The Y-D Red Sox have put up some pretty good pitching numbers this year, ranking fourth in the league in ERA. But their offense is so good that it’s easy to get distracted. Sometimes, it seems like the Y-D pitching staff is Aaron Blair and 13 other guys.
One of the other guys made a name for himself last night.
UC Irvine right-hander Andrew Thurman tossed the first complete game shutout of the 2012 Cape Cod Baseball League season and was dominant in doing it. He struck out 13, didn’t walk anybody and allowed just three hits. His performance sparked Y-D to a 3-0 victory over Falmouth.
Thurman, who had solid numbers for Irvine this spring, has had his moments on the Cape. He struck out nine in six innings in his second start after throwing five good frames in his debut. He struggled a bit more in his last two starts, but really broke out last night.
Thurman gave up singles in the second, third and fourth innings, but nothing came of them. Mike O’Neill (Michigan) singled in the fourth, stole second and took third on a fly ball, and reached on an error and stole second in the sixth. He was the only runner to get past first base.
And Thurman got stronger as the game went on. O’Neill was the last man to reach as Thurman retired the final 10 batters he faced. He struck out the final six he faced, all of them swinging.
The Y-D offense gave Thurman all it needed with single runs in the third, fifth and seventh innings. Sean Dwyer (Florida Gulf Coast) and Sean McHugh (Purdue) hit solo home runs. Tanner Mathis (Ole Miss) knocked in the other run.
The win — and a Harwich loss — moved Y-D back within a game of first place.
For Falmouth, John Simms (Rice) pitched well in his move from the bullpen, giving up three runs while striking out eight in seven innings.
The Commodores have lost seven in a row and have now fallen victim to dominant pitching performances twice in the last four games. They struck out 15 times against Sean Manaea on Thursday.
Elsewhere
Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) homered for the fourth time in six games and Bourne never trailed on its way to a 3-1 victory over Orleans, its third in a row. Robbins, an all-star starter, is now hitting .357 with seven home runs, and every time he heats up, it seems like the Braves do too. Mike Ahmed (Holy Cross) also homered for Bourne and Colin Moran (North Carolina) drove in his 31st run of the season. Bourne also got solid pitching. Chad Green (Louisville) gave up a run on four hits in six innings. John Farrell (William & Mary) got the save. For Orleans, Angelo LaBruna (Duke) homered for the third time in four games.
Four Cotuit pitchers gave up just three hits as the West-leading Kettleers topped Harwich 3-1 in a battle of first-place teams. Joe Broussard (LSU) gave up a run on three hits while striking out six in four innings. Jacob Stone (Weatherford), Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) and Dan Slania (Notre Dame) then combined for five hitless innings. Stone struck out five in 2.1 innings while Slania finished it off by striking out four of the five batters he faced. Harwich starter Corey Littrell (Kentucky) struck out 10 in six innings but Cotuit touched him up for two runs and added to its lead against the bullpen. Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt) had two hits and an RBI, while Patrick Biondi (Michigan) also drove in a run.
Hyannis got a quality start from Josh Walker (New Mexico) and broke out in the middle innings on its way to a 4-2 victory over Chatham. Walker allowed two runs and struck out five in six innings of work. Andrew Smithmyer (East Carolina) and Walter Wijas (Kentucky) combined for three perfect innings to finish it off. Chatham starter Ryan Thompson (Franklin Pierce) allowed just two hits through four shutout innings, but Hyannis got to him for three in the fifth and one more in the sixth. Pat Fortunato (Rhode Island), a recent addition, went 2-for-3 with two RBI after going 3-for-3 in his season debut. Brad Zebedis (Presbyterian) and Brandon Trinkwon (UC Santa Barbara) drove in the other runs. The Harbor Hawks have won seven of their last nine and are just a game out of second place. Chatham has lost five straight.
Brewster came back from a 3-2 deficit with four runs in the top of the ninth to beat Wareham 6-3. The Whitecaps did their damage against Wareham closer Konner Wade (Arizona), who had allowed a total of two runs in his first six appearances. Ryon Healy (Oregon) had an RBI single to tie the game before Erik Forgione (Washington) smacked a three-run homer — his first of the year — to put the Whitecaps on top. Brewster reliever Dylan Davis (Oregon State) got himself into a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth but got himself out thanks to a 1-2-3 game-ending double play.
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