A lot will be sorted out in the playoff race over the next few days, but most of it will be about seeding and who’s playing whom. Unless Brewster gets hot and chases down Chatham in the East, though, the only battle for a final playoff spot will be in the West, where Bourne and Hyannis are on the hunt.
The way things have gone this year — with neither of those teams able to sustain much — match-ups between the two will have a big say.
Last night’s went to Bourne in decisive fashion.
The Braves rode a great performance by Jaron Long (Ohio State) and their highest-scoring game of the season to a 13-1 victory over Hyannis. Bourne, which has won three in a row, now has a four-point lead on Hyannis, who has lost five straight.
The Braves scored 10 runs in the first three innings and that was more than enough for Long, who turned in his best start of the summer. He struck out nine and allowed four hits in six shutout innings. John Farrell (William & Mary), Patrick Young (Villanova) and Hawtin Buchanan (Ole Miss) each pitched an inning to finish it off.
At the plate, Bourne finished with 21 hits. Jack Reinheimer (East Carolina) went 4-for-5 with an RBI, Colin Moran went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Mike Ahmed (Holy Cross) went 3-for-5 with three runs knocked in. Justin Leeson (Georgetown), Jordan Patterson (South Alabama) and Austin Wynns (Fresno State) added three hits each.
Bourne and Hyannis will play one more time in the regular season — on Sunday at 6 p.m. in Bourne.
Elsewhere
Cotuit took over the best record in the league from Harwich this week, but the Mariners made their stand last night, snapping Cotuit’s 10-game winning streak with an 11-5 victory. Harwich fell behind 3-1 but broke out with a six-run third inning to take control. Brandon Woodruff (Mississippi State) allowed four runs in six innings for the win. Offensively, Harwich got a hit from everyone in the starting lineup, with Mike Connolly (Maine) going 4-for-5 to lead the way. Austen Smith (Alabama) went 3-for-5 with two RBI and Brian Ragira (Stanford) hit his ninth home run, giving Harwich 58 for the year. The Cape League record is 59.
Chatham moved eight points ahead of Brewster for the final playoff spot in the East with a 4-2 victory over the Whitecaps. Louie Lechich (San Diego) went 3-for-4, Chad Morgan (Virginia Tech) had two hits and Alex Calbick (Maine) homered for the Anglers, who rallied from a two-run deficit with two runs off Brewster ace Tom Windle (Minnesota) and two more against the bullpen. Mike Wagner (San Diego) struck out eight in seven innings for Chatham. Jaime Schultz (High Point) got the win with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.
Falmouth won for the fifth straight time since its eight-game losing streak, beating Orleans 10-6. Trey Masek (Texas Tech) gave up two runs in 6.2 innings for the win. Austin Anderson (Ole Miss) led the offense with a home run while Kaina Eldredge (Kansas) went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Casey Turgeon (Florida), Billy Ferriter (UConn) and Jon McGibbon (Clemson) each had two hits and an RBI. The win moved Falmouth back to .500.
Wareham hit three home runs but Y-D still had too much offense in an 8-5 victory. Justin Shafer (Florida) went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Wayne Taylor (Stanford) homered for the Red Sox. Joey DeNato (Indiana) got the win with 3.1 scoreless innings of relief. For the Gatemen, Kyle Schwarber (Indiana), Ty Ross (LSU) and Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) all homered. Horan now has a league-best 12 home runs on the year.
What to Watch
A very busy day ahead, with Hyannis and Harwich each playing split doubleheaders. Sean Manaea (Indiana State) is expected to start for the Harbor Hawks in their second game at Brewster at 4:30 p.m.
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