We’re still at a point in the season where one good day can raise a batting average dramatically. Chatham’s Devin Lohman (Long Beach State), for instance, was hitting .190 through Saturday. After going 3-for-3 with three RBI on Sunday, Lohman is hitting .292 and is tied for the league lead in RBI.
A couple of teams made similar leaps last night. Chatham, Yarmouth-Dennis and Brewster, all of whom were treading water with two losses near the bottom of the Eastern Division, picked up wins last night. Brewster and Y-D are now just a point behind first-place Harwich while Chatham is two points back.
Brewster came up with the most lopsided victory, topping Wareham 8-0. Ryan Wheeler (Loyola Marymount) went 2-for-4 with three RBI, and Tim Clubb (Missouri State) turned in the team’s best starting pitching performance of the year, going seven shutout innings while striking out three.
In Yarmouth, Y-D withstood a late rally from Harwich to hold on for a 6-4 victory. The Red Sox got three hits from Nick Liles, who upped his league-leading average to .484. DeAngelo Mack (South Carolina) had four hits.
Finally, Chatham squeaked out its second one-run victory in as many nights. The aforementioned Lohman led the way offensively while reliever Jeff Lorick (Virginia) tossed two shutout innings and picked up the win. A bases-loaded walk to Evan Ocheltree (Wake Forest) in the bottom of the ninth plated the winning run.
Elsewhere
- After scoring its lowest run total of the season on Saturday, Cotuit got right back on track, blowing past Orleans 11-5. Mike Bianucci (Auburn) hit a grand slam, and Robbie Shields (Florida Southern) also had a home run for the Kettleers.
- Hyannis gave itself the best record in the league with a 4-3 victory over Bourne. Chris Dominguez (Louisville) went 2-for-4 as the Mets scored all their runs in the first two innings. Russell Brewer (Vanderbilt) picked up his fifth save, which puts him on a ridiculous pace. If he keeps up anything close to this, he will challenge Ryan Speier’s league record of 16. The bullpen also shined for Bourne, who got 5.1 shutout innings from Kevin Landry (William & Mary). He struck out seven and only allowed one hit.
What to Watch For Tonight
- Harwich takes on Hyannis in a battle of first-place teams. I’d expect it to be a pitchers’ duel since both teams are near the top in ERA.
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