In the record watch I posted the other day, I included Wareham’s Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) and said that with a ridiculous finish, Horan could approach the Cape League’s wooden bat home run record.
The ridiculous finish is happening.
After hitting home runs in three consecutive games, Horan hit two in the nightcap of a doubleheader. He now has 15, one away from tying the wood-bat record of 16. Wareham has three games left, so suddenly, it’s not even that ridiculous a prospect.
Whatever happens, Horan is emerging as the home run king of a home run filled season.
Horan is a native of Middleborough, Mass., just a short drive from Wareham. His summer at home has been a dream. He was an all star, he already broke the Wareham single-season home run record and as the season draws to a close, he’s looking more and more like the top candidate for the MVP award. He’s hitting .343, fourth in the league, he leads the league in home runs and he’s tied for the top spot in RBI with 38.
And his last five games have been incredible. He’s hitting .429 with five home runs and 11 RBI.
The only bad news is that Wareham lost four of those games, but I guess Horan just kept swinging harder. The two home runs last night powered the Gatemen to a 12-2 win over Chatham that clinched a playoff spot.
That means Horan will soon lead the Gatemen into the postseason. If the next three games are anything like the last five, Horan will lead the way as one of the Cape League’s best home run kings.
Elsewhere
Brewster kept its slim playoff hopes alive in the East by sweeping a doubleheader, 2-0 over Bourne and 6-5 over Orleans. The Whitecaps are now five points back of Chatham for the final playoff spot. If they win their last three and Chatham loses its last three, the Whitecaps would be in. The wins yesterday snapped a five-game losing streak. Brady Kirkpatrick (Maryland) pitched six scoreless innings for the win in the first game, while Ryon Healy (Oregon) and Jason Monda (Washington State) drove in the runs. In the nightcap at Eldredge Park, Brewster scored three runs each in the second and third innings and held off Orleans for the one-run victory. Chase McDowell (Rice) got the win and Jake McCasland (New Mexico) picked up the save. Trevor Mitsui (Washington) went 3-for-4 while Michael Lorenzon (Cal State Fullerton), who just arrived from Team USA, hit a home run and drove in three.
The West chase didn’t change much as Bourne lost to Brewster and Cotuit, while Hyannis played one game and lost to Falmouth. Bourne leads Hyannis by two points heading into tonight, when the teams play each other.
Cotuit swept its doubleheader, 6-1 over Orleans and 10-7 over Bourne. Kyle Finnegan (Texas State) pitched six strong innings in game one, allowing one run on two hits in six innings. He struck out seven. Jacob Stone (Weatherford College) pitched three scoreless innings for the save. In the second game, the Kettleers out-slugged Bourne. Jacob Valdez (San Jose State) hit a home run and Tim Kiene (Maryland) went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Cotuit is now 28-13.
Falmouth also swept a twin bill, beating Wareham 4-2 and Hyannis 6-5. Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) hit a home run and Jonathan Dziedzic (Lamar) pitched seven strong innings for the win over Wareham. In the nightcap, Falmouth broke a 5-5 tie with a run in the eighth on an RBI single by Casey Turgeon (Florida). Kyle Ruchim (Northwestern) pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the win. Mike O’Neill (Michigan) had three hits.
Y-D and Harwich played just one game each and the Red Sox made it count with a 4-3 victory, their fifth in a row. Phillip Ervin (Samford) hit his 11th home run for Harwich, staking the Mariners to a 3-0 lead. But Y-D came back with a run in the fifth and three in the seventh to take control. Carlos Asuaje (Nova Southeastern) and new addition Danny Diekroeger (Stanford) drove in runs. Preston Hatcher (Western Carolina) and Bryan Verbitsky (Hofstra) combined for three scoreless innings of relief to hold off the Mariners.
What to Watch
That Bourne-Hyannis game at 6 p.m. in Bourne should be a good one, and both teams have lined up their pitching to give them a good chance. All star David Garner (Michigan State) gets the ball for the Harbor Hawks against Chad Green (Louisville), who’s probably been Bourne’s most consistent starter.
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Remember how Stony Brook was a surprise this year to everyone except CCBL fans? I’ve got Virginia Tech as my 2013 Stony Brook, or maybe Indiana. Both have players on several CCBL teams who are playing well. Any other candidates?
Good topic. I like the Indiana pick with Travis and Schwarber leading the way.
Louisville has a ton of guys who have all done pretty well. Samford doesn’t have the quantity but Phil Ervin and C.K. Irby have obviously been great.