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The Real Kettleers

Yale Rosen slides in safely for Cotuit during a game this week.

 
You could make a pretty good team out of players who have left Cotuit this summer. From Max Schrock, Will Remillard, Aramis Garcia and Brad Zimmer to Trevor Seidenberger and Dusty Isaacs, you’d be in good shape.

The latest loss is the biggest. Mike Ford arrived for his second summer in Cotuit coming off a draft in which he didn’t hear his name called despite a spring that will go down in Ivy League annals. Ford’s goal was to hook on with a Major League team – and he’s done it. He is expected to sign with the New York Yankees this week.

Ford, who was fresh off a 4-for-4, two home run day, was an MVP candidate. He could make the all-departed Kettleers squad a Cape League contender.

But I have a feeling the real Kettleers would still find a way.

On the day they said farewell to Ford, Cotuit beat Bourne 2-1 and took a three-point lead on Hyannis for first place in the West. The Kettleers – despite all the personnel losses, and despite having had 41 different players don their uniform – have the second-best record in the league.

On Tuesday, they got another strong pitching performance from Jared Walsh (Georgia), who continues to lead the league in ERA at 0.36. The only caveat is that Walsh hasn’t pitched deep into games – he doesn’t have a win or a loss – but he’s been so steady that he’s often set Cotuit on a path to victory.

He went 4.1 scoreless innings against the Braves, striking out three and allowing just one hit. Joel Seddon (South Carolina) allowed his first run of the year in relief but kept Cotuit in front and picked up the victory. Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) turned in his third-straight two-inning stint and picked up the save.

Kyle Kubat (Nebraska) was strong in six innings of work for the Braves, but two unearned runs made the difference. Danny Diekroeger (Stanford) led the Cotuit offense with two hits, while Yale Rosen (Washington State) and Jake Fincher (NC State) had one RBI each.

Cotuit would have loved to have Mike Ford adding a home run to the victory or any of the former Kettleers chipping in. That’s not going to happen, but it sure looks like the Kettleers will be making the best of it anyway.

 

Harwich 3, Chatham 0

Chandler Shepherd (Kentucky) turned in his third scoreless start of the summer and his bullpen finished the job as the Mariners (16-13) knocked off first-place Chatham (9-9-1). Shepherd had gone six shutout innings twice before, and this one may have out-done the first two. He struck out eight and gave up just three hits against a Chatham team that’s been the best in the league. Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State) worked two scoreless innings in relief before Chris Oliver (Arkansas) struck out the side around a walk in the ninth for the save. Aaron Barbosa (Northeastern) had two hits and an RBI to lead the Mariner attack. Derek Fisher (Virginia) and Branden Cogswell (Virginia) drove in the other runs. Harwich has won three straight.

 

Orleans 6, Hyannis 5

The Firebirds had dropped five in a row and – with Brewster hot on their heels – they were in danger of falling into the East basement. They stopped the streak and avoided that drop in the most dramatic fashion possible. With his team trailing 5-4 and Hyannis closer Eric Eck (Wofford) on the mound, Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) drove in the tying and winning runs with a base hit as Orleans walked off with a 6-5 victory over a Hyannis team that generally doesn’t lose close games. The Firebirds had also rallied for two runs in the eighth after Hyannis had gone up 4-2. The rally made a winner out of Brian Clark (Kent State), who went three innings and actually gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth. Collin Slaybaugh (Washington State) had four hits to lead the Firebirds, who had said goodbye to an injured Greg Allen (San Diego State) earlier in the day. For Hyannis, Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) and Skyler Ewing (Rice) both hit their fourth home runs of the season. Ewing went 4-for-5 and now ranks third in the league in hitting.

 

Falmouth 5, Y-D 1

The Commodores had gone 1-4 in their last five, with the only win coming against Y-D. They matched up with Y-D again Tuesday and used a four-run seventh to pick up another victory, snapping a two-game skid. They’re now 16-12, a point back of Hyannis for second in the West. Troy Stein (Texas A&M) went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI to lead Falmouth. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) and Leon Byrd, Jr. (Rice) drove in one run each. On the mound, John Means (West Virginia) went six innings without allowing an earned run. He struck out three. Donny Murray (Holy Cross) got the victory.

 

Brewster 5, Wareham 1

The Whitecaps (11-17) won for the fifth time in seven tries and remained two points out of fourth in the East. Brandon Leibrandt (Florida State) was dominant for a second-straight start, allowing just an unearned run on three hits in five innings. He now has a 1.59 ERA and hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last two starts. Nick Lynch (UC Davis) went 1-for-3 with three RBI to pace the offense, while Nicholas Vazquez (Pittsburgh) and Cole Lankford (Texas A&M) also drove in runs. For Wareham, Sean Newcomb (Hartford) was a bright spot. The big lefty – who started on opening night then missed a big chunk of time with illness – had his best performance since returning. He struck out five in three innings of relief.

 

What to Watch

Just two games on the schedule today. Orleans visits Hyannis and Wareham heads to Bourne. Both are 6 p.m. starts. In Hyannis, Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) will make his third start of the summer.

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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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Birds on Fire

Zach Fish homered last night and has been part of a huge stretch for the middle of the Orleans batting order.

This time last year, the Harwich Mariners were already well on their way to a historic season of long balls.

The 2013 Orleans Firebirds will not match them – they’re not even a third of the way to Harwich’s one-month total – but in the return of the pitcher-friendly Cape League, they’re doing their best.

The Firebirds lead the league with eight home runs, and the middle of their order is steadily emerging as the best in the league. Thanks to a home run by Zach Fish (Oklahoma State) and another solid night by the rest of the big bats, Orleans knocked off Harwich – the hottest team in the East – with a 6-2 victory. The Firebirds are now 6-4, tied with Harwich for second place and a half-game back of Chatham.

The Firebirds have won two in a row and three of four, a stretch that started with a 17-12 mauling of Y-D.

Their three biggest bats have done a lot of the damage. Over the last four games, Jordan Luplow (Fresno State), Chris Marconcini (Duke) and Fish have hit .388 with four home runs, two doubles, 11 runs scored and 19 RBI. Marconcini, who hit eight home runs for Duke this spring, has been the best of the bunch, going 9-for-18 with two homers, five runs and nine RBI. He leads the league in hitting with a .376 average. He’s tied for second in home runs and ranks second in RBI.

On Monday, he took a backseat to Fish, whose third inning two-run homer put the Firebirds in control. Luplow and Marconcini each added a hit, while Austin Davidson (Pepperdine), another key contributor went 2-for-4 with three runs scored. Recent arrival Vince Conde (Vanderbilt) chipped in two hits and an RBI.

Corey Miller (Pepperdine) got the win for the Firebirds with five strong innings.

 

Chatham 6, Cotuit 4

Cotuit took Chatham’s spot atop Perfect Game’s latest summer collegiate league rankings, but the Anglers got the best of the Kettleers for the second time this season. The teams now have matching 7-4 records. Chatham starter Andrew McGee (Monmouth) continued his early-season dominance, striking out eight and allowing just one earned run in seven innings. That was the first run he’s allowed all year, and he leads the league in strikeouts with 20. Connor Joe (San Diego) and Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) each hit home runs to lead the Chatham offense. Josh Eldridge (Old Dominion) drove in two key runs in the ninth as Chatham held off a late charge by the Kettleers. Max Schrock (South Carolina) had three hits to lead Cotuit.

 

Hyannis 6, Falmouth 4

The Harbor Hawks trailed 4-1 into the sixth but rallied to tie it then won in the 11th inning and are now 7-3, a half-game ahead of Cotuit and Chatham for the best mark in the league. Skyler Ewing (Rice) doubled in the tying run in the ninth. In the 11th, Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) knocked in the go-ahead run. Eric Eck (Wofford) got the win for the Harbor Hawks and Andrew Istler (Duke) came on in the bottom of the 11th to get the save. Steve Wilkerson (Clemson), Ryan Padilla (New Mexico) and Drew Stankiewicz (Arizona State) all had two hits for the Harbor Hawks. Leon Byrd, Jr. (Rice) went 4-for-5 with two RBI and two stolen bases for the Commodores (6-5).

 

Y-D 9, Bourne 1

After giving up 40 runs in its last three games, Y-D (4-7) got a much-needed quality pitching performance from Erick Fedde (UNLV) in an easy win over Bourne (5-6). Fedde, who had already turned in two solid starts, gave up just one run on five hits in seven innings and struck out five. He has a 0.92 ERA and ranks second in the league in strikeouts. The Red Sox offense – which has been steady but just unable to keep up in some slugfests – did the rest, scoring five runs in the first and cruising from there. Taylor Gushue (Florida) went 2-for-5 with two RBI and Brandon Downes (Virginia) also drove in two runs. Andrew Daniel (San Diego), Robert Pehl (Washington) and D.J. Stewart (Florida State) all had two hits. Bourne had won five straight before blowout losses the last two nights.

 

Brewster 6, Wareham 4

The Whitecaps (3-7) and Gatemen (2-9) got together for the second straight night, but this time Brewster prevailed. Jose Brizuela (Florida State) and Keaton Aldridge (Memphis) each had three hits and two RBI for the Whitecaps, while Cole Lankford (Texas A&M) had three hits and knocked in one. Corey Taylor (Texas Tech) got his second win in three days with two scoreless innings of relief. Brad Schreiber (Purdue) picked up the save.

 

What to Watch

Y-D could use another solid pitching performance and may have the right guy on the hill as it hosts Chatham at 5 p.m. Jeremy Null, who ranked 17th in the nation in strikeouts at Western Carolina, will make his first start after three relief appearances. Aaron Garza (Houston) goes for Chatham.

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A New Streak

Jaron Long, pictured last year, tossed five strong innings as the Braves knocked off Chatham on Wednesday.

 
On Sunday, the Bourne Braves were 0-4.

On Wednesday, they improved to 3-4 and celebrated an impressive victory. The Braves knocked off Chatham 1-0, ending the Anglers’ run of six straight wins to open the season.

Four pitchers combined to shut-out the Anglers, who lead the league in hitting and hadn’t scored fewer than four runs in any game this year. Jaron Long (Ohio State), who had a 3.46 ERA for the Braves last year, made his return and tossed five shutout innings, scattering five hits and striking out seven. Ryan Harris (Florida) allowed one hit in two innings, before Nigel Nootbaar (USC) and Trace Dempsey (Ohio State) finished it off with a hitless inning each.

Aaron Garza (Houston) pitched well for Chatham, allowing one run in five innings, but that one run was the difference. The Braves scored it in the third, when Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) – who finished 3-for-3 – singled, stole second and raced home on a two-out RBI single by Mason Robbins (Southern Miss). Pentecost is now hitting .389.

Just like that, the Cape League has no more undefeated teams. I’m sure Chatham will be fine – no shame in ending a six-game winning streak with a 1-0 loss.

The real takeaway is that Bourne is in a surge of its own – and could be primed for more. In their three straight wins, the Braves have pounded 39 hits. Their pitching staff, which already ranks second in ERA, is about to get better, with Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic) and Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) scheduled to make their first starts in the next two games. Gomber went 8-4 with a 2.97 ERA and 103 strikeouts for Florida Atlantic this spring. Kellogg, a freshman, was 11-1 with a 3.15 ERA for the Sun Devils.

Look out for the Braves.

 

Cotuit 6, Orleans 3

While Chatham saw its streak end, Cotuit kept winning. The Kettleers have won five in a row and now own the same 6-1 record as the Anglers. Ben Smith (Coastal Carolina) went five strong innings for the win and Brian Miller, the Vanderbilt closer this spring, picked up his first save of the summer. At the plate, Mike Ford (Princeton) continued his tremendous start with a 3-for-5 day. He’s now hitting .412. Elliott Caldwell (Spartanburg Methodist), who’s headed to South Carolina next year, made his second start of the year and blasted a home run. Hunter Cole (Georgia) and Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) each had two hits. Cole has four multi-hit games this summer, most in the league. In a losing effort, Orleans (3-3) actually hit three home runs, the first time this summer that a team has hit more than one homer in a game. Will Fulmer (Montevallo), Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) and Jordan Betts (Duke) hit the homers.

 

Brewster 7, Hyannis 0

The Whitecaps (1-5) broke into the win column with a shutout of the Harbor Hawks, who have been shut-out twice in a row after their 3-0 start. Justin Kamplain (Alabama) was dominant for the Whitecaps, striking out eight and giving up just two hits in six innings. His Alabama teammate Jonathan Keller added two scoreless frames and Brad Schreiber (Purdue) finished it off with a scoreless ninth. The seven runs were a season-high. Trevor Mitsui (Washington), Joe Chavez (UC Riverside) and Chris Mariscal (Fresno State) had a hit and an RBI each. Austin Bailey (San Diego) went 2-for-3.

 

Harwich 5, Wareham 1

Harwich (3-3) scored three in the first and never looked back en route to a win over the Gatemen (1-5). Making his final start before returning to South Bend, Notre Dame two-sport star Pat Connaughton struck out seven and gave up just one run in five innings for the win. Sean Fitzgerald (Notre Dame) and Ian Tompkins (Western Kentucky) finished it off. C.J. Hinojosa (Texas), who now has a four-game hitting streak, went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Tanner English (South Carolina) and Ben Moore (Alabama) drove in one run each. Derek Fisher (Virginia), the Northwoods League top prospect last summer, made his Cape debut and drove in a run.

 

Y-D 8, Falmouth 4

In a battle of teams that have been up-and-down, the Red Sox (3-4) broke out with all eight of their runs over the final four innings to beat the Commodores (3-4). Wayne Taylor (Stanford), who had only one hit in his first three games, led the charge by going 4-for-4 with an RBI. Cole Peragine (Stony Brook) went 2-for-3 and also knocked in a run. Matt Honchel (Miami of Ohio), Brandon Downes (Virginia) and Kyle Wood (Purdue) all had two hits each, while Florida State standout D.J. Stewart had a hit and a run scored in his Cape League debut. On the mound, Dan Altavilla (Mercyhurst) got the win in relief. Max Murphy (Bradley) knocked in two runs for the Commodores. Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) saw his season-long hitting streak come to an end with an 0-for-5.

 

What to Watch

Just one game on the schedule tonight as Hyannis hosts Wareham at 6 p.m. The Harbor Hawks will send UC Santa Barbara standout Austin Pettibone to the hill. He ranked 12th in the nation in innings pitched this spring and had a 2.98 ERA. The Wareham starter is TBA.