It’s been a quite start to the summer for Florida Gulf Coast players in Hyannis uniforms. Last week, Devin Smeltzer tossed a no-hitter. And last night, Jacob Noll . . . well, he just pretty much did what he’s been doing since the day he arrived at McKeon Park.
The rising junior went 3-for-4 as Hyannis beat Chatham 5-2 Friday night at Veterans Field. It was the 11th game – in his 12 games as a Harbor Hawks – that he’s had at least one hit, and his sixth multi-hit game. Noll leads the league in hitting with a .432 average, RBI with 11, doubles with seven and is tied for the lead in hits with 19. His seven doubles also rank him second in extra-base hits.
Noll’s success has helped Hyannis stay at the top of the West since week one, with the second-best team batting average in the league. Friday’s win moved the Harbor Hawks to 10-6.
Chatham had won three in a row – including a doubleheader sweep over Hyannis – but the Harbor Hawks got their revenge by rallying from a 2-0 deficit with one in the sixth and four in the seventh. JaVon Shelby (Kentucky) had an RBI single to start the comeback, Jake Rogers (Tulane) had an RBI double to tie it, Austin Hays (Jacksonville) knocked an RBI single to plate the go-ahead run and Noll smacked a two-run double to finish things off.
The comeback made a winner out of Marc Skinner (Troy), who tossed 2.2 scoreless innings of relief.
As for Noll, it was another big performance, and it upped his batting average .32 points from the already-pretty-good mark of, you know, .400.
Noll has a track record of hitting and hitting a lot. As a redshirt freshman at Florida Gulf Coast, he batted .367 and was second in the nation in hits – behind former Cape League MVP Max Pentecost. Last summer, he batted .316 in the Northwoods League and checked in at 32nd on the league’s top prospects list. This spring, he was right on target again, hitting .348 and stealing 15 bases for good measure.
And now it’s another league, another big year for Noll.
Orleans 6, Falmouth 1
Kyle Serrano (Tennessee) tossed five strong innings and Kyle Lewis (Mercer) homered for the fourth time as Orleans bounced back from a loss to Chatham with a 6-1 victory over the Commodores. Serrano, who two years ago was ranked among the best pitchers in the nation out of high school, continued a solid start to his Cape League career, allowing one run in five innings for his third win in as many tries. He struck out two and allowed three hits. He hasn’t allowed more than three hits in any start yet. The bullpen finished the job in style Friday, with Parker Bean (Liberty) going two hitless frames and Jared Price (Maryland) and Jason Harper (Southern Connecticut) each striking out the side in one inning of work. Lewis went 2-for-3, and his two-run homer in the top of the first inning set Orleans on the path to a win. Lewis is now tied with his Team USA-departed teammate Bobby Dalbec for the league lead in homers. Nick Zammarelli (Elon) added two hits and two RBI for the Firebirds and Reggie Southall (USC) scored three runs. Falmouth starter Bryce Montes de Oca (Missouri), the 6-8 hard-throwing righty, allowed only three hits but walked six.
Y-D 5, Harwich 0
Shane Bieber (UC Santa Barbara) came through with one of the league’s best starts this summer as Y-D shut out Harwich for its fourth straight win. Bieber scattered four hits, struck out six and walked only one in 7.2 innings. Bieber was making his second start coming off a terrific year with Santa Barbara, where he teamed with former Y-D standout Justin Jacome. Doug Willey (Franklin Pierce) finished up the shutout. Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State) had a sac fly in the first and a two-run single in the seventh, giving the Red Sox most of their offense. Luke Bonfield (Arkansas) added two hits and an RBI, while Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) had three hits and two runs scored from the top of the lineup. The win streak has put Y-D just one game under .500.
Wareham 4, Cotuit 3
The Gatemen scored two in the top of the ninth to win their second straight and send Cotuit to its seventh consecutive loss. The Kettleers led 3-0 after two innings, but Wareham chipped away then broke through in the ninth on a Jay Jabs (Frankin Pierce) sacrifice fly and a passed ball that allowed Connor Beck (TCU) to score the go-ahead run. Shea Spitzbarth (Molloy) shut down Cotuit in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the win. David MacKinnon (Hartford) had two hits and an RBI to lead the Gatemen attack. Michael Paez (Coastal Carolina) went 1-for-3 for Cotuit, resuming an on-base streak that had been snapped at 12 games the night before. Paez leads the league in on-base percentage at .528.
Brewster 7, Bourne 2
Brewster’s offense had gone a little quiet in the days since a 16-run outburst against Cotuit, but it was back on track in a six-run fifth inning Friday that powered a 7-2 win over the Braves. Colin Lyman (Louisville) had two hits and two RBI, while Nick Senzel (Tennessee) had a double and two RBI, giving him a league-best eight extra-base hits. The Whitecaps finished with nine hits and now lead the league in team batting average. Jacob Jenkins (Pacific) allowed one run in five innings for the second time this summer and grabbed his first win.
What to Watch
Devin Smeltzer will be on the hill for the first time since his no-hitter when Hyannis hosts Bourne. He’ll face a worthy challenger in Notre Dame’s Ryan Smoyer, the top prospect in the Northwoods League last summer. Smoyer has a 4.32 ERA so far this summer.