The leadoff hitter, a pinch hitter in the leadoff spot and the number eight hitter all smacked home runs for the Falmouth Commodores Tuesday night.
It was a fitting time for that kind of one-through-nine display of power.
Those three home runs gave Falmouth 40 on the summer, more than any Cape League team has hit since the juiced ball summer of 2012, when Harwich mashed a record 64.
Since then, teams generally hover around 25 or 30. Going into last night, Falmouth was even with the 2015 Orleans club, which hit 37 homers. The way things have gone – and with three games still left – it was a good bet the Commodores would clear that mark.
Clayton Daniel (Jacksonville State) pushed Falmouth over the top immediately in Tuesday’s game. He led off the top of the first inning with a homer on the fifth pitch of the game. Cameron O’Neill (Holy Cross) and Joshua Watson (TCU) also went deep.
The home run was the first of the summer for Watson as he added his name to the long list of Commodores who have gone deep. Thirteen different players have done it, from Marty Bechina and his eight blasts to Austin Biggar, who played only seven games but still managed to go deep.
The home runs Tuesday were part of a 12-1 blowout of Wareham as the Commodores broke free from a four-game stretch in which they scored only eight runs. Hunter Steinmetz (Missouri State) and Trevor Larnach (Oregon State) had three hits each. Cody Shelton (Samford) pitched four strong innings. Falmouth maintainted a two-point lead on Cotuit for first place with two games to go.
Cotuit 8, Bourne 6
The Kettleers won for the second time in their last three games and added some clarity to the long muddled West race. With its fifth straight loss, Bourne is no longer in contention for first place as it now sits five points back of Falmouth with two games to play. Cotuit has a three-point edge on Bourne for second place. The Kettleers took an early 2-0 lead in Tuesday’s game before Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) put Bourne in front with a fifth-inning grand slam. In the bottom half of the inning, Cotuit returned the favor as Michael Toglia (UCLA) blasted a grand slam of his own to put Cotuit into the lead for good. Griffin Conine (Duke) also homered, moving into a tie for the league lead, and Zack Kone (Duke) had two RBI.
Hyannis 8, Harwich 6
With Wareham losing, Hyannis’ win keeps the drama for the only undecided playoff spot alive. The Gatemen lead Hyannis by two points with two games to play. Hyannis had fallen four points back but battled from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Mariners and stay in the mix. Daniel Robinson (Central Michigan) had three hits and Micah Coffey (Minnesota) scored two runs. Griffin Dey (Yale) – playing in just his second game with the Harbor Hawks – homered and scored two runs. Michael Brettell (Central Michigan) allowed four runs in five innings. Ethan Larrison (Indiana State) got the win and Nick Sandlin (Southern Miss) earned the save. Jake McCarthy (Virginia) had four hits for Harwich.
Chatham 4, Y-D 2
Chatham and Y-D could end up matched in the playoffs and the Red Sox may not want that after the Anglers took the season series Tuesday. Jeff Belge (St. John’s) allowed just one hit in six shutout innings and struck out five. Y-D came back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the seventh but Chatham went back in front on a sacrifice fly by Fabian Pena (Manhattan) and stayed there. Andre Pallante (UC Irvine) pitched a scoreless eighth and Jack DeGroat (Liberty) struck out the side in the ninth. Jeremy Pena (Maine) and Mason Koppens (Northeastern) added two hits apiece for Chatham.
Brewster 6, Orleans 2
The Whitecaps touched up Orleans standout Logan Gilbert (Stetson) for three runs in the first two innings and never looked back en route to a win over the first-place Firebirds. Kyle Datres (North Carolina) homered while Nick Dunn (Maryland), Christian Molfetta (Stanford) and Justin Kunz (Gardner-Webb) had two hits each to lead the Whitecaps. Tony Locey (Georgia) led off a staff day with two scoreless innings. With some other top pitchers around the league departing or failing to meet the innings requirement, Locey now leads the league in ERA. Brewster is 20-20-2 and tied with Chatham for third place in the East. With Y-D and Orleans both losing, the Firebirds maintain a one-point edge on the Red Sox for the top spot.
What to Watch
As the quest for the final playoff spot in the West comes down to the wire, Wareham visits Bourne and Hyannis hosts Falmouth.