Wareham didn’t play on the Fourth of July, but boy did Braiden Ward and the Gatemen get in on the fireworks the next day.
Ward went 6-for-6 with a homer, three runs and two RBI and Wareham lit up the league’s top pitching staff in a 15-4 victory over Orleans.
Ward’s performance is one of the best in recent Cape League annals. The Washington junior came into the game hitting .278. He had just taken an 0-for-5 three nights before. Friday, he led off the bottom of the first inning with a double. In the second inning, he had an infield hit. In the third, he blasted a two-run homer. In the fifth and sixth innings, he singled. And in the eighth inning, he singled again.
Ward is now hitting .350.
And he certainly wasn’t alone in Friday’s win. The Gatemen finished with 20 hits, including eight that went for extra-bases, three of which were home runs.
Adrian Del Castillo (Miami) hit a grand slam in the first inning on his way to a five RBI night, while Dallas Beaver (Central Florida) also went deep and drove in three runs. Jacob Teter (Florida Southern) added two hits and two RBI.
On the mound for Wareham, Ian Bedell (Missouri) gave up runs for the first time this summer, but was plenty good, striking out seven and giving up two runs in five innings.
Wareham has won two in a row and leads the West by a point. Orleans has lost three straight following a five-game win streak.
Cotuit 16, Hyannis 4
Second-place Cotuit also went wild in a blowout of Hyannis. Matthew Mervis (Duke) went 4-for-6 with a home run and six RBI. Parker Chavers (Coastal Carolina) hit his third home run of the summer and Allbry Major (Xavier) had three RBI. Christian Robinson (Stanford) and Adam Oviedo (TCU) each had two RBI. Kyle Nicolas (Ball State) was credited with the win in relief. For Hyannis, Jordan Westburg (Mississippi State) made his summer debut and hit two home runs. Quite a way to introduce yourself. The Harbor Hawks have picked up some talent lately in Westburg and Edouard Julien, but they are in a serious hole at 3-16-1.
Falmouth 3, Chatham 2; Chatham 6, Falmouth 5
Falmouth and Chatham split a doubleheader, with a one-run win for each side. The Commodores walked off with the victory in game one as Zach DeLoach (Texas A&M) knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh. DeLoach also homered in a 3-for-3 day. Kevin Kendall (UCLA) chipped in an RBI for Falmouth. Tyler Ras (Alabama) allowed two runs in five innings. Justin Wrobleski (Clemson) pitched two scoreless innings to set the stage for the walkoff. In game two, Chatham put together three two-run innings early on and held off a Falmouth push. Charlie Welch (St. John’s River) homered and Tyler Doanes (West Virginia) had two hits and an RBI. Daniel Federman (Miami) got the win. Chatham has won six of seven, with the first game of the twin bill the only blemish.
Brewster 13, Y-D 7
A third offensive explosion as Brewster out-slugged Y-D. Christian Molfetta (Stanford) hit his second home run and drove in five. Gage Workman (Arizona State) went 3-for-4 with three RBI. Tyler Gentry (Alabama) knocked in a pair. William McKay (Central Florida) earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Noah Campbell (South Carolina) hit his third home run for Y-D. Brewster jumped one game over .500 with the win.
Bourne 3, Harwich 2
Bourne took a lead in the top of the first and carried a shutout into the ninth before ultimately holding off the Mariners. Zavier Warren (Central Michigan) hit a solo home run for the first-inning lead, part of a 3-for-4 night. Cody Morissette (Boston College) and Jared Poland (Louisville) knocked in one run apiece in a two-run fourth inning. Nick Dombrowski (Hartford) pitched five scoreless innings for the win. Karl Johnson (UConn) and Kieran Shaw (Harvard) kept the shutout going. Harwich became the first team to score off Tyler Brosius (Rhode Island) in the ninth, but Brosius worked out of trouble to preserve the win.
What to Watch
Wareham will try to keep the offense rolling as it heads to Harwich for a doubleheader.