At the All-Star break, three of the five teams in the West Division can call themselves first place teams, thanks to wins by Wareham and Falmouth and a loss by Cotuit. It’s a three-way tie for the top spot.
Falmouth 3, Orleans 1
Falmouth has surged into its first-place tie, winning its fifth straight game. Sometimes a streak elevates performances and maybe that was the case for Falmouth starter Chris Gonzalez (Stetson), who came in with an ERA of 7.17 and promptly pitched six shutout innings. Brant Brown (Eckerd), Caleb Wurster (UConn) and Zachary Brzykcy (Virginia Tech) closed it out. Zach DeLoach (Texas A&M) had two hits and an RBI, while Baron Radcliff (Georgia Tech) and Steven Moretto (Cal State Sacramento) drove in one run each. Orleans got a home run from Shay Whitcomb (UC San Diego).
Wareham 7, Bourne 5
Wareham used a five-run fourth inning to build a lead and held on from there, shaking off Friday’s doubleheader sweep by Falmouth in the process. Darren Baker (Cal) had a two-run single in the big inning, while Braiden Ward (Washington), Jacob Teter (Florida Southern) and Adrian Del Castillo (Miami) plated one run each. Baker finished 3-for-5 with two RBI. The first two pitchers on the mound for Wareham went one inning each, but Lukas Veinbergs (Missouri) picked up the slack with six solid innings.
Hyannis 6, Cotuit 2
Down 5-0 in the season series, Hyannis salvaged a win in the finale. The Harbor Hawks took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, gave up two runs, then broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth and led the rest of the way. Bryce Teodosio (Clemson) homered for the Harbor Hawks, while Hunter Goodman (Memphis) went 3-for-4 and upped his league best RBI total to 29. Jared DeSantolo (Florida Atlantic) also drove in two runs. Glenn Albanese (Louisville) allowed two runs before shutout relief work by Kyle Murphy (Northeastern) and Konner Ash (Missouri). Murphy went 2.1 innings and Ash pitched the final 1.1.
Y-D 6, Brewster 5
Over in the East, Y-D won in dramatic fashion and looked poised to move into a first-place tie as well, but Chatham rallied past Harwich to stay alone in first. Y-D came back from a 5-3 deficit in the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off win. Erik Tolman (Arizona State) homered to start the comeback and Austin Wells (Arizona) tied the game with an RBI single. Andrew Eyster (South Carolina) played hero, smacking a single through the left side that scored Brad Beesley (Cal Poly) with the winning run. Interestingly, Tolman and Eyster were both pinch-hitting in those spots. Talk about pushing the right buttons. The rally made a win out of Taylor Dollard (Cal Poly). Oscar Carvajal (Fresno State) was solid in relief before that, striking out six in three scoreless innings. Brewster built its lead on the shoulders of T.J. Collett (Kentucky), who hit a grand slam in the fifth inning for his sixth home run of the summer.
Chatham 6, Harwich 4
Harwich led 4-2 into the late innings, but Chatham tied the game in the seventh and took the lead in the eighth. Alex Toral (Miami) had a two-run double to pull the Anglers even. Jorge Arenas (Stetson) gave Chatham the lead on one swing in the eighth, hitting a solo home run. Austin Vernon (NC Central) pitched the final two innings and earned the win. Luke Bartnicki (Georgia Tech) also pitched well in relief.
What to Watch
The All-Star Game will be played in Orleans. For a full schedule, visit capecodbaseball.org.