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Vintage Performance

Ryne Birk's triple in the fifth inning helped break things open in Hyannis' win Sunday night.
Ryne Birk’s triple in the fifth inning helped break things open in Hyannis’ win Sunday night.

 
Hosting its first championship game since 1991, McKeon Park was bursting at the seams Sunday night. Mrs. Right Field Fog and I arrived around 5:40, which was far too late to get a great seat. An announced crowd of 5,154 was packed into every nook and cranny.

And the Harbor Hawks delivered a game worthy of that stage.

Riding a dominant performance by Dakota Hudson (Mississippi State) and an opportunistic offense, the Harbor Hawks stayed perfect in the postseason and moved within game of the league championship with an 8-1 win over Yarmouth-Dennis. Hyannis will try to clinch the franchise’s first Cape League title since 1991 today at Red Wilson Field.

Hudson opened the postseason for Hyannis with a strong showing in a win over Cotuit, and he was even better Sunday. The righty went eight innings – keeping the bullpen in prime position for the rest of the series – and struck out eight. He allowed just two hits and one run. Kevin Roy (Columbia) pitched a perfect ninth to finish off the win.

The one run Hudson surrendered sent the Harbor Hawks to a rare postseason deficit. With a runner on third and two outs in the second inning, Mike Donadio (St. John’s) beat out a ground ball for an infield hit and a 1-0 lead.

But Hyannis – which only trailed in one game of its first two playoff series – wasn’t down for long. A two-out RBI single in the bottom of the second by Tristan Hildebrandt (Cal State Fullerton) tied the game.

Y-D starter Mason Kukowski (Yale) followed with two more scoreless frames, but the persistent Hyannis offense and some shaky Y-D defense changed the game.

With two outs in the fifth, Bobby Melley (Connecticut) and Jake Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) singled. Blake Tiberi (Louisville) then hit a ground ball up the middle. Joshua Vidales (Houston) made a great diving stop but his throw to first from the ground was off-target, allowing Melley to score.

That chased Kukowski, but the trends continued. Alec Eisenberg (Hofstra) issued a walk to the first batter he faced, which loaded the bases. Jake Rogers (Tulane) hit a ground ball to third and another errant throw allowed two more runs to score. Ryne Birk (Texas A&M) then laced a sinking line drive into center. Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) made a diving attempt but couldn’t make the catch and the ball rolled past him. Birk raced into third with a bases-clearing triple.

It was 6-1.

Hyannis added insurance in the sixth and eighth innings but didn’t really need it. Hudson retired 15 of 16 batters from the end of the second inning into the seventh. The Red Sox didn’t have a hit after the second inning, getting their only base-runners on two walks and a Hyannis error.

On the other side, eight different Harbor Hawks had hits. Bird, who might be the Playoff MVP favorite right now, went 1-for-4 and now has a hit in every postseason game.

Hyannis is 5-0 in the playoffs and has out-scored opponents 41-14.

They’ll be looking to ride the wave to another sweep Tuesday, but the last hurdle will be tough. Y-D will send its ace, Ricky Thomas (Fresno State) to the hill for game two today. Thomas went 7-0 with a 1.01 ERA in the regular season and tossed six shutout innings for a win in his first playoff start. Y-D has not lost a game that he has started.

Hyannis counters with another Mississippi State Bulldog in Vance Tatum, who had a 1.92 ERA in the regular season and allowed two run in five innings in his first playoff start.
 

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A sweep and a Classic

Corey Bird, pictured earlier in the playoffs, knocked in the go-ahead runs as Hyannis punched its ticket to the championship.
Corey Bird, pictured earlier in the playoffs, knocked in the go-ahead runs as Hyannis punched its ticket to the championship.

 
Hyannis has had some very good teams in the last few years, winning or sharing the regular season division title in 2011, 2013 and this year. But for all that success, playoff runs proved elusive. In 2015, the Harbor Hawks have broken through. They’ll play for the Cape League title for the first time since 2000 thanks to a 4-2 victory last night that clinched a sweep of Bourne.

The Harbor Hawks’ berth means we’re halfway to another first in a while — two No. 1 seeds meeting in the finals. It hasn’t happened since 2005. But it didn’t happen last night, either. No. 1 Orleans and No. 3 Y-D staged a 13-inning thriller in game two of their East division finals, and the Red Sox prevailed 2-1 to force game three.
 

Hyannis 4, Bourne 2

The Harbor Hawks had barely been challenged in starting the playoffs 3-for-3. Friday, that changed. Behind a strong performance from starter Alex Robles (Austin Peay), the Braves carried a 2-1 lead into the top of the ninth inning at Doran Park, three outs from forcing a third game.

With Austin Conway (Indiana State) on the hill, that seemed a foregone conclusion. The Cape League’s co-relief pitcher of the year saved 10 games this summer and did not allow an earned run. The only unearned run he surrendered came in his first appearance of the summer. Conway has also saved three games against Hyannis.

Friday, Conway came on in the eighth to protect the slim lead. It was business as usual with a scoreless frame.

But in the ninth, Hyannis found some magic.

Blake Tiberi (Louisville) walked, Matt Thaiss (Virginia) singled and Ryne Birk (Texas A&M) continued his red-hot postseason with an RBI single that tied the game. Conway was on the verge of keeping things tied, getting Corey Bird (Marshall) down 0-2 with two outs, but Bird then ripped a triple to score two more runs.

It’s about as stunning a rally as I can remember in the Cape League playoffs.

Aaron Civale (Northeastern) made it stand up with a scoreless bottom of the ninth and the Harbor Hawks were on to the championship.

It’s their first appearance there since 2000, and they lost on that trip. Hyannis hasn’t won the Cape League title since 1991.

A rally like Friday’s makes you think something special might happen this year.
 

Y-D 2, Orleans 1

The Red Sox scored a run on an error in the fourth inning. Kyle Lewis (Mercer) tied it for Orleans with a solo home run in the seventh. The teams would play six more scoreless innings before a wild pitch brought in the winning run in the bottom of the 13th.

Orleans, with the league’s best record since 2007, is headed to a game three for the second straight series.

Y-D had lost 4-0 in game one and didn’t have a ton more offense Friday, but capitalized on Firebirds miscues. A double by Dallas Carroll (Utah) set up the run-scoring error in the fourth.

Orleans starter Tanner Tully (Ohio State) was otherwise dominant, giving up nothing else in six innings. Y-D starter Cory Malcolm (Arkansas Little Rock) was just as good, with Lewis’s home run is only blemish. Interestingly, Tully and Malcolm both attended Elkhart Central High School in Indiana.

Though the next two pitchers had no such connection, they matched each other, too. Chandler Blanchard (Pepperdine) pitched six innings of no-hit, shutout ball, with six strikeouts. Ben Bowden (Vanderbilt) allowed two hits in five shutout innings for Y-D.

It all came down to the 13th, when Y-D loaded the bases against reliever Jared Carkuff (Austin Peay) on two singles and a walk. After a force-out at home for the second out, the Red Sox had Mike Donadio (St. John’s) at the plate. He was down in the count 0-2, when the wild pitch allowed Gio Brusa (Pacific) to race home.

Just like that, the Red Sox were alive.

The teams will return to Eldredge Park tonight at 7 p.m. for game three.
 

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Serving Notice

Tyson Miller struck out 11 and allowed just an unearned run as Brewster beat Orleans.
Tyson Miller struck out 11 and allowed just an unearned run as Brewster beat Orleans.

 

The Orleans Firebirds will likely win the East Division title and could still finish with the same 31-12-1 record as the 2007 Y-D Red Sox, the benchmark for great Cape teams in the last 15 years. But the last two nights have hinted that, regardless of where they finish, the Firebirds won’t have an easy time of it in the postseason.

After tying Orleans Tuesday, second-place Brewster beat the Firebirds 4-1 Wednesday behind a fantastic pitching performance by Tyson Miller (California Baptist). The Whitecaps, who clinched a playoff spot with the win, are now eight points back of Orleans with four games left for both teams, meaning there’s a chance they could finish in a tie. Brewster has the second-best record in the league at 23-16-1.

Miller set the course for Wednesday’s win. The 6’4 righty – who struck out 85 for D-II California Baptist this spring – had his best start in what was already a solid summer. In fact, given the opponent, it was perhaps the Cape League’s best start of the summer. Miller allowed just an unearned run on three hits in eight innings and struck out 11. He didn’t walk a single batter. Orleans managed just one extra-base hit for the game.

Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s) pitched the final inning for the save.

If you had predicted a pitcher to dominate Wednesday’s game, Orleans starter Eric Lauer (Kent State) would have been the choice. Lauer came in with a 1.47 ERA and leads the league in strikeouts. Brewster touched him up for three early runs and chased him after three innings.

Nick Senzel (Tennessee) went 2-for-4 with his 15th double of the season, while Robbie Tenerowicz (California) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Four other Whitecaps drove in runs and Brewster finished with nine hits.

Brewster has now earned a tie and a win while facing Orleans co-aces Mitchell Jordan and Lauer. Granted, the Whitecaps were shut-out by Jordan before coming through against the bullpen. And Lauer wasn’t at his best. But still – those guys don’t typically get beat. The loss was Lauer’s first. Tuesday’s game was the first one Jordan has pitched in that Orleans didn’t win.

Orleans will take another crack at a division crown tonight — and they won’t have to play Brewster again in the regular season. If the last two days are any indication, they may meet again when postseason baseball comes around.
 

Y-D 9, Wareham 1

Y-D broke open a 2-1 game with seven runs in the eighth inning and cruised past Wareham to keep pace in the race for the last two East playoff spots. The Red Sox are now 20-20 and still hold a one-game lead on Harwich for fourth place. Gio Brusa (Pacific) had two doubles and three RBI to lead the way Wednesday. Cole Billingsley (South Alabama), Tommy Edman (Stanford) and Mike Donadio (St. John’s) chipped in two hits each. Ricky Thomas (Fresno State) won his league-best seventh game with 6.2 strong innings. He gave up one run on five hits and struck out eight. The big news for Wareham – and the league – in the loss was that Andrew Calica (UC Santa Barbara) has reached the plate appearance mark necessary to qualify for the batting title. He also went 3-for-4, pushing his league-best average to .439. With just four games remaining, Calica has as good a shot as anybody in recent years to become the Cape League’s first .400 hitter since 1990.
 

Hyannis 5, Cotuit 2

Hyannis improved to 5-0 against rival Cotuit this year thanks to a 5-2 victory at McKeon Park. With everybody else in the West losing Wednesday, the Harbor Hawks also inched closer to a division title. They now have a five-point edge on second-place Bourne. Dakota Hudson (Mississippi State) starred in relief Wednesday, striking out eight of the 16 batters he faced in four shutout innings. Bulldog teammate Vance Tatum started and went 4.1 innings. Austin Hays (Jacksonville) and Blake Tiberi (Louisville) each had three hits to pace the offense. Tristan Hildebrandt (Cal State Fullerton), a late roster reinforcement, went 2-for-3 in his seventh game as a Harbor Hawk. Hyannis scored three of their five runs off Cotuit ace Jon Woodcock (Virginia Tech), who had allowed a total of four earned runs on the year before Wednesday. Cotuit fell to 16-24 but remains in a tie for third place with Wareham, five points ahead of last-place Falmouth.
 

Chatham 3, Falmouth 2

The aforementioned Commodores were on the verge of snapping a six-game losing streak but Chatham erased a 2-0 deficit with three runs in the eighth and won 3-2. Nate Mondou (Wake Forest) and Aaron Knapp (California) singled to start the eighth inning rally. A groundout brought one run home before an error on an overthrow from third base plated two more. Armed with the lead, Andre Scrubb (High Point) and Aaron McGarity (Virginia Tech) tossed a scoreless inning each to finish it off. Knapp had two hits to lead the Chatham offense. Heath Quinn (Samford) homered for Falmouth. Turner Larkins (Texas A&M) went 6.1 scoreless innings but was left with a no-decision after Chatham’s rally. The Anglers improved to 22-18 and have a magic number of two for clinching a playoff spot.
 

Harwich 3, Bourne 1

Harwich remained in the mix for an East playoff berth with a 3-1 victory over Bourne. The Mariners are one game back of Y-D for the fourth and final postseason spot. Hunter Williams (North Carolina) allowed one run in 4.1 innings and struck out six. Relievers Joe Ravert (La Salle) and Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) followed with 2.1 scoreless innings apiece, with Schellenger earning the win. Adam Pate (North Carolina) went 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead an eight-hit attack. Cavan Biggio (Notre Dame) and Johnny Adams (Boston College) knocked in one run each.
 

What to Watch

Flame-throwing reliever Zach Burdi (Louisville) is scheduled to make a start as Chatham hosts Y-D and Brandon Bailey (Gonzaga), with both teams in the thick of the East playoff race. In Hyannis, division leaders will meet when the Harbor Hawks host Orleans.
 

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Riding the Wave

Jack Meggs knocked in the go-ahead run in the 10th as Brewster beat Falmouth Sunday.
Jack Meggs knocked in the go-ahead run in the 10th as Brewster beat Falmouth Sunday.

 
Apologies for the unannounced hiatus. The Right Field Fog extended family was together on Cape Cod, which was wonderful in general but bad for blogging. Back in business today.
 

Division leaders Orleans and Hyannis have already clinched playoff spots. All of a sudden, Brewster is looking like the team that’s next in line.

The Whitecaps edged Brewster 4-3 in 10 innings Sunday for their fourth consecutive win. At 22-16, they’ve taken over second place in the East and currently own the league’s second-best record.

The last three wins in the four-game streak have come by one run. With a team that’s great at the plate but a little more up-and-down on the mound, the assumption when they get hot is that the pitching is coming around. That’s not entirely true for Brewster, who has allowed 15 runs in its latest win streak.

The relentless, top-to-bottom offense just keeps pounding away. The Whitecaps are not among the league leaders in extra-base hits – despite leading in hits and batting average – but their ability to knock single after single has been good enough for a lot of wins.

Sunday, the Whitecaps did get a strong pitching performance, as J.D. Busfield (Loyola Marymount) gave up two runs in six innings. But again, it was the offense that came through. After Falmouth tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, Brewster scored one in the top of the 10th and went on to the win.

Leadoff man Colin Lyman (Louisville) started the 10th with a single and a sacrifice bunt moved him to second. With two outs, Jack Meggs (Washington) singled to bring him home.

Trent Paddon (Oregon) worked around two hits in the bottom of the 10th to seal the win.

Meggs and Toby Handley (Stony Brook) finished with two hits each to lead the Brewster offense.
 

Bourne 9, Wareham 1

The Braves pushed their win streak to three with a blowout of Wareham. Nick Solak (Louisville) and Mike Garzillo (Lehigh) both had three hits and three RBI and Reid Humphreys (Mississippi State) homered. Bourne scored all its runs in two innings, with four in the fourth and five in the sixth. On the mound, Cody Sedlock (Illinois) allowed one run in six innings for the win. Kyle Driscoll (Rutgers) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and the recently signed Daniel Jagiello (Long Island) tossed a scoreless frame in his Bourne debut. Bourne is now 18-18-2. Wareham has lost three in a row and is 15-22-1.
 

Hyannis 5, Y-D 1

With Bourne making its run, Hyannis kept the Braves at arm’s length with a victory over Y-D, which maintains the team’s three-point cushion in the West. Nick Deeg (Central Michigan) was back to his dominant self after a rough outing in his last start. He struck out seven and allowed one run in eight innings for the win. Jake Rogers (Tulane) homered while Errol Robinson (Ole Miss) had three hits to pace a 12-hit attack. Rogers, a terrific defensive catcher, was hitting .175 just two weeks ago but has gone 10-for-22 since to up his average to .274. Corey Bird (Marshall) and Blake Tiberi (Louisville) chipped in two hits each.
 

Harwich 8, Chatham 3

The Mariners hit three home runs and got solid showings from three pitchers to beat Chatham 8-3. Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) went deep twice while his Georgia Tech teammate Connor Justus had a home run and four RBI. Preston Palmeiro (NC State) added a hit and scored two runs. Jake Fraley (LSU) homered for Chatham and Garrett Hampson (Long Beach State) had three hits, but the Anglers couldn’t get much else going. Scott Tully (Notre Dame) allowed two runs in six innings for the win. Harwich is now 17-20-1 and three points out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the East.
 

Cotuit 4, Orleans 2

Cotuit allowed Orleans just one extra-base hit and continued its run toward a playoff spot with a victory over the league-leading Firebirds. The Kettleers have won two straight and hold a three-point lead on Falmouth for fourth place in the West. Daniel Brown (Mississippi State) had his best performance of the summer in quieting the Orleans bats. Brown struck out six and didn’t allow an earned run in seven innings of work. Jack Anderson (Penn State) and Justin Dunn (Boston College) finished off the win. The Cotuit offense steadily pushed in front with single runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Brody Weiss (Riverside CC), Spencer Gaa (Bradley), Jeren Kendall (Vanderbilt) and Will Haynie (Alabama) each drove in a run, with Kendall and Haynie both hitting solo home runs. Haynie now has seven home runs on the year.
 

What to Watch

It’s a league-wide off day today. When teams return to the fields Tuesday, there will be an interesting match-up in Orleans, where the first-place Firebirds will host surging Brewster. Mitchell Jordan (Stetson) is slated to start for Orleans as he looks to go 7-0.
 

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Four-for-Four

Nick Solak

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

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    Raising the Cup

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

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    The Tar Heel Ace

    gallenThe University of North Carolina churns out some of the best pitchers in college baseball, year after year. And many of them summer in Chatham, from Andrew Miller to Alex White to Matt Harvey.

    It’s been a few years, but the Anglers may have found another one.

    Tar Heel righty Zac Gallen made his third start of the summer Friday night and delivered his best performance yet. The rising junior struck out eight and allowed just two hits in six shutout innings. Both hits were in the first inning, and he cruised from there. He did all of this against East Division leader Orleans and its fearsome lineup. The Firebirds are second in the league in runs scored, and they lead in extra-base hits.

    Gallen had no trouble. After giving up the two singles in the first, he struck out Tres Barrera (Texas) and got Willie Abreu (Miami) to ground out. Later, he walked two in the fourth inning but then struck out the side, part of a stretch in which he fanned five in a row. Even the third time through the order, the Firebirds went quietly, as Gallen worked a quiet sixth.

    The Chatham offense made Gallen’s big performance count by touching up Orleans standout Kyle Serrano (Tennessee) for two runs in the first inning and tacking on two more in the sixth against the Firebirds bullpen. Trenton Brooks (Nevada), Cory Raley (Texas Tech), Aaron Barnett (Pepperdine) and Zack Short (Sacred Heart) each knocked in a run to lead the balanced attack.

    Orleans scored two runs in the eighth, but Aaron McGarity (Virginia Tech) cooled off the rally, going the final 1.1 innings for the save.

    Chatham moved one game over .500 at 11-10 and is in second place behind Orleans in the East. One of their standout starters, T.J. Zeuch (Pittsburgh) was just released from the roster after reaching his summer innings limit, but the Anglers have quickly found another ace. Gallen hasn’t allowed an earned run in three starts. The Anglers lost the last time he was on the mound, but he went five shutout innings against Hyannis, the other division leader. Gallen is now third in the league in strikeouts, with 23 in just 15 innings.

    Gallen is coming off a spring season in which he had a 2.79 ERA with 74 strikeouts in the UNC weekend rotation.

    Like the other Tar Heels that came before, he’s giving Chatham some of the best pitching in the league.
     

    Hyannis 6, Y-D 2

    In a rare feat this summer, the Harbor Hawks didn’t have a stolen base. They lead the league the league with 40 but found another way in beating Y-D. Blake Tiberi (Louisville) gave Hyannis the 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first with a two-run double. He added a two-run single in the seventh, giving him four RBI on the night. Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) added a hit and an RBI, as did David Martinelli (Dallas Baptist). Errol Robinson (Ole Miss) scored two runs and is now tied for the league lead in runs scored with 15. Mike King (Boston College), who began the summer on a temp contract but has since been signed, was solid in four innings of work, giving up one run. Kevin Roy (Columbia) was credited with the win in relief. Dakota Hudson (Mississippi State), who had pitched as a starter in his last two outings, came out of the pen and surrendered just one run in 3.1 innings. Hyannis moved to 13-8 and has a two-game lead on Wareham for the top spot in the West. The Harbor hawks have won three straight.
     

    Brewster 8, Harwich 1

    The Whitecaps won their second straight and pushed their record over .500 at 10-9. After getting shut-out by Hyannis two games ago, the Whitecaps have delivered 28 hits in their last two games. Colin Lyman (Louisville) led the charge Friday, going 3-for-4 and scoring two runs. Toby Handley (Stony Brook) added two hits and two RBI. Jack Meggs (Washington) went 3-for-4, as did Chandler Avant (Alabama). Brewster now leads the league in team batting average. Four pitchers made the big lead stand up, limiting Harwich to five hits. Nick Highberger (Creighton) was credited with the win.
     

    Wareham 7, Bourne 4

    The Gatemen won their third straight and remained two games back of Hyannis for first place in the West. Andrew Calica (UC Santa Barbara), the hero of Wednesday’s one-hit win, had a huge night, going 4-for-5 with four RBI. He’s now hitting .524 in seven games since joining the team. Nick Cieri (Maryland) added three hits and two RBI. Starter Evan Hill (Michigan) gave up one run in 4.2 innings. Ryan Olson (Cal Poly Pomona) grabbed his second save. Max McDowell (UConn) homered for Bourne and Jacob Robson (Mississippi State) stretched his hitting streak to seven games.
     

    Cotuit 8, Falmouth 1

    The Kettleers broke a 1-1 tie with five runs in the sixth inning and grabbed a win over Falmouth, pulling even with the Commodores in the West standings, in the process. Jonathan King (Georgia Tech) struck out six and gave up one run in five innings of work before four relievers closed the door. Michael Paez (Coastal Carolina), Matt Albanese (Bryant) and Brody Weiss (UCLA) led the offense with two RBI apiece. Kort Peterson (UCLA) had two hits and scored two runs. Both teams are now 7-13.
     

    What to Watch

    The Hyannis-Y-D match-up at Red Wilson Field looks like a good one. Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast) makes his second start since his no-hitter against Y-D’s Ricky Thomas (Fresno State), who’s 3-0 with a 1.01 ERA.
     

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    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.
     

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    Celebrating for the Cavs

    HAR15_group
     
    University of Virginia players who make their way to Cape Cod often spend their summers with the Harwich Mariners. On the night when the Cavaliers won the national championship in Omaha – with Mariner alumni Joe McCarthy and Kenny Towns in the dog-pile – their brethren in Harwich also picked up a victory. The Mariners beat Brewster 5-3.

    The Mariners actually don’t have a Virginia player on the roster this summer, but over the years, Whitehouse Field has been a frequent destination. Every Cape League team has school connections, and Harwich’s Virginia pipeline has remained strong as the Cavaliers have emerged as a national powerhouse. Some of their best players, like Derek Fisher, Steven Proscia, and Towns, have come through Harwich. Towns hit .250 for the Mariners last summer, while McCarthy finished at .314.

    As those two got set for game three of the championship series in Omaha, Harwich used a four-run second inning to beat Brewster. The Whitecaps out-hit the Mariners 11-5 but didn’t have an extra-base hit and stranded seven runners.

    Connor Justus (Georgia Tech) homered to spark the big second inning and Nick Walker (Old Dominion) had an RBI single. Stevie Berman (Santa Clara) added a sacrifice fly in the eighth as Harwich tacked on an insurance run.

    Harwich starter Geoff Bramblett (Alabama) gave up eight hits but allowed just one run in five innings for the win, his third of the year, which is tied for the league lead. Luke Scherzer (Virginia Tech) picked up his league-best fifth save and kept his ERA at 0.00.

    Robbie Tenerowicz (California) had three hits to lead Brewster and Nick Senzel (Tennessee) drove in two runs.

    The win was the third in a row for Harwich, who moved to 8-5-1. Brewster dropped to 6-8.
     

    Wareham 8, Hyannis 1

    The Harbor Hawks still lead the West – as they have almost since day one – but Wareham still has their number. The Gatemen picked up their third victory in as many tries against Hyannis with an 8-1 victory at McKeon Park. Bailey Clark (Duke) matched the aforementioned Bramblett atop the league leaderboard with his third win, as he went five innings and gave up just a run. The offense did the rest, with six players delivering multi-hit games. Andrew Calica (UC Santa Barbara) went 3-for-4 with two RBI in just his second Cape appearance, while Jay Jabs (Franklin Pierce) went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Jarett Rindfleisch (Ball State), who was off to an 0-for-25 start this summer, broke out in a big way, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. David MacKinnon (Hartford) had two hits and scored three runs. For Hyannis, Blake Tiberi (Louisville) delivered his fourth consecutive multi-hit game with a 2-for-4 night.
     

    Bourne 5, Cotuit 0

    Continuing to leave its 0-6-1 start in the past, Bourne won for the sixth time in seven games and suddenly finds itself in third place in the West. Josh Rogers (Louisville) struck out six in 5.2 scoreless innings before Gavin Pittore (Wesleyan) and Austin Conway (Indiana State) finished off the shutout. Reid Humphreys (Mississippi State) and Vince Fernandez (UC Riverside) both homered for the Braves – matching the team’s previous season total in one night – to account for four of the five runs. Cotuit managed just four hits in losing its fifth straight.
     

    Y-D 2, Falmouth 0

    The Red Sox won their third straight with a shutout of Falmouth. Brett Adcock (Michigan), who had a very strong spring but had gotten off to a slow start this summer, delivered six scoreless innings and struck out four. Alec Eisenberg (Hofstra) was dominant in relief, striking out six of the nine batters he faced in three perfect innings. Connor Wong (Houston) and Nathan Rodriguez (Arkansas) drove in one run each for all the offense Y-D would need. Luke Bonfield (Arkansas) was on base twice and scored both runs.
     

    What to Watch

    Only two games on the schedule, but the first meeting of the year between rivals Chatham and Orleans has the makings of a good one. T.J. Zeuch (Pittsburgh), a 6-foot-7 righty who hasn’t allowed an earned run in two starts, is slated to go for Chatham against Eric Lauer (Kent State), who has a 1.80 ERA for Orleans.
     

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    Southpaw Success

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