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The Stars are Out

Cotuit's Mike Ford is the Cape League's leading hitter through 10 games.

 
Ten games is not a lot in a baseball season, but in one as short as the Cape League’s, it’s not an insignificant amount. We’re almost a quarter of the way through the season.

Ten games in, hot starts can begin turning into trends. Stars can begin to cement their spots.

Two stars were on full display last night.

Cotuit’s Mike Ford (Princeton) hit a home run and went 2-for-4 to maintain his place as the league’s leading hitter with a .429 average. Falmouth’s Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) also homered and now leads the league in home runs with three and RBI with 11.

For both, it’s a welcomed start.

Ford hit .252 for Cotuit last year. He pitches too and had an ERA over six. This spring, though, he made history at Princeton, where he was named Ivy League Player and Pitcher of the Year, the first person ever to hit that double. He came back to Cotuit on a temporary contract, but I’m guessing he’ll stick around. He owns a 1.92 ERA in 4.2 innings on the mound to go with his work at the plate.

Hoskins was the WAC Freshman of the Year in 2012 when he hit .353 with 10 home runs, but he didn’t have a great summer in the West Coast League. He hit just .237. This spring, his numbers dipped to .283 and three home runs.

But this summer, Hoskins has been fantastic. He has played in every one of Falmouth’s games and has gotten at least one hit in all but one of them. In his last three games – which came after his one hitless performance – he’s gone 6-for-12 with two home runs and seven RBI.

Ford and Hoskins are also helping their teams pile up the victories. Cotuit beat Hyannis 7-2 last night to take over first-place in the West. Steven Duggar (Clemson) and Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) had three hits each in addition to Ford’s good night. Joel Seddon (South Carolina) got the win with 3.2 scoreless innings of relief.

Falmouth hit the road to take on a red-hot Bourne team and shut the Braves down completely, winning 8-0 for their third straight victory. Joseph Maggi (Arizona), Kevin Cron (TCU), Conner Hale (State College of Florida) and Troy Stein (Texas A&M) joined Hoskins with two hits apiece. John Means (West Virginia) went 5.2 innings for his first win.

 

Harwich 8, Y-D 0

Harwich (6-3) won its fourth straight game as Y-D found itself on the wrong end of a rough night again. The Red Sox (3-7) have given up 40 runs in their last three games. Harwich, meanwhile, has allowed a total of four runs in its winning streak. Chandler Shepherd (Kentucky) continued the string of quality starts with six shutout innings. He struck out one and allowed three hits. Jake Drossner (Maryland) and Michael Costello (Radford) finished it off. The offense was led by Gunnar Heidt (College of Charleson), who hit a third-inning grand slam on his way to a five-RBI night. Tanner English (South Carolina) and Derek Fisher (Virginia) also drove in runs.

 

Orleans 6, Chatham 5

After blowing a 5-0 lead in the seventh inning, the Firebirds (5-4) scored a run in the ninth to beat Chatham (6-4) by a run. Chris Marconcini (Duke) was the hero as his solo home run in the ninth got the Firebirds back in front. It was his second home run in three games and was part of a 3-for-5 night. Matt Troupe (Arizona), who had come on in the eighth, sealed the win with a scoreless ninth. Zach Fish (Oklahoma State) also went 3-for-5 for the Firebirds. On the mound, Bobby Poyner (Florida) delivered a strong start with five scoreless innings. Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga) had three hits and two RBI to lead Chatham.

 

Wareham 3, Brewster 1

The Gatemen (2-8) snapped a six-game losing streak by shutting down the Whitecaps, who were coming off a 14-run explosion the night before. Andro Cutura (Southeastern Louisiana) turned in his second strong start for Wareham, striking out six in five shutout innings. Dillon Ortman (Auburn) and Dalton Brown (Texas Tech) finished the job. The Wareham offense still didn’t smash the ball but did rack up nine hits. Cole Stancil (St. Leo) went 2-for-3 while Will Schwanke (Arkansas) and Brock Stewart (Illinois State) drove in runs.

 

What to Watch

Chatham and Cotuit – who were the league’s hottest teams in week one – get together for their second meeting at 5 p.m. in Cotuit. The last time they met, Chatham won in a walk-off. This time, the Anglers send ace Andrew McGee (Monmouth) to the hill. He ranks third in the league in strikeouts and hasn’t allowed a run in his two starts. Cotuit counters with Jared Walsh (Georgia), who’s given up just one run in his two starts.

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Streaking Start

Connor Castellano is off to a great start for the 4-1 Cotuit Kettleers.

 
The beginnings of a Cape Cod Baseball League summer are often short on clear lines. Everybody’s shuffling – and a lot of times, everybody’s 3-2 or 2-3.

Not so in 2013.

Chatham is 5-0, the best start for any Cape League team since the 2007 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, a club that won the league title and featured Buster Posey and Gordon Beckham. Hyannis is 3-0, having made up for lost time after its first two games were postponed. And Cotuit has ridden a three-game winning streak to a 4-1 start.

All three are impressive. The most interesting streak belongs to Cotuit.

Chatham and Hyannis are succeeding in part because they have the teams they thought they’d have. For both, only six players who weren’t on initial rosters are playing now – which is among the lowest numbers in the league at this point.

On the flip side, 33 players have taken the field for Cotuit – and 17 of them were not on the team’s roster a few weeks ago. Whether they’re temporary contracts or late pickups, it’s a juggling act for the Kettleers.

They have made it work.

Cotuit’s only loss was by a run in a walk-off to undefeated Chatham. The Kettleers moved to 4-1 on Monday with a 6-1 victory over Brewster.

Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) led the charge in the latest win, going 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and an RBI. Hunter Cole (Georgia) continued his hot start with a 2-for-4 day, and he’s not hitting .400. Connor Castellano (Sante Fe CC), a TCU commit who’s in town on a temporary contract, had another big night, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and his fourth stolen base. He ranks second in the league in hitting, is tied for the league lead in RBI, and ranks second in stolen bases.

Another temp, Eric Karch (Pepperdine), got the start on the mound and the victory on Monday. He struck out four and allowed one run in five innings. Joel Seddon (South Carolina) followed with two scoreless innings. And for good measure, another temp, Trevor Seidenberger (TCU) finished the job with three strikeouts over the final two frames.

The roster juggling will continue over the next few weeks as Cotuit decides who’s staying and who’s going. But if five games are any indication, the winning will continue too.

 

Chatham 4, Falmouth 2

The Anglers ran their record to 5-0 with another steady performance. Andrew Chin (Boston College), who pitched out of the bullpen for a win on opening night, picked up another victory with five strong innings. He struck out two and didn’t allow a hit until the fourth. The Chatham offense – which has scored the most runs in the league and has the best batting average by more than 50 points – also kept it up and did its part. Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) hit the team’s first home run and Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga) also drove in a run. Connor Joe (San Diego) and Brandon Sedell (Nova Southeastern) had one hit apiece. Jacob Dorris (Texas A&M Corpus Christi), who saved 13 games this spring, made his second appearance of the summer and worked a scoreless frame for his first save. For Falmouth, Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) hit a home run and Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) had a double. Richard Martin, Jr. (Florida) stole his league-leading sixth base.

 

Hyannis 5, Wareham 4

The Harbor Hawks moved to 3-0 with a comeback win over the Gatemen (1-3). Wareham led 3-0 into the seventh, with Andro Cutura (Southeastern Louisiana) cruising on the mound, but Hyannis scored a run there and four in the eighth to take a lead it never lost. Chase Griffin (Georgia Southern) led the charge with two hits and an RBI, while Tyler Spoon (Arkansas), Dominic Jose (Stanford) and Ryan Padilla (New Mexico) all drove in a run. Patrick Andrews (Clemson) got the win in relief and Eric Eck (Wofford) picked up the save, getting out of a two-on, two-out jam in the bottom of the ninth.

 

Bourne 6, Orleans

Bourne picked up its first victory of the season in dramatic fashion, walking off with a win in the bottom of the 10th inning. Michael Martin (Harvard) knocked in Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) with a base hit to give the Braves the victory. The alternative would have made for a frustrating night – the Braves pounded out 17 hits, a league-high this season. Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) and Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) led the way with three hits apiece, while Clinton Freeman (East Tennessee State) had two hits and two RBI. On the mound, the Braves used seven pitchers. Cody Livingston (Southern Mississippi) picked up the win.

 

What to Watch

Several pitchers who were impressive on opening night will make their second starts tonight. Erick Fedde (UNLV) goes for Y-D at Cotuit after striking out eight in his debut, while Andrew McGee (Monmouth) tries to build on a nine-strikeout debut as Chatham visits Hyannis in a battle of the only unbeaten teams in the league. In Falmouth, standout lefty Brandon Finnegan (TCU) will make his second and final start before departing for Team USA.