Chatham and Falmouth both played through the rain Thursday night, hosting the only games that weren’t postponed.
Their reward was more baseball, but they eventually didn’t mind.
Chatham beat Bourne 4-1 in 11 innings Friday night and Falmouth also won in 11 innings, topping Hyannis 6-3.
The Anglers lost their rain-soaked game Thursday and allowed a run in the bottom of the first inning Friday, but that would be Bourne’s only offense of the day. Jack Perkins (Stetson) struck out five in five innings, R.J. Freure (Pittsburgh) and Jack DeGroat (Liberty) struck out six of the 12 batters he faced in three hitless innings of relief.
The dominant pitching set the stage for Chatham to tie the game in the fifth on an RBI fielder’s choice by Ashton McGee (North Carolina). In the eleventh, the Anglers took the lead on a two-run single by Josh Stowers (Louisville) and padded it with a Cody Roberts (North Carolina) RBI single.
DeGroat made the lead stand up, striking out the next two batters and ending the game with a groundout.
In Hyannis, Falmouth needed a bit more heroics after falling behind 3-2 in the seventh. An RBI fielder’s choice by Trevor Larnach (Oregon State) tied the game in the eighth. Then in the 11th, Hunter Steinmetz (Missouri State) put the cherry on top of a big night with a two-run double to put the Commodores ahead. Steinmetz finished 4-for-5 with two doubles. Clayton Daniel (Jacksonville State) also knocked in a run.
After Ian Koch (Western Illinois) had gone two scoreless innings of relief, Ryan Zeferjahn (Kansas) took over once Falmouth grabbed the lead and pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.
Falmouth improved to 13-13-1. Chatham’s extra-inning win put it at 13-15.
Orleans 5, Cotuit 1
The Firebirds won a battle of division leaders thanks to four runs in the third inning and two-hit baseball from three pitchers. Joey Murray (Kent State) allowed one run on one hit and struck out four in five innings for the win. Riley Thompson (Louisville) and Graeme Stinson (Duke) closed out the win. Cotuit, which came in with the highest-scoring offense in the league, was held to a double and a single. Romy Gonzalez (Miami) and Jaxx Groshans (Kansas) led the Orleans offense with one RBI each. Cotuit starter Jason Bilous (Coastal Carolina) struck out six through the first two innings but was touched up for a pair of unearned runs in the four-run third inning.
Y-D 2, Brewster 1
The Red Sox broke a second-place tie with the the Whitecaps and – thanks to Cotuit’s loss – now own the second-best record in the league behind Orleans. Brewster led 1-0 into the eighth inning as Paul Milto (Indiana) tossed seven innings of one-hit, shutout baseball. But against the bullpen, Y-D tied the score in the eighth on a Nico Hoerner (Stanford) RBI single. In the ninth, Alfonso Rivas (Arizona) singled home the go-ahead run, and Riley McCauley (Michigan State) struck out the side in the bottom half to seal Y-D’s comeback win. Brendan Nail (Western Carolina) earned the win after striking out seven in three innings of relief.
Harwich 4, Wareham 3
Break up the Mariners. The East bottom-dweller has won three straight games, the only team in the league currently sporting that long a win streak. To get it to three, the Mariners had to get through Wareham starter Justin Montgomery (California Baptist), who hadn’t allowed a run yet this season. They took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Cobie Vance (Alabama) and a two-run single by Cameron Simmons (Virginia). Vance also doubled home a run in the third and Montgomery was chased after 2.1 innings. Harwich made the lead stand up as Cole Aker (North Carolina) went 4.2 innings for the win, allowing three runs. Protecting a shrinking lead, Austin Hansen (Oklahoma) and Logan Browning (Florida Southern) combined for 4.1 scoreless innings of relief.
What to Watch
Cotuit, Bourne and Falmouth are separated by one point each at the top of the West standings. Two of them face off tonight when the Braves host the Commodores. The All-Star rosters will also be released today.