Four Hundred

Andrew Calica went 1-for-3 Sunday, finishing with a .425 batting average.

Andrew Calica made his Cape Cod Baseball League debut on June 23 at Spillane Field. He batted ninth for Wareham and went 0-for-3 in a 4-0 loss.

It was not a sign of things to come.

From that beginning, Calica authored one of the best seasons at the plate in Cape League history. With a 1-for-3 night in Sunday’s regular season finale, Calica finished with a .425 batting average. Forty-eight hits in 113 at-bats. And a long list of achievements:

Calica’s average is the highest in the league since Terry Steinbach hit .431 for Cotuit in 1982 — with a metal bat.

Calica’s mark is the highest since the league switched to wood bats in 1985.

His average cracks the top five in Cape League history, ranking fifth.

Calica becomes the first player to finish with an average above .400 in 25 years, since Mark Smith hit .408 for Wareham in 1990.

In this day and age, batting average is not one of the cool stats. There are better ways to measure value. And as was the case when Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown took a back-seat to an MVP debate, value-driven stats tend to bury other numbers.

They shouldn’t. Hitting .400 is a big deal.

A Cape League season may be a small sample – and Calica arrived two weeks late – but if hitting .400 was easy, then it wouldn’t have taken 25 years to do it. It was reasonable to wonder if it would ever happen again.

Calica was the guy to break through. The 6’1, 190-pound outfielder hit .329 in his redshirt sophomore season at UC Santa Barbara this spring. He had hit .310 in his first full season with the Gauchos.

Following his 0-for-3 debut for Wareham, he went 3-for-4 the next night. That was a sign of a things to come.

Calica would go on to 16 multi-hit games out of 31 games played. Most of the hits were singles – 45 out of 48, to be exact, with two doubles and a homer mixed in – but Calica just kept knocking base hits.

He kept his average above .400 into mid-July, though he was off the qualifying pace for the batting title.

On July 15, Calica went 0-for-4 against Chatham. He went 0-for-4 again the next night, then 0-for-3. His average was at .371. He was human.

In his next five games, he went 15-for-23. That stretch included a 5-for-5 night against Hyannis on July 23. It was the moment when .400 became a true possibility.

Calica would stay well above the mark the rest of the way. When he finally reached the qualifying number for plate appearances – naturally, with a 3-for-4 night – his average was at .439 with four games to go.

He played in all four of those games and had a hit in all four. Sunday, with .400 all but secure – he would have had to go 0-for-8 to fall under .400 – Calica delivered a third-inning single for hit number 48, the finishing touch on a remarkable season.

The Cape League’s 400 club finally has a new member.

End of the Road

After pushing the teams above them to the limit, Falmouth and Harwich both bowed out of the playoff race with one-run losses Sunday.

The Commodores would have been in with a win, but lost a 10-inning heartbreaker 6-5 to Bourne. Trailing 5-4 in the ninth, Falmouth kept its season alive on a sacrifice fly by Tristan Gray (Rice), but Bourne pushed a run across in the top of the 10th. J.B. Woodman (Ole Miss) doubled with one out in the bottom half but was stranded at second by Braves reliever Nick Jensen-Clagg (Kent State).

Heading into Sunday, Harwich needed a little more help than Falmouth and got it when both Chatham and Y-D lost their finales. But Brewster scored early and often and held off a late charge for an 8-7 win over the Mariners.

Nick Senzel (Tennessee) homered, while J.C. Escarra (Florida International) and Ryan Peurifoy (Georgia Tech) delivered two hits each for the Whitecaps. The Mariners started down the comeback trail with three in the sixth but would get no closer than one run. Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s) struck out the side in the ninth to finish it off.

Thanks to those losses, playoff seedings are as follows:

East
1. Orleans
2. Brewster
3. Y-D
4. Chatham

West
1. Hyannis
2. Bourne
3. Wareham
4. Cotuit

Wareham 7, Cotuit 4

While three teams lost their finales but still clinched playoff spots, Wareham got in with a win. The Gatemen used a five-run sixth inning to break open a close game and held on from there. Kramer Robertson (LSU) and Connor Beck (TCU) had two hits and two RBI each to lead the charge. Ian Hamilton (Washington State) struck out nine in 5.1 innings for the win. Evan Hill (Michigan) went the final 3.2 innings for the save.

Orleans 8, Chatham 4

Orleans won its fourth straight to close the season and matched the 31-12-1 record of the 2007 Y-D Red Sox, the best mark of the last 15 years. Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) finished off his home run crown with his 12th (in 27 games). Tres Barrera (Texas) also homered, Willie Abreu (Miami) had three hits, and Kyle Lewis (Mercer), Alex Call (Ball State) and Bryan Reynolds (Vanderbilt) chipped in two hits each. Parker Bean (Liberty) was credited with the win in relief. Chatham finished the season on a four-game losing streak, including two in a row to Orleans. The two will meet again in the opening round of the playoffs.

Hyannis 5, Y-D 4

Hyannis completed its wire-to-wire run atop the West with a 5-4 win over Y-D. Bobby Melley (Connecticut), who had played only three games this summer and none since June 14, returned with a bang, going 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) homered as part of a three-hit night. Blake Quinn (Cal State Fullerton) went six strong innings for the win.

What to Watch

Teams will jump right into the playoffs tonight. The schedule:

Y-D at Brewster, 4 p.m.
Cotuit at Hyannis, 6 p.m.
Wareham at Bourne, 6 p.m.
Chatham at Orleans, 7 p.m.

July 16, 2015July 16, 2015

Four-for-Four

Nick Solak and Bourne improved to 4-0 against Hyannis this summer with a win Wednesday.

For most of the summer, the West Division standings have had Hyannis at the top and nobody else particularly close. The Harbor Hawks are 17-13 right now and no other team is even above .500.

But in that landscape, a funny thing has happened: Bourne has consistently gotten the better of the first-place Harbor Hawks.

With a 3-2 victory Wednesday night at Doran Park, the Braves moved to 4-0 against Hyannis this summer. That’s nearly a third of their 13 total wins on the season. Hyannis still owns a six-point lead on the second-place Braves but it would be a whole lot bigger if not for their head-to-head series.

Wednesday, the Harbor Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning and made it 2-0 in the sixth. Starter Vance Tatum (Mississippi State) was cruising with the lead and took a no-hitter into the fifth.

Even from that beginning, Bourne still found a way.

The Braves scored three runs in the sixth inning, with a double by Jacob Robson (Mississippi State) and a single by Camden Duzenack (Dallas Baptist) setting up RBI for Pete Alonso (Florida), Corey Julks (Houston) and Reid Humphreys (Mississippi State).

Bourne’s Indiana State bullpen tandem then took over. Ryan Keaffaber, who had served up a home run in the top of the sixth, worked a scoreless seventh and college teammate Austin Conway followed with two perfect innings en route to his seventh save.

The Harbor Hawks got two hits from Blake Tiberi (Louisville), who now qualifies for the batting average leaderboard – and vaulted to the top spot with his .380 average. They also got the first home run of the summer from recent arrival Matt Thaiss, who won a national championship with Virginia.

But against Bourne, nothing the Harbor Hawks do has mattered much.

The Braves have their number.

Orleans 12, Harwich 3

Orleans is on its third streak of at least four wins this summer thanks to a 12-3 drubbing of Harwich last night. The Firebirds scored five runs in each of the first two innings as they put the game away quickly. Nick Zammarelli (Elon), who’s quietly been one of the team’s steadiest performers, had a loud night, hitting a three-run homer in the first and knocking in two with a single in the second. He finished 2-for-4 with five RBI. Willie Abreu (Miami) and Alex Call (Ball State) drove in two runs each. Leadoff man Bryan Reynolds (Vanderbilt) scored three runs. Starting pitcher Kyle Serrano (Tennessee) allowed two runs in four innings. Carmen Benedetti (Michigan) got the win in relief.

Y-D 4, Falmouth 3

The Firebirds aren’t the only hot team in the East, as Y-D pushed its win streak to five in dramatic fashion with a 4-3 walk-off victory over Falmouth. With the game tied 3-3 in the ninth, the Red Sox strung together four straight singles, with the fourth one winning the game. Tommy Edman (Stanford) delivered it, plating Joshua Vidales (Houston) with the winning run. Earlier in the at-bat, Edman had failed to get down a squeeze bunt, which caused the runner from third to get tagged out in a rundown. Edman then came through and now has a hit in 10 straight games and ranks fourth in the league in hitting at .341. Vidales and Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) each had three hits. Chad Hockin (Cal State Fullerton) made his first appearance of the summer and got the win with three innings of relief. Y-D improved to 16-14, tied with Brewster for third place in the East.

Brewster 2, Cotuit 1

The Whitecaps stayed hot with a little late drama as well, edging Cotuit for their third straight win. Trailing 1-0 in the ninth, the Whitecaps tied it on a J.C. Escarra (Florida International) RBI single and won it later in the inning when Escarra raced in from third on a wild pitch. Brewster had been shut-out by Jon Woodcock (Virginia Tech) but had managed to stay within a run thanks to a strong pitching performance of its own. Alex Schick (California) gave up one run in 6.1 innings Four relievers teamed up for the final 2.2 innings and allowed just one hit.

Chatham 2, Wareham 1

The Anglers rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to slip past Wareham at Veterans Field. Daulton Jefferies (California) made his return from Team USA for the Gatemen and allowed one run in four innings, but Chatham pushed through against the Gatemen bullpen, plating the go-ahead run in the seventh on an RBI single by Todd Czinege (Villanova). Brandon Miller (Millersville) earned the win with three scoreless innings of relief. Cameron Stone (Stony Brook) and Aaron McGarity (Virginia Tech) finished off the victory. Aaron Barnett (Peppedine) added two hits and an RBI for the Anglers.

What to Watch

Nothing on the schedule today. When games get going again Friday, Orleans will host Brewster in a battle of streaking East teams.

July 6, 2015July 6, 2015

Raising the Cup

JaVon Shelby had a big day as Hyannis rolled past Cotuit.

I saw news last night that Hyannis had won the Barnstable Patriot Cup and didn’t believe it. The season isn’t even halfway over, I told myself. There’s no way they could have done it that quickly.

Well, the season is halfway over, exactly halfway in fact. And Hyannis won the rivalry trophy as quickly as possible.

The Harbor Hawks beat the Kettleers 11-5 at McKeon Park for their fourth win in four games against the Kettleers. That clinches the six-game season series between the teams and brings the cup to Hyannis.

Hyannis has had a lot of people’s number on its wire-to-wire run in the West, but Cotuit has had a particularly tough time. The Harbor Hawks won the first meeting 5-0 and the second 7-3. Cotuit made a push in the third match-up, losing 2-1.

Sunday, Hyannis grabbed the cup with a flourish, racing to an 11-0 lead in the first six innings of the game. Errol Robinson (Ole Miss) went 3-for-4 with three RBI while JaVon Shelby (Kentucky) went 3-for-5 with an RBI. The league’s leading hitter Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) smacked his ninth double as part of a 2-for-4 night. Ben DeLuzio (Florida State), Blake Tiberi (Louisville) and Corey Bird (Marshall) all chipped in two hits.

Blake Quinn (Cal State Fullerton), making his fourth start, was at his best after getting staked to the early lead. He tossed five shutout innings, striking out two and allowing three hits. Cotuit scored five runs off the Hyannis bullpen, but the hole was too deep.

The cup belongs to Hyannis.

Orleans 5, Wareham 0

Mitchell Jordan (Stetson) dominated for the fifth time and sent Orleans on its way to a shutout of Wareham. Jordan tossed six shutout innings and moved to 4-0, while keeping his season ERA at 0.00. The one unearned run he allowed in his last start remains the only run he’s given up. Jordan also struck out six on Sunday and didn’t walk a batter. He leads the league in strikeouts with 31 in 27 innings. He has given up just nine hits all summer. The Orleans offense was also up to its usual tricks Sunday, with Kyle Lewis (Mercer) hitting his leagie-best fifth home run. Alex Call (Ball State) also homered. The Firebirds have won two in a row and have an eight-point cushion on second-place Chatham.

Y-D 10, Brewster 2

Y-D has won two straight and six of its last 10 to move into third place in the East. The Red Sox topped Brewster 10-2 on Sunday to move to 11-12. They were coming off a 7-0 shutout of Hyannis on the Fourth of July. In their last two games, the Red Sox have pounded 27 hits. Gio Brusa (Washington), the late pick-up who starred for Brewster last summer, has now delivered a hit in five straight games. He homered Sunday, scored three runs and drove in two. Ryan Noda (Cincinnati) also homered and had four RBI. Connor Wong (Houston) went 3-for-3 and Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) went 3-for-4. Leading hitter Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State), the one guy who’s been hot since day one, went 1-for-4, giving him eight hits in his last five games. Four different Red Sox took the hill for short stints, with Cory Malcolm (Arkansas-Little Rock) picking up the win.

Chatham 12, Harwich 4

The Anglers scored a season-high 12 runs in breezing past Harwich and moving one game over .500. Luke Persico (UCLA) led the charge with a third-inning grand slam. He added an RBI single in the seventh to finish 2-for-5 with five RBI. Kyle Brooks (North Florida) and Nate Mondou (Wake Forest) chipped in two hits apiece, with Zack Short (Sacred Heart) knocking in a pair of runs. Short is now tied for third in the league in RBI with 12, despite batting just .191. Parker Dunshee (Wake Forest) was the beneficiary of the big day at the plate. He struck out nine and gave up three earned runs in six innings for the win.

Bourne 4, Falmouth 2

Both teams had 12 hits but Bourne made a few more of them count in a 4-2 victory over Falmouth. Vince Fernandez (UC Riverside) and Brian Serven (Arizona State) had two hits and an RBI each, while Ryan Boldt (Nebraska) also knocked in a run. Nick Solak (Louisville) scored two runs and Jacob Robson (Mississippi State) went 3-for-4. Ryan Keaffaber (Indiana State) allowed one run in five innings before a four-inning save by Cody Sedlock (Illinois). Sedlock gave up seven hits and one earned run, but also struck out eight in just four innings. Bourne moved to 10-10-2 and continued to gain separation from Falmouth and Cotuit, who have fallen off the pace in the West.

What to Watch

Three make-up games on the docket today. With Hyannis idle, Wareham will try to make up a little ground in the West as it visits Harwich.

July 5, 2015July 5, 2015

Independence Day

Donnie Walton and Y-D cruised past Hyannis on Saturday.

Four Cape League teams celebrated their independence on the Fourth of July – independence from the previous day’s results.

In the second games of the annual holiday series, the team that lost Friday won on Saturday in four cases. The fifth of those series – Bourne and Wareham – ended in a 0-0 tie yesterday, so there’s even a taste of independence for the Braves.

The most impressive turnaround belonged to the Y-D Red Sox, who lost 6-2 to Hyannis on Friday but came back with a dominant 7-0 shutout Saturday.

The Red Sox scored three runs off Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast) and added four more against the Hyannis pen. Five different Red Sox had two-hit games: Gio Brusa (Washington), Stephen Wrenn (Georgia), Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State), Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) and Ryan Noda (Cincinnati). Brusa, the 2014 All-Star with Brewster, has six hits in his last four games after scuffling out of the gate.

The offensive burst was plenty for Ricky Thomas (Fresno State), who turned in his best performance yet in picking up his league-best fourth win. Thomas allowed just three hits – all singles – in seven shutout innings. He struck out three and walked two. The lefty, who had a 3.92 ERA for Fresno, has picked up a win in each of his starts, and he’s deserved every one of them. He’s gone at least 5.2 innings and hasn’t allowed more than one run in any of his four outings.

Y-D went to 10-12 with the win and is now one of three teams in the East with 10 victories. Hyannis is 13-9.

Harwich 5, Brewster 4

Two Harwich pitchers quieted Brewster’s bats just long enough to set up a ninth-inning rally for the Mariners, who walked off on an RBI single by Nick Walker (Old Dominion) in the bottom of the ninth. Brewster had won two straight – and had pounded 28 hits in those games. The Whitecaps were limited to four hits Saturday by Scott Tully (Notre Dame) and Hunter Newman (LSU). They still managed four runs and carried a 4-2 lead into the ninth, but Harwich plated three runs for the win. Brock Deatherage (NC State) capped off a 4-for-5 night with the single to score the tying run. With the bases loaded, Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s) struck out the next two batters with the bases loaded, but Walker cracked the base hit to win it.

Orleans 4, Chatham 2

Orleans scored all the runs it needed in the third inning and topped Chatham to regain an eight-point lead in the East standings. Daniel Pinero (Virginia) and Alex Call (Ball State) knocked in runs in the big inning, with Call plating two on a double. Call is five for his last 12 and has emerged as a key piece to the Firebirds lineup. Corbin Burnes (St. Mary’s) got the win after allowing one earned run in 5.1 innings. Four relievers closed the deal, with Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) getting each of his four outs via the strikeouts and Jason Harper (Southern Connecticut) picking up his fourth save. For Chatham, Jake Fraley (LSU) went 2-for-5 and is 5-for-13 in three games since joining the Anglers after LSU’s run to Omaha. Fraley hit .307 and stole 23 bases for the Tigers.

Falmouth 4, Cotuit 1

Austin Tribby (Missouri) went six strong innings and Falmouth scored two runs in the third and fourth innings for a win over Cotuit. Tribby struck out four, scattered five hits and surrendered one run in six innings of work. He improved to 1-1, and his ERA now stands at 1.56. Andrew Frankenreider (Northern Illinois) pitched two scoreless innings of relief, keeping his ERA at 0.00 in eight appearances. Stephen Villines (Kansas) grabbed his fourth save. The Falmouth offense was led by J.B. Woodman (Ole Miss) and Logan Ice (Oregon State), who both had two hits and two RBI. Falmouth moved one game ahead of Cotuit for fourth place in the West.

Bourne 0, Wareham 0, 12 innings

Nine different pitchers took the hill at Doran Park and none of them allowed a run as Bourne and Wareham played to a 0-0 tie. Bourne threatened to walk off with a win several times, stranding two runners in the ninth and 10th innings and loading the bases but coming up empty in the 11th. Tyler Thorne (Stanford) escaped that final jam with a strikeout. For Bourne, Ryan Smoyer (Notre Dame) started and allowed four hits in six innings. Shaun Anderson (Florida) struck out six and gave up one hit in five innings for Wareham.

What to Watch

Orleans makes the Cape League’s longest trip as the Firebirds head to Wareham, but they’ll have standout Mitchell Jordan (Stetson) on the mound when they arrive. Jordan is 3-0 and hasn’t allowed an earned run in four starts. Wareham counters with Ryan Williamson (NC State), who will make his second start. He has a 5.55 ERA.

July 3, 2015July 3, 2015

No Homers, No Problem

T.J. Nichting had the go-ahead RBI single in Thursday's win. — T.J. Nichting had the go-ahead RBI single in Thursday’s win.

On a night when their best hitter was swinging for the fences in Omaha, the Orleans Firebirds scored just one run in the first seven innings of Thursday’s game with Harwich.

But as has been the case all summer, no matter who the Firebirds are without, they’re pretty good. First-place Orleans scored four runs in the eighth to beat Harwich 5-2 at Eldredge Park.

Kyle Lewis – who could make a case to be the league MVP front-runner so far – was competing in the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby. Lewis hit four home runs and couldn’t get out of the first round. (Chatham’s Will Craig had the best showing among Cape Leaguers, finishing as the runner-up to champ Jeff Campbell of North Dakota).

Without Lewis, Orleans was held to four hits through seven innings. Harwich starter Williams Durruthy (Florida International) went four strong innings. Harwich scored two in the fourth and led most of the way.

But in the eighth, a single by Alex Call (Ball State), plus two walks and an error, brought in the tying run. T.J. Nichting (Charlotte) plated the go-ahead run with a single, and the Firebirds tacked on a pair of insurance runs.

Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) came out of the bullpen for the ninth and struck out the side to put the finishing touch on the comeback win. Parker Bean (Liberty) was credited with the victory.

The Firebirds are now 14-5 and have scored the most runs in the league while allowing the fewest.

Hyannis 5, Falmouth 1

Nick Deeg (Central Michigan) took over the league lead in strikeouts with another dominant start as first-place Hyannis eased past Falmouth. Deeg allowed just one hit and one unearned run in six innings of work while striking out six. The lefty now has a 0.32 ERA with 27 strikeouts – and just three walks – in 28 innings pitched. Marc Skinner (Troy) and Thomas Burrows (Alabama) followed Deeg to the hill and finished off the win. Ryne Birk (Texas A&M) had a three-run homer to lead the Hyannis attack, while Blake Tiberi (Louisville) had two hits. With Wareham idle, Hyannis moved back ahead by two games in the West standings.

Bourne 5, Y-D 3

Bourne rallied from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Red Sox at Red Wilson Field. The Braves touched up Y-D starter Shane Bieber (UC Santa Barbara) for eight hits and three earned runs in six innings. Bieber had tossed seven shutout innings in his last start. Josh Rogers (Louisville) gave up three runs in five innings for the Braves. Austin Conway (Indiana State) got the win in relief. Vince Fernandez (UC Riverside) and Reid Humphreys (Mississippi State) both homered for Bourne. Nick Solak (Louisville) added two hits and two RBI, raising his average to .356, good for second in the league. Y-D got a home run from Stephen Wrenn (Georgia).

Brewster 6, Chatham 3

Brewster got the best of Chatham ace T.J. Zeuch (Pittsburgh), who hadn’t allowed an earned run all summer, touching him up for three runs in four innings. The Whitecaps added three more against the Chatham bullpen, finishing with 14 hits. Robbie Tenerowicz (California) went 2-for-5 with a home run – his third – and three RBI. Nick Senzel (Tennessee) went 3-for-4 and scored two runs. The top four hitters in Brewster’s order – Colin Lyman (Louisville), Jack Meggs (Washington), Senzel and Tenerowicz – combined to go 9-for-19 with six runs scored. Brewster’s Hansen Butler (North Carolina) got the win with 2.2 scoreless innings of relief. Brewster evened its record at 9-9 and is just two points behind Chatham, who dropped to 10-10.

What to Watch

The Cape League kicks off the holiday weekend with the first of two days of home-and-home rivalry tilts. Orleans and Chatham will begin their set at Veterans Field tonight. Kyle Serrano (Tennessee) gets the ball for Orleans as he goes for his league-best fourth win. Zac Gallen (North Carolina), a budding ace for the Tar Heels who went five scoreless with eight strikeouts in his last Anglers start, goes for Chatham.

June 21, 2015June 21, 2015

In on the no-hitter act

Devin Smeltzer winds up for a pitch on his way to his no-hitter of Harwich Saturday night. (Courtesy Mary K. Albis)

Devin Smeltzer finished his freshman season at Florida Gulf Coast with a 6.19 ERA, not the kind of debut the highly-touted left-hander was hoping for. His first start for Hyannis in the Cape Cod Baseball League was a big step in the right direction. He struck out nine and gave up two runs in 5.2 innings.

His second start was a giant leap. Smeltzer tossed a no-hitter in a 5-0 win over Harwich at Whitehouse Field Saturday night. I believe it’s the league’s first nine-inning, single-pitcher no-hitter since 2010, when Y-D’s Jordan Pries did it. It was the first for Hyannis since Matt Daly in 2007.

Smeltzer did it on a night when Max Scherzer threw a no-hitter for the Washington Nationals. There was also a no-hitter in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.

Smeltzer needed just 91 pitches for his feat, a remarkable number. Sometimes, at this point in the summer, as arm strength is built back up, managers might shy away from pushing a pitcher the full nine innings – in 2013, three Bourne pitchers combined on a no-hitter for that very reason – but I can’t imagine there was much concern in this case.

Smeltzer threw 60 of his 91 pitchers for strikes and walked only one batter – on a 3-2 pitch – in the seventh. That was all that kept Smeltzer from a perfect game. He struck out four and recorded 13 ground ball outs, as the defense behind him shined.

After the walk, Smeltzer retired seven batters in a row to finish the game. The last batter he faced, Virginia Tech’s Saige Jenco, worked the count to 2-2 and fouled off a pair of pitches before hitting a ground ball to shortstop. Errol Robinson (Ole Miss), who handled six grounders at short, made one last play, and the celebration was on.

Austin Hays (Jacksonville) drove in three runs to back Smeltzer, while Robinson and his college teammate Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) knocked in one apiece.

With his slim build and lefty delivery, Smeltzer has often been compared to former Florida Gulf Coast – and Y-D Red Sox – star Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox. But Smeltzer’s Cape League career now includes something Sale’s did not.

And to make all of this even better, Smeltzer is a guy you’ll want to be rooting for. He beat cancer when he was just 9 years old, long before he became a baseball star.

Orleans 3, Falmouth 1

Orleans remained the hottest team in the league, topping Falmouth 3-2 for its sixth consecutive win. The Firebirds are now 9-2, best in the league. Reggie Southall (USC), who’s taking over at shortstop now that Colby Woodmansee is with team USA, went 2-for-3 with a triple and scored two runs. Kyle Lewis (Mercer) and Alex Call (Ball State) drove in runs. Corbin Burnes (St. Mary’s), making his second start, allowed one run in five innings and struck out four. Parker Bean (Liberty) and Joe Ryan (Cal State Northridge) combined on four scoreless innings of relief.

Brewster 16, Cotuit 6

On the heels of snapping its six-game losing streak, Brewster started a win streak with an offensive barrage against Cotuit. Five players had multi-hit games and the Whitecaps scored 16 runs on 17 hits for an easy win over the Kettleers. Colin Lyman (Louisville) went 4-for-5 atop the lineup and scored three runs. Nick Senzel (Tennessee) had three hits and two RBI, while Will Smith (Louisville), Robbie Tenerowicz (California) and Jack Meggs (Washington) had two hits each. Smith and Tenerowicz both homered. Pat Ruotolo (Connecticut) was credited with the win in relief for Brewster. Matt Albanese (Bryant) homered for Cotuit.

Wareham 5, Y-D 2

The Gatemen smacked 12 hits and pulled away from Y-D for a 5-2 victory. Jay Jabs (Franklin Pierce) hit his second home run of the summer, while David MacKinnon (Hartford) and Preston Grand Pre (California) had three hits apiece. Blake Fox (Rice) made his wareham debut and gave up one run in five innings for the win. Stephen Woods Jr. (Albany) picked up the save. Wareham improved to 5-6, good for a second-place tie in the West. Y-D, lost for the fourth time in a row and fell to 3-8.

Bourne 8, Chatham 2

Bourne out-hit Chatham 10-8 but built a much bigger margin on the scoreboard in an 8-2 win over the Anglers at Veterans Field. Reid Humphreys (Mississippi State) homered and four other Braves drove in one run apiece. Nick Solak (Louisville) stayed red-hot, picking up his fifth RBI and pushing his average to .438 in four games since joining the team late. On the mound, five pitchers combined for a solid showing, with the win going to reliever Ross Vance (West Virginia). For Chatham, Trenton Brooks (Nevada) and Kyle Brooks (North Florida) book-ended – or Brooks-ended, perhaps? – the lineup with two hits apiece. Bourne is now 4-6-1 since its rough start, while Chatham dropped to 6-5.

What to Watch

Maybe not much. There is supposed to be a full-slate of Fathers Day doubleheaders but rain will threaten those.

June 12, 2015June 12, 2015

Catching a Wave

The Brewster dugout makes some noise during a game last season. With a 3-0 start to 2015, the Whitecaps have had even more to cheer about this year.

Brewster had one three-game winning streak all of last summer. With only three games in the books in 2015, the Whitecaps already have one this summer.

After a 6-0 shutout of Chatham Thursday night, Brewster is 3-0 and the only undefeated team in the league. The Whitecaps won their opener by a single run and their next game by two before pulling away from Chatham. The Anglers also came in with a 2-0 record but couldn’t keep up on this night.

It’s just a start, of course, but a lot has gone right. Thursday, it was both pitching and hitting that did the trick. Brewster had 12 hits – four that went for extra bases – and saw five pitchers combine on a three-hitter.

Eli White, a late roster addition who had a solid spring with Clemson, led the way with a 3-for-4, two RBI night. Toby Handley (Stony Brook) also went 3-for-4 and knocked in a run. Catcher Cassidy Brown (Loyola Marymount) homered and Nick Senzel (Tennessee) hit a pair of doubles. Senzel has five hits this season for a .417 average, and four of the hits have gone for extra bases. Ryan Peurifoy (Georgia Tech) went 1-for-2 and has had a hit in each game this year.

On the mound, Georgia Tech’s Brandon Gold picked up where he left off after a strong spring and tossed four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. Hansen Butler (North Carolina) followed with two innings, before Nick Highberger (Creighton), Gage Griffin (Franklin Pierce) and Alex Schick (California) went the final three innings without surrendering a hit. That continued an early trend – the Brewster bullpen has allowed one run in 12.2 innings of work so far this season.

Brewster takes on Chatham again tonight, this time at Veterans Field. The Whitecaps didn’t have a single four-game winning streak last year, but they’re in position to break that spell quickly in 2015.

Orleans 7, Y-D 0

The Firebirds (2-1) won by shutout for the second time this season in a 7-0 victory over Y-D. Eric Lauer (Kent State), a former 17th-round pick of the Blue Jays who was terrific this spring (1.98 ERA, 103 Ks), delivered more of the same in his first Cape start, striking out seven and giving up two hits in five scoreless innings. Three relievers combined on four hitless innings to finish off the win. Colby Woodmansee (Arizona State) and Alex Call (Ball State) each knocked in two runs to pace the Orleans offense. The Red Sox, who fell to 0-3, got hits from Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) and Connor Wong (Houston).

Falmouth 4, Harwich 1

Falmouth got hits from eight different players and broke through for its first win, 4-1 over Harwich. Both teams are now 1-2. Boomer White (Texas A&M), in his second summer with the Commodores, had two hits, as did Michael Tinsley (Kansas), the second-team All-Big 12 catcher this past season. Andrew Frankenreider (Northern Illinois) picked up the win with 3.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Stephen Villines (Kansas) notched the save.

Wareham 6, Hyannis 2

The Gatemen are 2-1 and have now scored the most runs in the league after Thursday’s 6-2 victory over previously unbeaten Hyannis. Logan Sowers (Indiana), next in a long line of Hoosiers in Wareham, had the best day of his young Cape career, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. David MacKinnon (Hartford) added two hits and five other Gatemen chipped in one apiece. Daulton Jefferies (California) got the start on the mound and made the offense count with five strong innings. Zac Houston (Mississippi State) was dominant in relief, with five strikeouts in three innings. David Martinelli (Dallas Baptist) homered for Hyannis.

Cotuit 7, Bourne 2

Cotuit had only nine hits in its first two games but broke out with 12 in a victory over the Braves. Michael Paez (Coastal Carolina) doubled and knocked in two runs from the leadoff spot. Matthew Dacey (Richmond) added two hits and two RBI, while Spencer Gaa (Bradley) and Matt Albanese (Bryant) chipped in doubles. Jonathan King (Georgia Tech) gave up two runs in 4.1 innings before giving way to Jon Woodcock (Virginia Tech), who was lights out in 4.2 innings of relief. He struck out six and didn’t allow a run. Bourne got three hits each from Corey Julks (Houston) and Ryan Boldt (Nebraska) but remained winless at 0-3.

What to Watch

The second Brewster-Chatham match-up in as many days features an interesting probable starter for the Whitecaps. Missouri’s Alec Rash is a former second-round pick who has seen very limited action in his time with the Tigers. The junior was recently drafted in the 23rd round by the Nationals.