The top two teams in the Cape League were recognized Friday as the top two teams in the country in CollegiateSummerBaseball.com’s weekly Top 30. With league strength as a consideration in the rankings, Cape League teams always have the highest ceiling. If parity is big in a given summer, a Cape-leading team that’s 18-16 might not automatically claim the top spot. But a dominant team usually will.
And the evidence is mounting that there are two of them this summer.
Y-D won its seventh straight game Friday over a Wareham team that was on a five-game winning streak. Orleans walked off with a win over Bourne and has won seven of its last eight, with its only loss coming, of course, to Y-D.
The Firebirds lead the league with a 23-11 record. Y-D is three points back at 21-11-1. Third place Brewster is 11 points behind Y-D. The best team in the West is four games behind Y-D.
The success continued into Friday, the end of a long stretch of games ahead of tonight’s All-Star festivities.
Y-D trailed 4-2 in the seventh but scored three runs on a two-run single by Alex McKenna (Cal Poly) and an RBI by Christian Koss (UC Irvine). Relievers Andrew Quezada (Cal State Fullerton), Brendan Nail (Western Carolina) and Riley McCauley (Michigan State) made the lead stand up over the final two innings, with McCauley saving his league-best eighth game.
Nico Hoerner (Stanford) hit his sixth homer and Carlos Cortes (South Carolina) had two hits for the Y-D offense. Jake Anchia (Nova Southeastern) homered for Wareham.
In Orleans, the Firebirds blew a late 2-0 lead but made it a moot point with a ninth-inning rally. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Romy Gonzalez (Miami), who brought the winning run home with a sacrifice fly.
Stephen Scott (Vanderbilt) led Orleans with three hits and Niko Decolati (Loyola Marymount) had two. Brett Daniels (North Carolina) went five scoreless innings in his first start after nine relief appearances.
Cotuit 12, Chatham 3
With Bourne losing, the West standings were shuffled again, as both Cotuit and Falmouth moved into a tie for first place with victories. The Kettleers fell behind 1-0 but cruised from there, scoring in six of nine innings for an easy win. Griffin Conine (Duke) took over the league lead in home runs with eight, while Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) and Luke Alexander (Mississippi State) also went deep. Jenista’s blast was part of a 4-for-6, 4 RBI night that bumped his season average to .340. Ivan Gonzalez (West Virginia) had two doubles. Reliever Chase Shugart (Texas) made his first start and allowed some base-runners with five hits and three walks, but nine of the 11 outs he recorded came via the strikeout.
Falmouth 8, Harwich 1
The Commodores broke open a 2-1 game with a five-run seventh and kept pace with Cotuit. Clayton Daniel (Jacksonville State) went 4-for-4 from the leadoff spot and scored two runs. Austin Langworthy (Florida) and Marty Bechina (Michigan State) each had two hits and an RBI. Tyler Blohm (Maryland) struck out six and allowed one run in 5.1 innings for the win. Falmouth has won three games in a row.
Brewster 8, Hyannis 8
Brewster rallied from a 7-2 deficit, but Hyannis salvaged a tie to end its losing skid. Back from Team USA, Tyler Frank (Florida International) went 3-for-5 with three runs scored to lead the Harbor Hawks and Robert Neustrom (Iowa) homered as part of a three-hit night. Brewster got three hits and two RBI from another Team USA arrival, Steele Walker (Oklahoma), who hit his first homer. Marty Costes (Maryland) and Julian Infante (Vanderbilt) also homered for the Whitecaps.
What to Watch
The All-Star Game is tonight at Wareham’s Spillane Field. Gates open at 2 for batting practice, infield/outfield and autograph sessions. The home run hitting contest is set for 5 p.m., with first pitch at 6:05.