Steven Duggar was one of six Falmouth Commodores on the All-League squad.
This is a few days old, but in case you missed it, the Cape League released its All-League selections for the 2014 season. The team is below. Below that, a few notes.
First Base – A.J. Murray – Chatham – Georgia Tech
Second Base – Billy Fleming – Bourne – West Virginia
Shortstop – Kevin Newman – Falmouth – Arizona
Third Base – David Thompson – Orleans – Miami
Infield Utility – Richard Martin Jr. – Bourne – Florida
Outfield – Gio Brusa – Brewster – Pacific
Outfield – Donnie Dewees Jr. – Hyannis – North Florida
Outfield – Steven Duggar – Falmouth – Clemson
Outfield – Ian Happ – Harwich – Cincinnati
Outfield – Mark Laird – Bourne – LSU
Outfield – Andrew Stevenson – Y-D – LSU
DH – Conner Hale – Falmouth – LSU
DH – Chris Shaw – Chatham – Boston College
Catcher – Jameson Fisher – Cotuit – SE Louisiana
Catcher – Anthony Hermelyn – Harwich – Oklahoma
Pitcher – Michael Boyle – Harwich – Radford
Pitcher – Zack Erwin – Harwich – Clemson
Pitcher – Matt Hall – Falmouth – Missouri State
Pitcher – Jordan Hillyer – Chatham – Kennesaw State
Pitcher – Justin Jacome – Y-D – UC Santa Barbara
Pitcher – Ryan Kellogg – Bourne – Arizona State
Pitcher – Kolton Mahoney – Orleans – BYU
Pitcher – Kevin McCanna – Falmouth – Rice
Pitcher – Andrew Naderer – Brewster – Grand Canyon
Pitcher – Kyle Twomey – Orleans – USC
Closer – Phil Bickford – Y-D – Cal State Fullerton
Closer – Adam Whitt – Cotuit – Nevada
Utility – Jake Madsen – Falmouth – Ohio
NOTES
Kevin Newman and Ryan Kellog are your lone repeat honorees. The Arizona-Arizona State rivals had terrific Cape League careers.
For the second year in a row, Falmouth had the most All-League selections with six. Lot of talent at Guv Fuller Field the last two years.
Champion Y-D with only one position player on the team. I thought that might be unusual, but it’s actually the second year in a row. Cotuit had just one All-League hitter last year, Rhett Wiseman. In the case of both Y-D and Cotuit, it speaks to the ability to play one day at a time and find a way to win, without having the stars of stars.
Snubs? Jordan Tarsovich jumps out to me. Probably the league champ’s most consistent hitter, Tarsovich hit .322 with three homers. I think Y-D’s Rob Fonseca (.315, 4 HR’s) could have been there too. And Bourne’s Blake Davey tied for second in the league in extra-base hits. A couple more possibilities, but overall, solid work, I think.
LSU leads all schools with three selections: Andrew Stevenson, Conner Hale and Mark Laird.
Seven schools have an All-League pick for the second year in a row: Arizona, USC, Arizona State, West Virginia, Florida and . . . mighty Kennesaw State. With MVP Max Pentecost last year and standout pitcher Jordan Hillyer this year, the Owls are making some Cape League noise.
How about schools that have an All-League pick for three years running? Nada. I was shocked by that.
Grant Kay went 4-for-4 with a walk-off homer in Cotuit’s win Monday.
The 2013 season in Cotuit was marked by a lot of departures, a lot of arrivals and ultimately a run to the Cape Cod Baseball League championship.
We’ll see what happens in 2014. The Kettleers are a little off their pace from last year and every day seems like a bullpen day for their starting rotation. But one thing isn’t changing: Cotuit still knows how to find reinforcements.
The Kettleers walked off with a 9-8 victory over Falmouth yesterday and three guys who arrived after June 30 helped power it. Grant Kay (Louisville) went 4-for-4 and hit a walk-off home run, John Norwood (Vanderbilt) went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Tres Barrera (Texas) had a homer and two RBI.
Kay and Norwood were both in Omaha when the Cape League season began and neither was on Cotuit’s initial rosters. Kay hit .285 with five homers for Louisville but lasted until the 27th round in the MLB draft. Norwood hit .298 and stole 17 bases for national champion Vanderbilt but went undrafted. Of course, Norwood was the hero of the College World Series, smashing a home run in the eighth inning of game three to put his team in front for good.
Norwood played his first game in a Cotuit uniform on Sunday. Kay played his first one on June 30. Barrera, a top catching prospect from the University of Texas, was on Cotuit’s initial roster but only made his debut on Saturday.
The Kettleers – who have needed to replace some production since Austin Byler left to sign a pro contract – were glad to have all three of their new guys on Monday. Norwood had a two-run single as part of a five-run second inning and Barrera hit a solo home run in the third.
Kay had his second consecutive four-hit game and ended up as the hero. With darkness closing in and two outs in the bottom of the seventh – what would be the final inning – Kay fell behind 0-2, worked it to 2-2 then smashed the walk-off homer.
Cotuit is now 10-12-1 and sitting in third place in the West.
Orleans 3, Chatham 1
Chatham, winners of four straight, carried a 1-0 lead into the eighth inning but Orleans scored three decisive runs in the eighth for a 3-1 victory. The Firebirds have now won three straight – and nine of 10 – and have a three-point edge on Chatham for second place in the East. With the bases loaded in the eighth, Mitchell Tolman (Oregon) knocked a base hit to bring in the tying run and when the ball got past the right fielder, the other two runners scored as well. That was all Orleans needed, with Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) tossing a scoreless ninth to seal the win. The game was a pitcher’s duel in the early going, with Chatham’s Andrew Chin (Boston College) going six shutout innings and Orleans’ Kyle Twomey (USC) allowing one run in five innings. Jake Fraley (LSU) broke a scoreless tie in the fourth for Chatham with an RBI double, and that was the only scoring until Orleans’ eighth-inning rally.
Harwich 7, Brewster 3
As hot as Orleans has been, Harwich continues to hold onto first place and stayed there again on Monday with a win over Brewster. Brendon Sanger (Florida Atlantic) homered and drove in three and Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) also homered. Ian Happ (Cincinnati) and Kyle Barrett (Kentucky) added two hits each. Jon Harris (Missouri State), who was chased in the second inning of his last start, rebounded with five solid innings. Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State) pitched three scoreless innings of relief and Ray Castillo (Alabama) tossed the final inning. Harwich is now 14-8-1.
Bourne 8, Wareham 5
The Braves held off a late charge by Wareham to move to 9-3 in home games this season. The Braves have the best record in the league at 15-8. Bourne led 8-2 in the eighth before Wareham scored four runs in the final two innings. John Gorman (Boston College) eventually got out of trouble in the ninth to finish off the win. Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) allowed one run in seven innings with six strikeouts for the win. Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) hit his second home run in three games to power the Bourne offense and recent arrival Zander Wiel (Vanderbilt) also homered. Brian Serven (Arizona State) had two RBI and Billy Fleming (West Virginia) delivered three hits. Wareham got a home run from Kramer Robertson (LSU) and three RBI from Chris Chinea (LSU).
Y-D 10, Hyannis 8
Y-D won its second straight and sent Hyannis to its seventh straight loss with a slugfest victory. Nico Giarratano (San Francisco) had two hits and three RBI for the Red Sox while Jesse Jenner (San Diego) knocked in two. Josh Lester (Missouri) had three hits and scored three runs. and Andrew Stevenson (LSU) added two hits. Dimitri Kourtis (Mercer) allowed one run over the final 1.1 innings to hold off Hyannis. Parker Bugg (LSU) got the win in relief. Daniel Kihle (Wichita State) hit a home run for Hyannis and is now tied for the league lead. Carl Wise (College of Charleston) also homered.
What to Watch
Cotuit hosts West-leading Bourne at 5 p.m., and another reinforcement gets the ball for the Kettleers. Grayson Jones (Shelton State CC), who was drafted in the 14th round by the Indians this year, will make his first start. Travis Bergen (Kennesaw State), who went six scoreless in his last start, is the listed starter for Bourne.
Kevin Newman had two hits and a game-tying RBI in his return from Team USA.
Most of the players who left Cape Cod for the Team USA trials made the squad. Two players who didn’t get a spot made their returns to the league last night and did their part in the Cape’s patriotic traditions.
In the first game of the annual July 3 and 4 two-game sets, Falmouth’s Kevin Newman (Arizona) had two hits and a game-tying RBI in a win over Cotuit, and Bourne’s Jimmy Herget (South Florida) closed out a victory over Wareham with two scoreless innings of relief.
Newman, the defending Cape League batting champ, went 2-for-4 with an RBI in his last game before the USA trials, on June 18. He picked up exactly where he left off on Thursday, returning to the leadoff spot in the order and going 2-for-4 with an RBI again. The RBI was a big one, too. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and his team trailing 2-1, Newman smacked a single to score Sam Gillikin (Auburn) with the tying run.
Falmouth then won the game 3-2 in the 10th on a bases-loaded walk to Jake Madsen (Ohio).
Gillikin and Steven Duggar (Clemson) joined Newman with two hits apiece. Garrett Cleavinger (Oregon) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Starter Casey Mulholland (South Florida) allowed just an unearned run. He owns two straight starts now without an earned run allowed.
For Herget, the return to the Cape wasn’t quite so dramatic, but he gives first-place Bourne an unquestioned boost, and the Braves used it to finish off their 14-6 victory. Herget struck out three and allowed one hit in two scoreless innings. Brett Morales (Florida) got the win for the Braves with three scoreless innings of relief.
Bourne trailed 6-3 after four innings, but the offense broke out and made the shutout work of Morales and Herget count. Bourne scored 10 runs in the final four innings to blow the game open.
Mark Laird (LSU) finished with two hits and four RBI, Brett Sullivan (Pacific) had three hits and two RBI and Billy Fleming (West Virginia) had two hits and two RBI.
Bourne has won two in a row since a three-game losing streak.
Y-D 8, Hyannis 2
Y-D topped Hyannis for its fourth straight victory and continued an offensive surge. In three of the victories, Y-D has scored eight runs. In the other, nine runs. The Red Sox are now 9-11 while Hyannis dropped to 10-10. Hunter Cole (Georgia) led the offense with three hits and three RBI, giving him eight hits in the win streak. Rob Fonseca (Northeastern), A.J. Simcox (Tennessee), Josh Lester (Missouri) and Andrew Stevenson (LSU) had two hits each. On the mound, Cody Poteet (UCLA) allowed one run in five innings, a nice rebound after he gave up five runs in his previous start. Y-D has now gotten at least five innings from its starter in three of the victories in the streak. For Hyannis, John LaPrise (Virginia) went 3-for-3 in his second game since arriving from the College World Series.
Chatham 9, Orleans 7
Chatham stopped Orleans’ six-game winning streak with a late rally. Just when it seemed like the Firebirds would keep that streak going after tying the game with two runs in the top of the eighth, the Anglers answered with two in the bottom of the eighth on a Landon Cray (Seattle) RBI double and a Ty Moore (UCLA) RBI single. Kyle Davis (USC), who had allowed the home run that tied the game, then worked around a double to pitch a scoreless ninth and seal the win. Moore and Cray led the offense with two hits and two RBI, while Chris Shaw (Boston College) hit his fourth homer of the year. A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) had two hits to stretch his hitting streak to nine games. It’s also now an eight-game streak of at least two hits. For Orleans, Johnny Sewald (Arizona) homered. David Thompson (Miami) and Brett Lang (UNC-Charlotte) had three hits each.
Harwich 10, Brewster 5
Harwich raced to a 7-0 lead and got another solid performance from a starting pitcher in a victory over Brewster. Michael Boyle (Radford) allowed three runs in six innings of work with eight strikeouts. Brewster hit two home runs off him, but the eight strikeouts were also a season-high for Boyle, who has a 1.56 ERA. The Harwich offense was led by four RBI each from Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) and C.J. Hinojosa (Texas). Annunziata homered. Kyle Barrett (Kentucky) added three hits and three runs scored from the top of the lineup. Luke Lowery (East Carolina) and Scott Kingery (Arizona) had the Brewster home runs.
What to Watch
With Arthur bearing down, the Cape may not have any Fourth of July baseball this year, although games are still on as of this morning.
Reilly Hovis tossed three scoreless frames in Orleans’ victory on Friday.
For most of the summer, I’ve been thinking Orleans looked like one of the best teams in the league without really looking like it. The Firebirds lead the league in home runs and extra-base hits, and their pitchers have allowed the fewest hits in the league. But on the flip side, they only rank fourth in runs scored and batting average, and their pitchers have walked the most batters in the league.
That’s a recipe for the ups and downs the Firebirds have had, but there have been more ups lately. With last night’s 7-3 victory over Wareham, Orleans moved one point back of Chatham for second place in the East.
Trevor Megill (Loyola Marymount) and Nathan Bannister (Arizona) continued to join forces for what amounts to solid starts. Megill, recovering from Tommy John surgery, went two innings. Bannister followed with four, allowing two runs. Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) then sealed the deal with the best performance of the night, striking out four in three scoreless innings.
At the plate, the Firebirds broke open a 3-3 game with two runs in the eighth inning and two more in the ninth. An error brought the go-ahead run home in the eighth, and Geoff DeGroot (Rutgers) followed with an RBI single. In the ninth, David Thompson (Miami) smacked a two-run single to make it 7-3.
Thompson went 2-for-5 and is now seven for his last 13. DeGroot and David Fletcher (Loyola Marymount) also had two hits.
Wareham fell to 4-11 with the loss, but Willie Calhoun (Arizona) continued to be a bright spot for the Gatemen. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles, giving him a league-high 11 for the year. Last season, the league leader in doubles finished with 14.
Falmouth 5, Y-D 1
Like Orleans, Falmouth also won its third straight, improving to 7-7-1 on the year with a 5-1 victory over Y-D. Jake Madsen (Ohio), who didn’t have an extra base hit coming into the game, went 3-for-4 with three doubles. Nicholas Ramos (Indiana) had two hits and two RBI and Trever Morrison (Oregon State) had a triple and two RBI. On the mound, Casey Mulholland (South Florida) delivered his best start of the summer, allowing just an unearned run on three hits in six innings of work. Garrett Cleavinger (Oregon), who had terrific numbers this spring, pitched a scoreless inning, as did Travis Stout (Jacksonville State) and Kevin Mooney (Maryland). Florida Gulf Coast standout Michael Murray made his third start for Y-D and allowed two earned runs in 6.2 innings.
Cotuit 6, Hyannis 2
Cotuit doesn’t have much in the way of starting pitching on its staff, and coming into Friday, only once all season had a starter gone more than four innings. With the Kettleers riding a two-game losing streak, Vincent Fiori (South Carolina) gave his team what it needed. Fiori allowed one run in five innings with seven strikeouts as the Kettleers (7-8) topped Hyannis (9-6). Trey Wingenter (Auburn) and Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) combined on four innings of relief as Cotuit allowed just four total hits. At the plate, Cotuit got a home run from Logan Taylor (Texas A&M), plus RBI from Brendan Hendriks (San Francisco), Jake Fincher (NC State) and Dalton Dulin (Mississippi). Hyannis had been 3-0 against rival Cotuit this season.
Bourne 8, Brewster 2
Coming off their first home loss of the season, Bourne didn’t take another one, topping Brewster 8-2 to improve to 11-4, tied for the best mark in the league. Making his first start, Josh Rogers (Louisville) gave up just an unearned run in five innings. He struck out four and gave up three hits. His teammate Jacob Sparger (Louisville) followed with three scoreless frames and John Gorman (Boston College) pitched the final inning. Brett Sullivan (Pacific) led the offense with three hits, while Blake Allemand (Texas A&M) and Billy Fleming (West Virginia) had two hits and two RBI each.
Harwich 10, Chatham 4
The Mariners continued to match Bourne for the league’s best record with a 10-4 victory over Chatham. Jason Inghram (William & Mary), Jacob Evans (Oklahoma) and Robby Kalaf (Florida Internatinal) limited a Chatham an offense that had scored 29 runs in its last two games. Both Evans and Kalaf have yet to allow a run this summer. Anthony Hermelyn (Oklahoma) paced the Harwich offense with four hits and two RBI while Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) had three hits and two RBI. Kyle Barrett (Kentucky) had two hits and now owns an 11-game hit streak.
What to Watch
Ms. Right Field Fog and I will be in Hyannis tonight as the Braves come to McKeon Park for a 6 p.m. start. Travis Bergen (Kennesaw State), who allowed one run in five innings in his first start, gets the ball for the Braves. Hyannis will go to big righty Blake Hickman (Iowa), one of the top prospects in the Northwoods League last summer.
On paper, it looked like the Orleans Firebirds had the best pitching in the league coming into the 2014 season. Some of their best – Virginia’s Nathan Kirby and Josh Sborz and Vanderbilt’s Tyler Ferguson – are in Omaha, but that hasn’t slowed the Firebirds down too much.
Orleans has won five games this summer, and four have been shutouts.
No. 4 was authored last night by Kolton Mahoney (BYU) and Ryne Combs (Kentucky) in a 7-0 victory over Wareham.
The Gatemen were riding a string of four straight games with double-digit hits, but Mahoney and Combs didn’t let them come even close to their fifth in a row. They combined to allow five hits and all were singles.
Mahoney, who threw a no-hitter for BYU this spring, was a draft-eligible sophomore this year and was selected by the Brewers in the 23rd round. He’s certainly catching their attention on the Cape, where he’s allowed four hits and no runs in 10 innings of work.
Mahoney’s previous outing was a four-inning relief stint in another shutout. Making his first start Saturday, he went six innings and allowed just two hits while striking out six. He allowed single in the second, an infield single in the sixth and nothing else. He’s now tied for the league lead in strikeouts.
Combs finished it off. The Kentucky reliever allowed three hits in three scoreless innings.
Orleans also had plenty of offense. Johnny Sewald (Arizona) went 3-for-5 with an RBI at the top of the lineup. Mitchell Tolman (Oregon) drove in two and David Thompson (Miami) had two hits and an RBI.
Orleans improved to 5-5 while Wareham dropped to 3-7.
Bourne 4, Harwich 2
Bourne beat Harwich for the second night in a row, and in doing so, created a tie for the best record in the league. Both teams are now 7-3. Samuel Kmiec (Winthrop) turned in six good innings for the Braves, allowing two runs and striking out six. Brett Morales (Florida) and John Gorman (Boston College) combined on three hitless innings of relief. Gorman picked up his third save, which is tied for the best in the league. The Braves offense, though it only scored four runs, smacked 13 hits. Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) went 3-for-5, while Mark Laird (LSU), Billy Fleming (West Virginia), Blake Davey (Connecticut) and Brett Sullivan (Pacific) had two hits each.
Y-D 9, Cotuit 1
The Red Sox handed Cotuit its fourth straight loss in a 9-1 victory. Andrew Stevenson (LSU) and Vincent Jackson (Tennessee) homered for the Red Sox as they hit a season-high in runs. Rob Fonseca (Northeastern) went 3-for-3 and A.J. Simcox (Tennessee) had two hits. On the mound, Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara) scattered eight hits in 5.2 scoreless innings for the win. Cotuit got three hits from Kyle Holder (San Diego).
Chatham 6, Falmouth 2
Max Tishman (Wake Forest) gave Chatham its best starting pitching performance of the season and the Anglers ran with it in a 6-2 victory over Falmouth. Tishman didn’t allow a run in 5.1 innings, striking out three and working around four hits. Michael Wallace (Fairfield) pitched 3.2 innings for the save. Patrick Mazeika (Stetson) hit the team’s second home run of the season while Ty Moore (UCLA) drove in two runs.
Hyannis 4, Brewster 1
The Harbor Hawks overcame a solid start from Brewster’s Andrew Lee (Tennessee) and got a good start themselves from Jordan Minch (Purdue) in a 4-1 victory. Minch allowed one run and struck out six in six innings. Lance Thonvold (Minnesota) went three scoreless for his third save. Lee gave up two runs in five innings, and the Harbor Hawks added to their lead once he departed. Donnie Dewees Jr. (North Florida) had a double, a triple and two RBI while Dylan Bosheers (Tennessee Tech) had two hits. Mikey White (Alabama) homered for Brewster.
What to Watch
Another set of Sunday doubleheaders are on tap today. The best one may be in Hyannis, where two second-place teams – Orleans and Hyannis – square off.
Richard Martin Jr. scored what proved to be the winning run as Bourne beat Harwich.
Harwich has been the most well-rounded team in the league so far this summer, with the most runs scored in the league and by far the fewest allowed. They’ve also shined in close games, winning two one-run games and two-run three-run games.
But Bourne gave the Mariners a taste of their own medicine on Friday.
The Braves scored two runs in the fifth, allowed one in the bottom half of the same inning and then slammed the door, beating Harwich 2-1. It was just the second loss for the Mariners, who dropped to 7-2. Bourne, now 6-3, grabbed hold of first place in the West.
After getting shut-out through four by Harwich starter Jake Drossner (Maryland) Bourne scored its first run on an RBI groundout by Billy Fleming (West Virginia). Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) then raced home on a passed ball, which would prove to be a huge run.
Harwich got one back on a Kyle Barrett (Kentucky) RBI single, but Bourne starter Travis Bergen (Kennesaw State) got Skye Bolt (North Carolina) to groundout to end the fifth.
From there, the Braves bullpen took over, with Thomas Hatch (Oklahoma State) and Joey Strain (Winthrop) combining to allow just one hit over the final four innings. Bergen got the win after striking out seven in five innings. Strain picked up the save.
Orleans 3, Cotuit 0
Orleans won by shutout for the third time this season in a 3-0 victory over Cotuit. Trevor Megill (Loyola Marymount) went one scoreless frame before Nathan Bannister (Arizona) turned in his second straight four-inning stint of shutout baseball. Bannister was credited with the win. Reilly Hovis (North Carolina), Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) and Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan) finished out the shutout. David Fletcher (Loyola Marymount) led the offense with two hits and an RBI, while Edwin Rios (Florida International) picked up his league-leading ninth RBI.
Brewster 4, Y-D 1
The Whitecaps topped Y-D for their second straight win, improving to 5-4. Justin Montemayor (Houston) went 3-for-4 with an RBI, Gio Brusa (Pacific) went 2-for-4 and scored two runs, and Josh Vidales (Houston) went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Brewster scored three runs against Y-D starter Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast), who was one of the top pitchers in the nation this spring. On the mound for the Whitecaps, Ryan McCormick (St. John’s) allowed just a run on four hits in 5.2 innings.
Wareham 7, Hyannis 5
Wareham also won its second straight, holding off a late charge by Hyannis for a 7-5 victory. Andrew Knizner (NC State) went 3-for-4 with three RBI while Chris Chinea (LSU) drove in two. The Gatemen have put up double-digit hits in four consecutive games and now lead the league in hits with 89. On the mound, Ryan Olson (San Diego) gave up four runs but only one earned in 4.2 innings. Andrew Zapata (Connecticut) got the win in relief with Scott Effross (Indiana) grabbing the save. Hyannis got a home run from Ben DeLuzio (Florida State).
Chatham 3, Falmouth 3
The first tie of the Cape League season happened after 12 innings in Falmouth. The Commodores trailed until the eighth, when they took a 3-2 lead. Chatham answered with a run in the top of the ninth and that was it for the scoring. Matt Eureste (San Jacinto North) went 4-for-6 atop the Commodore lineup and now leads the league in hitting with a .500 average. Steven Duggar (Clemson) drove in two runs. Nicholas Cooney (Wesleyan) pitched six strong innings, while Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) kept Chatham off the board for the final three. Chatham’s Zac Gallen (North Carolina) went six shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out three. Ty Moore (UCLA), A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech), Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State) and Landon Cray (Seattle) had two hits each.
What to Watch
Wareham will visit Orleans as it tries to win its third straight behind perhaps it best pitcher, Kentucky’s Kyle Cody. He struck out six in three innings in his first start. The Firebirds counter with Kolton Mahoney (BYU) who struck out seven in four innings of relief in his only other appearance.
Ryan Kellogg, pictured last year, had a strong first start in 2014.
Wednesday was one of the hottest days of the summer so far, and two Sun Devils must have felt right at home.
Arizona State’s Ryan Kellogg went six strong innings for Bourne as the Braves topped Cotuit 5-4, while spring teammate Brett Lilek went four scoreless frames in a 5-0 shutout for Orleans over Brewster.
The perennial powerhouse Sun Devils didn’t have their best season this year, finishing 33-24 and losing in an NCAA Tournament Regional to Sacramento State. But the uncharacteristic early exit wasn’t for lack of success from their top two starting pitchers. Lilek emerged as an ace in his sophomore season, putting up a 2.68 ERA with 79 strikeouts on his way to first-team all-conference honors. Kellogg, who starred last year as well, had his ERA climb to 3.76 but still went 8-3 and was a workhorse with 103 innings pitched.
Both Kellogg and Lilek look poised for big summers, and they delivered in their first appearances.
Kellogg, making a return trip to Bourne, struck out seven and scattered seven hits in six innings. He gave up three runs, but only one was earned. Cotuit threatened against the Braves bullpen, but Lucas Laster (Mississippi State) and John Gorman (Boston College) slammed the door.
The Bourne offense scored four runs in the first inning and never trailed. Billy Fleming (West Virginia), Blake Davey (Connecticut), Ryan Howard (Missouri) and Kellogg’s ASU teammate Brian Serven all had one RBI. Logan Taylor (Texas A&M) had three hits for Cotuit. Bourne improved to 5-2 while Cotuit dropped to 4-3.
In Orleans, the Firebirds also staked their ASU starter to an early lead, scoring all five of the game’s runs in the bottom of the first. David Fletcher (Loyola Marymount), a defensive whiz who was off to a slow start with the bat, broke out with a 3-for-3 night. Timmy Robinson (USC) hit a home run and drove in three, adding to the Firebirds’ league-best total of eight.
Lilek went only four innings but was dominant, striking out six of the 14 batters he faced and giving up just two hits, both singles. Ryne Combs (Kentucky) and Kyle Wilcox (Bryant) followed with two scoreless innings apiece before a perfect ninth from Bobby Dalbec (Arizona).
Levi MaVorhis (Kansas State) rescued Brewster after the first inning and went six scoreless, striking out five.
Orleans improved to 3-4. Brewster is also 3-4.
Harwich 6, Hyannis 3 (11 innings)
In a battle of teams off to strong starts, Harwich continued the best start in the league with an extra-innings victory over Hyannis. The Mariners, now 6-1, had allowed Hyannis to tie the game with a run in the eighth, but they struck first in extras with three in the top of the 11th. Cavan Biggio (Notre Dame) had a sacrifice fly, Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) had an RBI single and Ian Happ (Cincinnati) had a sacrifice fly. Ray Castillo (Alabama) gave up two hits in the bottom of the 11th, but with the tying run at third, he struck out Dylan Bosheers (Tennessee Tech) to end it. The win went to Jacob Evans (Oklahoma), who went 2.1 strong innings. Starter James Mulry (Northeastern), dominant on opening night, gave up two runs in six innings in his second start. Happ had two hits and is hitting .500 for the summer. Gonzalez, Kyle Barrett (Kentucky), and Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) also had two hits. Bobby Melley (Connecticut) had two hits and Carl Wise (College of Charleston) homered for the Harbor Hawks.
Chatham 4, Y-D 1
The Anglers won their second straight and created a logjam of 3-4 teams in the East. Jordan Hillyer (Kennesaw State) allowed one hit and one unearned run in five strong innings for Chatham. Lou Distasio (Rhode Island) and Kyle Davis (USC) combined for four scoreless innings in relief. A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) led the Chatham offense with a home run and two RBI. Blake Butera (Boston College) and Ty Moore (UCLA) had two hits each.
Falmouth 5, Wareham 4
Wareham out-hit Falmouth 14-8 but the Commodores managed one more run on the scoreboard in the 5-4 victory. Tate Matheny (Missouri State) went 2-for-4 with a home run in his last game before Team USA training camp, while Kevin Newman (Arizona) also had two hits before he departs. Sam Gillikin (Auburn) added two hits and an RBI for Falmouth. Kevin McCanna (Rice) picked up his second win of the season with his second six-inning effort. He gave up three runs and struck out four. Wareham got three hits apiece from Willie Calhoun (Arizona), Keaton Aldridge (Memphis) and Chris Chinea (LSU) but left 12 runners on base.
What to Watch
Jason Inghram (William & Mary) makes his second start for Harwich after seven innings of two-hit baseball last week. The Mariners host Chatham at 7 p.m.
Ian Happ is off to a big start for Harwich – and so are his team’s starting pitchers.
In a Cape Cod Baseball League season, it always takes a week or two for starting pitchers to warm up. Many have been out of action for a while, so they have to get stretched out. They start small, three innings, four innings, maybe five.
But in Harwich, they have started big.
A night after James Mulry (Northeastern) struck out nine in seven shutout innings, Jason Inghram (William & Mary) took a perfect game into the sixth and struck out eight in seven scoreless frames as the Mariners moved to 2-0 with a 10-0 victory over Brewster.
Of the 20 starts made by Cape League pitchers this year, only three have seen the starter go more than six innings, and Harwich’s southpaw duo owns two of those. The average has been 4.2 innings, and Mulry and Inghram have blown that out of the water.
Inghram’s performance was part of a big night for pitching on the Cape, where three games ended in shutouts. His performance was as good as any.
Inghram was the ace of the William & Mary staff this spring with an ERA under two and a 10-2 record. He also racked 109.2 innings, so he’s plenty warmed up. On Thursday, he needed just 86 pitches to get through seven. He retired the first 17 batters he faced before Josh Vidales (Houston) broke up his perfect game in the sixth. He allowed one more two-out hit in the seventh and nothing else.
Ronnie Glenn (Penn) and Skylar Hunter (The Citadel) pitched a scoreless frame each to finish off the win.
The Harwich offense also took care of business, pounding 11 hits and breaking the game open with a six-run fourth. Returning star Ian Happ (Cincinnati) had another big night, going 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI. Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) added two hits and three RBI, while Anthony Hermelyn (Oklahoma) drove in two.
North Carolina star Skye Bolt made his long-awaited Harwich debut when he pinch-hit in the eighth. Bolt was on the Harwich roster last year but ended up with Team USA.
Falmouth 3, Y-D 0
Pitching also shined in Yarmouth, where second-year Falmouth Commodore Kevin McCanna (Rice) tossed six innings of one-hit baseball in a 3-0 win. McCanna had an ERA over six on the Cape last summer, but his spring at Rice was an indicator that he’d be moving in the right direction this summer. He obliged in his first start, striking out four and giving up just the one hit. At the plate, Matt Eureste (San Jacinto) and Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts) – both on temporary contracts – drove in a run apiece, with Afenir notching three hits. Y-D starter Kevin Duchene (Illinois), a former Big 10 Freshman of the Year, gave up two runs in 4.2 innings.
Bourne 1, Orleans 0
The other shutout belonged to Bourne, which moved to 2-0 with an 11-inning victory over the Firebirds. Eric Nyquist (Mercer) gave up two hits in six innings before giving way to the bullpen, which picked up where he left off. Lucas Laster (Mississippi State), John Gorman (Boston College) and Brad Raley (Lake Erie College) delivered five scoreless frames and set the stage for Bourne to walk-off in the 11th. With a runner on third, Billy Fleming (West Virginia) smacked a base hit to bring in the only run of the game and give Bourne the win. The Braves finished with only three hits as Orleans pitchers were just as good as their counterparts. Tyler Honahan (Stony Brook) started and struck out five in five innings.
Wareham 13, Chatham 3
Wareham’s 2013 offense did not score more than 12 runs a single time, but the 2014 Gatemen did it on day two as they got into the win column with a blowout of Chatham. Wareham got at least one hit from every player in the lineup and finished the night with 17. Nick Halamandaris (California) went 3-for-5 with two RBI, while Memphis teammates Jake Little and Keaton Aldridge each hit home runs – the first homers of the Cape League season. Little and Aldridge also had multi-hit games, along with Willie Calhoun (Arizona), Andrew Knizner (NC State) and Charlie Warren (Rice). Anthony Kay (Connecticut) got the win with three scoreless innings of relief.
Hyannis 6, Cotuit 5
The Harbor Hawks and Kettleers met for the second straight night, and the Hawks delivered their second straight one-run win. After trailing 4-0 they rallied to tie it but fell behind 5-4 in the eighth. But in the top of the ninth, they scored two to take a one-run lead and held it through the bottom of the ninth. Florida State star freshman Ben DeLuzio, a third-round pick out of high school, delivered a two-run triple in the eighth to give Hyannis the lead. Lance Thonvold (Minnesota) struck out two in a scoreless ninth to seal the win. Hyannis also got two RBI from Bobby Melley (Connecticut), the Barnstable native who’s coming off a huge year for UConn. Cotuit got another multi-hit night from D.C. Arendas (South Carolina), who went 2-for-3 and is your early league batting average leader.
What to Watch
Two big-time pitchers will make their Cape League debuts tonight. At 6:30 in Falmouth, Y-D’s Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast) gets the ball on the heels of a tremendous spring in which he emerged as one of the nation’s best pitchers. In Orleans, the Firebirds will start Trevor Megill (Loyola Marymount), who was a third-round pick of the Cardinals in this year’s draft. Megill, who was on Orleans’ preseason roster last year, had Tommy John surgery and missed all of this past season at Loyola.
