(Note: Apologies for the lack of Daily Fog Monday and the late post today. I’m in Alaska for the Summer Nine book project, which you can read more about here, and I have no idea what time it is!)
Brewster’s Matt Davis (VCU) earned Cape League Player of the Week honors for his fast start, and it’s a good bet he won’t be the last Whitecap hitter to get some recognition.
Brewster won its fourth straight game Monday, 11-6 over Falmouth, and offense has set the stage for the success. The Whitecaps lead the league in runs scored, averaging about seven per game, and rank second in batting average. In extra-base hits – always a good measuring stick of which team truly has the best offense – the Whitecaps lead the league by a wide margin, with 20 doubles, 10 home runs and four triples. They lead two of those three individual categories and are second in doubles.
And Monday, they did damage against a team with the second-best ERA in the league and a starting pitcher who went five scoreless innings in his first start. The Whitecaps touched up Jacob Godfrey (Arizona State) for nine runs – seven earned – in the first three innings of the game and cruised from there, finishing with 13 hits.
Kel Johnson (Georgia Tech) – in his third game of his second summer with the Whitecaps – hit a first-inning grand slam and Brewster was off-and-running. Johnson added one more RBI and finished 2-for-5. Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) had his best day as a Cape Leaguer, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Nicholas Dunn (Maryland) went 4-for-6 with two runs scored. Julian Infante (Vanderbilt) went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Zack Gahagan (North Carolina) also homered.
Staked to the big early lead, Brewster used seven pitchers and remained in control throughout.
Harwich 3, Y-D 0
Harwich Mariner pitching continues to be the story of the early part of the Cape League season. The Mariners ran their record to a league-best 8-2 with a 3-0 victory over Yarmouth-Dennis Monday. They’ve won three of their last four games, with all the wins coming by shutout. The Mariners have allowed 14 runs in 10 games, by far the lowest number in the league. It was B.J. Myers’ (West Virginia) turn Monday. Coming off seven innings of one-run ball against Y-D in his first start, he struck out three, walked one and gave up four hits in 7.1 scoreless innings. Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) did the rest, continuing his dominant start to the season with 1.2 scoreless frames for his fourth save. At the plate, Ernie Clement (Virginia) went 4-for-5 and scored two runs from the leadoff spot. Johnny Adams (Boston College) and Joseph Dunand (NC State) each had two hits and an RBI.
Hyannis 5, Bourne 2
Winless through seven games, Hyannis has suddenly won three in a row. Five pitchers combined to hold Bourne to two runs on seven hits in Monday’s win. Matthew Naylor (North Florida) earned the win in relief with Garrett Cave (Florida International) picking up a save. Cody Henry (Alabama) went 3-for-4 with two RBI and has now driven in five runs in the three-game win streak. Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee) added two hits and two RBI, Trey Truitt (Mercer) had two hits for his second consecutive multi-hit game and Zach Rutherford (Old Dominion) scored two runs. Bourne got two hits from Jake Mangum, who is picking up where he left off after hitting over .400 at Mississippi State this spring. He’s 5-for-13 since arriving on the Cape.
Chatham 7, Wareham 1
Two pitchers who had tremendous springs combined for 6.2 strong innings as Chatham beat Wareham. NEC Pitcher of the Year James Karinchak (Bryant) struck out six in three innings of one-hit ball and WAC Pitcher of the Year Nick Meservey (Seattle) gave up just an unearned run on two hits in 3.2 innings. Matt Pidich (Pittsburgh) and Moises Ceja (UCLA) picked up where they left off with 2.1 scoreless frames, as Wareham finished the day with just three hits. The Anglers needed the shut-down performances because the game was close throughout. But with a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth, the Anglers scored five runs to blow the game open. Jake Palomaki (Boston College) had two hits and two RBI. Sean Bouchard (UCLA), D.J. Artis (Liberty) and Hunter Lee (High Point) also knocked in runs. With the win, Chatham moved back to .500 at 5-5.
Orleans 10, Cotuit 4
The Firebirds improved to 6-4 and handed Cotuit its fifth straight loss. Zach Kirtley (St. Mary’s) led the big offensive day, going 3-for-3 and driving in five runs as he continued his hot start. Kirtley – who hit .323 with seven homers this spring – has four multi-hit games in five starts for the Firebirds. Brian Miller (North Carolina) added two hits, three runs scored and an RBI, and Riley Mahan (Kentucky) had a run and an RBI. Kirk McCarty (Southern Mississippi) went five scoreless innings in his first start for Orleans. Eli Morgan (Gonzaga), who struggled mightily in his last outing, struck out five in two scoreless innings of relief. For Cotuit, Vanderbilt star Jeren Kendall made his second appearance as he gets some time on the Cape before heading to Team USA.
What to Watch
League-wide off day today. When the action resumes, Harwich’s pitching may get another boost as Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year Tyler Wilson (Rhode Island) makes his debut at Cotuit.