Apologies for my absence yesterday and my lateness today. It was a crazy morning yesterday, and I had to get some cavities filled today. Good times all around.
I feel like I’ve missed things. That’s what happens in a Cape League season. The biggest thing I’m noticing as I work my way back into playing shape: the Eastern Division is off to a fast start. Even after yesterday, when the East beat up on itself a little bit, the teams are a step ahead of the West. Fourth-place Orleans would be tied for first in the West.
I’m sure things will even out at some point, but there’s no denying that Chatham, Y-D, Brewster and Orleans are playing well right now.
Last night, Y-D was probably the most impressive. The Red Sox visited Brewster and came away with a 9-4 victory, their fourth in a row. They’re tied with Brewster in second place at 7-3.
The Red Sox hadn’t had a ton of luck offensively. They came in hitting .219. But they pounded out nine hits against three Brewster pitchers and got some big hits from guys they figure to be counting on this summer.
Jordan Ribera (Fresno State), the national home run leader who went undrafted, was hitless this summer and he struck out in his first at-bat Wednesday. But in the fourth inning, Ribera cranked a solo home run. In the sixth, he hit an RBI triple as the Red Sox started pulling away.
Caleb Ramsay (Houston) also had two RBI for the Red Sox, while Tyler Hanover (LSU), Joe Panik (St. John’s), Matt Jensen (Cal Poly) and Matt Watson (Boston College) drove in one apiece.
John Leonard (Boston College) delivered another solid start for Y-D, allowing a run in five innings of work. Brewster scored three in the ninth, but Y-D held off the charge for the win. Leonard now has a 2-0 record and a 0.77 ERA.
For Brewster, leadoff man Drew Martinez (Memphis) went 3-for-5, bumping his league-best average to .382.
Elsewhere
Harwich has welcomed some big names to town the last few days in Mikie Mahtook (LSU) and Steven Proscia (Virginia). Neither has made a big impact yet and neither could help the Mariners against Orleans last night. Orleans got a solid outing from Cameron Hobson (Dayton) and just enough offense to win 3-2. Hobson only struck out one but also only allowed one run in six innings of work. Matt Koch (Loyola Marymount) had two RBI and Will Piwnica-Worms (Duke) went 3-for-3 to lead the Orleans offense. The game was tied 2-2 in the ninth before Braden Kapteyn (Kentucky) allowed a double, a walk and two straight hit batsmen to force home the go-ahead run.
Chatham broke a 4-4 tie with two in the ninth and held on to beat Wareham 6-5. Dan Paolini (Siena) reached on an error and scored on another in the ninth, and Brian Humphries (Pepperdine) drove in his third run of the night with a double. Wareham pushed a run across in the bottom of the ninth, but Matt Brazis (Boston College) wiggled out of a jam to give Chatham the win. Peter Verdin (Georgia) went 2-for-3 for the Anglers. George Springer (Connecticut) hit his second home run for Wareham, while Alex Dickerson (Indiana) stayed hot with a 2-for-4 day. In three games since arriving, Dickerson has gone 6-for-13.
In West action, Bourne won its third straight game and moved back to .500 with a 3-2 decision over Cotuit. The Braves trailed 2-1 going into the ninth. Tommy LaStella (Coastal Carolina) hit a one-out double and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Cotuit got the second out, Mike Nemeth (Connecticut) knocked LaStella home with the tying run. A dropped foul pop-up kept the Braves alive, and Creede Simpson (Auburn) singled home Nemeth with the winning run.
Falmouth scored two in the first and never trailed en route to a 5-1 victory over Hyannis. K.C. Serna (Oregon) went 2-for-4 to lead the offense and Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech) added two RBI. Christian Jones (Oregon), a talented freshman who struggled in an earlier relief appearance, made his first start and allowed just two hits in six shutout innings.
What to Watch
Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook), who’s tied for the league lead in strikeouts goes for Cotuit against Falmouth.
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