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Holding Steady

Chatham is heating up again after a brief hiccup.

 
It could have been deja vu. The Chatham Anglers have started hot before. In 2010, they won seven of their first 10 games – and just 13 more the rest of the season. They missed the playoffs.

When the 2013 Anglers raced to a 6-0 start and then lost five of six, it was hard not to think back and wonder if it was going to happen all over again.

It’s certainly not happening right now.

Chatham beat Harwich 10-6 for its third straight win and its sixth in seven games. While Cotuit has been steady, and Hyannis has been winning and Harwich and Falmouth have been hot, it’s the Anglers who own the most wins in the league. They’re 13-6-1 and leading the East by five points over Harwich.

Last night, Chatham pounded 13 hits in out-slugging a Harwich team that had just out-slugged Falmouth the night before. Dante Flores (USC) put together his third consecutive multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. He’s now hitting .365, good for second in the league.

Landon Lassiter (North Carolina) added two hits, as did Sheehan Planas-Arteaga (Barry), Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga) and Josh Eldridge (Old Dominion). The Anglers got a hit from eight of nine spots in the order and an RBI from six.

Matthew Gage (Siena) turned in his second straight strong start, striking out two and giving up just two runs in six innings. Harwich did a little damage against the Chatham bullpen, but the Anglers held them off. Kyle Funkhouser (Louisville) picked up his second save in as many chances since arriving on the Cape.

Just like that, the Anglers were back at the top. It looks like they plan to stay.

 

Falmouth 9, Y-D 8

The Commodores (12-8) bounced back from a slugfest loss to Harwich with a slugfest win over the Red Sox (9-10-1). Y-D led 8-6 going into the ninth, but Falmouth scored three runs to win it. Dylan Davis (Oregon State) beat the throw to first on a double-play attempt, which scored the winning run. Falmouth got a huge night from Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State), who hit his fourth home run as part of a 3-for-5, 4 RBI day. He also leads the league in RBI with 18. Kevin Newman (Arizona) and Sam Gillikin (Auburn) also had three hits for the Commodores. Davis, who had hit a home run in three straight games, finally did not go yard, but did hit a double and drove in two runs.

 

Cotuit 2, Hyannis 1

The Kettleers (12-8) snapped a three-game skid and posted their second win of the season over the Harbor Hawks (12-6). Cotuit, Hyannis and Falmouth are all tied atop the West standings with 24 points each. The Kettleers manufactured a run in the top of the ninth to break a 1-1 tie, with Jake Fincher (NC State) reaching on an error, stealing second and coming around on two wild pitches. Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the victory. Steven Duggar (Clemson) had three hits to lead the Kettleers while Logan Ratledge (NC State) and Mike Ford (Princeton) had two each. Evan Beal (South Carolina) tossed five shutout innings with six strikeouts. Andrew Thome (North Dakota) also struck out six for Hyannis.

 

Brewster 5, Bourne 4

The Whitecaps have 40 hits in their last three games, and not surprisingly, they’re on a three-game winning streak that has improved their record to 6-13. On this night, they had 13 hits, bided their time against standout Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) and scored five runs over the last four innings to net the victory. Jose Brizuela (Florida State) went 3-for-5 while Scott Heineman (Oregon) stretched his hit streak to eight games with a 2-for-5 night in the leadoff spot. Trevor Mitsui (Washington State) and Aaron Brown (Pepperdine) added two hits each. Frankie Vanderka (Stony Brook) turned in a solid start, allowing three runs in seven innings. Trey Cochran-Gill (Auburn) got the win in relief.

 

Wareham 2, Orleans 1

The struggling Wareham offense scored the first two runs Orleans standout Bobby Poyner (Florida) has given up all year and made the lead stand up for the victory. Wareham is 4-16, while Orleans dropped to 9-10. Both Wareham runs came in the fifth. Chris Chinea (LSU) knocked in a run on a ground-out before Daniel Rosenbaum (Louisville) hit an RBI single. Three Gatemen pitchers made the slim lead hold up. Tucker Simpson (Florida) struck out four and gave up one run in 5.2 innings to out-duel his college teammate Poyner for the win. Ryan Riga (Ohio State) worked 2.1 scoreless innings and Andro Cutura (Southeastern Louisana) picked up the save.

 

What to Watch

Hyannis and Cotuit will meet again at 5 p.m. at Lowell Park. Adam Ravenelle (Vanderbilt), who has only pitched out of the bullpen so far, will make his first start for Cotuit. Patrick Andrews (Clemson), who was solid in his first start, goes for Hyannis.

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A Falmouth Fourth

Leon Byrd Jr. had a double and a triple as Falmouth ran past Cotuit in a Fourth of July victory.

 
No team in the Cape Cod Baseball League celebrated America’s independence quite like the Falmouth Commodores.

While one other team swept its holiday series, and the others all played to splits, Falmouth surged to a pair of victories over Cotuit, the team that came into the holiday week with the most wins in the league.

With a 5-3 victory Wednesday and a 13-6 win on the Fourth of July, the Commodores have now matched that win total with an 11-7 record. Hyannis also has 11 wins, creating a logjam at the top of the West.

Falmouth picked up No. 11 – and the holiday sweep – thanks to one of its best offensive nights of the season. The Commodores finished with seven extra-base hits and two home runs. Dylan Davis (Oregon State), who hit two home runs on Wednesday, added another last night, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and four RBI. He is tied for the league lead in homers with all of three games under his belt and he’s hitting a cool .538.

Conner Hale (State College of Florida) also homered and went 2-for-4 with four RBI. Leon Byrd Jr. (Rice) had a double and a triple, Kevin Cron (TCU) stayed hot with a 3-for-4 night and two RBI, and Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) went 2-for-4.

On the mound, Daniel Koger (Auburn) struck out six in four scoreless innings in his first appearance since week one. Kevin Mooney got the win in relief.

The Kettleers had 12 hits of their own – including four from Mike Ford (Princeton) and two home runs by Yale Rosen (Washington State), who also joined the tie for the league lead – but it wasn’t enough.

Falmouth, who’s been poised for a breakout all year with its productive offense and strikeout-happy pitching staff, started to do it in style.

 

Hyannis 9, Y-D 6

Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) made his 2013 Cape League debut and didn’t disappoint. The rising junior lefty flashed the stuff that made him Baseball America’s seventh-best prospect in the Cape last year, striking out eight and giving up two runs on five hits in six innings of work. Frankie Piliere of Perfect Game tweeted that Hoffman’s fastball touched 97 and that “the title of best pitcher on the Cape is his to lose.” Hoffman’s debut set Hyannis (11-5) on the course to a victory as they led most of the way and then held off a late run by the Red Sox (8-9-1). Eric Eck (Wofford) picked up his fourth save, which is tied for the league lead. Austin Slater (Stanford) homered for the Harbor Hawks while Jay Baum (Clemson) had three hits and two RBI. Alex Blandino (Stanford) had three hits for the Red Sox.

 

Chatham 7, Orleans 2

After getting shut out on Wednesday, the Anglers (11-6-1) got right back on the horse with a 12-hit showing and a series split with the Firebirds (9-8). Dante Flores (USC), who has had more multi-hit games this summer (5) than single-hit games (3), delivered another one, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Five other Anglers had an RBI each as well, including Connor Joe (San Diego), who had two hits to go with it. On the mound, early-season star Andrew McGee (Monmouth) had his shortest outing of the summer but was still solid. He gave up two runs in four innings while striking out three. Tommy Lawrence (Maine) relieved him and got his second win in five days with two perfect innings. J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton), a two-way player in the college season, made his first pitching appearance of the summer and struck out two for the save.

 

Bourne 6, Wareham 1

Bourne (9-9) had lost its only game with Wareham (3-15) before the holiday, but the series went to the Braves. After a 4-2 victory on Wednesday, they cruised to a 6-1 win on Thursday. Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) went 2-for-5 to finish the holiday series going 6-for-9. Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) and Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) each had three hits while Tyler Kuresa (UC Santa Barbara) homered, his first. Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) had two hits and drove in two runs. On the mound, Jaron Long (Ohio State) turned in his third impressive start, striking out two in five innings and giving up his first earned run of the season. Cody Livingston (Southern Miss) had a dominant relief outing, striking out six of the nine men he faced in three perfect innings. Nigel Nootbaar (USC) finished the job with a scoreless frame. For Wareham Fred Shepard (Amherst) struck out eight in 4.2 innings but was touched up for six runs.

 

Brewster 10, Harwich 5

The teams combined for 34 hits but the Whitecaps (4-13) had a little more production and knocked off the Mariners (10-8). Jose Brizuela (Florida State) went 2-for-4 with four RBI to lead the parade, Trevor Mitsui (Washington State) had three hits and two RBI and Scott Heineman (Oregon) continued a hot streak with a 4-for-5 night in the leadoff spot. Heineman was hitting .143 on June 25. He is now hitting .321. Nicholas Vazquez (Pittsburgh) added two hits and an RBI. On the mound, Jake Stinnett (Maryland) gave up 10 hits in six innings but limited the Mariners to two runs on his way to the win. He struck out six. Corey Taylor (Texas Tech) pitched three strong innings to close it out. Harwich got a hit from every spot in the lineup, including three from Derek Fisher (Virginia), who has a six-game hitting streak and is batting .359.

 

What to Watch

Falmouth will try to stay hot as it heads to Harwich for a 7 p.m. match-up with the Mariners, who have been one of the top teams in the East. Brandon Magallones (Northwestern), who has a 1.86 ERA, goes for Falmouth against A.J. Reed (Kentucky), Harwich’s two-way standout who’s just back from Team USA.

And a quick site note – Daily Fog will take a brief hiatus Saturday but will be back on Sunday.

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Walk This Way

Brandon Sedell and the Chatham Anglers have been the league's most patient team - and it's working for them.

 
The Chatham Anglers have been a good hitting team this summer, but not the Cape’s best. What they do have going for them is the opportunity to hit with more men on base than any team in the league.

Because the Anglers can work a walk.

Chatham drew a season-high 10 walks on Sunday in a 7-3 victory over Brewster. That gives them a league-high 86 for the season, 23 more than second-place Cotuit. Not surprisingly, the Anglers also lead the league in on-base percentage with a .361 mark.

In some cases, you can chalk walks up to the luck of the draw and the fact that you might just be facing pitchers who are wild. But when the numbers are this high, it’s clearly part of an approach. Chatham also led the league in walks last year.

This year, the patient approach has been a key cog in the team’s successful start. The Anglers had a brief hiccup after their hot start but have won two in a row since.

The walks piled up against Brewster, with Richard Prigatano (Long Beach State) drawing three and league-leader Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga) working two. Four of Chatham’s seven runs were scored by batters who got on base with a walk.

Dante Flores (USC) had two hits and an RBI while Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) went 1-for-4 with two runs driven in. Sheehan Planas-Arteaga (Barry) also drove in a run.

Tommy Lawrence (Maine) got the win in relief, striking out four in 3.1 hitless innings.

The Anglers improved to 9-5-1, which puts them back atop the East Division standings.

 

Y-D 4, Harwich 0

The Red Sox (7-7-1) are suddenly the hottest team in the league. They beat Harwich (9-6) by a 4-0 score yesterday for their third straight win. Clay Smith (St. Louis), whose last appearance came in a 17-12 loss to Orleans, was dominant this time, striking out three and scattering five hits in seven shutout innings for the win. Kody Kerski (Sacred Heart) and Sam Coonrod (Southern Illinois) pitched an inning each to finish the shutout. Auston Bousfield (Ole Miss) went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while D.J. Stewart (Florida State) and Taylor Gushue (Florida) also knocked in a run each. Andrew Daniel (San Diego) went 1-for-4 to stretch his hitting streak to 11 games. He now leads the league with a .421 batting average. The Red Sox did most of their damage off Harwich starter Aaron Bummer (Nebraska), who hadn’t given up a run in his first two starts.

 

Cotuit 6, Bourne 1

A night after falling in a walk-off to Bourne, the Kettleers (10-5) won the rematch and became the first team in the league to 10 wins. Bourne fell to 7-8. Christian Cecilio (San Francisco), who had given up seven runs in a loss to Bourne on June 22, got the start and allowed just an unearned run in 7.1 innings. He only struck out two but induced an amazing 15 ground-ball outs. The Cotuit offense also stepped up, scoring two runs off Bourne starter Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic), who was part of a combined no-hitter the last time he faced the Kettleers. Newcomer Logan Ratledge (NC State) hit a solo home run while Kevin Bradley (Clemson) went 1-for-4 with two RBI. Jake Fincher (NC State) and Nolan Clark (Concordia) drove in one run apiece.

 

Hyannis 6, Falmouth 3

The Harbor Hawks (9-4) were the only team to beat Falmouth (9-6) in a stretch of seven games, and they did it again Sunday, ending a three-game winning streak for the Commodores. Andrew Thome (North Dakota) picked up his league-leading third win with five strong innings. Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) and Skyler Ewing (Rice) both hit home runs to lead the Hyannis offense. Austin Slater (Stanford) added two hits. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) hit his second home run of the year for the Commodores.

 

Orleans 2, Wareham 0

The Firebirds (7-7) handed the Gatemen (2-13) their fifth straight loss with the shutout. Bobby Poyner (Florida) struck out five in five innings to get the ball rolling. Four relievers went one inning each to keep it going, with Matt Troupe (Arizona) working the ninth for his third save, which ties him for the league lead. The Orleans offense got two hits and an RBI from Collin Slaybaugh (Washington State), plus an RBI from Jordan Luplow (Fresno State). Trevor Podratz (Hawaii) had two hits to lead Wareham.

 

What to Watch

It’s a league-wide off-day as the teams head to Fenway Park for a work-out in front of scouts.

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Small Ball, Big Play

Y-D's Cole Peragine makes a play at second earlier this summer.

 
The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox are the league’s best hitting team, and for a while there, they were playing like a squad that was exclusively the league’s best hitting team – either turning in blowout wins or finding themselves in slugfests.

On Saturday night, they were laying down squeeze bunts and flashing the leather so well that they ended up on ESPN.

The Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat Brewster 4-3. The tying and go-ahead runs both came home on safety squeeze bunts by Andrew Daniel. In the ninth, Trevor Mitsui (Washington) hit what looked like the game-tying home run for the Whitecaps, but Y-D center-fielder Brandon Downes (Virginia) made a leaping catch to pull it back and keep the Red Sox in front. (You can watch the catch here.)

The play by Downes was so good that ESPN picked it up for SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. That’s the first time I can remember that a Cape League play has ended up on the Top 10. Kudos to Downes for making the play and to the Y-D broadcast crew for capturing it.

The squeeze bunts won’t be making ESPN, but they were key plays too. After the Red Sox got their first two runs on an RBI double by Taylor White (UNLV) and an RBI single by Taylor Smart (Tennessee), they went to small ball. Alex Blandino (Stanford) scored on Daniel’s bunt single in the sixth. In the eighth, with D.J. Stewart (Florida State) on third, Daniel dropped down another bunt, beat it out and watches Stewart scamper home with the go-ahead run.

The small-ball success made a winner out of reliever Darrell Hunter (Oregon), who struck out four in three spotless innings. Y-D is now 6-7-1.

 

Bourne 4, Cotuit 3

The hyped-up pitching match-up between Alex Haines and Ryan Kellogg ended up as a footnote when Bourne (7-7) rallied from a two-run deficit with three in the ninth and walked off with a 4-3 win. Mason Robbins (Southern Miss), who had a flair for the dramatic last summer, started the ninth with a double and came home on an error. A sac fly by Tyler Kuresa (UC Santa Barbara) brought home the tying run before Pat Kelly (Nebraska) singled home Bobby Boyd (West Virginia) with the winning run. Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) went 2-for-3 to lead the Braves offense. Kellogg (Arizona State) struck out three and gave up one earned in five innings. Haines (Seton Hill) struck out three in four scoreless frames and still hasn’t given up a run this summer.

 

Chatham 8, Harwich 4

The Anglers (8-5-1) stopped Harwich’s three-game winning streak with an 8-4 victory. Matthew Gage (Siena) struck out four and gave up two runs in five innings to pick up his first win and Jacob Dorris (Texas A&M Corpus Christ) worked two scoreless innings for the save. Dante Flores (USC) led the offense, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Cal State Fullerton standout J.D. Davis, who was 1-for-9 since arriving on the Cape, broke out with a 2-for-4 night. Connor Joe (San Diego) and Blake Butera (Boston College) also drove in runs. Harwich (9-5) got three hits from Branden Cogswell (Virginia) but couldn’t get back into the game after falling behind early.

 

Falmouth 9, Wareham 1

The Commodores (9-5) stretched their win streak to three and matched Cotuit and Harwich for the league’s best record with a blowout win over the Gatemen (2-12). Falmouth has won six of seven overall. Craig Schlitter (Bryant) was dominant on the mound, striking out three and giving up just a run on three hits in seven innings. Sam Gillikin (Auburn) went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI to lead a 13-hit attack. Joseph Maggi (Arizona) also had three hits, Kevin Newman (Arizona) had two and Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) drove in two runs.

 

What to Watch

Two good match-ups on tap in the West. Bourne and Cotuit will meet for the second straight night. Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic), who was part of a combined no-hitter the last time he faced Cotuit, gets the ball again for the Braves, while Christian Cecilio (San Francisco) is slated to start for Cotuit. In Falmouth, the Commodores host 8-4 Hyannis at 5:30 p.m. John Means (West Virginia), who has a 1.86 ERA in two games, goes for Falmouth. Andrew Thome (North Dakota), who’s 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA, gets the ball for Hyannis.

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It’s a Start

Keaton Haack is one of many Harwich starting pitchers who have been dominant this year.

The Harwich Mariners lead the league with a 2.04 ERA. It’s an impressive number. Look a little deeper, and it’s even more impressive.

Harwich’s starting pitching has been unbelievably good.

Last night, Jalen Beeks (Arkansas) went six shutout innings as the Mariners cruised to a 6-1 victory over Brewster. That was the sixth time in 11 games that a Harwich starter has allowed no earned runs.

And the numbers don’t end there. In the team’s seven wins, Harwich starters have given up a total of three earned runs, and every starter has gone at least five innings. The starters’ ERA in the team’s victories is 0.67.

Even some of the losses have featured strong performances. Pat Connaughton (Notre Dame) and Chandler Shepherd (Kentucky) both had scoreless outings in losses. In fact, in 11 games, Harwich has had only one start that could be called bad – a three-inning outing by Sam Howard (Georgia Southern), who gave up four earned runs.

Aaron Bummer (Nebraska) and Shepherd have been at the head of the class. Both have made two starts without allowing an earned run. Beeks, who was a reliever at Arkansas, has done his part as well. He allowed two earned runs in his first start before dominating last night. He gave up just two hits in six innings.

With pitching like that, the offense doesn’t have to out-slug people, which is good considering Harwich’s team batting average is .218. That offense should get better as some recent arrivals settle in, but even now, the Mariners have been steadily taking control of games. Derek Fisher (Virginia) went 2-for-5 with three RBI on Tuesday, while Ian Happ (Cincinnati) drove in two and Aaron Barbosa (Northeastern) had three hits.

The bullpen got in on the act too, with three pitchers combining to allow just a run in finishing Beeks’s strong performance.

As long as that keeps up – and the Mariners keep finishing – look out.

Because it sure looks like the starts are going to be good.

 

Hyannis 4, Bourne 3

The league-leading Harbor Hawks (8-3) played extra-innings for the second night in a row and won again, edging the Braves (5-7) on a walk-off sacrifice fly by Skyler Ewing (Rice). Kyle Freeland (Evansville) was dominant on the mound for the Harbor Hawks, striking out eight in seven scoreless innings. The Braves made their comeback in the eighth and ninth thanks in large part to two home runs by Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State), who is the first Cape Leaguer in 2013 to hit two homers in the same game. But Hyannis came back to life in the 10th, with Landon Curry (Indiana State) singling, getting to second on an error, stealing third and scoring on Ewing’s fly ball. Hyannis has played six one-run games, and amazingly, has won all of them.

 

Falmouth 4, Orleans 0

Falmouth (7-5) shut down a hot Orleans (6-5) team for its fourth victory in five games. Trey Teakell (TCU) went seven shutout innings, striking out four and scattering six hits for his second win of the year. In both victories, he hasn’t given up a run. Kevin McKanna (Rice) finished the job with two scoreless innings. Kevin Cron (TCU) and Conner Hale (State College of Florida) led the offense with two hits and two RBI each. Cron hit his league-leading sixth double.

 

Cotuit 9, Wareham 2

Nobody has won more lopsided games than Cotuit, and the Kettleers (8-4) did it again with an easy victory over the Gatemen (2-10). Ben Smith (Coastal Carolina) struck out eight and gave up one earned run in six innings. His Coastal Carolina teammate Patrick Corbett did the rest, allowing just one hit in three scoreless frames. Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt), who started the year 0-for-6, had his third multi-hit game in the last six, going 2-for-3 with three RBI. He’s now hitting .310. Kevin Bradley (Clemson), who had been off to a rough start, matched his season total for hits with a 3-for-3, two RBI night.

 

Chatham 5, Y-D 5

The Red Sox (4-7-1) forced extra innings with two runs in the ninth, and the teams only got one more inning in before darkness forced the game to end in a 5-5 tie. Chatham (7-4-1) took a 5-1 lead in the sixth but watched the Red Sox get two in the sixth and the two in the ninth to tie it. D.J. Stewart (Florida State) hit a two-run homer in the ninth, his first of the year, to force extras. Taylor Smart (Tennessee) also had an RBI for the Red Sox, while Dante Flores (USC) went 4-for-4 for the Anglers.

 

What to Watch

Just one game on the schedule tonight as Harwich visits Orleans. Nick Howard (Virginia), a two-way player who has only hit so far, is scheduled to make his pitching debut for the Mariners. Interestingly, he’ll square off with his Virginia teammate Josh Sborz, who has a 4.15 ERA in two relief appearances for Orleans.

 

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Off to the Races

There’s a whole lot of baseball to be played this summer, but the 2013 Chatham Anglers have already made a little history. Chatham beat Y-D 8-5 on Sunday to improve to 4-0. That start is the franchise’s best since at least 2001, a span that included some pretty good years.

We’ll see what it means for the future. In both 2009 and 2010, Chatham started 3-0 but finished the year under .500.

But for now, the Anglers should feel pretty good.

Win number four came on the strength of the best offensive day any team in the league has had this season. The eight runs came on 11 hits, and three Anglers had multi-hit performances. Three also drove in two runs.

Blake Butera (Boston College), who was 1-for-9 coming in, broke out with a 4-for-5 day. He hit two doubles and knocked in two runs. Richard Prigatano (Long Beach State) also drove in two, and is tied for the early league lead in RBI with five. Brandon Sedell (Nova Southeastern) had two RBI as well.

The eight and nine hitters, A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) and Dante Flores (USC), had two hits each and scored two runs.

The offense was enough for a quartet of pitchers. After starter Matt Gage (Siena) allowed three runs in 4.2 innings, Chad Sobotka (South Carolina Upstate) – who had blown a save the night before – worked 2.1 scoreless frames and got the win. Joe Goodman (High Point) picked up the save.

Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) had three hits for Y-D and Auston Bousfield (Ole Miss) hit a home run. The Red Sox dropped to 2-3.

 

Wareham 2, Bourne 1

Defending champ Wareham got into the win column with a 2-1 victory over Bourne, who remained winless at 0-4. The Gatemen fell behind 1-0 but scored a run in the fourth and another in the fifth to jump in front and kept the score there the rest of the way. Cole Stancil (St. Leo) drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth. Kentucky freshman Kyle Cody gave Wareham a quality start, allowing just an unearned run on two hits in six innings. With the Gatemen in front, Tucker Simpson (Florida) and Ryan Riga (Ohio State) worked perfect innings and Christopher Huffman (James Madison) got the save after stranding runners on first and second in the ninth. For Bourne, Clinton Freeman (East Tennessee State) had two hits and Nigel Nootbaar (USC) pitched three perfect innings of relief, for his second scoreless outing.

 

Hyannis 4, Harwich 0

After a win in its delayed season opener, Hyannis made it two in a row with a shutout of Harwich (2-2). Andrew Thome (North Dakota) scattered five hits in seven scoreless innings and Sarkis Ohanian (Duke) sealed the deal with two innings of one-hit ball. The Harbor Hawks were shut-out for six innings by Kentucky’s Chandler Shepherd, who struck out six and allowed just one hit, but they pushed across four runs over the final three innings against the Harwich bullpen. Levi Borders (South Florida) went 2-for-4 with an RBI while Landon Curry (Indiana State) and J.C. Coban (Penn State) knocked in one each. Mark Zagunis (Virginia Tech) and C.J. Hinojosa (Texas) continued hot starts for Harwich with two hits each.

 

Cotuit 7, Falmouth 1

The Kettleers (3-1) posted their second straight win and their most lopsided of the summer so far. It was a 1-0 game most of the way before Cotuit scored six runs in the late innings. Connor Castellano (Sante Fe CC) hit a home run and drove in three, while Mike Ford (Princeton) went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Alex Haines (Seton Hill), the NECBL’s top prospect last year, struck out seven in four scoreless innings. Christian Cecilio (San Francisco) picked up the win with 3.2 scoreless innings of relief. Falmouth starter Craig Schlitter (Bryant) allowed just a run in five innings, but the bullpen gave up six runs.

 

Orleans 4, Brewster 3

Orleans (2-1) rallied past Brewster (0-3) for a 4-3 victory. The Firebirds trailed 3-0 but scored a run in the third, two in the seventh and one in the eighth to grab the lead. Jordan Betts (Duke) scored the eventual winning run on an error in the eighth. Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) had two hits and two RBI to lead the Firebirds and Zach Fish (Oklahoma State) also drove in a run. On the mound, the Firebirds used six pitchers. Garrett Cole (UMass-Lowell) was credited with the win, and Matt Troupe (Arizona) picked up his second save with a second straight dominant outing. Troupe has recorded six outs in his two saves, all by strikeout.

 

What to Watch

Chatham will try to make it five in a row when it hosts Falmouth at 7 p.m. Andrew Chin (Boston College), a fifth-round pick out of high school, is slated to get the start for the Anglers. He pitched three scoreless innings of relief and got the win on opening night. Falmouth counters with John Means, who had a solid season for West Virginia.

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Worth the Wait

Steve Wilkerson, pictured last year, drove in two runs as Hyannis won its long-awaited season opener in walk-off fashion Saturday night.
One team had played three games. Most had played two. Everybody else had played at least one.

The Hyannis Harbor Hawks waited.

Their first three games were postponed due to rain and soggy field conditions at McKeon Park. When the Harbor Hawks got the all clear Saturday night, they got their money’s worth.

Hyannis rallied from a 4-2 deficit against unbeaten Falmouth and won 5-4 in 12 innings. Ryan Padilla’s pinch-hit, walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th clinched it.

It was a welcome start for the Harbor Hawks, who missed the playoffs last year. With Falmouth coming to town, getting off on the right foot figured to be tough. The Commodores have scored the most runs in the league thus far and while most lineups are being shuffled around from one day to the next, Falmouth’s has been pretty steady.

Hyannis countered with a strong outing from starter Cy Sneed (Dallas Baptist), who allowed just a run on two hits in five innings, but Falmouth broke through against the bullpen with four runs in the sixth inning. A two-run double by Kevin Cron (TCU) was the big blow.

But the Harbor Hawks responded an inning later, tying the score at 4-4 on a two-run double by Steve Wilkerson (Clemson). Wilkerson was a Harbor Hawk in 2012 and the rising senior is back on a temporary contract. He went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI in his 2013 debut.

The next four innings were scoreless, with the bullpens doing solid work, but Hyannis broke through in the 12th. Will Maddox (Tennessee) was hit by a pitch to start it and stole second. Wilkerson singled and took second on defensive indifference. An intentional walk loaded the bases with one out. After Falmouth got the second out, Padilla (New Mexico) came off the bench and singled in the winning run.

The Harbor Hawks could celebrate – finally.

 

Chatham 5, Brewster 4

Chatham (3-0) is your only undefeated team, and the Anglers owe their latest win to more late-inning heroics. After a walk-off victory over Cotuit on Friday, the Anglers delivered another walk-off on Saturday against Brewster (0-2). With the game tied 4-4 in the ninth, Dante Flores (USC) plated Brandon Sedell (Nova Southeastern) with a base hit to give the Anglers their third victory in as many games. It was the first hit of the season for Flores, who had been 0-for-6. The rally made a winner out of Jacob Dorris (Texas A&M Corpus Christi), who allowed an unearned run in two innings of relief. Connor Joe (San Diego), who’s had a hit in every game, went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jake Stinnett (Maryland) gave Brewster a quality start with six strikeouts in five scoreless innings.

 

Cotuit 3, Wareham 2

The Kettleers (2-1) didn’t win on a walk-off, but had some late-inning magic of their own. Wareham’s Fred Shepard (Amherst) mystified the Kettleers for six innings, allowing just two hits in that span, but they got to him for three in the seventh, and that was the difference. Trailing 1-0, Cotuit scored the tying run and chased Shepard. Cotuit greeted reliever Ryan Riga (Ohio State) with a two-rin single by Will Remillard (Coastal Carolina). Mike Ford (Princeton), who had come on in the fifth, sealed the victory for the Kettleers by working out of james in the eighth and ninth innings. Remillard had two hits to lead the offense, as did Hunter Cole (Georgia). Trevor Podratz (Hawaii) homered for Wareham (0-2).

 

Orleans 3, Y-D 0

Orleans trotted out a whopping six pitchers, and they combined on a shutout as the Firebirds (1-1) picked up their first win of the season over Y-D (2-2). Lucas Long (San Diego) was credited with the victory, while Matt Troupe (Arizona) struck out the side in a perfect ninth to pick up the save. Troupe was the third straight pitcher to strike out the side for Orleans. Brian Clark (Kent State) did it in the seventh and Jeremy Rhoades (Illinois State) did it in the eighth. Orleans got all the offense it needed in the third thanks to a bases-loaded double by Austin Davidson (Pepperdine).

 

Harwich 4, Bourne 1

The Mariners (2-1) took a lead in the top of the first and never trailed en route to the victory over Bourne, who remained winless at 0-3. Ian Happ (Cincinnati), Ben Moore (Alabama) and Aaron Barbosa (Northeastern) drove in runs for the Mariners, while A.J. Reed (Kentucky) delivered a strong start in his 2013 pitching debut. Reed, one of the top two-way players in the country, struck out five and allowed one run on four hits in six innings. Chris Oliver (Arkansas) got the save.

 

What to Watch

A pair of 2-1 teams meet in a West showdown as Falmouth hosts Cotuit. Craig Schlitter (Bryant) a stand-out last year, is back on a temporary contract and is slated to start for Falmouth. Alex Haines, who is from Seton Hill (not Seton Hall) starts for Cotuit. Haines struck out 91 in 76.2 innings this season for the D-II Griffins. He was Baseball America’s top prospect in the NECBL last summer and was a 33rd round pick of the Rockies a few weeks ago.