-field line.

Hauser didn’t allow another hit, and needed just 19 pitches to get through the next two innings. You could see Hauser building on his own momentum, getting the ball back quickly and firing again. He was feeling it. Twenty-six of the 35 pitches he threw were strikes.

Chris Overman (NC State) started warming up for the ninth, but it was clearly a just-in-case situation. It was Hauser’s game.

And there would be no just in case.

In the ninth, Hauser struck out Eric Garcia (Missouri), one of Falmouth’s hottest postseason bats. After a groundout, he fell behind 1-0 on Reid Redman (Texas Tech), another hot hitter, before getting three consecutive swinging strikes to end the game.

It was quite a show, and it secured a 1-0 series lead for the Mariners.

Before Hauser came in, the game was a see-saw. Redman and Max White (Oklahoma) hit solo home runs in the first and second innings to stake Falmouth to a lead, but Harwich came back with two in the second. Harwich took a one-run lead in the third before the teams started trading runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Finally, with the score knotted at 4-4 in the sixth, Wooten smashed a 1-1 pitch deep over the fence in left-center to give Harwich the lead.

That was the only run Falmouth reliever Nate Koneski (Holy Cross) was charged with. He was impressive in four innings of work. For Harwich, Eddie Butler (Radford) was also strong out of the pen. He replaced starter Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern) in the second inning and ended up allowing two runs in 4.1 innings of work.

But the night belonged to Hauser. Harwich’s bullpen has been strong all year, but that was also due in large part to the presence of Carter Capps (Mt. Olive), one of the best arms on the Cape. Capps signed a pro contract earlier this week, so he’s gone.

Hauser made sure Mariner fans didn’t miss him.

With the 1-0 lead in the series, Harwich will travel to Falmouth for an 8 p.m. game on Saturday night.

Notes

Big, big crowd on hand. I got there about 6:15 and thought I was early. I was not. The bleachers were already packed. Attendance was listed at 4,272.

When Falmouth got the two early home runs, I thought Harwich might be in trouble, especially with Tyler Duffey (Rice) looking good on the mound for the Commodores. But Butler kept Falmouth in check when he came in, and the offense eventually came to life.

Butler’s biggest outs came in the fifth. Falmouth had scored one run and still had runners on first and second with one out. Butler and Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech) then squared off for a nine-pitch at-bat, but Butler won the battle and finished with a strikeout. He then struck out Jared King (Kansas State) to end the inning.

Falmouth may be down 1-0, but I would not count the Commodores out. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of separation with these two, and Falmouth’s pitching may still have the edge. Andrew Aizenstadt (Babson), who had a 2.46 ERA in the regular season, is scheduled to start game two.

Heading into the playoffs, there wasn’t a lot about the Falmouth Commodores that would have you think they’d make a playoff run.

Except for one thing: their pitching. They led the league in team ERA.

Now their pitching is taking them somewhere big.

On the strength of an impressive start by Andrew Heaney (Oklahoma State), Falmouth beat Wareham 6-0 last night to clinch the Western Division title and earn a spot in the Cape League championship series. Falmouth will visit Harwich for game one tonight at 7 p.m.

The way the Commodores have pitched, it’s no surprise that they’re in the championship.

They lost their first game of the playoffs when Heaney had a not-so-great start. Since then, they’ve won four games in a row and haven’t allowed more than two runs in any of them. Sean Hagan (St. John’s), Joe Bircher (Bradley) and Tyler Duffey (Rice) have all pitched well in starting roles, and the bullpen has been great. Falmouth’s playoff ERA is 1.60.

Heaney took the cake last night. He allowed six runs in 4.2 innings in that first playoff start, but this time, he was cruising. He went seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven. He also walked four but managed to get out of trouble whenever he needed to.

Taylor Sandefur (Western Carolina) came out of the bullpen in the eighth and finished off the shutout with two scoreless innings. He struck out two.

With the pitching taken care of, the Falmouth continued to provide plenty of support. The Commodores finished with 13 hits and used a five-run third inning to blow the game open. Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) and Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s) each had three hits, and Rodriguez drove in two runs. Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech), Billy Ferriter (UConn), Max White (Oklahoma) and Eric Garcia (Missouri) also drove in a run each. Garcia, Rodriguez and Reid Redman (Texas Tech) are now all hitting above .400 in the playoffs.

The loss ended a strong summer for the Gatemen, who had won seven games in a row before the Falmouth series.

As for the Commodores, they get to keep playing, and their pitching appears to be lined up again. Duffey is scheduled to start game one tonight in Harwich.

Taylor Rogers was the hard-luck loser in Harwich’s playoff opener. The lefty from Kentucky allowed one earned run in 7.1 innings and struck out nine in that start, but Brewster got the better of him.

Harwich hasn’t lost since. And Rogers was just as good in his second start, without the hard luck.

Rogers got the ball last night and helped pave the way for a sweep of Y-D with eight strong innings. Harwich had enough offense to back him and won 4-2 to clinch a spot in the Cape Cod Baseball League championship series.

Rogers has consistently been the best ace in the league. Other people had lower ERA’s or more strikeouts, but I don’t think anyone else could be counted on for a quality start time and again quite like Rogers.

He did it again on the big stage last night. After a game-one loss the night before, Y-D was trying to regain the momentum from its first-round upset of Orleans.

Rogers was having none of it. He allowed just four hits in eight-plus innings of work, struck out six and didn’t walk anyone. The line is more impressive when you consider what he did in just the eight innings — he allowed two hits and carried a shutout into the ninth.

Y-D started to make a comeback in that ninth inning, getting singles by Derrick Chung (Sacramento State) and Chris Taylor (Virginia). Those hits chased Rogers, but Harwich reliever Chris Overman (NC State) made sure they didn’t cost him the win. One run came in on an error and another on a fielder’s choice, but Overman buckled to get the final two outs without further damage. He had to get two tough hitters to do so — Stephen Piscotty and Matt Reynolds — but he did it. Piscotty grounded into a fielder’s choice and Reynolds grounded out to shortstop.

Just like that, Harwich was into the finals, and Y-D’s playoff run — which looked so promising after the first-round sweep — was over.

Leading the Harwich offense, was Jake Davies (Georgia Tech), who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI. Austin Nola (LSU) added a home run, while Darnell Sweeney (Central Florida) and Austin Wilson (Stanford) each drove in a run.

The Mariners are now in the championship series for the first since time since they won it in 2008.

Falmouth takes game one

Even after its upset of Hyannis in the first round, I didn’t give Falmouth the edge in its series with Wareham. But the Commodores seem to really have something going right now.

Falmouth rallied from a ninth-inning deficit in last night’s game one, and then, with the game locked in a 1-1 tie in the 10th inning, the Commodores broke out for three runs and held on to beat Wareham 4-1 on the road for the 1-0 series lead.

The story for much of the game was the pitching. Falmouth starter Sean Hagan (St. John’s) went five shutout innings, while Wareham starter Jake Boyd (Stetson) allowed just four hits in eight shutout frames. Boyd would have been a storybook hero for the Gatemen — he’s a late addition to the team who was making just his second start of the summer. When Wareham scored a run in the sixth, it looked like Boyd might end up a winner.

Instead, Falmouth found a way. With two outs in the ninth and Wareham closer Konner Wade (Arizona) on the hill, Jared King (Kansas State) hit a 3-2 pitch up the middle for a base hit and Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s) raced home from second to tie the game.

Then in the 10th, a double by Spencer Kieboom (Clemson), a walk to Eric Garcia (Missouri) and a base hit by Billy Ferriter (UConn) set the stage for a three-run rally. The first two runs came home on an error, while Ferriter scored on a sac fly by Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State).

Wareham was looking for a rally of its own in the bottom half, but Falmouth closer John Simms (Rice) didn’t let them get anything going. He struck out the first two batters before getting a ground-out to end it. DeAndre Smelter (Georgia Tech) had pitched three shutout innings of relief before giving way to Simms.

Falmouth will try to clinch a spot in the championship when it hosts Wareham tonight at 7 p.m. The Commodores don’t have a probable starter listed. For Wareham, Luke Farrell (Northwestern) is scheduled to go. Farrell hasn’t pitched in the playoffs yet, but went four shutout innings in his final regular-season appearance.

It was a summer to remember in Hyannis, but it won’t end with a championship.

Fourth-seeded Falmouth completed an upset of the top-seeded Harbor Hawks with a 5-2 win in game three of their first-round playoff series last night. Falmouth had dropped the first game of the series but then came back to win on Saturday. After rain postponed game three twice, Falmouth came away with another victory last night.

Hyannis, the team with the best record in the league by a seven-point margin, is out, joining Orleans as a No. 1 seed making an early exit.

Falmouth got it done last night thanks to a big offensive day and a solid pitching performance. The team finished with 13 hits, jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first two innings and added two late insurance runs. Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s) and Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech) — two of the biggest bats in a depleted lineup — each had three hits. Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State), Eric Garcia (Missouri) and Reid Redman (Texas Tech) had two hits apiece.

On the mound, Joe Bircher (Bradley) got the start, which figured to give Falmouth the edge. He’s been great all summer and he did enough on this night, striking out six and allowing two runs in 4.2 innings of work. When he left the game, Hyannis seemed poised for a comeback, with one run in and two in the fifth.

But Falmouth reliever Nathan Thornhill (Texas) came on, got a strikeout to end the inning and never looked back. Thornhill allowed just two hits while striking out six in 3.1 innings. John Simms (Rice) then came on for the ninth and allowed a two-out single before sealing the victory with a strikeout.

Falmouth moves on to play No. 2 Wareham in the Western Division finals.

Elsewhere

While the West has a first-round series to finish up, the Eastern Division got its finals underway as Harwich hosted Y-D. The Red Sox came in hot, having swept Orleans, but Harwich put out the fire in a big way, winning 6-0. That’s an unlikely score, considering the fact that Harwich was starting Nick Routt (Mississippi State), who had a 7.91 ERA in the regular season. But Routt put those struggles behind him and went seven shutout innings, scattering six hits and striking out four. Caleb Reed (Mississippi State) and Blake Hauser (Virginia Commonwealth) finished off the shutout. As for the offense, Harwich got all it needed early, scoring two in the first inning and three in the second. Mike Garza (Georgetown) went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Ronnie Richardson (Central Florida), Darnell Sweeney (Central Florida) and Jake Davies (Georgia Tech) each had an RBI.

What to Watch:

Harwich may have the edge tonight as it starts ace Taylor Rogers in game two at Y-D. The probable starter for the Red Sox is Andrew Thurman, who had a 3.82 ERA in the regular season.

The Harwich and Brewster bullpens were their typical dominant selves last night. Thankfully for Harwich, its bullpen was pitching with a lead.

In game three of their first-round playoff series, neither Harwich starter Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern) nor Brewster starter Luke Bard (Georgia Tech) pitched past the third inning. But Harwich scored two big runs in the third to get a one-run lead. Nobody got anything else, with two Brewster relievers and two Harwich relievers dominating. The one-run lead stood up as Harwich won the series with a 3-2 victory.

Harwich got its lead in the third when John Wooten (East Carolina) singled in a run. On the same play, an errant throw allowed another run to score.

Then the bullpens went to work. For Brewster, Austin Voth (Washington) struck out nine and allowed only two hits in 4.1 shutout innings. But Harwich’s Eddie Butler (Radford) matched him. He went 5.1 shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out six.

Two of the hits came in the ninth, when Brewster threatened and put runners on first and third with one out. Chris Overman (NC State) relieved Butler at that point, though, and finished off the win with a strikeout and a ground-out.

Harwich now moves on to the Eastern Division finals, where it will meet fourth-seeded Y-D. Game one is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. in Harwich.

Hyannis-Falmouth postponed again

Despite a league-wide effort to get McKeon Park ready to go, game three of the Hyannis-Falmouth series was postponed last night. It has been rescheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. Assuming it gets in, the West playoffs will now be a day behind the East.

This time of year, it’s always hard to believe that it’s this time of year. It feels like the season started last week. But we march on. The playoffs begin tonight. Here are some quick breakdowns for all the series . . .

West Playoffs

No. 1 Hyannis vs. No. 4 Falmouth
Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m. at McKeon Park, Hyannis
Game 2: Saturday, 7 p.m. at Guv Fuller Field, Falmouth
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, 7 p.m. at McKeon Park, Hyannis

Hyannis: 29-15
Falmouth: 19-25
Season Series: Hyannis 3, Falmouth 3

Hyannis went 5-1 in the first week of the season and has essentially been the team to beat since then. Other teams have gotten hot and cooled down; Hyannis has remained steady — and has been hot a few times in its own right. The Harbor Hawks won eight in a row late in the season and finished with 10 wins in their final 13 games.

They’re the favorite, but they need only look back to their last three games to know that it won’t be easy at any point, even in a first-round series against a team that had its struggles down the stretch. Falmouth had lost five in a row but finished out the season by taking two of three — from Hyannis.

The Commodores also have strong pitching on their side. Joe Bircher led the league in strikeouts while game one starter Andrew Heaney tied for second. As a team, Falmouth had the best ERA in the league.

I still give Hyannis the edge, though. The offense is balanced, with different guys stepping up every night. There’s a lot of depth there. As for the pitching, Hyannis tied for second in team ERA, and they’re facing a Falmouth team that hasn’t been as strong since Jack Marder signed a pro contract.

I think the Harbor Hawks may have the intangible, too. The franchise hasn’t won a Cape League title since 1991, and the players know that. They’ve seemed like a special group from the start — now they get to see how far they can go.

No. 2 Wareham vs. No. 3 Bourne
Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m. at Spillane Field, Wareham
Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m. at Doran Park, Bourne
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, 7 p.m. at Spillane Field, Wareham

Wareham: 23-21
Bourne: 22-20-2
Season Series: Wareham 4, Bourne 2

Bourne looked destined for the No. 2 seed when it won 9 of 10 games in early July. Since that stretch ended, though, the Braves have gone 4-9. In the meantime, Wareham came from off the pace, won its final five games — including two over Bourne — and clinched the two spot and the home-field advantage that comes with it.

Statistically, the Gatemen are tough to figure out. They’re in the bottom half of the league in both team average and ERA, not the typical profile for a playoff team, let alone the No. 2 seed. But the Gatemen have found ways to win games. Daniel Palka and Robert Refsnyder have been leading the offense lately, while Max Muncy has been steady all summer. On the mound, there isn’t a dominant ace since Justin Amlung signed a pro contract, but Josh Turley has been good and Brent Suter has pitched well his last two times out.

Things are a little more clear-cut for the Braves. If they hit, they win. Their pitching staff is one of the best in the league from top to bottom, but their team batting average ended up at .240. In its July win streak, Bourne hit .282. With strong pitching, an offensive jump like that makes an enormous difference. Travis Jankowski has been a mainstay atop the lineup, but Bourne needs other guys to step up if it’s going to make a run.

East Playoffs

No. 1 Orleans vs. No. 4 Yarmouth-Dennis
Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m. at Eldredge Park, Orleans
Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m. at Red Wilson Field, Y-D
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, 7 p.m. at Eldredge Park, Orleans

Orleans: 24-17-3
Y-D: 19-21-4
Season Series: Y-D 3, Orleans 2, 1 tie

The way things were going in early July, with teams just seeming to float, somebody was going to make a run in the East. It was Orleans, and it was a big run. The Firebirds won 11 of their final 12 games.

Can they keep it up? They’ve been very hot, hitting .284 as a team during the 12-game stretch. They’ve also pitched well, allowing more than three earned runs only three times in the 12 games.

The individual statistics aren’t overwhelming for Orleans, but when you run down the list that includes Matt Duffy, Reed Gragnani, Ben Waldrip and Andrew Aplin, you realize the Firebirds have five solid hitters. Several other guys have heated up lately.

In terms of pitching, Orleans is like a lot of teams in that it doesn’t have a dominant ace, but the team still ranked fifth in ERA.

As for Y-D, if there’s a sleeper in these playoffs, the Red Sox might be it. They had an influx of talent after Team USA and the College World Series ended, but it hasn’t quite translated to wins yet. Still, though, when you add Matt Reynolds and Brian Johnson to an offense that was already strong with Mason Katz, Stephen Piscotty and James Ramsey, you have a team that’s bound to get going.

The pitching is the wildcard for Y-D. The Red Sox didn’t list any probables, but it’s possible that they could trot out Johnson — a two-way star at Florida — and Stanford’s Mark Appel, perhaps the top college pitching prospect for the 2012 draft class. Appel, in particular, could provide an enormous boost. He has made only two appearances this summer, but struck out 12 in six innings in his second start.

So, essentially, it’s the team that’s been hot vs. the team that everyone thinks should be getting hot. It’s going to be interesting — probably the most interesting of all the first-round series.

No. 2 Harwich vs. No. 3 Brewster
Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m. at Whitehouse Field, Harwich
Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m. at Stony Brook Field, Brewster
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, 7 p.m. at Whitehouse Field, Harwich

Harwich: 24-19-1
Brewster: 20-20-4
Season Series: Harwich 3, Brewster 2, 1 tie

For quite a while, it looked like Harwich and Brewster would be battling it out for the top seed, until Orleans came along. Now the Mariners and Whitecaps meet each other in the playoffs in probably the most clear-cut, strength vs. strength match-up of the first round.

Harwich’s team ERA is higher than you’d think (3.35) because it seems like the Mariners have been dominating. I’ll still call pitching a strength for them, though, particularly in the bullpen. Nobody has been able to touch Carter Capps or Chris Overman, so if Harwich gets a lead look out.

Brewster actually has a better ERA than Harwich, but the Whitecaps’ identity is tied up in its offense. The Whitecaps hit .260 this year, tied with Cotuit for the best mark in the league.

How does it shake out? In these kinds of match-ups, it’s offense not the strong attributes that decide things. In that case, Brewster’s pitching might be too much for Harwich, whit hit .238 as a team, second-worst in the league and worst among playoff teams. And the Whitecaps’ probably starters — Tony Buccifero, Luke Bard and Brandon Love — have quietly been very good.

If the Whitecaps get quality starts, I’ll give them the slight edge.

Nick Tropeano threw some of the first pitches of the 2010 Cape Cod Baseball League season. He got the opening night start as Cotuit visited Wareham.

A lot has changed since then. The opposing pitcher that night left for Team USA, along with more than a dozen others. Headline-making players came and went. Teams got hot and cooled off. Tropeano himself had his ups and downs.

On Friday, in game three of the championship series, Tropeano threw the last pitch of the 2010 Cape Cod Baseball League season.

And it was a good one.

With his team taking advantage of four Y-D errors to get an early lead, Tropeano came out of the bullpen in the third inning and slammed the door. He went 6.2 innings and finished the game without allowing a hit. When he struck out Matt Watson on a 2-2 pitch in the ninth, he gave Cotuit the league championship, its first since 1999.

It was an incredible finish to an incredible run. Cotuit lost its last six regular-season games but found a way to make things click in the playoffs.

Against Y-D, they were the underdogs. The Red Sox scored 44 runs in their first four playoff games — 36 of them in the Eastern finals series alone.

But Cotuit’s pitching staff dominated the championship series. Matt Andriese delivered the performance of the summer in game one, and Tropeano wasn’t far behind on Friday.

Brady Rodgers actually got the start for Cotuit, but he left in the third with an injury. Tropeano, who was pitching on three days’ rest, came in, potentially to serve as a bridge to the rest of the bullpen.

He didn’t need the help. The righty from Stony Brook had his chance and he didn’t let go. Tropeano struck out seven, walked three and didn’t surrender a hit.

On the other side, Cotuit had 14 hits, and with Y-D struggling defensively, the Kettleers had plenty of chances to make those hits count. Mike Yastrzemski hit a home run, Joey Hainsfurther had three RBI and Jordan Leyland went 2-for-4 and drove in a run. Leyland, who was inserted into the leadoff spot in the postseason, was named the Playoff MVP.

Those performances helped Cotuit finally get over the hump. Harwich and Bourne won the last two Cape League championships, and both teams beat Cotuit to do it.

It sure looked like Y-D would do the same thing this year, but the Kettleers didn’t let it happen. A lot has changed since Tropeano threw those first pitches in June — the starting lineup that night had exactly one player who was in the lineup on Friday — but in the end, it all worked out.

The Cotuit Kettleers are your 2010 Cape Cod League champions.

For the second straight game, pitching dominated the Cape League championship series.

And that means we’ll have a third game.

A day after Cotuit took game one thanks to an incredible performance by Matt Andriese, Y-D’s pitchers returned the favor. John Leonard started and went six shutout innings. Anthony Desclafani and D.J. Baxendale finished it off as Y-D won 2-1, forcing a game three that will be played today.

Leonard and Austin Wood were locked in a pitchers’ duel for most of the game. Through four neither team had scored.

In the fifth, Y-D scratched a run across on a Bobby Crocker squeeze bunt. Tyler Hanover made it 2-0 with an RBI single in the second.

Cotuit’s James McCann hit a home run in the eighth to cut the deficit in half, and the Kettleers put the tying run on second in the ninth. But Baxendale got out of the inning to seal the win and extend the series.

The teams will play for the championship today at 3 p.m.

I don’t think anyone predicted this.

After scoring 49 runs on 62 hits in their first four playoff games, the Y-D Red Sox had to be labeled as the favorites heading into the Cape League championship series. They were hot — really hot — and there was no reason to think they’d cool down.

Then Matt Andriese took the mound.

The Cotuit righty from UC Riverside was pretty good during the regular season, posting a 3.52 ERA while pitching as a starter and a reliever. The last time he started was August 4, when he went three innings against Brewster. He pitched one inning of relief in the playoff series against Wareham.

On Wednesday, he was the one who got the ball for game one.

He did amazing things with it.

Considering what Y-D had done in the playoffs, I have no qualms calling Andriese’s performance the best of the entire summer. He tossed a complete-game three-hit shutout, striking out four and walking one. The Red Sox, who had been hitting up and down their lineup, got two hits from Joe Panik, one from Ben McMahan and absolutely nothing else. Andriese took a no-hitter into the fifth.

Cotuit manager Mike Roberts told the Cape Cod Times that Andriese was “about as focused as I’ve seen a young man on the mound in a while.”

And the focus never faded. Andriese’s longest start before Wednesday was seven innings. He trotted back out for the eighth on Wednesday and worked around a walk and a hit-batsman for another scoreless frame. In the ninth, Panik led off with a single, but Andriese got the red-hot Jordan Ribera to ground into a double play. He then induced a ground-out to end the game.

All in all, an incredible performance. If Cotuit goes on to win the series, Andriese has to be the playoff MVP. It was one game, yes, but it was an enormous game.

Though I would never count Y-D out, the Kettleers are in the driver’s seat now. They’re playing at home today and are expected to send Austin Wood to the mound. I can’t think of a guy you’d want more. Wood struck out 10 in his other playoff start and he hasn’t allowed more than one earned run in any start this season.

With one more great pitching performance, the Kettleers will have a good chance to win their first Cape League championship since 1999.