J.J. Matijevic came back to the Cape with a bang.
An all-star last summer and probably the top returning player currently on a Cape League roster, Matijevic (Arizona) made his season debut on the Fourth of July and smacked a two-run homer that sent Falmouth to a 2-0 win over Cotuit.
Matijevic finished third in the league in hitting last summer, batting .333 with four home runs. He hit .287 with four homers this spring and was a key part of Arizona’s runner-up finish in the College World Series.
He wasted little time returning to Falmouth after Thursday’s final game in the CWS championship series. Monday, he was in the starting lineup for the Commodores, batting second and playing first base.
His homer in the fifth inning – after a Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) walk – was all the offense Falmouth needed. Jeffrey Passantino (Lipscomb) allowed just two hits and fanned seven in seven shutout innings. Seth Elledge (Dallas Baptist) and Corbin Martin (Texas A&M) finished the shutout with a scoreless inning each.
Tristan Gray (Rice) added two hits for the Commodores and Joshua Watson (TCU) – another late arrival from Omaha – also had two.
Falmouth and Cotuit split their holiday series, with the Commodores improving to 11-10 after Monday’s win.
Wareham 2, Bourne 1
A holiday sweep of Bourne has Wareham alone in first place in the West. The Gatemen rode strong pitching and an opportunistic offense to their third consecutive victory and their second in a row over the Braves. Zachary Pop (Kentucky) gave up one run in five innings in his second start of the summer and Gunner Leger (Louisiana-Lafayette) was again dominant in relief. Leger, who has made two starts and two relief appearances, has given up three hits in 11 innings with 15 strikeouts this season. Monday, he surrendered one hit in three scoreless innings and struck out four. Casey Mize (Auburn) followed Leger and pitched the ninth for the save. Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-3 to lead the offense and his RBI single in the second – following an error – staked Wareham to a 1-0 lead. In the fifth, Bart scored what proved to be the winning run on a passed ball, making both of Wareham’s runs unearned. That made for a hard-luck loss for Tony Dibrell (Kennesaw State) who struck out eight and six innings and now leads the league in strikeouts.
Harwich 11, Brewster 7
For the first time all season, an opponent scored more than five runs against Harwich – and the Mariners won anyway. They racked up 20 hits – which might be a league-season high – and broke a 7-7 tie with a grand slam in the top of the eighth for a slugfest win over Brewster. Nick Feight (UNC Wilmington), back after a stint at Team USA trials, came through with the grand slam after a single and two walks loaded the bases. It was Feight’s first homer of the summer. Austin Filiere (MIT) also homered and drove in two, Antoine Duplantis (LSU) had two hits and two RBI and Anthony Critelli (Holy Cross) went 4-for-4 and scored two runs. Johnny Adams (Boston College) and Joseph Dunand (NC State) had three hits each. Harwich raised its team batting average from .246 to .260. Brewster had plenty of offense of its own, with Bryce Jordan (LSU) going 4-for-4 with two RBI, Matt Davis (VCU) getting three hits and Logan Warmoth (North Carolina) driving in three runs. It was the fourth straight loss for Brewster.
Chatham 6, Orleans 3
The longest win streak in the league met its end at Veterans Field as Chatham topped Orleans 6-3. The Anglers took a lead in the fifth, added to it in the seventh and held off a push by Orleans. Lincoln Henzman (Louisville) struck out eight and allowed just an unearned run in 5.2 innings for the win. Austin Magestro (UNC Wilmington) notched a four-out save. Stuart Fairchild (Wake Forest) and Jordan Romero (LSU) led the Anglers at the plate with two hits and an RBI apiece. Chase Pinder (Clemson), Sean Bouchard (UCLA) and Patrick Mathis (Texas) drove in one run each. Orleans – which had won five in a row – got a home run from Drew Lugbauer (Michigan) but only six hits on the day.
Hyannis 8, Y-D 5
The second-longest win streak in the league also came to an end as Hyannis stopped Y-D’s four-game heater. The Harbor Hawks broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth on a Chris Hudgins (Cal State Fullerton) RBI double and a two-run single by Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee). Garrett Cave (Florida International) ran with the lead, striking out two in a scoreless ninth for the save. That made a winner out of James Harrington (New Mexico), who tossed three perfect innings of relief. Hudgins was one of four Harbor Hawks with a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4. Cody Henry (Alabama) went 3-for-3, Dylan Busby (Florida State) went 2-for-2 with two RBI and Trey Truitt (Mercer) went 2-for-5. Y-D got two hits and two RBI from J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara).
What to Watch
The best pitching staff in the league will try something a little different in the rotation as dominant reliever Austin Bain (LSU) makes his first start when Harwich hosts Bourne. Bain has 12 strikeouts in seven scoreless relief innings this summer.