Daily Fog: Safe Harbor

I really liked the way the Hyannis roster shaped up. The Harbor Hawks were one of the first teams in previewed, and as I got deeper into things, Hyannis continued to stack up well.

Can I say I was right yet? Probably too early for that.

But the Harbor Hawks are off to a fast start. With their 2-1 comeback win over Chatham last night, the Hawks moved to 3-0. They’re the only unbeaten, untied team in the league.

And against Chatham, they showed some fight. Keith Bilodeau (Maine), a Cape League vet and a 24th-round pick this year, started for Chatham and allowed just three hits in six shutout innings. But once he left with a 1-0 lead, Hyannis went to work.

Richie Pedroza (Cal State Fullerton), who was making his Cape debut, led off the seventh with a single, stole second and took third on a sac bunt. Zach Vincej (Pepperdine) brought him home with the tying run.

Then in the ninth, with the game still tied, Pedroza started things again when he reached on an error. After moving to third on a base hit, he raced home on a squeeze bunt by Vincej to give Hyannis the win.

It wouldn’t have been possible without the work of the bullpen, which didn’t allow a hit over the final three innings. Kolt Browder (Baylor) recorded eight outs, six by strikeout, and Dietrich Enns (Central Michigan) pitched a third of an inning to finish it off. Scott Firth (Clemson) started and allowed just the run on five hits.

The Harbor Hawks have now won two one-run games and a 3-0 shutout. With Dan Gulbransen and Adam Brett Walker anchoring the middle of the order, and Pedroza and Joey Rickard arriving, their lineup should only get better.

Elsewhere

  • Though Hyannis has the best record, Y-D has the most points in the league thanks to a 2-2 tie against Orleans last night. Y-D is now 3-1-1. The Red Sox sent St. John’s star Kyle Hansen to the hill for his Cape League debut and he allowed a run on four hits in five innings of work, striking out three. Kyle Hunter (Dartmouth) matched him, though, and when the starters left the game was tied 1-1. In the sixth, Y-D took the lead but Orleans tied it in the eighth on a single by Ben Waldrip (Jacksonville). Marcus Stroman (Duke) made his debut for Orleans and struck out five in three scoreless innings of relief.
  • Bourne got into the win column and dropped Falmouth to 0-5 with a 2-0 victory. Josh Carr (Kennesaw State), Slade Smith (Auburn) and Tyler Maloof (Georgia) combined on the shutout. Smith, who took a loss in his first relief appearance of the summer, bounced back with three hitless innings. Bourne matched Falmouth with five hits but pushed two runs across in the third.
  • Cotuit rallied from a four-run ninth inning deficit to beat Wareham 5-4. A Logan Vick (Baylor) two-run single made it 4-3 in the ninth, and a fielder’s choice brought the tying run in. Vick then scampered home on a sac fly by Kyle Wren (Georgia Tech) to give Cotuit the win. Victor Roache (Georgia Southern) led Cotuit with three hits, upping his average to .438. Mason McVay (Florida International) pitched three scoreless innings of relief to keep the Kettleers within striking distance.
  • Harwich beat Brewster 6-3 for its third straight win. Tanner Perkins (Western Kentucky) struck out eight and allowed three runs in six innings, before the Harwich bullpen slammed the door with three scoreless frames. The Mariners did all their offensive damage against Brewster starter Luke Bard (Georgia Tech), getting two in the first, one in the third and three in the fifth. Jabari Henry (Florida International) and Luke Voit (Missouri State) each had two RBI for the Mariners. Leadoff man Austin Nola (LSU) was on base three times and scored three runs.
  • What to Watch

    Game: The only teams without a loss finally meet each other as the twice-postponed doubleheader between Orleans and Hyannis is set to go again tonight. The games are at Hyannis at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

    Players: Richie Pedroza, a sparkplug from Cal State Fullerton, had a great debut for Hyannis last night, and should be fun to watch whenever he gets on base.

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