Heading into Saturday’s slate of games, the Cape League’s strikeout leaderboard was topped by a pair of relievers with 12 Ks each. The big, double-digit strikeout starts have been missing so far this summer.
Until last night.
Kyle Bradish (New Mexico State) fanned 10 in five innings as Falmouth beat Wareham 5-3. Paired with five strikeouts in his first start, Bradish’s total of 15 now ranks first in the league.
Falmouth pitchers have struck out more batters than any other team on the Cape, but walks and a pretty high batting average against have kept that number from translating to dominant performances. But Bradish changed the script. He walked just one and scattered six hits, allowing two earned runs.
Bradish had a strong spring with the Aggies, posting a 3.20 ERA and leading the team – while ranking second in the WAC – with 89 strikeouts. He now has a 3.00 ERA and two wins with the Commodores.
His teammates followed suit when the bullpen took over. Brian Gadsby (UCLA), Mitchell Miller (Clemson) and Ryan Zeferjahn (Kansas) combined for four scoreless frames and allowed just one hit in that span. Zeferjahn recorded his second save.
Falmouth broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning on a Clayton Daniel (Jacksonville State) home run. Cameron O’Neill (Holy Cross) also homered as part of a 3-for-3 night.
Falmouth improved to 5-6 with the victory.
Cotuit 9, Y-D 2
With a four-game skid snapped Friday, Cotuit started a better streak and handed Y-D just its second loss with a big win at Lowell Park. Griffin Conine (Duke) went 2-for-4 – his ninth two-hit game in 10 tries and his seventh straight – and hit his second home run. John Cresto (Santa Clara) also stayed hot, going 3-for-5 with two RBI to bump his season average to .389. Michael Toglia (UCLA), Brett Kinneman (NC State), Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) and Luke Alexander (Mississippi State) also drove in runs. Starter Noah Davis (UC Santa Barbara) went four strong innings. Jayce Vancena (Michigan) earned the win in relief. Y-D was held to five hits, a season low, in losing for the first time since June 17.
Bourne 8, Hyannis 6
Bourne won a game by more than one run for the first time this season – by two, of course. The win combined with Y-D’s loss makes the Braves’ 6-2 record the best in the league (Y-D is 6-2-1). Scott Schreiber (Nebraska) continued a blistering start, following up a walk-off hit in his first game and a home run in his second with a 3-for-5, 3 RBI day. Grant Witherspoon (Tulane) had two RBI and Grant Williams (Kennesaw State) had two hits and two runs scored. The Braves ran wild on the base paths with five stolen bases. Witherspoon got in on the act and is tied for the league lead with six. Christian Ryder (Georgia) earned the win in relief for the Braves and Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) struck out two in the ninth for the save. Hyannis, which lost its fourth in a row, had some big offensive days. Hunter Stovall (Mississippi State) went 4-for-4 and scored three runs. Jake Mangum (Mississippi State) and Ford Proctor (Rice) each had two hits.
Chatham 5, Brewster 4
The Anglers scored all the runs they needed in the third inning for a win over Brewster. Josh Shaw (St. John’s) had a two-run single, Jacob Olson (UCLA) hit a two-run double and Shea Langelliers (Baylor) doubled home a run in the big innings. Olson and Shaw both finished with two hits. The Chatham bullpen allowed one run over the final six innings to make the lead stand up. Daniel Metzdorf (Boston College) went three scoreless for the win. Jack DeGroat (Liberty) struck out four in two innings for the save. Brewster got two hits and two RBI from Mickey Gasper (Bryant).
Orleans 7, Harwich 4
The Firebirds also had a five-run inning, but theirs was a bit more dramatic. Trailing 4-2 in the eighth, they surged into the lead and held on for a win over the Mariners. Brandon Riley (North Carolina) had a three-run triple that plated the go-ahead run in the eighth and Cesar Salazar (Arizona) followed with a two-run homer. Strong bullpen work from the Firebirds set the stage for the rally, as Chandler Day (Vanderbilt) – in his summer debut – teamed with Cody Deason (Arizona) and Josh Hiatt (North Carolina) for 5.2 scoreless innings. Deason got the win and Hiatt picked up the save, his third.
What to Watch
The second – and final – Sunday doubleheader day is on tap. Falmouth and Y-D, who met earlier this week for the first time since last year’s championship series, present the most intriguing matchup today.