In 2017 and 2018, the Cape League fell victim to college-dictated innings limits more than ever before. The days of Andrew Miller and Sean Manaea seemed far away. There were dominant arms, to be sure, but they weren’t pitching enough to have the kind of dominant Cape League seasons we were used to. Last year, four pitchers – four! – logged enough innings to qualify for the ERA title.
The trend is still lurking this year – eight pitchers currently qualify – but we’re seeing some dominance among them.
And after Wednesday night, there’s officially an ace of the aces.
Wareham’s Ian Bedell (Missouri) was spectacular for the fifth time in five starts this summer, striking out eight and allowing just one hit over six shutout innings as the Gatemen beat Chatham 7-0.
Bedell now owns a league-best 0.70 ERA. He’s 3-0, he has totaled 28 strikeouts to just three walks in 25.2 innings, and opponents are hitting .149 against him. In four of his five starts, he has pitched shutout ball. In the other, he allowed two runs in his fifth and final inning of work after stretching his shutout streak to 18.2 innings. Chatham is leading the East Division, but had no answer Wednesday.
The big summer is part of an unique journey for Bedell. A top prospect out of high school, he graduated early and enrolled at Missouri ahead of the 2018 season. The transition to the college ranks proved difficult as Bedell finished his freshman year with an ERA over six in limited action, though he did strike out 13 in 11.2 innings. He didn’t light it up in the Northwoods League either, posting a 5.09 ERA in four outings last summer.
This past season, Bedell emerged as a star in the Mizzou bullpen, tallying five saves and a 1.56 ERA. Now transitioning to the rotation for Wareham, the emergence has been accelerated.
The Gatemen love it, of course. They’ve won four of his five starts. Wednesday, Trent Palmer (Jacksonville) finished off the shutout with two scoreless innings. Braiden Ward (Washington) hit his third home run and stole two more bases to give him a league-high 16.
Bourne 4, Hyannis 2
The Braves won their third in a row, breaking a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning en route to the 4-2 win. Jimmy Glowenke (Dallas Baptist) scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and Zavier Warren (Central Michigan) hit an RBI single for the final margin. Jared Poland (Louisville) earned the win out of the bullpen, with Kieran Shaw (Harvard) picking up the save. For Hyannis, Jordan Westburg (Mississippi State) finally had a bad night after an incredible first week on the Cape. How good was it? He took an 0-for-5 Wednesday and is still hitting .480.
Orleans 3, Harwich 2
The Firebirds appear to be a streaky bunch. After winning five in a row and losing six in a row, they’ve now won two straight thanks to a narrow victory over the Mariners. Eddie McCabe (Georgetown) snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth when he drew a walk, moved up on a groundout, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball. Max Troiani (Bentley) went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the offense. Jake Eder (Vanderbilt) went four scoreless innings.
Brewster 7, Y-D 4
Brewster moved a game above .500 and handed Y-D its third straight defeat. Trailing 4-1 after five innings, the Whitecaps rallied with two runs in the sixth and four in the seventh. The game was called for darkness in the eighth. Christian Molfetta (Stanford) and Gage Workman (Arizona State) started the comeback efforts with RBIs in the sixth. Tyler Gentry (Alabama) hit an RBI triple in the seventh and T.J. Collett (Kentucky) followed with a two-run homer, his fifth of the summer, which ties him for the league lead. Jesse Franklin, fresh off Michigan’s Omaha run, went 2-for-4 in his second game back on the Cape. Sean Fisher (Maryland) earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings out of the pen. Austin Wells (Arizona) and Noah Campbell (South Carolina) each had three hits for Y-D, while Wyatt Young (Pepperdine) tallied two hits for the third straight game.
Cotuit 6, Falmouth 1
Cotuit took the lead in the fourth and piled on late for its first win of the summer over Falmouth, after two losses to open the season series. Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) had had three hits and an RBI, A while Allbry Major (Xavier) and Christian Robinson (Stanford) knocked in two runs apiece. Sean Sullivan (Cal) struck out seven and allowed one run in four innings before some dominant relief work. Bo Hofstra (Purdue) went two scoreless innings and Kyle Nicolas (Ball State) struck out four in three scoreless.
What to Watch
Y-D and Brewster will meet for the second straight night.