RIGHT FIELD FOG

Brewster delivered the best pitching performance the Cape League championship has seen since, well, the last time Brewster was there. 

Three pitchers combined on the first shutout in the finals since the 2017 title clincher as the Whitecaps beat Bourne 2-0 on Tuesday night at Doran Park for a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. 

Griffin Green (Virginia Tech), Michael Prosecky (Louisville) and Dale Stanavich (Rutgers) did the honors for Brewster. Bourne’s pitching was fantastic as well, but two runs in the third inning were enough. It added up to the same final score as the 2017 championship game three between the teams, when Brewster won 2-0 for the title. 

Bourne and Brewster had the top two team ERAs in the league during the regular season, but more of the same on stats like that is never a given in the Cape League playoffs. After all, Brewster’s best pitcher reached his innings limit a few weeks ago. 

In that vein, Green had been really good all season but had made only one other start. He saved his best for the playoffs, striking out seven and allowing just three hits in five scoreless innings. He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning. It was his longest outing of the year and his season-high in strikeouts. 

Prosecky has been a really valuable weapon in the Brewster bullpen all year, the kind of versatile reliever you need in the era of innings limits and short starts. He delivered his fourth consecutive scoreless outing and his second dominant playoff performance with 3.1 scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out five. 

Prosecky was in line to finish it off before handing out two walks in the bottom of the ninth. Brewster still had closer Dale Stanavich (Rutgers) in its back pocket and went to him. The lefty struck out both batters he faced to finish off the win. 

Brewster pitchers racked up 14 strikeouts and didn’t allow an extra-base hit. They were great with runners on base, too, consistently escaping trouble. Bourne left nine men on base. 

Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest) and Kurtis Byrne (TCU) provided all the offense Brewster needed in the second inning. Lanzilli doubled and moved to third on a groundout. After a walk to Will Simpson (Washington) and a stolen base, Byrne doubled both of them home for the 2-0 lead. 

Bourne’s Jake Bennett (Oklahoma) allowed just those two runs in five strong innings. Kenneth Turner (Hartford) pitched three scoreless innings of relief and Tyler Stuart (Southern Miss) tossed a perfect ninth. 

The game was delayed by an hour as the infield dirt required significant work after Monday’s rainout. From what I heard, it was touch-and-go for a while. Kudos to the teams and organizations for getting the job done. 

Game two is set for Wednesday at 4 p.m., at Stony Brook Field. Brewster hasn’t lost yet in the playoffs, having swept Harwich in the East finals. But we know what Bourne did after its loss in game one of the West finals. 

The Bourne Braves are still here. 

After a lopsided loss to Cotuit in game one of their best-of-three West Division finals series, the top-seeded Braves were undeterred. They came back with two straight wins, clinching a trip to the Cape Cod Baseball League championship series with a 5-1 win on Sunday. 

Bourne was the best team in the league from day one, racing to a historic start and cooling down only a little. Still, it’s hard to maintain that level, especially when as some key players departed. And especially with a streaking Cotuit team on the other side. Particularly at the plate, the Kettleers were playing better than anyone in the league over the final week of the season, a trend that continued in the 15-6 game one win. 

Bourne has shown many of those extra traits that make great teams great this summer – comebacks, streaks, late-inning magic. This was one more example. Bourne regrouped from the loss for a 10-4 win in game two, then finished it out with a strong all-around performance in the decider. 

Cotuit took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. The Braves immediately answered and then some, scoring five runs in the bottom half of the inning. The strength of Bourne’s full lineup was on display, as four players – including the eight and nine hitters in the order – drove in a run. Dalton Rushing (Louisville) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and is hitting .417 in the playoffs. Hunter Jump (Kentucky), Colby Thomas (Mercer) and Peter Burns (Boston College) also knocked in a run. 

The five runs were more than enough for Bourne’s pitchers. Late addition Matt Jachec (Indiana State) proved to be a perfect reinforcement in his second start. He struck out nine and allowed only an unearned run in seven strong innings. Benjamin Ethridge (Southern Mississippi) tossed a scoreless eighth before Bourne handed the ball to the league’s best closer. Eric Adler (Wake Forest) pitched a perfect ninth, ending it with a strikeout that sent the Braves to the title series. 

It’s the end of the road for Cotuit, who did a great job putting things back together after a slump in mid-July. The defending champs did that label proud. 

But the summer of Bourne rolls on. 

The championship series begins Monday night as the Braves host Brewster. It’s a rematch of the 2017 Cape League finals, which the Whitecaps won. It’s also the first championship meeting between division winners since 2005, when Orleans beat Bourne. 

Harwich got the hardware. Brewster got the championship berth. 

Before Saturday’s playoff game at Whitehouse Field, Cape League officials presented the Mariners with a rare awards doubled. Brock Wilken (Wake Forest) was named League MVP and Trey Dombroski (Monmouth) won Outstanding Pitcher honors. It’s the first time since 2011 that those awards went to the same team. 

But Brewster’s success against the Mariners continued. The Whitecaps built a lead, held off a late push, scored the go-ahead run on a controversial call in the ninth and clinched a sweep and a trip to the Cape League championship series with a 5-4 win.

With the sweep included, the Whitecaps went 6-1 against Harwich this summer, all the difference between two teams that emerged at the top of the East Division standings. Both playoff matchups were tight, with Brewster winning the opener 2-0 before the dramatic victory on Saturday. 

The Whitecaps grabbed the lead in the middle innings and pushed it to 4-1 in the eighth. Harwich got a Dylan Phillips (Kansas State) sac fly and a two-run double by Carter Putz (Notre Dame) to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. 

A one-out single by Will Simpson (Washington) started the rally in the ninth for Brewster. A walk and a fielder’s choice loaded the bases with one out. On a 1-2 pitch to Zach Neto (Campbell), Harwich pitcher Owen Coady (Penn) was called for a balk that sent the go-ahead run home. 

I wasn’t there. When I heard about the call, I hoped – given the situation – that it was an egregious, you-have-to-call-it balk. From the video, maybe it was the right call, but I don’t see anything at that level of obvious. 

Unfortunate to see a call like that in such a key spot. 

With the lead, Brewster finished off the win. Dale Stanavich (Rutgers) allowed both the run-scoring plays in the eighth but dominated in the ninth, striking out the side to close out the victory. 

Before the late drama, Brewster got a home run from Trey Bullard (Arizona) plus two hits and an RBI by Jake Thompson (Oklahoma State). Starter Teddy McGraw (Wake Forest) was terrific, striking out nine and allowing just one run in six innings of work. 

Brewster is back in the finals for the first time since its 2017 title run. 

Bourne 10, Cotuit 4

Buckle up. It’s been a wild ride in Bourne and Cotuit’s last four games against each other and there’s more to come after Bourne evened the West Division finals with a win Saturday night. 

On July 27, Cotuit won 13-2. On Aug. 2, Bourne won 13-1. The playoff opener went to the Kettleers by a 15-6 score. Bourne came back with a vengeance for a 10-4 win on Saturday. 

Those are some crazy swings. The latest shouldn’t come as a surprise when you consider the track record and Bourne’s success this summer. Did you think they were going to go quietly. 

After Friday’s loss, the Braves took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, pounded 12 hits and broke the game open with four runs in the fourth and four more in the eighth. 

Christian Knapczyk (Louisville) went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Dalton Rushing (Louisville) went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Hunter Jump (Kentucky) hit a three-run home run to add to the lead in the fourth inning. Peter Burns (Boston College) also went deep. 

On the mound, Austin Parsley (UNC Greensboro) allowed one run on just two hits in six innings for the win. 

Jace Grady (Dallas Baptist) state dhot for Cotuit with a home run in his seventh consecutive multi-hit game. 

Game three is set for Sunday at 6 p.m., at Doran Park. 

AWARD WINNERS

Wilken and Dombroski took Cape League top honors for Harwich. The last teammates to do so were Bourne’s Travis Jankowski and Ryan Eades in 2011. 

There were probably a number of candidates for the MVP honor, with no obvious, runaway choice. Wilken gets the nod with terrific all-around numbers. He had a slash line of .302/.430/.519 with six homers and 26 RBI. 

Dombroski got the edge over Brewster’s Bryce Hubbart (Florida State) and Wareham’s Adam Mazur (Iowa) for top pitching honors. He led the league in ERA and finished tied with Hubbart for the league lead in strikeouts. 

The first day of playoff baseball on Cape Cod since 2019 looked a lot like the last one. 

The still-reigning champion Cotuit Kettleers stormed to a 15-6 victory over top-seeded Bourne and a 1-0 lead in the West Division finals. 

It’s no surprise the Kettleers played well, given how well they’ve been playing lately. The draft hit the Kettleers hard and they hit a slump soon after, losing seven of 10 games in mid-July. They broke out with a 13-2 win over Bourne on July 27, the beginning of a surge to the finish line in which they won six of their final seven games. Their bats were especially hot, with the team rising to the top of the league’s leaderboard in batting average and runs scored. 

On the flip side, Friday’s result was a surprise because of how good Bourne has been all summer. While it’s true the Braves have lost some stars and cooled off since their historic start, I wouldn’t count them out. And Cotuit’s one loss in the stretch run? A 13-1 defeat to the Braves. 

But for one night at least, it was all Cotuit. The Kettleers offense was at it again, smackign 18 hits and building a 7-0 lead in the first three innings. After Bourne worked back to 7-3, the Kettleers made sure there wouldn’t be more of that Bravo magic with five runs in the sixth and three in the seventh. Every player in the starting lineup – and two subs – had at least one hit. 

Nathan Martorella (California) went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and three RBI. Scorching hot leadoff hitter Jace Grady (Dallas Baptist) went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI – his sixth consecutive multi-hit game. Matthew Suggs (UNC Wilmington) also homered in a 2-for-3 night. 

Cotuit’s now-fearsome 3-4-5 hitters – Ryan Ritter (Kentucky), Eric Brown (Coastal Carolina) and Noah Bridges (UNC Wilmington) – all had two hits. 

The pitching was good, too, though it didn’t need to be. Quinn Matthews – a late emerging ace for the Kettleers – struck out nine and allowed one earned run in five strong innings. Harrison Cohen (George Washington) pitched the final four innings, allowing two earned and striking out five. 

Bourne got three hits from Tanner Schobel (Virginia Tech) and two RBI from Max Anderson (Nebraska).

Game two is set for Saturday at 4 p.m., at Lowell Park. 

Brewster 2, Harwich 0

Harwich hadn’t lost a game that ace Trey Dombroski (Monmouth) started this summer. Dombroski was good again, but Brewster changed that trend with strong pitching of its own and just enough offense in a 2-0 win. Brain Fitzpatrick (Rutgers) struck out eight and scattered six hits across 4.1 shutout innings. Michael Prosecky (Louisville), who’s been really valuable in a relief role – went 3.2 scoreless frames with four strikeouts, including two in the eighth when Harwich had runners on second and third. Dale Stanavich (Rutgers) pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save. Harwich threatened several times but left 11 runners on base. Dombroski had a shutout into the fourth, when Brewster got a double from Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest) and an RBI single by Chad Castillo (California Baptist). Castillo delivered again in the sixth with an RBI single to score Zach Neto (Campbell), who had doubled. Brewster leads the series 1-0 as it shifts to Whitehouse Field Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. 

The race for the batting title is coming down to the final day of the regular season. 

Clark Elliott (Michigan) made his move on Tuesday. 

On the heels of an 0-for-4 night that dropped him out of the top spot, Elliott went 3-for-3 in Hyannis’ win over Bourne at McKeon Park and regained the lead.

Harwich’s Pres Cavenaugh (UNC Greensboro) – the leader for much of the last few weeks – is just behind him at .333. With a late surge, Cotuit’s Ryan Ritter (Kentucky) is up to .330 and Wareham’s Tres Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) is at .328. The last regular season games for everybody are on Wednesday night.

In his first full season with Michigan in the spring, Eliott batted .270 with a .403 on-base percentage. He made his Hyannis debut two weeks into the season on July 5 and took an 0-for-5 in his first game, then an 0-for-3 the next night. 

Suffice it to say, things got better. 

Elliott record his first hit on July 8. After one more 0-for-3 put his batting average at .077, delivered six two-hit games in his next seven starts. He added four more multi-hit games soon after, with his average topping out at .381. 

He’s had a few 0-for-4’s since then, including Monday’s, but his 3-for-3 night has him right back on track. He led off the bottom of the first with an infield hit, then had a single to left in the third inning. After walks in his next two at-bats, he finished his night with a double in the eighth.

Elliott’s performance helped Hyannis win 10-2 over Bourne. Central Florida teammates Nick Romano and Trent Taylor both hit home runs and Mark Adamiak (Arkansas) was fantastic on the mound, striking out 11 in 6.2 innings. 

Cotuit 10, Y-D 5

Y-D scored five runs in the top of the first inning, but Cotuit scored 10 unanswered the rest of the way for the win. Jace Grady (Dallas Baptist) and Nick Martorella (California) had three hits each to pace a 16-hit onslaught. Carter Trice (Old Dominion) and Brett Roberts (Florida State) drove in two runs apiece. Michael Ciminiello (Seton Hall) came out of the bullpen in the second inning and started the shutout effort with 2.1 scoreless frames. Logan Maitland (UMass Dartmouth) was credited with the win. Y-D had taken the lead thanks to a grand slam by Kody Huff (Stanford) in the top of the first. 

Wareham 3, Falmouth 1

Wareham pitchers struck out 14 batters in a 3-1 win over Falmouth. Making his third start since a mid-July arrival, Blake Sodersten (Cal State Northridge) was dominant over six innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits and striking out 10 of the 21 batters he faced. Hunter Schilperoort (Pacific) kept it going with four strikeouts over three scoreless frames. Jimmy Crooks (Alabama) had two hits and an RBI to lead the Gatemen offense. 

Chatham 11, Brewster 6

With the playoffs looming, it was a staff day for Brewster’s pitching, and Chatham took advantage, scoring in six of its eight turns at the plate in a victory. Lyle Miller-Green (Chipola) hit his eighth home run in a 3-for-4 night and also took over the league lead in RBI with 28. Maxwell Romero Jr. (Vanderbilt) and Joshua Rivera (Florida) each had two hits and two RB. Danny Serretti (North Carolina) went 2-for-4 with a home run. Porter Brown (TCU) had three hits, including a home run, for Brewster. Zachary Maxwell (Georgia Tech) was credited with the win in relief for Chatham. 

Harwich 2, Orleans 2

Orleans scored two in the fifth to take the lead, but Harwich answered with one in the sixth and the teams played to a 2-2 draw. Chase DeLauter (James Madison) and Trae Harmon (Stetson) drove in the runs for the Firebirds. Tatem Levins (Pittsburgh) scored Harwich’s first run on a wild pitch. Josh Hood (Penn) tied the game with a sacrifice fly. Both starters pitched well. Jack Filby (UCLA) allowed one run in five innings for Orleans. Beau Keathley (Cincinnati) went four scoreless for Harwich. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Will Orleans teammates Tyler Locklear or Chase De Lauter share the home run crown or will one break ahead on the final day? They each have nine heading into the season finale. 

Bourne beat Cotuit 13-1 on Monday night. Then the Kettleers clinched a playoff spot anyway when Falmouth lost. 

Then the Kettleers probably started thinking about the loss to Bourne again. 

Because the Braves await them in the playoffs.

Cotuit had been red hot, with five straight wins. Bourne had cooled off a bit lately, going 5-5 in its last 10 games. But Monday’s win can serve as a reminder that the Braves are still very much here. 

The victory included strong pitching from a reinforcement. Matt Jachec (Indiana State) made his CCBL debut and allowed one run in six innings for the win. Xavier Lovett (Mississippi State) struck out four and walked four but didn’t allow a hit in three scoreless innings en route to his second save. 

At the plate, Tanner Schobel (Virginia Tech) had two hits and three RBI, while Dalton Rushing (Louisville) and Colby Thomas (Mercer) each had two hits and two RBI. Max Anderson (Nebraska) homered for the second consecutive game and Benjamin Huber (UConn) had three hits and scored three runs. 

The win puts the Braves at 24-8-3. Cotuit is 17-17-1. 

Brewster 4, Hyannis 0

Brewster is the East Division champ after a win over Hyannis and Harwich’s loss to Orleans. The Whitecaps scored early to take control in this one, and their pitching staff allowed just three hits in the shutout effort. Spencer Jones (Vanderbilt) went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI. Jake Thompson (Oklahoma State) and Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest) drove in the other runs. Chris McElvain (Vanderbilt) struck out four and gave up two hits in five innings for the win. Teddy McGraw (Wake Forest) surrendered one hit in three innings and Brendan Girton (Texas Tech) pitched a perfect ninth. 

Wareham 7, Falmouth 4

The Gatemen played spoiler in the victory over Falmouth, who needed to win out to have a shot at sneaking into the playoffs. Home runs powered the Wareham offense. Cade Fergus hit a two-run shot in the third for a 2-0 lead. Jim Jarvis (Alabama) hit a two-run homer of his own in the fifth and Tommy Troy (Stanford) went back-to-back with him on a solo shot. Jarvis, Troy and Fergus each finished with two hits and two RBI. Falmouth was shut out for the first five innings as Adam Mazur (South Dakota State) lowered his league-best ERA even further, but Falmouth broke through for four runs in the sixth. All of the runs were charged to Mazur, bumping his ERA to 1.55. Still a terrific summer for him. Carter Rustad (San Diego) came out of the bullpen and struck out seven over 3.2 innings to finish out the win. 

Orleans 1, Harwich 0

Four Orleans pitchers shut out a Harwich team that hadn’t been held scoreless since July 11. Nathan Florence (Hartford) didn’t allow a hit in three innings. Zack Morris (Arkansas) struck out five in 4.1 innings and was credited with the win. Nick Wallerstedt (Arizona State) pitched one scoreless inning, and Jared Southard (Texas) struck out both batters he faced in the ninth for the save. The game’s lone run came in the second inning when Luke Keaschall (San Francisco) doubled and scored on an RBI single by Jared McKenzie (Baylor). Harwich starter Cam Schlittler (Northeastern) was the hard-luck loser after allowing just the one run in five innings. 

Y-D 8, Chatham 1

If the playoff field was the usual size, we might be looking at another magical run by Y-D. As it is, the Red Sox have to settle for finishing strong. They continued to hit the ball well en route to their fourth straight win, bringing the run total in the streak to 34. Tanner Smith (Oregon) went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Brooks Lee (Cal Poly) hit his sixth home run as part of his fourth consecutive multi-hit game. Zach Lew (Cal State Fullerton) added two hits. Jacob Meador (TCU) made his first start after a summer spent in the bullpen and was terrific, allowing one run in six innings, with eight strikeouts. Christian Culpepper (Cal Baptist) pitched three scoreless innings of relief, his eighth shutout appearance of the summer. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Cotuit has clinched and Y-D is out, but the way both teams are playing, it should be a playoff atmosphere as they meet each of the last two days of the season. Y-D is on the four-game win streak and Cotuit had won five straight before Monday’s loss. 

Cotuit beat Falmouth on Sunday, completing an impressive showing in the season series with its top competition for a playoff berth. 

The Kettleers went 4-1 against the Commodores, including two huge wins this weekend. The teams entered the back-to-back stretch in a tie for the second playoff spot in the West. Now Cotuit has a leg up with just three games remaining in the regular season. 

Cotuit’s first two wins over Falmouth were both by one run. Then the Commodores won the next one. But the last two have dovetailed with Cotuit’s offensive breakout. The Kettleers now lead the Cape League in team batting average and have totaled double-digit runs in four of their last five games. On Saturday, they beat Falmouth 16-6 before a 12-9 win on Sunday. 

The Kettleers powered up the offense with three home runs. Eric Brown (Coastal Carolina) hit his fifth, Jace Grady (Dallas Baptist) hit his fourth and Matthew Suggs (UNC Wilmington) blasted his first homer of the summer. Ryan Ritter (Kentucky), Noah Bridges (UNC Wilmington), and Brett Roberts (Florida State) drove in two runs each. 

Falmouth did some damage of its own and made things interesting in the ninth with three runs. Joseph Gieg (Boston College) stopped the bleeding for the Kettleers. 

Michael Curialle (UCLA) homered for Falmouth, while Anthony Hall (Oregon) and Kris Armstrong (Florida) head totaled three hits. 

Cotuit has won five in a row overall and sits at 17-16-1, controlling its own destiny on the chase for the playoff spot. Falmouth, at 14-17-2, would need some help from the Kettleers to sneak in. 

Harwich 11, Brewster 7

The playoff field in the East is set after Harwich got its first vicory of the season over Brewster to clinch a spot. Those two teams will meet in the East Division finals. Zack Prajzner (Notre Dame) led the 11-hit attack with four knocks, to go with three runs scored and an RBI. Matt McDermott (Coastal Carolina) had two hits and two RBI. Brock Wilken (Wake Forest) and Dylan Phillips (Kansas State) drove in two runs each. Eric Reyzelman (LSU) struck out seven and allowed two runs in five innings for the win. Brewster got home runs from Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest), Cooper Weiss (Coastal Carolina) and Trey Faltine (Texas). Harwich is 19-11-4 and Brewster is 21-10-3. The division title and home field for the playoffs is still up for grabs between these two. 

Chatham 3, Orleans 2

Two Orleans pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts, but Chatham scored on the long ball and got good pitching of its own in a 3-2 win. Nolan McLean (Oklahoma State) staked Chatham to a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the first inning. Dominic Tamez (Alabama) hit a two-run shot in the fifth. That proved to be enough for Cy Nielson (BYU) and Bryce Osmond (Oklahoma State). Nielson allowed one run in five innings. Osmond fanned six in four innings, allowing just an unearned run. For Orleans, Orion Kerkering (South Florida) struck out nine in five innings. Jake Saum (UCLA) gave up only one hit and also struck out nine. The win clinched the season series for Chatham against its rival. 

Y-D 9, Hyannis 2

It’s going to be too late for a playoff push, but Y-D has won three in a row, as a 13-hit attack and solid pitching got the Red Sox past Hyannis. Brooks Lee (Cal Poly) has been fantastic since returning from Team USA, and he went 2-for-5 to put his average at .421. Zach Lew (Cal State Fullerton) added two hits and two RBI. Kody Huff (Stanford), Chase Luttrell (Long Beach State) and Danniel Rivera (Southern New Hampshire) also had two hits. Patrick Gallagher (UConn) got the win with six strong innings, allowing two hits and striking out four. Owen Stevenson (San Francisco) pitched shutout baseball the rest of the way for a three-inning save. Luke Mann (Missouri) hit his fifth home run for Hyannis. 

Wareham 10, Bourne 3

A nine-run fifth inning helped Wareham snap a four-game slide with a victory over Bourne. Tommy Troy (Stanford) had a double and a two-run homer in the big inning, finishing 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Jim Jarvis (Alabama) added four hits and two RBI. Jack Brannigan (Notre Dame) had two hits and two RBI. Cole Kirschsieper (Illinois) pitched four shutout innings for the Gatemen. Jack Noble (Long Beach State) got the win in relief. Bourne got a home run from Max Anderson (Nebraska). 

WHAT TO WATCH

Wareham’s Adam Mazur (South Dakota State) will try to secure the Cape League ERA title as he gets the ball against Falmouth. He enters with a 0.38 ERA. 

Cotuit’s current roster was hit harder than most by the draft, with 11 players departing after hearing their nakes called. No surprise that the Kettleers hit a rough patch soon after the proceedings. Beginning July 16, they lost seven of 10 games. 

But the Kettleers have clearly put things back together, with their offense to thank. 

In a key matchup with Falmouth on Saturday, the Kettleers racked up 20 hits en route to a 16-6 victory. It’s their fourth straight win, and in three of those games, the offense has really been humming, with 13, 12 and now 16 runs on the board. 

Up and down the lineup, the Kettleers have guys who have gotten hot. On Friday, Jace Grady (Dallas Baptist) went 4-for-6 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBI. Grady is hitting .474 in the win streak. 

Eric Brown (Coastal Carolina) also had four hits, including a home run, plus three runs scored and two RBI. He was hitting .236 before the winning streak and is now up to .274. 

Brett Roberts (Florida State) was the third player with a four-hit night, going 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBI. He’s logged a hit in five of his last six games. 

Ryan Ritter (Kentucky) is riding an eight-game hitting streak and has raised his average from .218 to .325. He went 2-for-4 on Saturday and now ranks fifth in the league in hitting. 

The list goes on, but suffice it to say, the Kettleers are clicking. Saturday’s game was a good one to win, too. Thought Cotuit sat ahead of Falmouth in the basic standings, the playoff field is being chosen based on points per game to account for teams possibly playing different numbers of games this summer. By that measure, the teams were tied for the second playoff spotheading into Saturday’s game. 

With the Kettleers winning, they’re tied no longer. 

Brewster 8, Harwich 4

Harwich is really good, but Brewster is a perfect 4-0 against them this summer, a big reason why the Whitecaps have a hold on first place in the East. The latest win featured a five-run rally in the eighth inning, after Harwich had taken a one-run lead. Chad Castillo went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Trey Bullard (Arizona) went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jake Thompson (Oklahoma State), Chris Lanzilli (Wake Forest), Nick Biddison (Virginia Tech) and Trey Faltine (Texas) all had one RBI as Brewster’s entire lineup got in on the act. Brewster’s pitching was good throughout but its bullpen was especially strong. John Mikolaicyk (Hofstra) worked out of trouble for 1.2 scoreless innings and Brendan Girton (Texas Tech) struck out two in the ninth for his first save. The Mariners got a home run from Dylan Phillips (Kansas State). Brewster is 21-9-3 and Harwich is 18-11-4. 

Y-D 12, Hyannis 2

The Red Sox have won two in a row and still have an outside shot to catch Harwich for the second playoff spot in the East. More games like this would help, as the Red Sox scored early and often and totaled 16 hits. Kody Huff (Stanford) was the star of stars, going 4-for-6 with two home runs and six RBI. Wyatt Hoffman (Pacific) had three hits and two RBI, Tanner Smith (Oregon) had two hits and Brooks Lee (Cal Poly) had two hits. Dominic Keegan (Vanderbilt) drove in a run. Off his 12-strikeout performance, Adam Maier (British Columbia) came back to earth a bit, but still pitched well. He gave up two runs in four innings. Ryan Wiltse (St. Mary’s) pitched three scoreless innings of relief with five strikeouts for the win. Joe Moran (Taylor) was also good out of the bullpen with two hitless frames. Y-D is 14-13-7 with four games remaining. Hyannis is 7-26. 

Bourne 5, Wareham 4

The Braves seemed to be headed for a second straight loss, but they rallied from a 4-1 deficit with three runs in the seventh and took the lead with one in the eighth en route to a comeback win over Wareham. Christian Knapczyk (Louisville) raced in on a wild pitch to start the comeback scoring. Dalton Rushing (Louisville) followed with an RBI single and Benjamin Huber (UConn) – in his Cape League debut – knocked in the tying run with a two-out hit. In the eighth, Hunter Jump (Kentucky) singled and Bourne eventually loaded the bases. Joe Lampe was hit by a pitch to force in Jump with the go-ahead run. After solid relief work by Cole Chudoba (UConn) and Kelsey Ward (Embry-Riddle), Eric Adler pitched 1.1 hitless innings for his seventh save of the season. Bourne goes to 23-7-3. Wareham has lost four straight and is 11-18-5. 

Chatham 5, Orleans 3

Orleans scored two in the top of the first, but Chatham took control in the middle innings en route to its second win over the Firebirds in four days. Nolan McLean (Oklahoma State) went 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Angler attack. Joshua Rivera (Florida) also had two hits and knocked in one run. Jake DeLeo (Georgia Tech) doubled and drove in a run. Alexander McFarlane (Miami) allowed three runs in five innings for the win. Sebastian Keane (Northeastern) tossed three scoreless innings of relief and Kade Bragg (Weatherford) worked a scoreless ninth for the save. For Orleans, Trae Harmon (Stetson) went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Chatham is 14-18-3 and Orleans 12-16-4. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Cotuit and Falmouth will meet agains as they battle it out for the second playoff spot in the West. This will be their final meeting of the regular season. 

Bourne has the best team ERA and best team batting average in the league. It’s no wonder the Braves have been wire-to-wire at the top of the West Division. 

East Division leader Brewster has the second-best team ERA behind Bourne, but – amazingly for a first-place team – the worst team batting average. 

But the Whitecaps get on base a lot, having drawn the second-most walks in the league, and they seem to get hits when they need them. 

That was the recipe Friday night as Brewster won a matchup of first-place teams with Bourne 3-2 at Doran Park. The Whitecaps were out-hit 8-4 but used a two-run rally in the eighth to take control. 

Bourne has gone 5-5 in its last 10 games, coming back to earth a bit after its historic start. There have been some personnel losses, so it’s not surprising to see a little bit of a dip, but I’d still bet on the Braves most every night. 

The real story from this matchup, though, is that Brewster is making its approach work – really work. The Whitecaps are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and are suddenly just two games behind the Braves for the best record in the league. Friday’s win clinched a playoff spot. 

Bourne led 2-1 into the seventh but had been unable to add to its lead thanks to Brewster’s solid pitching efforts. Brewster’s eighth-inning comeback began with a single by Kurtis Byrne (TCU), then two walks. Tony Bullard (Arizona), who’s been a nice addition since arriving July 25, knocked a two-run single to give Brewster the lead. 

Dale Stanavich (Rutgers) took over in the eighth and rolled through a pair of scoreless frames with four strikeouts to preserve the win. 

Brewster is now 20-9-3, with a three-point lead on Harwich for first place. Bourne goes to 22-7-3. 

Cotuit 12, Wareham 5

Three straight wins for the Kettleers, who have a one-point edge on Falmouth for second place in the West division standings. It was a 5-5 game in the eighth inning when Cotuit scored seven runs and took so much time doing it, there was no no ninth inning due to darkness at Lowell Park. Matthew Donlan (UConn) was hit by a pitch and pinch-runner Eldridge Figueroa (Arkansas Little Rock) raced home with the go-ahead run on a bunt by Carter Trice (Old Dominion). Noah Bridges (UNC Wilmington) had a sac fly later in the inning, Brett Roberts (Florida State) had an RBI single and Nathan Martorella (California) cranked a two-run homer for the exclamation point. Zach Fruit (Eastern Michigan) got the win in relief. Before the late surge, Quinn Matthews (Stanford) went six strong innings, allowing one run with six strikeouts. Cotuit is 15-16-1, while Wareham drops to 11-17-5. 

Falmouth 13, Hyannis 7

The Commodores kept pace with Cotuit thanks to a victory over Hyannis. Four runs in the first inning set the course for Falmouth, though there was a long way to go. It was a 7-5 game until Falmouth scored three runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to pull away. Kris Armstrong (Florida) hit a three-run home run, his seventh of the summer, to start the barrage in the first inning. Anthony Hall (Oregon) went deep later. Casey Harford (Tennessee Martin) had three hits and two RBI. Michael Curialle (UCLA) and Luke Boyers (TCU) had two hits apiece. Daniel Garcia (Stetson) allowed two runs in four innins of relief for the win. Clark Elliott (Michigan) had two hits and a home run for Hyannis, maintaining his hold on the top spot in the race for the batting title. Falmouth is 14-15-2 and Hyannis is7-25. 

Harwich 8, Chatham 4

As hot as Brewster is, Harwich has been right there with the Whitecaps. The Mariners beat Chatham on Friday for their sixth win in their last 10 games. The Anglers led 4-1 after three innings, but Harwich responded. Chris Newell (Virginia) hit his fifth home run of the summer to lead a steady attack. Dylan Phillips (Kansas State), Carter Putz (Notre Dame), and Pres Cavenaugh (UNC Greensboro) had two hits each. Mariner relievers shut the Anglers out after they had taken the 4-1 lead. Beau Keathley (Cincinnati) pitched two scoreless frames and Dalton Smith (Georgia Tech) got a three-inning save. Harwich is 18-10-4 and Chatham falls to 13-18-3. 

Y-D 5, Orleans 1

Brooks Lee (Cal Poly) and Tanner Smith (Oregon) stayed hot and led the Red Sox past Orleans. Lee went 3-for-5 and scored a run. He’s had four multi-hit games since returning from Team USA on July 21. Smith went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI as he continued a hitting streak that’s now at five games. Making his third appearance of the summer, Jared Lyons (George Mason) was great on the mound, allowing one run in six innings for the win. Eli Morse (Portland) and Owen Stevenson (San Francisco) closed it out with shutout relief. Y-D is 13-13-7 and Orleans is 12-15-4. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Off his Y-D single game record 12 strikeouts, Adam Maier (British Columbia) gets the ball as the Red Sox host Hyannis. 

Trey Dombroski (Monmouth) does not give up home runs. 

Literally. 

The surface statistics are impressive enough for the Harwich ace, but dig deeper and his breakout summer in the Cape League looks even better. 

The home runs are one such stat. He has not allowed a long ball all summer. He didn’t give up a homer in his spring season at Monmouth either. Last summer in the Atlantic Collegiate League? No homers. His shortened freshman season in 2020? Still no. 

Dombroski has not given up a home run in his collegiate career. 

With another homerless outing, he set the stage for a 4-1 Harwich win over Falmouth on Wednesday night. He tossed seven innings, allowed one run and struck out seven. His ERA now stands at 1.13 and he moved into a tie for the league lead in strikeouts with 45. 

And there’s more from the file. The 6-foot-5 left-hander has paired those 45 strikeouts with just two walks in 31.2 innings. He issued one free pass Wednesday night, having handed out his first on July 8. Otherwise, not a one. 

How about durability? Few pitchers are going seven innings in the Cape League these days. Dombroski has done it twice and he now leads the league in innings pitched. 

And when it comes to limiting damage, nobody’s been better. Dombroski has given up a few more hits than some of his counterparts at the top of the pitching starts, but he has also surrendered just two extra-base hits, both of which were doubles. 

Dombroski was great in the spring, too, putting up a 5-1 record and a 2.73 ERA. True to his summer form, he struck out 64 and walked only eight. 

He actually started his time with Harwich in the bullpen, but after a lights-out relief performance on June 29 – 10 strikeouts in 3.2 innings – he moved into the rotation and has kept right on rolling. 

Harwich backed him up with two runs in the seventh and another in the eighth for the win over Falmouth. Tatem Levins (Pittsburgh) had two hits and two RBI while Zack Prajzner (Notre Dame) homered. 

Harwich improved to 17-10-4, maintaining its hold on second place in the East, and Dombroski picked up the win. 

Brewster 5, Wareham 3

The Whitecaps trailed 3-0 with two innings to go but rallied for a dramatic win with five runs in the eighth. Chad Castillo (California Baptist) started the scoring with a two-run single. Kurtis Byrne (TCU) drove in the tying run with a base hit. An error on a sacf bunt allowed two more runs to score. Suddenly armed with the lead, the bullpen closed the door. In his first appearance of the summer, Greg Farone (Herkimer CC) struck out the side around a hit in the eighth and Michael Prosecky (Louisville) worked around a bit of trouble in the ninth, stranding the tying runs on base. The win puts Brewster at 19-9-3, three points better than second-place Harwich. Wareham is 11-16-5. 

Bourne 8, Y-D 2

The first-place Braves had lost three in a row – their only losing streak of the season – but broke out with solid pitching and a 12-hit attack. Trystan Vrieling (Gonzaga) pitched three scoreless innings to start. Dylan Bowers (Northern Colorado) allowed two unearned runs but nothing else in four innings and earned the win. Tyler Stuart (Southern Mississippi) and Eric Adler (Wake Forest) finished it off. Y-D took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth, but Bourne quickly answered with two runs in the bottom half and pulled away with five runs in the eighth. Joe Lampe (Arizona State) each went 3-for-4 with one RBI to lead the attack. Dalton Rushing (Louisville) and Tanner Schobel (Virginia Tech) had two hits and drove in one run each. Bourne is 22-6-3 and Y-D is 12-13-7. 

Cotuit 2, Hyannis 1

Cotuit won its second straight game and is back to sole possession of the all-important second spot in the West. First-inning offense was the only offense in this one, as Hyannis scored one run in the top half and Cotuit answered with two in the bottom. Neither team scored again. Eric Brown (Coastal Carolina) singled in Cotuit’s first run, then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. And he wasn’t done running, as he scored the go-ahead run on a double steal with Noah Bridges (UNC Wilmington). Four pitchers combined to shut out Hyannis the rest of the way. Joseph Gieg (Boston College) went three scoreless for the win. Will Jacobsen (Harvard) got the save. Mark Adamiak (Alabama) and Evan Webster (Louisville) pitched well for Hyannis. 

Chatham 13, Orleans 10

Chatham outlasted Orleans in a slugfest for its third straight win. The Anglers hit four home runs and finished with 16 hits. Maxwell Romero Jr (Vanderbilt) hit his fifth and Matthew Hogan (Vanderbilt) hit his fourth home run. Nolan McLean (Oklahoma State) went 3-for-3 with his first home run and Jake DeLeo (Georgia Tech) homered and drove in three. Caeden Trinkle (Oklahoma State) and Lyle Milller-Green (Chipola) added two hits each. Orleans did most of its scoring in the late innings but didn’t have enough to complete the comeback. Chase DeLauter (James Madison) moved into a tie for the league lead with his ninth home run. Trae Harmon (Stetson) added three hits. Chatham is 13-17-3 and Orleans falls to 12-14-4. 

WHAT TO WATCH

It’s a league-wide off day on Thursday. Friday brings a matchup of first-place teams as Brewster visits Bourne.