RIGHT FIELD FOG

The first 25 games of the season have not gone well for the Falmouth Commodores. They have nine wins, the lowest number in the league, and in a Western Division race that has really tightened up, they’re the only team that’s still not in the mix.

But a little streak can make a big difference in a Cape League summer, and Falmouth has the kind of team that can do it.

I was originally going to write this post about Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State), who’s still one of the league leaders in hitting, despite Falmouth’s struggles. Then I decided I should probably mention Brian Fletcher (Auburn), before I looked down the stat sheet and realized Hunter Morris (Auburn) was also tearing it up. B.A. Vollmuth (Southern Miss) and Chris O’Brien (Wichita State) deserve a mention too.

As these realizations hit me, it became clear: the Commodores have a lineup that’s turning into one of the most dangerous in the league.

They posted an 8-3 victory over Cotuit last night, and I wouldn’t be shocked if they continued to deliver nights like that, now that things are starting to click.

Cunningham has been a key cog in all of Falmouth’s big victories this season. In a 10-2 win on July 11, he went 4-for-5. In a 14-9 win on July 6, he went 2-for-4 with four runs scored and three RBI. Last night, the trend continued, as Cunningham went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. He’s not hitting .380 with two home runs and 11 RBI. A little more power the rest of the way, and he could put himself into the MVP conversation, if he’s not already there. Falmouth players have won the last two MVP awards.

While Cunningham has been big in Falmouth’s big wins, he’s obviously been steady all the way along, even in the losses. Now, he’s getting a little more help. Fletcher, who’s hitting .323, went 2-for-5 last night with two runs and an RBI. O’Brien, who leads the league in on-base percentage and is one of just four players in the league with more walks than strikeouts, went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Vollmuth didn’t do much last night, but he’s hitting .260 and six of his 13 hits have gone for extra bases.

And then there’s Morris. Perhaps the league’s best pure slugger, he’s really starting to heat up. Since taking an 0-for-4 on Sunday, Morris is eight for his last 11, with a home run, four runs scored and three RBI. For a while, it looked like he might turn in the more typical Cape League power-hitter line, with a .260 average and a big home run total. Now, he’s hitting .313 with four home runs.

All in all, there’s a lot to like in the Falmouth lineup. The Commodores are currently second in the league in hitting, but I could see that improving. The pitching certainly needs to improve — the Commodores are last in ERA — but if it does, Falmouth is a team to watch.

Elsewhere

Bourne snapped its five-game losing streak in emphatic fashion. After a day off Thursday, the Braves hosted Chatham Friday and stormed to a 10-1 victory on the strength of a nine-run sixth inning. To that point, the Braves were getting shut down by Anglers starter Patrick Johnson (North Carolina), who allowed two hits in five inning. But once Johnson left the game, the floodgates opened. The Braves sent 13 men to the plate and scored more runs in the one inning than they had in their last four games, combined. Rob Segedin (Tulane), Nick Schwaner (New Orleans) and Chris Wallace (Houston) each drove in two runs to power the Braves’ attack. Bourne starter Bryan Morgado (Tennessee) struck out eight but walked six in five innings and took a no-decision. Logan Billbrough (William & Mary) picked up the win with three strong innings.

Y-D moved into a tie for first in the East thanks to a 3-1 victory over Brewster. Michael Goodnight (Houston), who lasted just 2.2 innings in his last start, allowed only three hits in five shutout innings this time around. Goodnight didn’t factor in the decision but kept the game tied. Y-D broke through with two in the top of the ninth. Josh Rutledge (Alabama) had an RBI single to bring home the go-ahead run and Micah Gibbs (LSU) brought in an insurance run with a double. Tyler Burgoon (Michigan) struck out two in the bottom of the ninth for his league-best eighth save. For Brewster, Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia) hit his fourth home run.

In a game that went nearly five hours because of a lightning delay, Wareham out-lasted Hyannis 7-3. Ryan LaMarre (Michigan) had one of the best offensive nights the league has seen this summer, going 3-for-4, with two doubles, two runs scored and four RBI. His second double, brought home two runs and broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh. Dean Kiekhefer (Louisville) got the win for Wareham with three lights-out innings in relief. He allowed just one hit. The win kept Wareham in a first-place tie with Bourne.

Orleans had 16 hits and blew past Harwich 10-2. Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) continued to be a major spark for the Firebirds, delivering four hits and three RBI. This boxscore was not reported so the numbers aren’t factored into the leaderboards, but a little math tells me that Brown is now hitting .383, tops in the league. All the offense was more than enough for Rob Rasmussen (UCLA), who struck out six in 5.2 innings.

Remember last year, when no team really ever pulled away? As recently as last week, it looked like we were headed for a different script this year, at least in the West. The Bourne Braves had surged into the top spot, and they were starting to pull away.

Funny how quickly things can change.

The Braves have lost five straight. They were off last night, and so was Wareham, who had moved into a first-place tie on Wednesday with a doubleheader sweep.

Cotuit did play, and the Kettleers posted an 8-5 victory over Orleans.

All of a sudden, we’ve got a three-way tie for first in the West. Bourne, Cotuit and Wareham all have 28 points.

The Kettleers are maybe the most surprising part of this equation. They had lost six straight before Sunday, when Chad Bell (Walters State) threw a no-hitter against Chatham. That win started a 4-0-2 stretch for the Kettleers.

Last night, they won in seven innings, with the game getting called due to darkness. Tony Plagman (Georgia Tech) hit a solo home run that broke a 5-5 tie in the sixth inning. Cotuit added an insurance run when Rico Noel (Coastal Carolina) brought home Chris Bisson (Kentucky) with a bunt single.

Ben Rowen (Virginia Tech), who pitched three scoreless innings of relief, was lights-out once he got the lead, facing the minimum in the seventh. Rowen, who’s tied for the league lead in appearances, picked up his second win. He has a 2.63 ERA.

The Cotuit offense got good showings from Cory Vaughn (San Diego State) and Jeff Rowland (Georgia Tech), who each had two hits. Both of those guys have had their struggles this summer, but they’re now hovering around .250. If they can continue to hit well, they’ll provide a big lift for the Kettleers.

For Orleans, Kevin Muno went 4-for-4 with two steals and two runs scored. The Firebirds have lost to Cotuit twice in the last three days.

Elsewhere

In the only other game on the schedule, Hyannis beat Brewster 5-0 for its second shutout in as many days. Tyler Wilson (Virginia) struck out nine and allowed just two hits in seven innings. Kevin Moran (Boston College) and Dallas Gallant (Sam Houston) each tossed a scoreless inning to preserve the shutout. At the plate, the Mets got another big night from Jackie Bradley Jr (South Carolina), who went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and an RBI. Bradley is now six for his last 12, with three extra-base hits and four RBI. He was hitting under .200 before this stretch. The Mets also got two hits from Dustin Harrington (East Carolina) and Johnny Reuttiger (Arizona State). Eddie Rohan (Winthrop) drove in two runs. Hyannis is now just three points out of first place in the West.

What to Watch For Tonight

Bourne will try to get back on track at home against Chatham. The Braves will send Bryan Morgado (Tennessee) to the hill against Patrick Johnson (North Carolina).

Culled from the Cape Cod Times Twitter . . .

West

C – Cody Stanley – Cotuit – UNC Wilmington
C – Cameron Rupp – Cotuit – Texas
INF – Kyle Roller – Bourne – East Carolina
INF – Nick Crawford – Hyannis – UAB
INF – B.A. Vollmuth – Falmouth – Southern Miss
INF – Zack Cox – Cotuit – Arkansas
INF – Derek Dietrich – Wareham – Georgia Tech
OF – Todd Cunningham – Falmouth – Jacksonville State
OF – Brian Fletcher – Falmouth – Auburn
OF – Zach Cone – Cotuit – Georgia
OF – Johnny Ruettiger – Hyannis – Arizona State
DH – Ryan Cuneo – Hyannis – Delaware

P – Brandon Workman – Wareham – Texas
P – Jack Armstrong – Wareham – Vanderbilt
P – Eric Pfisterer – Wareham – Duke
P – Dallas Gallant – Hyannis – Sam Houston State
P – Stephen Harrold – Bourne – UNC Wilmington
P – Kevin Munson – Bourne – James Madison
P – Dan Tillman – Cotuit – Florida Southern
P – Patrick Cooper – Falmouth – Des Moines Area CC
P – Taylor Wall – Falmouth – Rice

Alternates – P Seth Rosin (Hyannis), P Turner Phelps (Bourne), P Mark Gormley (Hyannis) and C Dan Burkhart (Hyannis)

East

C – Mike Murray – Chatham – Wake Forest
C – Dan Butler – Brewster – Arizona
INF – Mickey Wiswall – Y-D – Boston College
INF – Colin Walsh – Brewster – Stanford
INF – Blake Kelso – Y-D – Houston
INF – Jedd Gyorko – Brewster – West Virginia
INF – Tyler Hanover – Y-D – LSU
OF – Dan Grovatt – Harwich – Virginia
OF – Austin Wates – Y-D – Virginia Tech
OF – Gary Brown – Orleans – Cal State Fullerton
OF – Alex Hassan – Orleans – Duke
DH – John Barr – Brewster – Virginia

P – Rob Rasmussen – Orleans – UCLA
P – Kyle Blair – Brewster – San Diego
P – Casey Gaynor – Orleans – Rutgers
P – Aaron Meade – Harwich – Missouri State
P – Elliot Glynn – Orleans – Connecticut
P – Chris Sale – Y-D – Florida Gulf Coast
P – John Leonard – Y-D – Boston College
P – Tyler Burgoon – Y-D – Michigan
P – Russell Brewer – Chatham – Vanderbilt

Alternates – P Taylor Hill (Chatham), P Eric Jokisch (Harwich), P Matt Price (Harwich) and C Micah Gibbs (Y-D).

I’ll have some first impressions up later tonight.

Sorry for the delay . . .

Maybe Wareham should play more doubleheaders.

The last 10 days have been kind of a roller-coaster for the Gatemen. They’ve played 11 games. They’ve been to Martha’s Vineyard. They’ve tied three games. They’ve lost some heartbreakers.

But through it all, when the Gatemen play two games in a day — which they’ve done three times in 10 days — they haven’t lost.

The trend continued last night for the Gatemen and the impact of it made its biggest impression yet. The Gatemen went on the road and beat Harwich 5-1 and 2-1. With those four points and a Bourne, the Gatemen are suddenly tied for first in the West.

Apparently, all those postponements weren’t the worst thing in the world.

Last night, Wareham got a pair of complete games en route to the wins. Making his first start of the summer, Brandon Workman (Texas) took the ball in game one and turned in the kind of performance that he delivered consistently all of last summer. Workman struck out nine, walked one and allowed just a run. Harwich starter Aaron Meade (Missouri State) matched Workman with nine strikeouts in seven innings, but when the game went to an extra frame, Wareham scored four unearned runs off the Harwich bullpen. A dropped popup paved the way, and Alex Dickerson (Indiana) made Harwich pay, belting a three-run homer later in the inning. It was his first of the summer.

In game two, Brett Eibner (Arkansas) was staked to a 2-0 lead in the first. A George Springer (Connecticut) RBI single brought home the first run, and the second scored on an error. Eibner proceeded to hold on to the slim lead the rest of the way, striking out eight in seven innings.

Just like that, the Gatemen were a first-place team. They’re still not crushing the ball — they’re ranked last in the league in batting average — but they’re scrapping, and I still think their offense has plenty of potential. If they get more starts like the two they got yesterday, the pitching will be in good shape, too.

And maybe the best news? They’re still got two doubleheaders on the schedule.

Elsewhere

Cotuit got another strong pitching performance and continued its resurgence with a 3-0 victory over Y-D. Ricky Bowen (Mississippi State) got the start and went five shutout innings. Matt Grace (UCLA) and Navery Moore (Vanderbilt) combined for a scoreless inning before Jeff Walters (Georgia) closed the game with three innings of one-hit ball in just his second appearance of the summer. Cotuit’s offense got two hits from Cory Vaughn (San Diego State). Zach Cone (Georgia) and Tony Plagman (Georgia Tech) drove in runs. The Kettleers have won two in a row and are just two points back of first place. They had lost six in a row coming into the week.

Bourne saw its skid stretch to five as Hyannis topped the Braves 5-0. Seth Rosin (Minnesota), who’s emerging as the Mets’ top starter and one of the best in the league, struck out five in five shutout innings. Jimmy Messer (North Carolina) worked three scoreless innings in relief and Mark Gormley (Brown) went one scoreless frame. Jackie Bradley Jr. (South Carolina) went 2-for-5 with two RBI and Dustin Harrington (East Carolina) went 3-for-5 with one run knocked in.

Chatham beat Falmouth 6-4 for its second straight victory. Dean Green (Oklahoma State) went 2-for-3 with a grand slam for the Anglers and Logan Verrett (Baylor) allowed three runs in five innings to pick up the win. Russell Brewer (Vanderbilt) picked up his seventh save, which ties him for the league lead.

Orleans and Brewster somehow got through 11 innings before finally succumbing to darkness in Brewster. The teams ended up with a 3-3 tie. Tim Ferguson (Ole Miss) went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI and Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia) went 3-for-6 for the Whitecaps. Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) went 2-for-5 and drove in two to lead the Orleans offense.

What to Watch For Tonight

Only two games on the docket. Hyannis hosts Brewster and Orleans visits Cotuit. The Kettleers will have Seth Blair (Arizona State) on the mound as they go for their third win in a row.

One of the more interesting trends in the 2009 Cape League season is the high number of recently-drafted players who have found their way to the Cape. I did a quick comparison between this year and last, and there’s definitely a difference.

Last year, six players who were picked in the first 15 rounds of that June’s draft ended up seeing some action on the Cape. The highest pick was fourth-rounder Jason Kipnis.

This year, the number is 11. The highest pick is third-rounder Bryan Morgado, who’s pitching for Bourne.

So far, most of these high picks have stuck around. They’re also almost all pitchers. Of the 11, Harwich’s Connor Powers is the only position player. The presence of pitchers like Morgado, Tyler Lyons and Chad Bell has added a new dimension to the Cape League’s arms race.

One team just caught up.

Sometimes these guys come out of nowhere — at least from the perspective of an outside observer — and that’s exactly what happened last night for Brewster. The Whitecaps used a pair of recently-added fifth-round picks — Nathan Baker (Mississippi) and Caleb Cothame (Vanderbilt) — to beat Wareham 5-1.

Baker had pitched one inning out of the bullpen before getting the start last night. He allowed one run on three hits and struck out four in four innings of work. Cotham, who pitched for Brewster last year, was even better. He surrendered just one hit in three shutout innings and struck out seven. Cotham ended up getting the win. For a Wareham team that’s struggling to hit the ball, I can’t imagine it was much of a pleasure to see those two take the mound back-to-back.

We’ll see how the rest of the summer plays out for Baker and Cotham, but their presence — however long it lasts — has to be a good thing for the Whitecaps. After last night’s game, Brewster has the second-worst team ERA in the league, and outside of Kyle Blair (San Diego), Matt Lujan (San Francisco) and Sean Hoelscher (TCU), their starting pitchers have not put up great numbers. If they end up in the rotation, Baker and Cotham could certainly provide a boost.

Whatever happens, it’s fun to see some big names make an appearance.

Elsewhere

Back to the aforementioned game for a moment. Harold Martinez (Virginia) and John Barr (Virginia) led the Brewster offense with two hits and an RBI apiece. Jarrett Parker (Virginia) and Daniel Butler (Arizona) also drove in runs. Parker, somehow, is hitting only .237 since arriving from the College World Series, but it seems like he’s had a hit in every game. That average is going to go up at some point.

Apparently, Cotuit just needs dominant pitching performances to keep from hitting the skids again. After Chad Bell’s no-hitter snapped a five-game losing streak, the Kettleers tied both games of a doubleheader on Monday before getting a complete-game from Jake Buchanan (NC State) on Tuesday to beat Orleans 5-2. Buchanan, who leads the league with a 0.67 ERA, struck out eight and didn’t walk anybody against an Orleans team that had won five in a row. He allowed just one earned run. Cory Vaughn (San Diego State), who’s breaking out of an early slump, hit his second home run of the year to back Buchanan. Brian Guinn (California) added two hits and two RBI as the Kettleers improved to 10-12-4, just four points behind first-place Bourne.

Speaking of Bourne, the once-scorching Braves have now lost four straight — all on the road — after last night’s 5-4 decision in Falmouth. Hunter Morris (Auburn) went 3-for-3 and hit his fourth home run, while B.A. Vollmuth (Southern Mississippi) added a triple and three RBI for the Commodores. Morris’ solo shot in the eighth gave Falmouth the lead, and Cecil Tanner (Georgia) preserved it with a scoreless ninth.

Three teams in the East now have 15 wins after Chatham beat Hyannis 4-2 last night. Shawn Tolleson (Baylor), who’s been a little up and down for the Anglers, went six innings and allowed two runs. Jesse Hahn (Virginia Tech) didn’t allow a hit in 2.1 innings of relief, and Russell Brewer got the final two outs for his sixth save. The Anglers broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh when Dean Green (Oklahoma State) and Steven Brooks (Wake Forest) hit back-to-back doubles. Brooks later scored an insurance run on a wild pitch.

What to Watch For Tonight

Wareham will visit Harwich for its second doubleheader in three days. Brett Eibner (Auburn) and Brandon Workman (Texas) are scheduled to go for the Gatemen against Aaron Meade (Missouri State) and Eric Jokisch (Northwestern).

The league staged a pair of doubleheaders last night, and one probably left everyone feeling pretty unsatisfied. Wareham and Cotuit played to a pair of 3-3 ties.

The other one? Well, Orleans was certainly satisfied.

The Firebirds hosted West-leading Bourne, the hottest team in the league, last night and swept a twin bill by 6-2 and 2-1 scores. Not only were those big victories over one of the best teams in the league, they gave Orleans the credentials to put itself in the same category. The Firebirds now have 15 wins, tied with Y-D for most in the league. They’ve won five in a row.

In the first game, the Firebirds trailed until the sixth when they put up five runs en route to the 6-2 win. Riccio Torrez (Arizona State) had a double and Danny Muno (Fresno State) drove in two with a single to lead the rally.

The game one victory went to Jimmy Reyes (Elon), who pitched into the seventh.

In game two, Jorge Reyes (Oregon State) struck out seven in six innings, keeping Orleans locked in a 1-1 tie with the Braves. In the bottom of the seventh, the Firebirds broke through. Steven Selsky (Arizona) scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

Just like that, the Firebirds had finished off quite a night. It’s funny because I tend to think of doubleheaders as a bad thing, and I’m sure they’re a grind, but when something like this happens, you can see the other side of it.

I think the Firebirds are glad they played two last night.

Elsewhere

As for the other doubleheader, Wareham and Cotuit couldn’t break away from each other. The first game went nine innings, but was called a tie after that to leave time for game two. The second game was still called because of darkness, ending after six innings. Ryan LaMarre (Michigan), George Springer (Connecticut) and Jake Lemmerman (Duke) drove in runs for the Gatemen in the fourth inning of game one, while Cotuit answered quickly with an RBI single by Zach Cone (Georgia). It was a similar story in game two as Wareham took the lead before Cotuit answered. The ties put Wareham four points back of first-place Bourne. Cotuit is six back.

After getting no-hit on Sunday, Chatham put up 10 hits last night against Hyannis. Unfortunately for the Anglers, the Mets put up 12 and held off a late charge for a 4-3 victory. Elliot Soto (Creighton) drove in two runs for the Mets and Ryan Cuneo (Delaware) hit his third home run. Chatham loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth, but Mark Gormley (Brown) somehow worked out of the jam to preserve the Hyannis win.

Y-D got home runs from Brian Hernandez (UC Irvine) and Micah Gibbs (LSU) and a dominant start from Mario Hollands (UC Santa Barbara) to beat Harwich 5-3. Hollands allowed one earned run on four hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking none. His ERA now sits at 2.29 after three starts. In addition to the home runs, Y-D got two RBI from Mickey Wiswall (Boston College), who now leads the league in that category.

What to Watch For Tonight

Brandon Workman (Texas) is scheduled to make his first start of the summer for Wareham as the Gatemen host Brewster. The Whitecaps counter with another new face, Nathan Baker, who has pitched one inning in relief. I’ll assume this is the Nathan Baker from Mississippi, in which case, the league has another big arm trying to gain some leverage. A junior lefty, Baker had a 3.63 ERA for Ole Miss this spring, with 69 strikeouts in 67 innings. He was drafted in the fifth round this year by the Pirates.

That’s one way to end a losing streak.

The Cotuit Kettleers had lost five straight heading into last night’s game against Chatham. They needed a big performance to stop the skid, and they got a bigger one than they ever could have imagined.

Chad Bell (Walters State) pitched the first nine-inning no hitter in the Cape League since 2007, leading Cotuit to an 8-2 victory over Chatham. The last pitcher to do it was Hyannis’ Matt Daly, who’s now a lights-out closer for Lansing in the Class A Midwest League.

Bell could find himself at a similar level sooner rather than later. He’s committed to transfer from Walters State to Tennessee for next season. But he was also a 14th-round pick this year, which marked the third time he’d been drafted. He was picked out of high school and again after his first year at Walters.

Whatever happens, Bell has emerged as one of the top-performing pitchers in the Cape League, with the no-hitter as the cherry on top. Bell now has a 2-1 record, a 1.01 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. He has allowed nine hits all summer.

Last night, he carried a perfect game into the fifth, when Dean Green (Oklahoma State) walked. A walk and an error paved the way for two unearned runs in the ninth, but even then Bell was in control. He struck out Rick Oropesa (USC) to end the game.

Bell finished with eight strikeouts and three walks.

Thankfully for him and for Cotuit, the two late runs didn’t matter. The Kettleers had an 8-0 lead when the ninth inning began. Kevin Keyes (Texas) and Brandon May (Alabama) both hit home runs and May finished with four RBI to power a strong offensive effort.

Elsewhere

Bell wasn’t the only pitcher in dominant form last night. Brewster’s Kyle Blair (San Diego) struck out 12 in a complete-game four-hitter as the Whitecaps rolled past Bourne 10-2. The Braves had won eight of nine, but they ran into a buzzsaw in Blair. The righty allowed just two unearned runs and his season ERA dropped to 0.92. The 12 strikeouts moved him to second in the league in that category. Blair was backed by an 11-hit attack. Jarrett Parker (Virginia), Harold Martinez (Miami) and Dan Butler (Arizona) all hit their first home runs of the season.

So I guess it was kind of a big night all around, because this is seriously notable too: Harwich beat Hyannis 6-5 last night in 15 innings, the longest Cape League game of the season. Harwich was involved in a 13-inning game on June 29, and the Mariners have come away with the victory in both of their marathons. This one was pretty epic, with 15 pitchers taking the hill and the teams combining for 35 hits. After Hyannis took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 14th, Harwich answered with one of its own to force another frame. The Mariners won it on a walk-off sinlge by Jeff Vigurs (Bryant).

Orleans beat Falmouth 9-2 for its third win in a row. The Firebirds now have the fewest losses in the East, and by that measure, are sitting in first place. Elliot Glynn (Connecticut) struck out five and allowed one hit in six shutout innings for the win. Riccio Torrez (Arizona State) hit a home run and Ross Heffley (Western Carolina) drove in three.

Wareham and Y-D went 10 innings but their game ended in a 2-2 tie when darkness crept in. Blake Monar (Indiana) struck out seven in 7.1 innings for the Gatemen, while Greg Peavey (Oregon State) allowed two runs in five innings for Y-D. Brandon Workman (Texas) made his first appearance of the summer for Wareham and got touched up for the tying run in the ninth inning on a home run by Mickey Wiswall (Boston College).

What to Watch For Tonight

Alex Wimmers (Ohio State) will make his first start of the summer as part of a doubleheader between Bourne and Orleans. Wimmers, who has a 3.00 ERA in two relief appearances, is scheduled to go in the second game.

In the preseason, I thought the Bourne Braves looked like the most talented team in the league. But with more ifs than any other team, a lot of things had to go right.

They didn’t really go right. For example: Of the five players I was excited to see in Bourne’s Early Look, four are not in Bourne, and the fifth — Alex Wimmers — was a late arrival who has pitched only out of the bullpen so far.

But the Braves have shown an amazing ability to adjust on the fly. Their two best hitters — Kyle Roller and Stefen Romero — were not on their initial roster. Neither was their most overpowering starting pitcher, Bryan Morgado.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg and there’s a common thread running through it all — these things have gone right.

Very right.

The Braves beat Cotuit 5-1 last night for their eighth win in nine games. They’re in first place by seven points and they’re tied with East leaders Chatham and Y-D for most points in the league.

Last night’s game was as complete an effort as they’ve delivered all season. The first five players in the batting order delivered one RBI each, with Pierre LePage going 3-for-5 (Connecticut) to lead the way. Nick Schwaner (New Orleans) and Raynor Campbell (Baylor) also had two hits and Roller (East Carolina) hit his fourth home run.

On the mound, Turner Phelps (James Madison) got the start and allowed one run on four hits in 6.1 innings. Cameron Roth (UNC Wilmington) and Kevin Munson (James Madison) combined for 2.2 perfect innings to finish it off. In all, those three pitchers retired 21 batters in a row. Cotuit didn’t have a baserunner after the third inning.

That stat is pretty remarkable, but considering what Bourne’s bullpen has done, the back end of that performance isn’t a huge surprise. If you want to highlight Bourne’s biggest strength, I think you’ve got to look at the bullpen first.

That’s certainly what the Braves do: “Our bullpen is fantastic,” Phelps told the Cape Cod Times. Our starting pitchers know that if we can get it to the (relievers), they’ll come in and shut the game down.”

The numbers are pretty staggering. In Bourne’s last eight wins, relievers have pitched 29 innings. They have allowed just four runs. Five times, they haven’t allowed any runs.

Logan Billbrough (William & Mary) and Justin Poovey (Florida) have emerged as lights-out setup men, while Munson and Stephen Harrold (UNC Wilmington) essentially give the Braves two closers. Neither Munson nor Harrold has allowed an earned run this summer. While Harrold leads in saves with six, Munson has better peripheral numbers, with 17 strikeouts in 9.1 innings. Combined, Harrold and Munson have allowed 10 hits in 19.1 innings of work. Harrold hasn’t even allowed an unearned run.

It’s all pretty ridiculous, and it’s a big reason why the Braves are where they are.

Where we thought they’d be, I guess, even if they took a slightly different road.

Elsewhere

I headed over to Wareham last night to catch the Gatemen against Harwich. I ended up seeing a lot more offense than I expected from the teams that run nine-ten in the league in team batting. Wareham led most of the way, but Harwich scored four in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the ninth to tally for a 9-7 victory. Connor Powers (Mississippi State) hit a long home run — his first of the year — to give Harwich a lead, but Wareham started stringing hits together soon after. Derek Dietrich (Georgia Tech), Ryan Pineda (Cal State Northridge), Brett Eibner (Arkansas) and Ryan LaMarre (Michigan) all had doubles to lead the charge, and Eibner added a triple on a ball that bounced in front of left-fielder Leon Landry before taking a crazy bounce over his head. But Harwich started rallying and chased Wareham starter Josh Mueller (Easter Illinois) before continuing to hit against the Wareham bullpen. An RBI double by Powers brought home the tying run in the eighth and a sac fly by David Herbek (James Madison) scored the go-ahead run.

After falling off the pace momentarily, Y-D got right back on it with an 8-1 victory over Chatham. The teams are now back to having the same number of wins. Y-D’s John Leonard (Boston College) allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, earning his second victory of the summer. On offense, the Red Sox pounded Chatham pitching for 14 hits. Blake Kelso (Houston) and Mickey Wiswall (Boston College) had two RBI each. Five players had two hits.

Every once in a while, Falmouth — the team with the worst record in the league — comes up with a blowout. Last night, the Commodores blitzed Hyannis 10-2, ending a three-game winning streak for the Mets. B.A. Vollmuth (Southern Missippi) went 3-for-5 with a home run, a triple and three RBI and Chris O’Brien (Wichita State) also had three RBI. Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State) went 4-for-5 and now leads the league in hitting. Hunter Morris (Auburn) hit his third home run. Jordan Cooper (Wichita State) delivered a quality start for Falmouth, allowing one run in five innings.

Orleans scored seven runs in the first inning en route to a 9-4 victory over Brewster. Kevin Muno (San Diego), Michael Olt (Connecticut), Jeremy Gould (Duke), Danny Muno (Fresno State) and Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) all drove home runs in the big inning, with Gould’s two-run homer serving as the exclamation point. Rob Rasmussen (UCLA) struck out nine in 5.2 innings and picked up the win. The Firebirds have won two in a row and are three games over .500.

What to Watch For Tonight

Bourne will try to stay hot on a visit to Brewster. Robert Morey (Virginia), who has a 1.29 ERA in two appearances will go for the Braves against Kyle Blair (San Diego).

A hot team met a cold team in the West last night, and the results were predictable.

Hyannis beat Cotuit 6-3. It’s the third straight win for the Mets and the fifth straight loss for the Kettleers. Those two streaks have caused some upheaval in the standings. Hyannis has moved into third place, just two points out of second. Cotuit, who has been near the top all summer, now finds itself in fourth.

Cotuit had Seth Blair (Arizona State) on the mound in this one, and he might have been able to serve as a stopper if not for some shaky defense behind him. The Kettleers made four errors, and only half of the Mets’ runs were earned.

Though the Mets are in the middle of the pack in team batting average, they’re not a team that you want to provide with extra outs. Their big three — Nick Crawford (UAB), Ryan Cuneo (Delaware) and Cody Hawn (Tennessee) — are as good an offensive trio as there is in the league this summer. They delivered last night, with Cuneo going 3-for-4 and Hawn and Crawford each going 2-for-5.

Cuneo and Hawn are still one-two on the RBI leaderboard, and they’ve particularly strong in the Mets’ win streak. The last two games, they’ve combined to go 8-for-16 with four runs scored and five RBI. That’s some solid production from the middle of the order. Hawn actually has an eight-game hitting streak going. He’s batting .391 with four home runs and 14 RBI. If he had enough plate appearances, he’d be leading the league in hitting. That goes along with a tie for first in home runs.

Offense hasn’t been the only piece to the puzzle for the Mets. The first two wins in the streak were both shutouts. Last night, Tyler Wilson (Virginia) made his first start and allowed two runs in five innings. The bullpen did the rest. Eric Maust (Notre Dame) allowed one run in 1.1 innings before Mark Gormley (Brown) and Dallas Gallant (Sam Houston) shut the door. Gormley struck out four and didn’t allow a hit in 1.2 innings. He hasn’t allowed an earned run since moving from Brewster to Hyannis. Gallant continued his dominance with one perfect inning and two strikeouts. Gallant has 10 strikeouts in his last four innings and, remarkably, is second in the league in strikeouts. He has pitched just about half the number of innings as leader Chris Sale.

The victory moved Hyannis to 9-11-1. Just a few days ago, when they got swept by Wareham in a doubleheader, it looked like they were fading. They’re not back to .500 yet, but they’re right in the thick of things.

Elsewhere

With a Y-D loss and their own 5-2 victory over Harwich, the Orleans Firebirds moved into second place in the East. Casey Gaynor (Rutgers) allowed a run on two hits in six innings of work to pick up the win. Alex Hassan (Duke) got the save. Hassan also contributed at the plater, where he went 2-for-2 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Jaren Matthews (Rutgers) went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Michael Olt (Connecticut) and Jeremy Gould (Duke) also drove in runs.

Chatham finally got itself a little breathing room atop the division, winning 6-4 over Brewster on a night when Y-D lost. That’s the first time since June 28 that the teams have had different results. The Anglers got their victory thanks to two runs in the eighth. Both came home on a triple by Matt Perry (Holy Cross), who was pinch-hitting. I guess that was the right button to push. Jeff Schaus (Clemson) and Joey Terdoslavich (Long Beach State) added two hits for Chatham. Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia) had two doubles for Brewster.

Bourne topped Y-D 7-5 for its second victory in a row and its seventh win in its last eight games. The Braves had 12 hits, with a Nick Schwaner (New Orleans) three-run homer serving as the biggest blast. Raynor Campbell (Baylor) had three hits for the Braves, with Kyle Roller (East Carolina) and Chris Wallace (Houston) adding two apiece. Bryan Morgado (Tennessee) has his worst outing of the summer — 4 ER in 5 IP — but he did enough to get the win. As usual, Justin Poovey (Florida) and Stephen Harrold (UNC Wilmington) were lights-out in relief. Harrold picked up his sixth save, which ties him with Y-D’s Tyler Burgoon (Michigan) for tops in the league.

What to Watch For Tonight

Bourne will try to stay hot against Cotuit, who will be trying to stop its skid. Turner Phelps (James Madison) is scheduled to go for the Braves against Chad Bell (Walters State), who allowed just a run in six innings his last time out.

Chatham and Yarmouth-Dennis have a nice little race going in the East. They’ve got the most wins in the league, and it seems like they’ve been tied atop the division forever.

They kind of have been.

Since June 29, there have been eight days on which Chatham and Y-D each had a game. On every single one of those days, the teams ended up with the same result. Two wins or two losses, and no in between. It’s perfectly even too, with four wins each and four losses each. The only difference was on July 2, when Y-D won on a day when Chatham didn’t play. Since that point, the teams have been tied every day.

They ran the streak of consecutive days with the same results to six last night. And though I’m sure both of them would like to break away, they’ll both be happy with their victories.

A day after losing to Brewster in a game where they had eight hits but just one run, the Red Sox broke through for nine runs on 15 hits in a 9-1 victory over Cotuit. Amazingly, there was only one extra-base hit among the 15 hits for Y-D, but the Red Sox still managed to get the runs home. Most of them came in the early innings, with Y-D getting five runs in the first inning and three in the third.

Josh Rutledge (Alabama) went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Jake Schlander (Stanford) was 2-for-3 with three RBI to lead the way. Blake Kelso (Houston), Mickey Wiswall (Boston College) and Ben McMahan (Florida) also had two hits.

All the early support was more than enough for Chris Sale (Florida Gulf Coast). He was a hard-luck loser in a 1-0 game his last time out. This time, he went six shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing four hits. Sale is now tied for the league lead in wins and tops in strikeouts. He continues to cement himself as the top performing starter in the league.

As for Chatham, the Anglers came away with a 5-3 victory over Brewster. Logan Verrett (Baylor), who has been strong in two relief appearances, was just as strong in his first start. He allowed just one hit and an unearned run in five innings. He struck out eight. Verrett now hasn’t allowed an earned run in 10.1 innings of work.

Flamethrower Jess Hahn (Virginia Tech), who touched 98, pitched two hitless innings. The Vanderbilt late-innings duo of Taylor Hill and Russell Brewer each allowed a run but minimized the damage in keeping Chatham in front. Brewer picked up his fourth save.

On the offensive side, Chatham got two hits each from Phillip Pohl (Clemson) and Brian Harris (Vanderbilt). For Brewster, Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia) hit his third home run in just 10 games.

Elsewhere

On the losing end in that Y-D game were the Cotuit Kettleers, who have dropped four in a row. The Kettleers have allowed 32 runs in that span, including 14 to Falmouth at the start of the skid. Their own offense has a little more depth now, with the addition of Texas’ Kevin Keyes and Cameron Rupp. But Cotuit needs better performances from its starting pitchers, too. Chad Bell (Walters State) has turned in the only quality start in the last four games. Seth Blair (Arizona State) is scheduled to get the ball tonight. His complete-game win over Falmouth on the Fourth of July was Cotuit’s last victory.

In the second annual Martha’s Vineyard game yesterday afternoon, Falmouth stopped Wareham’s three-game winning streak with a 6-2 victory. Brian Fletcher (Auburn), who has 10 hits in a six-game hitting streak, went 2-for-4 with two RBI to pace the Commodores. Ryan Jones (Wichita State) went 3-for-4 with an RBI, Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State) had two hits and B.A. Vollmuth (Southern Mississippi) also delivered two. Hunter Morris (Auburn) hit his second home run. All the offense backed Taylor Wall (Rice) who allowed two hits and struck out six in six shutout innings. He lowered his ERA to 0.53, second in the league. For Wareham, Zach Wilson (Arizona State) saw his 10-game hitting streak come to an end.

Hyannis posted its second shutout in a row with a 5-0 victory over Harwich. Seth Rosin (Minnesota) allowed three hits and struck out six in five shutout innings. Kevin Moran (Boston College), Mark Gormley (Brown) and Thomas Girdwood (Elon) combined to preserve the shutout. Cody Hawn (Tennessee) went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Ryan Cuneo (Delaware) knocked in two, upping his league-leading total to 15. For Harwich, Leon Landry (LSU) made his first appearance since arriving from the College World Series. He went 2-for-4 with a double.

What to Watch For Tonight

Bourne’s Bryan Morgado (Tennessee) will make his third start of the season, and if any pitcher has earned must-see status, it’s him. In 10 innings, he has 21 strikeouts and only three walks. He’s scheduled to go at home tonight against Y-D and Michael Goodnight (Houston).