Braiden Ward (Washington) went 0-for-3 for Wareham in Sunday’s win over Hyannis. But he reached base with a walk, and when he gets on base, he runs.

With his league-leading 25th steal, Ward has now stolen more bags in the regular season than any Cape League player since 2010. League leaders since then have mostly been in the low 20s or high teens. Ward is well past that and showing no signs of slowing down.

Ward stole 26 bases for Washington over 52 games in the spring. He’s been on an even better pace this summer, with the 25 steals coming across 35 games. Ward is also batting .290 with three home runs and 20 RBI.

The steals have been there almost since the beginning. He didn’t steal any bags in his first game this season, but then stole at least one in six in a row. Overall, he has logged at least one steal in 20 games. He has been caught stealing five times.

Heading into Sunday, Ward had already stolen more bags than anyone since Brewster’s Scott Heineman in 2013. Now he’s passed Heineman and matched Brewster’s Andy Burns, who stole 25 in 2010.

The next guy on the list will be tough to top. Cotuit’s Chris Brisson swiped 36 in 2009. But if Ward keeps getting on base, he’s going to keep running.

Wareham 7, Hyannis 1; Wareham 3, Hyannis 3

Beyond Ward’s bit of history, Wareham won the first game of a twin bill with Hyannis, before the teams played to a tie in the second game. Dallas Beaver (South Carolina) and recent addition Zack Mathis, a juco transfer who’s headed to LSU, both homered in the opening game. William Fleming (Wake Forest) allowed one earned run in four innings and Trent Palmer (Jacksonville) pitched three scoreless innings of relief. Wareham led 3-0 in the sixth inning of game two but Hyannis rallied to tie the game. Jared DeSantolo (Florida Atlantic) hit a pinch-hit two-run homer to pull the Harbor Hawks within one and Trevor Hauver (Arizona State) went back-to-back to tie the game. Angus McCloskey (Pace) pitched a scoreless seventh for Hyannis. Jason Ruffcorn (Oklahoma), who had given up the runs in the sixth, did the same for Wareham in the bottom of the seventh. Mathis led the Wareham offense with two more RBI, giving him four in the twin bill.

Bourne 5, Falmouth 3

Falmouth’s 11-game heater – the longest in the league since 2002 – is over. Bourne scored five runs from the fifth inning on and held off the Commodores. Jake Mackenzie (Fordham) went 3-for-4 with two home runs to lead the Braves. Jud Fabian (Florida) also went deep. Jimmy Glowenke (Dallas Baptist) had two hits and two RBI. Jared Poland (Louisville) earned the win in relief and Kieran Shaw (Harvard) picked up the save. Falmouth got a home run from Trei Cruz (Rice) and two RBI from Jackson Coutts (Rhode Island).

Y-D 9, Cotuit 1

Y-D led early and pulled away late for a blowout win over Cotuit. Brad Beesley (Cal Poly) and Carson Taylor (Virginia Tech) homered to lead Y-D’s 15-hit attack. Noah Campbell (South Carolina) added three hits and Austin Wells (Arizona) had two doubles. Seven different players had at least one RBI for the Red Sox. Brady Corrigan (Arizona State) went three scoreless innings and Jack Jett (Hofstra) kept the shutout going through the seventh. Michael Weisberg (Cal State Fullerton) allowed a run in the ninth but still finished off the win. Y-D has won two in a row and with Chatham dropping two straight, now sits one point out of first place.

Harwich 5, Chatham 1

Both teams had just four hits, but Harwich capitalized on opportunities better than Chatham did and came away with the win. Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest) had two hits and two RBI. Dylan Neuse (Texas Tech) knocked in a run and scored a run. Jared Wetherbee (Elon) went three scoreless innings before a brilliant long relief outing by Connor Sechler (Missouri State), who struck out seven and allowed one run on just two hits in six innings.

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Brewster 2, Orleans 2

Brewster scored two in the first and led until the eighth, when Orleans scored two to tie the game. Shay Whitcomb (UC San Diego) pulled the Firebirds even with one swing of the bat, belting a two-run shot for his seventh home run of the summer. Gage Workman (Arizona State) and T.J. Collett (Kentucky) had driven in runs for Brewster. Dawson McCarville (Grand Canyon) didn’t allow anything else for Orleans, and two relievers were also lights out. Connor Shamblin (Alabama) pitched seven scoreless innings for Brewster.

What to Watch

Falmouth can start a new streak in one day’s time as it takes on Hyannis in a two-location doubleheader. The first game is set for noon in Hyannis, with the second at 6 pm in Falmouth.

Scott Heineman 2013 – 24

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