Daily Fog: The Gem

There’s been no shortage of quality starts this season from Cape LEague pitchers. Six innings, a run or two, a few strikeouts.

But there has been a shortage of dominance. Mark Pope struck out 11 in one start for Falmouth, which stood as the best pitching performance of the season.

Until last night. Pope’s Georgia Tech teammate Jed Bradley was a little bit better. Making his second start of the season for Wareham, Bradley struck out 11 and allowed just a run in a complete-game win over Hyannis.

It’s the first nine-inning complete game of the Cape League season, and for Wareham, it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Gatemen had lost three in a row.

Bradley was the stopper they needed, just as they hoped.

In the absence of some of the big-name power arms, Bradley came to the Cape with some of the best credentials around. Though his ERA ended up over 4.00, he was impressive all year for Tech, finishing with 95 strikeouts in 86.1 innings.

In his first Cape start, he pitched fairly well, allowing three earned runs and striking out eight in six innings. But two unearned runs also came home, and Bradley took the loss.

Last night, he was firmly in control and looking the ace Wareham needs. Bradley scattered six hits and worked his way out of the only two jams he got into. The 11 strikeouts give him 19 for the season, good for second in the league.

And Bradley had plenty of help. The Gatemen had nine hits and were led once again by Alex Dickerson (Indiana), who’s having a remarkable start to his season. Dickerson arrived a few days ago. He’s played in four games and he’s logged two hits in each of them, good for a .500 average. Last night, he went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Dickerson has been invited to Team USA trials, but maybe his torrid start can convince him to stick around.

Jonathan Smith (Tennessee-Wesleyan) added three hits for the Gatemen.

Elsewhere

  • Y-D beat Orleans 5-3 for its fifth straight win, which moved the Red Sox into a first-place tie with Brewster. Michael Goodnight (Houston), a 13th-round pick this year, allowed a run on three hits in six strong innings and picked up the win. D.J. Baxendale (Arkansas) got the save. The game was tied 1-1 until the seventh, when Y-D put up three. Pinch-hitter Dusty Robinson (Fresno State) knocked in the go-ahead run with a single and the Red Sox never trailed again. Robinson picked up another RBI in the eighth and Matt Jensen (Cal Poly) went 2-for-4 with an RBI. After breaking out of a season-long slump last night, Jordan Ribera (Fresno State) went 1-for-4 with a double. Y-D’s lineup last night didn’t have a single player who’s hitting over .300, but some of those averages are finally starting to climb. For Orleans, Kolten Wong (Hawaii) went 2-for-4 and hit his league-leading third home run.
  • Led by another strong day from Drew Martinez (Memphis), Brewster beat Bourne 6-3. Martinez went 2-for-4 on Wednesday and 3-for-5 on Thursday. He went 3-for-5 again last night, raising his average to .410. He also stole his ninth base of the season. Batting leadoff, Martinez had a hand in three Brewster rallies. Jon Berti (Bowling Green) also had three hits for the Whitecaps and scored two runs. Nathan Melendres (Miami) and Cohl Walla (Texas) had two hits apiece. Matt Crouse (Ole Miss) picked up the win in relief with two scoreless innings. For Bourne, Travis Shaw (Kent State) went 2-for-3, raising his average to .367.
  • Harwich dropped Chatham from first place with a 3-1 victory. Ronnie Richardson (Central Florida) went 2-for-4 for the Mariners, upping his average to a league-best .417. Austin Nola (LSU) also had two hits. Pierce Johnson (Missouri State), a 15th-round pick out of high school in 2009, struck out seven and allowed just an unearned run in six innings of work.
  • Falmouth finished with 13 hits and Cotuit had 11, but the Commodores beat Cotuit 10-3. Nick Martini (Kansas State), who had struggled so far, went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI. Matt Skole (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-4 with two RBI. For Cotuit, Paul Hoilman (East Tennessee State) continued a hot streak with a 3-for-4 night.
  • What to Watch

    The radar guns will be lighting up tonight in Wareham when Anthony Ranaudo (LSU) makes his second start for Brewster against the Gatemen’s Matt Barnes (Connecticut). It could be one of the better pitching match-ups of the season. Also, in Falmouth, Mark Pope (Georgia Tech) makes his third start for the Commodores. Pope hasn’t allowed a run yet this summer and has struck out 16.

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