Anything can happen in the Cape League playoffs. I still didn’t think this would happen.
Bourne knocked out Cotuit with a 6-4 win in game three of their division semifinals yesterday. Bourne came into the postseason with the worst record among all the playoff teams. Cotuit had the best record in the league.
But it’s the Braves who are moving on.
The Kettleers, who have been relying heavily on their bullpen all year, actually got a very strong start this time. Dusty Isaacs (Georgia Tech) allowed one run and struck out six in seven innings, while his team scored a run in the second inning and carried a lead into the seventh. But when Isaacs departed, the Braves touched up the Cotuit bullpen for five runs in the final two innings.
It wasn’t the first time — in the game-one victory, the Kettleers scored seven runs off the Cotuit pen.
L.J. Mazzilli (UConn), who’s proving to be a huge late-season pick-up, hit his second home run of the playoffs, while Trent Gilbert (Arizona) went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Connor David (UConn), another late pick-up, went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Bourne’s pitching struggled in the regular season, but Chad Green never let cotuit pull away yesterday. He allowed just the one run in six innings, while striking out six. Patrick Young (Villanova) got the win in relief, and John Farrell (William & Mary) picked up the save.
Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt) hit a home run to lead Cotuit, but it wasn’t quite enough.
The Braves are moving on, thanks to one of the biggest upsets in Cape League history.
What to Watch
Division championships get underway today, with No. 4 Orleans visiting No. 2 Y-D at 4 p.m. West No. 4 Bourne heads to No. 2 Wareham for a 7 p.m. start.
Results from the Cape Cod Dice Baseball League:
Marc Krauss (Ohio) hit a bases-loaded double to lead Bourne to a 3-2 victory over Hyannis. It was a good day for North Carolinians as Nick McCully (Coastal Carolina) got the win and Stephen Harrold (UNCW) pitched a perfect ninth for the save. Colin Moran (UNC) and Tommy Coyle (UNC) each had two hits for the Braves. Trent Ashcraft (East Carolina) had two hits and two stolen bases for the Harbor Hawks.
Elsewhere
With Carolina on my mind, Andrew Miller (UNC) struck out ten Kettleers over seven innings in Chatham’s 3-1 win over Cotuit. Derrick Lutz (George Washington) struck out the side in the ninth for his first save.
Bouncing back from a 17-0 drubbing, Phil Ervin (Samford) led off the game with a home run and it proved to be all the offense Harwich would need in a 2-0 win over Falmouth. Tony Watson (Nebraska) and Tim Lincecum (Washington) combined for the shutout. Jimmy Cesario (Houston) collected four of the Commodores’ five hits.
Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) crushed two home runs and a single and drove in five runs in Wareham’s 6-2 victory over Brewster. Max Perlman (Harvard) scattered ten hits over seven innings to earn the win, and Kevin Whelan (Texas A&M) struck out five of the six batters he faced. Andy LaRoche (Grayson County) hit his second home run in as many games for the Gatemen.
Anthony Teaford (Ga. Southern) pitched six shutout innings in Orleans’s 6-1 win over YD. Reed Gragnani (Virginia) scored four runs and Dennis Raben (Miami) homered for the Firebirds.
What to Watch
Trying to remain unbeaten, Bourne will go with Eric Beattie (Tampa) as they welcome Cotuit to Doran Park. Chad Bell (Walter State) will go for the Kettleers.
Love seeing these names from years past. Is this Dice Baseball an actual thing you play?
Sure is. It’s my fifth year doing it. Essentially they are All-Decade Teams for each of the ten franchises. This year the Class of ’02 moved on and I added the Class of ’12, which should be a big help to perennial cellar dwellers Cotuit and Harwich.
That’s awesome. What a great idea.
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