Close Calls

One night after there was a 17-4 result on the Cape League scoreboard, every single game was decided by one run in Sunday’s slate. Hyannis, Brewster, Y-D, Orleans and Cotuit were the winners, with the Kettleers delivering the most drama among the series of close calls.

Cotuit gave up the tying run in the top of the ninth but walked off in the 11th for a 4-3 victory over Chatham at Lowell Park. Beau Brundage (Portland) was the hero all by himself, leading off the 11th with a solo home run to win it for the Kettleers.

Brundage came into the game hitting .317 as one of Cotuit’s most consistent performers, but he hadn’t yet hit a home run. In the spring at Portland, he hit only one homer, though he batted .378. But Brundage picked a good time to break through, smashing a 1-1 pitch from Nick Scheidler (UCLA) over the fence in right.

Cotuit also got good showings from Zachary Biermann (Coastal Carolina), who had two hits and an RBI, and Jonathan Robertson (Creighton), who drove in two runs. Cotuit scored its first three runs in the fifth, after getting no-hit for four innings by Chatham starter Alek Manoah (West Virginia), who struck out six in four frames.

Chatham’s tying run came home on a wild pitch after Tristin English (Georgia Tech) had doubled. Garrett Gayle (Rice) bounced back for a scoreless 10th inning and Joseph Walsh (Boston College) struck out two in a perfect 11th, setting the stage for Brundage’s heroics.

The win snapped a two-game slide for the Kettleers, who move to 9-8. Chatham is 8-7-2.

Brewster 5, Falmouth 4

After snapping a long losing streak with a tie Saturday, Brewster got back into the win column thanks to a ninth-inning rally. Trailing 4-3 in the top of the ninth at Falmouth, the Whitecaps jumped to the lead with two runs and held off the Commodores in the bottom half. Hunter Bishop (Arizona State) brought both runs in with a base hit, after Michael Massey (Illinois) walked and Ramon Alejo (Central Florida) walked. Conor Grammes (Xavier), who continues to ply his trade as a two-way player, pitched a scoreless ninth after he had given up the go-ahead run in the eighth. Brandon Wulff (Stanford) and Christian Molfetta (Stanford) also had RBI for the Whitecaps. Their college teammate Kyle Stowers (Stanford) had three hits for Falmouth.

Y-D 6, Wareahm 5

In a battle of first-place teams, East-leading Y-D had a little more than West leader Wareham. Reese Albert (Florida State) and Nicholas Quintana (Arizona) drove in two runs each to lead the Red Sox, while Quin Cotton (Grand Canyon) had three hits and scored two runs. Ryne Nelson (Oregon) allowed one run over the final three innings for a win in relief. Sahid Valenzuela (Cal State Fullerton) went 4-for-5 with three RBI for the Gatemen, who still own the best record in the league.

Orleans 7, Bourne 6

A five-run seventh inning rally – all with two outs – lifted the Firebirds over the Braves. Pat DeMarco (Vanderbilt) singled to plate two runs and the tying and go-ahead tallies both scored on an error. Spencer Steer (Oregon) delivered an RBI single to cap the burst. Bourne managed a run in the top of the ninth, but Aaron Ochsenbein (Eastern Kentucky) escaped further trouble to seal the win. Nicholas Osborne (Tennessee Tech) added a homer and two RBI for Orleans. For Bourne, Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville) pushed his hitting streak to six games with a 2-for-5, three-RBI night and Jared Triolo (Houston) hit his third home run.

Hyannis 2, Harwich 1

Single runs in the third and fourth innings were enough to get Hyannis past Harwich. Davis Wendzel (Baylor) and Brady Lindsly (Oklahoma) drove in the runs, and the pitching staff handled the rest. Gavin Hollowell (St. John’s) allowed one run in five innings for the win. Brett Schulze (Minnesota) pitched a scoreless sixth and Ryan Pepiot (Butler) turned in a dominant three-inning save, striking out six and allowing just one hit.

What to Watch

Just two games on the schedule, both West battles. Cotuit visits Falmouth and Bourne heads to Wareham.

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