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.

July 12, 2015July 12, 2015

Be Like Mitch

Mitchell Jordan tossed six shutout innings to improve to 5-0.

News flash: Mitchell Jordan (Stetson) allowed an extra-base hit Saturday night.

But it was a return to originally-scheduled programming soon after.

Jordan continued his absolutely dominant summer with six more shutout innings as Orleans beat Brewster 2-0. Jordan – six starts and 33 innings into his Cape League career – still has a 0.00 ERA.

Brewster’s Ryan Peurifoy (Georgia Tech) doubled in the third inning for the first extra-base hit allowed by Jordan this summer. It put runners on second and third, an earned run just 90 feet away. Jordan responded by striking out Brewster’s best hitter, Nick Senzel (Tennessee) to end the inning. He didn’t allow another hit, finishing with six innings of two-hit baseball, to go with nine strikeouts.

This is the time of year back in 2012 that Sean Manaea – who will be the measuring stick for Cape League aces for a long time – started to fully cement an incredible summer, with dominant start after dominant start. Jordan isn’t quite on the same strikeout pace as the former Hyannis star, but as RFF commenter Orville suggested, his overall performance is looking downright Manaean. This is not simply a great beginning or a hot streak – Jordan is having a tremendous summer.

Jordan leads the league in wins with five, strikeouts with 40 and ERA at 0.00. He has given up 11 hits the entire summer, for an opponents batting average of .104. He has gone at least five innings in every start and hasn’t surrendered more than three hits in any of them. He was won five consecutive starts after a no-decision in his summer debut.

Saturday’s win also came at an important time for the Firebirds, who had lost two in a row. They scratched a run across in the first on an error and added one in the ninth on a Willie Abreu (Miami) sacrifice fly.

Two runs were plenty. Brewster’s J.D. Busfield (Loyola Marymount) had a strong start as well, giving up one run in six innings. But as has been the case all summer, it wasn’t good enough to keep up with Mitchell Jordan.

Y-D 8, Chatham 1

Gio Brusa (Pacific) hit two home runs and drove in five, and Ricky Thomas (Fresno State) picked up his fifth win as Y-D stopped Chatham’s four-game winning streak. Brusa, who got off to a slow start in his second summer on the Cape, now has a hit in nine straight games and is batting .286 with four home runs. He hit a three-run shot in the third inning Saturday and added a solo shot in the fifth. Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State), Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) and Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) each chipped in two hits, and Y-D scored five earned runs off Zac Gallen (North Carolina), who came in with a 0.00 ERA in three starts. Thomas allowed one run in 5.2 innings for his fifth win in as many tries. With the win, Y-D moved one point ahead of Harwich for fourth place in the East.

Bourne 4, Hyannis 1

The Braves have moved into second place in the West, and though they’re still six points back of division leader Hyannis, they’re also 3-0 against the Harbor Hawks after Saturday’s win. Bourne was shut-out for six innings but scored three in the seventh and one in the ninth. Nick Solak (Louisville) and Pete Alonso (Florida) each had two hits and an RBI. Ryan Boldt (Nebraska) also had two hits. Cody Sedlock (Illinois) allowed one run in 5.2 innings of work. Doug Norman (LSU) got the win in relief and Austin Conway (Indiana State) tallied his sixth save. For Hyannis, ace Nick Deeg (Central Michigan) righted the ship after a tough outing in his last start, going 5.2 scoreless innings.

Wareham 2, Cotuit 1

Evan Hill (Michigan) turned in his third great start, going six innings with one unearned run as Wareham edged Cotuit 2-1. Hill, a 6-5 lefty, has now had three starts in which he’s gone at least five innings without giving up an earned run. He also struck out seven on Saturday and gave up only one hit. Ian Hamilton (Washington State) took the baton in the seventh and tossed three scoreless innings to finish off the win. The Wareham offense was sparked by Andrew Calica (UC Santa Barbara), who went 2-for-4 with an RBI, who has delivered two hits in three straight games.

Falmouth 4, Harwich 1

Austin Tribby (Missouri) went six strong innings and the Falmouth offense smacked four doubles in a 4-1 victory over Harwich. Tribby scattered six hits and gave up one run in six innings for the win. Cobi Johnson (Florida State) got the save. Michael Tinsley (Kansas) went 3-for-4 while Heath Quinn (Samford) was 2-for-4 with two RBI.

What to Watch

Division leaders Orleans and Hyannis will meet for the third time, this one at Eldredge Park. They have split their first two meetings.

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.

June 14, 2015June 14, 2015

Southpaw Success

Hyannis is off to the best start in the league with a 4-1 record.

There are five left-handed pitchers on the Hyannis Harbor Hawks roster right now. Three of them have made starts.

And the Harbor Hawks may want to go ahead and let the other two give it a try.

For the third time in four wins this year, Hyannis rode a strong effort from a left-handed starting pitcher to a victory. This time it was Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast) allowing two runs in 5.2 innings of work as Hyannis won 5-2 over Orleans. He followed strong efforts by Vance Tatum (Mississippi State) and Nick Deeg (Central Michigan). Together, they’ve given up three runs in 17.2 innings, powering three of the Harbor Hawks’ league-high four wins.

Deeg started the trend with seven shutout innings in a win over Cotuit. Tatum allowed one run in five innings in a victory over Harwich. And Saturday, it was Smeltzer’s turn.

The southpaw didn’t have a great spring, seeing his ERA rise over six with FGCU. He was also matched up with an Orleans offense that was coming off a 15-hit, 3-home run night in a 12-3 victory over Y-D.

But Smeltzer was up to the task. He scattered seven hits, all of which were singles. Nine of the 17 outs he recorded came via strikeout. Aaron Civale (Northeastern) and Will Stillman (Wofford) finished off his win with 3.1 scoreless innings of relief.

The Hyannis offense got two hits and two RBI from Blake Tiberi (Louisville) in his summer debut. Ben DeLuzio (Florida State) scored two runs, Bobby Melley (Connecticut) had two hits and an RBI and Errol Robinson (Ole Miss) scored a run for the fourth time in five games.

It was all part of a familiar formula – solid offense and a strong start from a lefty. Hyannis is at the top of the league because of it.

Y-D 5, Bourne 0

The league’s only winless teams squared off at Doran Park, and it was the Red Sox who got into the win column. Y-D pounded 12 hits – after coming in with 19 on the year. Tommy Edman (Stanford) made his first Cape League hit a home run, while Donovan Walton (Oklahoma State) and Mike Donadio (St. John’s) had two hits and an RBI apiece. Brady Conlan (Cal State Dominguez Hills) went 3-for-5. Y-D also got its best pitching performances of the year. Ricky Thomas (Fresno State) gave up two hits and struck out six in six shutout innings.

Harwich 12, Wareham 11

The Mariners won a wild one with Wareham, rallying from a 9-3 deficit and holding on for the one-run victory. Preston Palmeiro (NC State), making his second start of the summer, went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI to lead the comeback offense. Sheldon Neuse (Oklahoma) and Cavan Biggio (Notre Dame) added two RBI each. Every player in the Harwich lineup had a hit, as the Mariners finished with 14 of them. Reliever Anthony Ciavarella (Monmouth) set the stage for the comeback with four scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced. In the loss, Wareham got home runs from a pair of red-hot hitters in Jay Jabs (Franklin Pierce) and David MacKinnon (Hartford). Jabs has a hit in every game, while MacKinnon – on a temporary contract – leads the league with a .471 average.

Chatham 5, Cotuit 2

The Anglers scored four runs in the top of the first and got five shutout innings from Parker Dunshee (Wake Forest) to top Cotuit 5-2. Zack Short (Sacred Heart) led the early burst with a three-run homer. Trenton Brooks (Nevada), Will Craig (Wake Forest), Aaron Knapp (California) and Nick Sciortino (Boston College) finished with two hits apiece as Chatham knocked 12 hits for the game. Dunshee struck out three in his five innings.

Falmouth 3, Brewster 2

Falmouth scoed two runs in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie and held off a late charge by the Whitecaps for the 3-2 win. J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, accounting for all of the Falmouth runs. He also scored two of the runs. Heath Quinn (Samford) went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Austin Tribby (Missouri) went five scoreless innings on the mound for the Commodores and his college teammate Bryce Montes de Oca (Missouri) struck out six in three innings of relief. He now leads the league in strikeouts with 12, over two relief appearances. Andrew Frankenreider (Northern Illinois) struck out the side in the ninth for the save.

What to Watch

There’s a full slate of doubleheaders on tap. Based on the standings, the Hyannis-Brewster twin bills at Stony Brook Field may be the best bet. Those teams lead their respective divisions.