Considering the fact that he hit .270 this spring, I’ve kind of been waiting for the other shoe to drop with Brewster’s Andrew Toles (Tennessee). Yes, he was a fourth round pick last year and he’s certainly shaping up to be one of the more talented freshman on the Cape. But would he really keep hitting all summer? I didn’t think so. The shoe was going to drop.
It hasn’t happened yet.
Toles went 3-for-5 last night to raise his league-leading average to .383. He also led Brewster to a 6-3 win over Y-D.
Toles has been perhaps the biggest constant of the 2011 season thus far. He has started 14 of 15 the team’s 15 games, and has been in the leadoff spot for every one of those. He has reached base in 13 games and has hit safely in 12 of them.
In short, he’s been just about perfect. His on-base percentage is .403, and he’s stolen eight bases. He doesn’t have a ton of extra-base hits or RBI, but the middle of Brewster’s order has that taken care of. Toles is supposed to give them a chance, and he’s certainly been doing that.
His success has mirrored his team’s success. Toles has had three-hit game four times, and each of those times, Brewster has posted a victory.
Last night, Y-D was victim. It was the second straight three-hit night for Toles, who had gone 1 for his last 10 before that.
This time, Toles scored a run and had a stolen base. Teammates Preston Beck (Texas-Arlington) and Jack Mayfield (Oklahoma) each hit home runs, while Ryan Jones (Michigan State) went 2-for-4.
The Whitecaps rolled up 12 hits and moved just three points back of Harwich for first place in the East.
Toles remains one of the biggest reasons why.
Elsewhere
After dropping the first of three games to Cotuit on Monday, Hyannis came back to win the Patriot Cup with a victory Tuesday and a 4-3 win last night. Eric Stamets (Evansville) and Joey Rickard (Arizona) had two hits to lead the offense while Ryan Gibson (Oklahoma) delivered a dominant long-relief performance. He came on in the fourth and allowed a hit that inning, then didn’t surrender another one. He struck out seven in 5.2 innings before Nick Wittgren (Purdue) came on to get the final out. Hyannis is now 11-5. For Cotuit, Victor Roache (Georgia Southern) had an RBI to take over the league lead with 12.
Orleans toppled first-place Harwich 5-1 on the strength of dominant pitching. The Firebirds have the lowest team ERA in the league and they showed it last night. Tyler Johnson (Stony Brook) got the start and allowed one run on two hits in five innings. Those were the only hits Harwich would get as Kenny Long (Illinois State), John Brebbia (Elon) and Trevor Gott (Kentucky) pitched the final four innings without giving up a hit. Together, they faced only one batter over the minimum. The Orleans offense was powered by Ben Waldrip (Jacksonville State), who drove in two. Andrew Aplin (Arizona) and Tarran Senay (NC State) each had two hits and two runs scored.
With Wareham’s victory over Bourne and a 6-4 win of their own over Chatham, the Falmouth Commodores moved into a three-way logjam for second in the West. Andrew Heaney (Oklahoma State) picked up the win with five solid innings. He allowed two runs on four hits and struck out four. Tyler Duffey (Rice) and Nathan Thornhill (Texas) then bridged the gap to John Simms (Rice), who was lights out again. He picked up his league-leading fifth save with a perfect ninth, striking out two. Simms still hasn’t allowed a run this season. As for the Falmouth offense, they pounded out 10 hits, getting one from eight of nine spots in the order. Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s) had two RBI, while Billy Ferriter (UConn) went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Wareham topped Bourne 8-4 thanks to three-run rallies in the sixth and seventh innings. John Andreoli (UConn) went 3-for-5 with two RBI, and Johnny Field (Arizona) also had three hits and two RBI. Robert Refsnyder (Arizona) and Max Muncy (Baylor) each had two hits apiece as the Gatemen posted a season-high 14 hits. After Matt Grimes (Georgia Tech) allowed one earned run in 4.1 innings, Barrett Astin (Arkansas) got the win in relief with 2.2 scoreless innings. In three appearances, Astin hasn’t allowed a run.
What to Watch
There’s a league-wide off-day today. Looking ahead to tomorrow, there should be a good pitching match-up in Hyannis when Chatham sends Keith Bilodeau up against Hyannis’ Scott Firth.
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