The Other Ace

On a day when Orleans’ Mitchell Jordan was named the All-Star Game starting pitcher for the East squad – a shoo-in of a selection – the one other guy who could have made a serious case was just as good as his fellow ace.

Y-D’s Ricky Thomas (Fresno State) stayed perfect on the summer, making his sixth start and winning his sixth game. He allowed one run on three hits in seven innings and struck out nine as the Red Sox beat Harwich 4-1.

Thomas and Jordan are both 6-0, giving the league two big winners in a category that sometimes tops out at four wins when all is said and done. While Jordan took a no-decision in one of his starts, Thomas has been a winner every time. He owns more than a third of Y-D’s 17 victories.

Wins are not a favored statistic in this day-and-age – a great pitching performance does not guarantee a win – but for a guy who’s winning a lot, it’s still useful as a reflective statistic. And Thomas has been winning a lot, and earning each and every one.

The lefty has gone at least 5.2 innings in each start and has not surrendered more than one run in any start. He has a 0.96 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 37.1 innings pitched.

Saturday, he set a new season-high in strikeouts, fanning nine Mariners in the victory. A solo home run by Connor Justus (Georgia Tech) was the only blemish on his day.

Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) hit his fourth home run to back Thomas, while Tommy Edman (Stanford), Luke Bonfield (Arkansas) and Joshua Vidales (Houston) drove in one run each. The Y-D offense seems to enjoy nights when Thomas is on the mound – the four-run output Saturday was actually the lowest run support total he’s seen this year. The Red Sox are averaging six runs per game in his starts.

While that offense certainly helps, the Red Sox could be scoring two runs per game and still winning with Thomas on the mound. Coming off a solid spring with the Bulldogs in which he posted a 3.92 ERA, he’s been the best rising sophomore pitcher in the league this summer, statistically speaking.

At some point, Thomas and Jordan will probably take a loss. But it didn’t happen Saturday.

Orleans 2, Chatham 1

The aforementioned Jordan went four more innings without allowing an earned run – bringing his streak to 37 innings – before Chatham pushed one across in the fifth inning on a Garrett Hampson (Long Beach State) RBI single. Jordan got out of the inning without further trouble and ended his outing there after five innings. His ERA now stands at 0.24. The Orleans offense gave Jordan a lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run homer by Kyle Lewis (Mercer), and that was all the Firebirds needed. Three relievers combined on four scoreless innings, with Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) grabbing the save. Ty Damron (Texas Tech) was the hard-luck loser for Chatham. He allowed two runs in six innings. Flamethrowing reliever Zach Burdi (Louisville) made his second appearance since arriving from Team USA and went three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Wareham 2, Hyannis 1

Wareham walked off on a suicide squeeze for a 2-1 victory in 10 innings over Hyannis. John Sternagel (Florida) tripled with one out in the 10th and on the second pitch of the next at-bat, Preston Grand Pre (California) got down the bunt to win it. Wareham had given up a 1-0 lead in the eighth before its extra-inning rally. The squeeze made a winner out of Evan Hill (Michigan), who pitched five innings of relief with just an unearned run. Starter Ian Hamilton (Washington State) also went five and didn’t allow a run. Hyannis got 6.1 strong innings from Dakota Hudson (Mississippi State).

Brewster 7, Bourne 4

The Whitecaps won their fifth straight and jumped into a second-place tie with Chatham in the East. The Nick Senzel MVP campaign rolled right along with the win streak, as Senzel (Tennessee) went 2-for-3 with three RBI. That’s his eighth multi-hit game in 14 July contests. He has driven in 17 runs in those games. And as usual, it wasn’t just a one-man show for the hot-hitting Whitecaps. Jack Meggs (Washington), Tyler Ramirez (North Carolina) and Nico Giarratano (San Francisco) had two hits each, part of an 11-hit attack. Nick Highberger (Creighton) got the win in relief.

Cotuit 8, Falmouth 2

The unpredictable West Division looked the part in Falmouth, as Cotuit beat the Commodores 8-2 a night after losing to them 5-2. Austin Sexton (Mississippi State) allowed one run in 5.1 innings for the win. Branden Berry (Cal State Northridge) went 3-for-4 with four RBI and his fourth home run of the year. Brett Stephens (UCLA) added four hits and two RBI. The Kettleers scored four of their runs off Falmouth starter Austin Tribby (Missouri), who had allowed only one run in each of his last three starts.

What to Watch

Brewster will shoot for its sixth consecutive win as it visits Harwich. J.D. Busfield (Loyola Marymount), who had a strong start last time out, gets the ball.

June 20, 2015June 20, 2015

Still Hot

It could have been a rough day for the Orleans Firebirds. Friday’s game was their first without a trio of early standouts who departed for Team USA. The club also released three pitchers with ace potential who are currently in Omaha and who have also earned Team USA invites.

But on the field, the Firebirds just kept rolling. Kyle Serrano (Tennessee) struck out eight in five innings and six different players had hits as Orleans beat Harwich 5-1 at Whitehouse Field. It was the fifth straight victory for the Firebirds, who moved to 8-2 and overtook Hyannis for the best record in the league.

It was an impressive first act as a new-look squad, considering what Orleans lost. Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) was hitting .310 and leading the league with four home runs and nine RBI. Bryson Brigman (San Diego) was leading the league in hitting at .385, and Colby Woodmansee (Arizona State) was batting .348 while manning shortstop. In Wednesday’s game, their last in Orleans, that trio combined for four hits, three RBI and two runs scored. They may return to Orleans, since Team USA has a short tour this summer, but their departures are still a big blow for now. And that’s not even counting the trio of pitchers who showed up on the transactions list yesterday. Logan Shore and A.J. Puk of Florida and Connor Jones of Virginia all had the potential of being the best arms on the Cape.

Clearly, though, Orleans – like any CCBL team this time of year – will focus on what it still has. And it was pretty good Friday night.

Serrano turned in his second solid start of the summer, allowing one run on three hits in five innings and striking out eight. Chandler Blanchard (Pepperdine) followed with two scoreless frames and Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) and Jason Harper (Southern Connecticut) chipped in one inning each.

At the plate, the Firebirds had only one more hit than the Mariners but took advantage of them with a four-run fourth inning and another run in the sixth. Nick Zammarelli (Elon) went 1-for-3 with two RBI and Adam Pate (North Carolina) had an RBI. Kyle Lewis (Mercer) went 1-for-4 with a double.

It was enough for the Firebirds to stay hot, even on a rough day.

Brewster 4, Y-D 3

The Whitecaps snapped a six-game losing streak in dramatic fashion, tying the game in the ninth and walking off with a 4-3 win over the Red Sox in the 10th. Tyler Ramirez (North Carolina) drew a bases-loaded walk to plate the winning run, after the Whitecaps had loaded the bases with two walks and a single. Brewster also trailed 3-2 in the ninth when a sacrifice fly by Eli White (Clemson) from the No. 9 spot in the order tied the game at 3-3. Colin Lyman (Louisville) and Brandon Gold (Georgia Tech) also knocked in runs for the Whitecaps. Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s) kept the Whitecaps in reach as they rallied, tossing two scoreless innings of relief for the win. The win bumped Brewster ahead of Y-D in the standings at 4-6. The Red Sox fell to 3-7 with their third straight loss. Donovan Walton (Oklahoma State) was again a bright spot for Y-D, going 3-for-5 for the third consecutive game.

Chatham 4, Cotuit 1

Every run was scored in the seventh inning, and Chatham tallied a few more on its way to a second straight victory and a spot in second place in the East. With the Anglers trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Zack Short (Sacred Heart) and Aaron Knapp (California) had RBI singles, and Will Craig (Wake Forest) came off the bench for a pinch-hit, two-run single. The rally made a winner out of reliever C.J. Burdick (San Diego) who allowed one run in 1.2 innings. Aaron McGarity (Virginia Tech) picked up the save. Though he did not factor in the decision, starter Jesse Adams (Boston College) pitched six scoreless innings for the Anglers. Cotuit’s Austin Sexton (Mississippi State) allowed two runs in 6.1 innings, both of which scored after he departed in the seventh. Jackson Klein (Stanford) homered for the Kettleers, who fell to 4-6.

Bourne 4, Hyannis 2

The Braves only picked up their first win Tuesday – seven games into the season – but haven’t lost since. Friday, they knocked off first-place Hyannis, handing the Harbor Hawks their second straight defeat. Bourne starter Alex Robles (Austin Peay) gave up two runs on three hits in the top of the first inning but settled in and allowed just three more hits and no runs over the final five innings. Nick Solak (Louisville) – who arrived for the first win and now hasn’t lost in a Braves uniform – broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run triple in the seventh. Corey Julks (Houston) also knocked in a run. Cody Sedlock (Illinois) got the win in relief and Austin Conway (Indiana State) picked up his first save.

Falmouth 6, Wareham 4

Falmouth smacked 13 hits and broke a 4-4 tie in the eighth on its way to a victory over Wareham. Caleb Hamilton (Oregon State) and Tristan Gray (Rice) knocked in the runs in the eighth. Mitch Longo (Ohio) paced the offense with three hits and an RBI. Bryce Montes de Oca (Missouri) made his first start after two dominant relief stints and gave up one run on one hit in five innings of work. He struck out one. Morgan Earman (Arizona) earned the win out of the pen and Stephen Villines (Kansas) got the save.

What to Watch

Hyannis will try to get back on track as it visits Harwich. Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast), who struck out nine in his first start, gets the ball for the Harbor Hawks. Cory Wilder, who had a 3.50 ERA in NC State’s weekend rotation this spring, will start for the Mariners.

June 8, 2015June 8, 2015

Kettleers aim to be in the mix again

After its run to the Cape League championship in 2013, Cotuit slipped to 18-25-1 last season but made the West finals after sneaking into the playoffs. It’s a lesson – the Kettleers are always dangerous, no matter how their team looks. This season should be no different.

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Anfernee Grier
2. Jeren Kendall
3. Michael Paez
4. Duncan Robinson
5. Kyle Wright

NOTABLE

You can always count on speed in a Mike Roberts lineup, and there’s no shortage this year. Tulane’s Stephen Alemais stole 27 bases, while Coastal Carolina’s Michael Paez stole 19. Several other guys on the roster were in double digits/

For now, the Cotuit pitching staff doesn’t have a guy with a long, proven track record as a starter, but there are some solid pieces in the fold, led by reigning Ivy League Pitcher of the Year Duncan Robinson.

A pair of freshmen look like potential standout relievers, if they stick with that role this summer. Mitch Stallings of Duke struck out 54 in 45.1 innings, while Vanderbilt’s Kyle Wright owns a 1.09 ERA.

Will Haynie headed to Alabama after a strong high school career in Tennessee, but the 6-foot-5 catcher has yet to put it all together with the Tide, hitting under .200 in both his seasons.

If you’re starting from day one at Vanderbilt, you’re doing something right, and outfielder Jeren Kendall certainly is. He has hit .296 and stolen 18 bags for the Commodores this spring. He’ll follow in the footsteps of a number of Vandy outfielders who called Cotuit home in the summer.

Baseball America called Anfernee Grier the best player on a resurgent Auburn team this year, and the athletic sophomore seems primed for a big summer. He was among the SEC’s leaders in hits this season.

PITCHERS

Daniel Brown – SO – Mississippi State – JUCO star with a big fastball struck out 28 in 20.1 relief innings this spring
Justin Dunn – SO – Boston College – Had high ERA last year as a freshman but this season saved 5 games, struck out 46
Nick Eicholtz – SO – Alabama – Had 3.65 ERA, mostly as a starter, in season that was cut short in early May
Bernardo Flores – SO – USC – After limited action as a freshman, struck out 45 in 44.2 innings out of pen this season
Nick Lewis – SO – Baylor – Has been up-and-down in two seasons in Waco, with 4.14 ERA this spring
Duncan Robinson – JR – Dartmouth – Ivy League Pitcher of the Year had 2.62 ERA , 52 Ks & just 12 BB in 65.1 IP
Austin Sexton – SO – Mississippi State – After quiet freshman year, had 3.77 ERA in weekend rotation this season
Mitch Stallings – FR – Duke – Lefty led Blue Devils in appearances as a frosh and struck out 54 in 45.1 innings
Jon Woodcock – JR – Virginia Tech – Veteran southpaw struck out a team-high 69 with 3.73 ERA this season
Kyle Wright – FR – Vanderbilt – Top reliever for Commodores has 1.09 ERA, 53 Ks in 49.1 IP

CATCHERS

Will Haynie – SO – Alabama – Highly-touted catching prospect hit 8 home runs this season but batted just .195
Tim Susnara – FR – Oregon – Late-round pick out of high school hit .223 in first season in Eugene

INFIELDERS

Stephen Alemais – SO – Tulane – All-conference pick hit .312, stole 27 bases this spring
Spencer Gaa – SO – Bradley – Followed solid freshman year with .351 campaign this season
Casey Hughston – SO – Alabama – Emerged as standout this spring, hitting .332 with six homers and 12 stolen bases
Michael Paez – SO – Coastal Carolina – After strong summer in Prospect League, speedster hit .326 with 8 HR, 19 SBs

OUTFIELDERS

Matt Albanese – SO – Bryant – Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year last season hit .319 with 5 HR as a sophomore
Gene Cone – SO – South Carolina – Hit .257, stole 13 bags while starting every game for South Carolina this season
Anfernee Grier – SO – Auburn – Highly-ranked ahead of 2013 draft, followed steady debut with .323 average, 9 SB this year
Keenan Innis – SO – Georgia Tech – After injury cut short his freshman year, hit .314 as a sophomore
Jeren Kendall – FR – Vanderbilt – Wisconsin high school star fitting right in at Vandy, with .296 AVG, 7 HR, team-high 18 SB
Jack Klein – SO – Stanford – Late-round pick in 2013 hit .217 this season
Kort Peterson – SO – UCLA – Became regular contributor as a sophomore, hitting .274 and swiping 15 bags

August 10, 2014August 10, 2014

Another Sox Shutout

Kevin Duchene struck out 12 in Y-D's victory. — Kevin Duchene struck out 12 in Y-D’s victory.

In a series absolutely dominated by starting pitching, the Y-D Red Sox had a pair of aces up their sleeve.

After second-seeded Orleans won the first game of the East semis behind a 13-strikeout shutout from Kolton Mahoney, Y-D starting pitchers Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt) and Kevin Duchene (Illinois) allowed a total of three hits in more than 14 innings of scoreless baseball as the Red Sox rallied to win the series. Duchene struck out 12 last night, and Y-D made a second inning squeeze play stand up in a 1-0 victory.

That’s pretty remarkable stuff. In the entirety of last year’s Cape Cod Baseball League postseason, there were three shutouts. Y-D and Orleans authored three in three games, all by themselves. (Falmouth and Harwich have gotten in on the act, too, bringing the total so far this summer to five shutouts).

Last night’s performance was perhaps the best of all.

Duchene was a big part of Y-D’s late-season surge, a surge marked by tremendous starting pitching. But he also blinked in his last regular-season start, giving up five runs in five innings.

Last night, he allowed a single to David Thompson (Miami) with two outs in the first inning and didn’t give up another hit. He walked only two.

His team gave him the lead in the second. Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) reached on a fielder’s choice and took third on a Joey Armstrong (UNLV) single. Josh Lester (Missouri), one of the team’s top RBI men who you’d expect to swing away, put down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Tarsovich.

Armed with the lead, Duchene struck out the side in the bottom of the second inning before getting into a little trouble in the third when he loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batsman. But he escaped with a strikeout.

That K was the beginning as Duchene retired the next 14 batters he faced, seven of them via the strikeout.

After getting the first out in the eighth, with his pitch count at 103, Duchene was lifted for standout closer Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton), who picked up where his starter left off. Bickford struck out two and gave up one hit in 1.2 innings. Fittingly, he struck out the last batter he faced to clinch the series win.

Y-D will move on to face top-seeded Harwich in the East finals. The two last met in the finals in 2011, when Harwich won on its way to the Cape League championship.

Here Come the Kettles

The defending champs are on another run.

Cotuit scored early and got some of its best pitching of the season last night as it edged top-seeded Bourne 4-2 for a spot in the West finals.

Last year, the Kettleers got hot in the playoffs, but there was at least some sign that it was coming. They were the third seed but they went 25-18-1 and finished just one point out of a first-place tie between Hyannis and Falmouth.

This year? Try the opposite: 18-25-1. They were 18 points out of first place.

But here they go.

Jake Harper of Division II St. Joseph’s College in Indiana played the familiar role of conquering Cotuit hero who spent most of his summer somewhere else. Harper won the Pitcher of the Year award in the Valley League this summer, and when your season ends after you win an award like that, you’re usually ready to call it a summer. Harper came to the Cape and pitched in one regular season game, then made an appearance out of the bullpen in game one against Bourne.

Last night, he started and allowed just one earned run in 6.1 innings. He didn’t strike out a batter but scattered six hits.

The Kettleers built a lead with one run in the first, two in the second and one in the fourth. Kyle Holder (San Diego) had two RBI, and Cotuit scored three unearned runs thanks to four Bourne errors.

Harper gave way to Austin Sexton (Mississippi State), who walked the first batter he faced. Immediately, Cotuit went to Adam Whitt (Nevada), the Cape League’s most outstanding reliever, and he did the job. Whitt struck out four and didn’t allow a hit in closing out the game with 2.2 scoreless innings. Whitt had gone two innings for the save in Friday’s win and, at this point, may be Cotuit’s single most valuable player.

The loss ended a terrific summer for the Braves, who set a franchise record for wins in the regular season and had a really good, consistent group.

Like so many teams the past two years, they just ran into the streaking Kettleers. Cotuit beat Bourne in the West finals last year.

Cotuit advances to play Falmouth, which is another rematch of last year. Cotuit beat Falmouth in the West semis a year ago.

What to Watch

Y-D at Harwich, 5:30 p.m.
Cotuit at Falmouth, 5:30 p.m.

Pitching has been fantastic so far and there might be more of it tonight. Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast) and Robby Kalaf (Florida International) square off in Harwich. Alex Young (TCU), who’s been terrific after a late arrival, will go for Falmouth. Cotuit’s starter is TBA.

August 9, 2014August 9, 2014

Still Alive

Brendan Hendriks is greeted in the dugout after his go-ahead home run Friday.

Higher-seeded teams owned the first games of their opening-round playoff series, and two of them held serve in game two.

We shouldn’t be surprised at the two teams that avoided sweeps. Cotuit and Y-D, winners of five of the last 10 Cape League championships, don’t go down easy.

Cotuit rallied from an early 5-0 deficit to beat top-seeded Bourne 10-7, while Y-D got a dominant performance from Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt) and broke out the bats in a 9-0 shutout of East No. 2 Orleans. Both series will conclude with game threes today.

For Cotuit, it’s been an up-and-down season, dominated by the fact that the Kettleers just don’t have much starting pitching. They have made it work by cobbling things together, and of course, with their backs against the wall yesterday, they made it work by doing it very well. Seven pitchers took the mound, and once Cotuit made its comeback, the final three pitchers combined on five scoreless innings.

The pitching contingent has been led all summer by Adam Whitt (Nevada), who was presented with the league’s outstanding relief pitcher award before Friday’s game. Whitt, unlike most recipients of that award, was not strictly a closer, often pitching two or three innings, whether his team was winning or losing. Yesterday, he went the final two innings, giving up no runs on one hit. Austin Sexton (Mississippi State) and Jackson McClelland (Pepperdine) had scoreless outings before Whitt took the hill.

The comeback made the strong relief work count. Bourne’s Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) led off the game with a home run, and Cotuit trailed 5-0 after three but quickly got back into the game with two runs in the third and one in the fourth. Bourne pulled back away at 7-3, but Cotuit got within 7-6 then scored three in the seventh and one in the eighth to take control.

Logan Taylor (Texas A&M), Jackson Glines (Michigan) and Brendan Hendriks (San Francisco) all homered for the Kettleers, with Hendriks’s two-run blast in the seventh giving them the lead for good. Kyle Holder (San Diego) added three hits.

Martin and Blake Davey (Connecticut) both homered for Bourne, but it wasn’t enough. The Braves had only two hits after the fifth inning.

Over in Yarmouth, the Red Sox cruised past Orleans 9-0 after they were shut-out 3-0 in game one. Buehler, who pitched briefly with Team USA but found his way back to the Cape, allowed just a pair of singles in 7.1 innings. He struck out five and walked only one.

Y-D’s starting rotation, even with the loss of Cody Poteet, still looks like it could be the best in the playoffs. Justin Jacome was the hard-luck loser against Orleans ace Kolton Mahoney, but Buehler got the Red Sox back on track. Drake Owenby (Tennessee) retired all five batters he faced to finish off the win.

The Y-D offense made sure no one would be a hard-luck loser this time. Jesse Jenner (San Diego) and Michael Donadio (St. John’s) had three hits each to pace a 13-hit attack. Donadio homered. Nico Giarratano (San Francisco) and Timothy Wharton (Catawba) drove in two runs each.

Harwich 5, Brewster 0

Top-seeded Harwich punched its ticket into the East finals with a shutout of Brewster. Michael Boyle (Radford) went six innings with eight strikeouts before Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State) and Jacob Evans (Oklahoma) finished off the shutout. For much of the game, Harwich needed that kind of effort, with Brewster pitchers limiting the Mariner offense to one run through the first seven innings. But Harwich scored three in the eighth and one in the ninth for a little extra breathing room. Joe McCarthy (Virginia) went 4-for-5 – and is now 7-for-10 in the playoffs – while Ian Happ (Cincinnati) had two hits and two RBI. For Brewster, Cody Ponce (Cal Poly Pomona) allowed one run in three innings and Levi MaVorhis (Kansas State) – who played a lot more outfield than he ever expected in this series – pitched three scoreless frames. The Whitecaps, who made a strong late-season run, were short-handed in the playoffs and didn’t stand much of a chance. Harwich now gets a day off before beginning play in the East finals.

Falmouth 5, Hyannis 1

Falmouth also rode strong pitching to a sweep of Hyannis. Kevin McCanna (Rice) allowed one run in eight innings, needing just 100 pitches to get that far. He struck out six and scattered five hits. The Commodore offense did the rest. Conner Hale (LSU) and Boomer White (TCU) knocked in two runs each while Kevin Newman (Arizona) and Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts) had two hits. Falmouth scored three in the first, meaning it never trailed in the series. Donnie Dewees (North Florida) scored the lone run for Hyannis in the seventh inning. The Harbor Hawks, who overcame a mid-season slump to grab the third seed, had beaten Falmouth three straight times in the regular season, including a 10-0 win on August 1.

What to Watch

Cotuit at Bourne, 6 p.m.
Y-D at Orleans, 7 p.m.

I’ll be interested to see how the pitching match-up turns out in Orleans. The Red Sox have a solid starter going in Kevin Duchene, while Orleans is turning to Kyle Twomey, who’s been very good but has also pitched mostly out of the bullpen. His longest outing is five innings.