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The K-Man

Kolton Mahoney's 13 strikeouts were the most in a CCBL playoff game since 2006.
Kolton Mahoney’s 13 strikeouts were the most in a CCBL playoff game since 2006.

 

Three pitchers tied for the league lead in strikeouts this season, and all three took the ball for their teams in game one of the playoffs Wednesday night.

The strikeout king emerged.

Kolton Mahoney (BYU) struck out 13 in seven scoreless innings as Orleans blanked Y-D 3-0 to take a 1-0 lead in its East semifinal series. The 13 K’s are the most in a Cape League playoff game since 2006, when Riley Boening fanned 14 for Wareham. There have been double-digit performances since, but never more than a dozen. (The list of double-digit guys includes Chris Sale, J.J .Hoover, Mark Appel and Kyle Freeland. Good company.)

Mahoney, who was presented with the league’s Outstanding Pitcher Award before the game, was tagged for four unearned runs in his final regular-season start, but he wasn’t tagged for much of anything on Wednesday. He allowed four hits – all singles – and struck out the side twice.

In the regular season, the Red Sox finished with the second fewest strikeouts in the league, but they had faced Mahoney twice and struck out 19 times total, including his previous season-high of 11.

When Mahoney gave way to the bullpen, the onslaught continued. Bobby Poyner (Florida) struck out the side in the eighth and Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) punched out two in the ninth. That’s 18 strikeouts, of 27 outs recorded.

For much of the game, Mahoney was locked in a pitcher’s duel with Y-D ace Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara). The game was scoreless until the seventh, when Jerry McClanahan (UC Irvine) cracked a two-run single to give Orleans the lead. An error in the eighth allowed the third run to score.

The win was Orleans’ first playoff victory over Y-D since 2002. They haven’t matched up a ton since then, but Y-D had swept the last two series with the Firebirds.

 

Falmouth 3, Hyannis 0

The other two strikeout leaders squared off, and Falmouth’s pitching was a little better in a shutout of Hyannis. Matt Hall (Missouri State) went six scoreless innings, scattering five hits while striking out one. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech) and Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) finished off the shutout. Marc Brakeman (Stanford), who hadn’t allowed a run in his last two starts, was touched up for just an unearned run in six innings, as Falmouth took a 1-0 lead on an error in the second. Falmouth added a run on a Conner Hale (LSU) home run and a Jake Madsen (Ohio) RBI single in the eighth. Madsen finished with three hits, while Steven Duggar (Clemson) and Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) had two each.

 

Harwich 7, Brewster 2

In a game that didn’t begin until 9 p.m. thanks to field work after a storm, Harwich busted out quickly with three runs in the first and never looked back. Skye Bolt (North Carolina) went 2-for-4 with a home run and Ian Happ (Cincinnati) went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI to lead a 10-hit attack. Joe McCarthy (Virginia) added three hits. Zack Erwin (Clemson) struck out seven and gave up just two runs in six innings for the win. Seth McGarry (Florida Atlantic) was terrific in relief, striking out every batter he faced in two innings. Ronnie Glenn (Penn) struck out two more in a scoreless ninth. Brewster, which was again playing short-handed, got a home run from Luke Lowery (East Carolina) but not much else.

 

Cotuit at Bourne, PPD

The rain that threatened the other games completely washed out the match-up at Doran Park. The series is now set to get underway tonight at 6 p.m., back at Doran Park.

 

Newman takes MVP honor

In a bit of non-playoff news, Falmouth’s Kevin Newman was presented with his batting title trophy on Wednesday – and then with the MVP award. The only two-time batting champ in Cape League history also now becomes the first player to win the batting title and the MVP honor in the same season since Falmouth’s Conor Gillaspie in 2007. I was a little surprised that Newman won the MVP, since he wasn’t a big power guy (eight extra-base hits), but he was second in the league in OBP, near the top in OPS and top 15 in RBI. Plus, without a completely obvious choice behind him, I don’t have a problem with giving it to the guy who made history.

 

What to Watch

Orleans at Y-D, 4 p.m.
Harwich at Brewster, 4 p.m.
Falmouth at Hyannis, 6 p.m.
Cotuit at Bourne, 6 p.m.

Orleans will try for the sweep of Y-D but will have to go through a very good pitcher as Y-D is slated to give the ball to Walker Buehler. The Vanderbilt righty has had quite a summer, starting with a College World Series title. He then pitched two very good games for Y-D before a brief stint with Team USA. Back on the Cape now, he carries a 1.35 ERA into today’s game. Orleans will counter with Eric Hanhold (Florida). He has a 3.42 ERA and gave up five runs in his last start – against Y-D.

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Newman’s Old Tricks

Kevin Newman is hitting .376 this season after winning the batting title with a .375 mark last year.
Kevin Newman is hitting .376 this season after winning the batting title with a .375 mark last year.

In the first week of his Cape Cod Baseball League career, Kevin Newman (Arizona) went three games without a hit. That career has now spanned nearly 70 games, and Newman has never again gone three games without a hit. More often than not, he hasn’t even gone two without a hit.

For two years running, he’s been the Cape League’s most consistent hitter, and it’s about time to take a step back and marvel.

Last night, Newman went 2-for-5 – his second straight multi-hit game – as Falmouth got within a game of first place with a 7-5 victory over Wareham. Newman was the 2013 Cape League batting champion and he’s well on his way to winning the batting title again in 2014. He hit .375 last year, and – believe it or not – is so consistent that he’s hitting .376 this season. He leads the league, with his next closest competitor .19 points behind.

When Newman won the batting title in 2013, he was the steady, contact guy on a team full of sluggers. He was hitting .338 when he went 6-for-6 on one of the final days of the season to surge to the batting title. He was the first freshman in league history to win it.

This season, Newman is a veteran leader for the Commodores. He of course picked up where he left off, getting two hits in the season opener. He spent part of the summer at Team USA trials but returned and has continued to shine for a solid Falmouth team. He’s shown a little more pop, with seven extra-base hits thus far, compared to only three last year. But mostly, he’s just hit the ball. He will start the All-Star game for the second year in a row.

Newman’s 2-for-5 day on Saturday helped Falmouth inch closer to the top of the standings. Falmouth trailed Wareham 5-4 in the ninth, but a Newman single was part of a three-run inning that turned the game around. Conner Hale (LSU), another veteran standout, had a two-run double as part of a four-hit night and Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts) knocked in a run as Falmouth took control. Garrett Cleavinger (Oregon) struck out three in the bottom of the ninth for the save.

West-leading Bourne fell to Hyannis for the second straight day, meaning Falmouth is now just a game back of the Braves for first place.

With just six games left, Falmouth could certainly make a run for the top spot. It’s a safe bet Kevin Newman will do his part.

 

Hyannis 8, Bourne 7

Hyannis beat Bourne for the second night in a row and moved to 4-2 against the Braves this season with a one-run victory. The Harbor Hawks led 7-2 before Bourne tied the game in the eighth. Jarret DeHart’s RBI single in the bottom half put Hyannis back in front to stay, as Lance Thonvold (Minnesota) rebounded from the tough eighth inning to strike out two in a scoreless ninth. Daniel Kihle (Wichita State) and Donnie Dewees (North Florida) both homered for the Harbor Hawks, while John La Prise (Virginia) had two hits. Tate Scioneaux (SE Louisiana) went seven strong innings for Hyannis. Bourne got another home run from Zander Wiel (Vanderbilt), who has four in 16 games, plus three RBI from Mark Laird (LSU).

 

Orleans 1, Cotuit 0

Orleans won a very well-pitched game in anti-climactic fashion when Johnny Sewald (Arizona) drew a bases-loaded, walk-off walk in the 11th inning for the only run of the game. Kyle Twomey (USC) started for Orleans and went four scoreless innings. Hayden Stone (Vanderbilt) and Bobby Poyner (Florida) combined for five innings without allowing a hit before Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan) pitched two scoreless innings. Four Cotuit pitchers kept things scoreless before Orleans got a base hit, a walk and a hit batsman to load the bases for Sewald, who walked on a 3-1 pitch. For Orleans, David Thompson (Miami) and David Fletcher (Loyola Marymount) had two hits each. John Norwood (Vanderbilt) had two hits for Cotuit.

 

Harwich 9, Chatham 8

Harwich also walked off with a victory in extra innings as Skye Bolt (North Carolina) knocked in the game-winning run with a single in the bottom of the 10th. Chatham had scored four in the top of the ninth to take an 8-6 victory, thanks in large part to Chris Shaw’s (Boston College) league-best seventh home run of the season, a three-run shot. But in the bottom of the ninth, C.J. Hinojosa (Texas) and Bolt scored runs on wild pitches to tie the game. After a scoreless top of the 10th by Kenny Towns (Virginia), Craig Aikin (Oklahoma) reached on an error, Ian Happ (Cincinnati) was intentionally walked and Bolt delivered the game-winning hit. Harwich is now tied again with Orleans for first place in the East, while Y-D fell two points back with a loss.

 

Brewster 13, Y-D 3

Y-D has pitched extremely well lately, but when it hasn’t done so well, the results have been rough, and Saturday’s game fell in line with that trend. Brewster pounded 16 hits and scored a season-high 13 runs in the lopsided win. Y-D has only lost three times in its last 14 games, but all three losses have been by at least 10 runs. Luke Lowery (East Carolina) homered and drove in three, Andrew Lee (Tennessee) went 4-for-4, Kyle Overstreet (Alabama) had three hits and two RBI, and Gio Brusa (Pacific) knocked in three runs to lead the charge. Kenneth Oakley (UNLV) allowed two earned runs in five innings for the win. Three relievers combined for four scoreless innings, with Levi MaVorhis (Kansas State) striking out three in his two innings.

 

What to Watch

The All-Star game is set for today at Bourne’s Doran Park. Gates open at 2 p.m. The home run hitting contest is at 5 p.m., while the game is set for 6:05 p.m. For a full schedule of activities, see the league website.

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Big Arms

Nick Halamandaris makes a play at first earlier this season.
Nick Halamandaris makes a play at first earlier this season.

 

Pitchers have certainly held their own in the Cape League this season, but there haven’t been a ton of dominant performances. Before Saturday’s games, the league’s strikeout leader was a relief pitcher.

But on opposite ends of the Cape Saturday, two pitchers added a little dominance to the equation.

In Falmouth, Wareham’s Kyle Cody (Kentucky) struck out six in seven shutout innings as the Gatemen beat Falmouth 4-0. In Orleans, Kolton Mahoney (BYU) struck out 11 in six innings as the Firebirds beat Y-D 6-3.

Scouts and people who have seen Cody in the past have been waiting for a performance like this. Despite the fact that he pitched only nine innings for Wareham last summer, Perfect Game still picked him as the Cape League’s 30th-best prospect.

The 6-foot-7 righty had pitched 4.1 innings this summer, but broke out with the big performance on Saturday. He allowed three singles, walked one and threw 67 of 91 pitches for strikes.

Scott Effross (Indiana) followed him to the hill and followed suit, striking out four in two scoreless innings to finish off the shutout. The Wareham offense got RBI from Jake Little (Memphis) and Nick Halamandaris (California).

In Orleans, Mahoney has been strong all summer, having gone six scoreless innings in his last start. The 23rd-round pick this year also tossed a no-hitter for BYU this spring.

Last night, he allowed one hit through five scoreless innings before Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) smacked a game-tying, three-run home run in the sixth. But after the home run, Mahoney struck out the final two batters he faced and his offense rallied immediately with a run in the bottom of the sixth to put him in line for the win. The 11 strikeouts put Mahoney in the league lead with 24 on the year.

Kyle Twomey (USC) and Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan) relieved Mahoney and finished off the victory. Edwin Rios (Florida International) and Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) both homered to lead the Firebirds offense.

 

Cotuit 3, Harwich 1

Cotuit also got a pretty good pitching performance as Logan James (Stanford) allowed one run in five innings with six strikeouts. Adam Whitt (Nevada), who’s been one of the best relievers in the league, struck out seven batters in just 2.2 innings. Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) picked up a save with 1.1 scoreless innings. The Kettleers got an RBI each from Jake Fincher (NC State) and Jeremy Taylor (East Tennessee State). The Kettleers have won two in a row and are now at .500 with an 8-8 mark.

 

Hyannis 6, Bourne 2

The Harbor Hawks got solid pitching, steady offense and five stolen bases in a victory over West-leading Bourne. The Harbor Hawks are now 10-6, just one game back of the Braves. Blake Hickman (Iowa) allowed two runs and struck out four in five innings. He left with the lead, and reliever Marcus Brakeman (Stanford) kept it thanks to four scoreless frames. David Houser (Tennessee) led the offense with two hits and three RBI. Austin Slater (Stanford) also had two hits. For Bourne, Harrison Bader (Florida) homered.

 

Brewster 5, Chatham 4

Wade Wass (Alabama) hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to give Brewster its first lead of the game, and the Whitecaps held on from there to win 5-4. The homer was part of a three-hit, four RBI night for Wass, who was batting just .179 coming into the game. Braden Bishop (Washington) and Kevin Martir (Maryland) added two hits each for the Whitecaps. Andrew Naderer (Grand Canyon) struck out five in in three innings of relief and Evan Hill (Michigan) pitched a scoreless ninth.

 

What to Watch

Orleans, winners of three straight, is now in second place in the East and will visit first-place Harwich tonight at 5:30 p.m. Bobby Poyner (Florida) starts for Orleans, with Jared Poche’ (LSU) going for Harwich.

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Kettleers to the Lead

Caleb Bryson hit a home run, his six in nine games, as Cotuit took a 1-0 lead in the championship series.

 
The last time Cotuit and Orleans played in the regular season, the Firebirds won a 2-0 shutout. They came into the Cape League championship series with a little extra rest and with their pitching lined up. They had won 15 of their last 18.

Cotuit, as always, was undeterred.

The Kettleers broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the eighth and out-pitched Orleans pretty much the whole way en route to a 4-2 victory yesterday in game one of the Cape Cod Baseball League championship series. Cotuit is one win away from its second championship in four years.

Cotuit took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Wednesday’s game on a home run by Caleb Bryson (Samford), who has to be one of the greatest late-season pick-ups in Cape League history. Bryson has six home runs in nine games with the Kettleers.

For a while, it looked like the lead would hold up. While Orleans starter Bobby Poyner (Florida) kept it from growing by escaping two bases-loaded jams, Cotuit’s Evan Beal (South Carolina) kept it from shrinking for four innings. Beal, who pitched five strong innings in a start in the Falmouth series, was even better this time, scattering five hits in six innings.

But the Firebirds came on. A base hit by Geoff DeGroot (UMass-Lowell) that was mis-played in left field allowed a run to score in the fifth. Orleans then tied it in the seventh when Ross Kivett (Kansas State) drew a bases-loaded walk.

Both teams missed chances after that, with Cotuit coming up empty after a failed squeeze bunt in the seventh and Orleans’s Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) getting thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple in the top of the eighth.

At that point, the vaunted Orleans bullpen was in action, but Cotuit broke the tie anyway. In the bottom of the eighth, Cotuit loaded the bases on a walk, a double by Logan Ratledge (NC State) and an intentional walk. Orleans went lefty-lefty against Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) with Brian Clark (Kent State), who hadn’t allowed a run since July 16, but Zimmer delivered. He chopped a single up the middle and two runs scored to put Cotuit ahead.

Needing just three outs, Cotuit reliever Wesley Cox (Texas San Antonio) cruised, getting two groundouts and a strikeout to end it.

Game two is set for tonight at 7 p.m. in Orleans. The Firebirds were down 1-0 in their first-round series to Harwich before coming back to win, while Cotuit was up 1-0 in its West finals series with Bourne before getting pushed to a third game. I don’t think anybody would be surprised to see the Cape League summer continue for one more day after tonight.

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Title Series Thoughts

Will Fulmer waits for Bradley Zimmer at second in the final meeting of the regular season between Orleans and Cotuit.

 
Tuesday’s rain gave Cotuit and Orleans an extra day of rest before they square off in the Cape Cod Baseball League championship – and it gives us an extra day to talk about it.

It’ll be a fun series. Cotuit and Orleans are two of the most well-supported franchises in the league, with great fan-bases, great fields and great tradition. It’s the first title round meeting between the two since 1986, when Jeff Conine was in an Orleans Cardinal uniform and Scott Servais was suiting up for Cotuit.

  • The Orleans pitching rotation quietly emerged late in the season as perhaps the best in the league. I say quietly because no Orleans starter cracked the top 20 in strikeouts, and the team’s strikeout leaders were relievers Kyle Twomey and Matt Troupe. But while they weren’t the prototypical, workhorse aces, the group led by Bobby Poyner, Trent Szkutnik, Jared Miller and Corey Miller was fantastic, especially late in the year. Over its final 17 games – when the team went13-3-1 on the heels of a five-game losing streak – Orleans starters gave up two earned runs or fewer in 13 games.

  • The scary thing for Cotuit is that the pitching is lined up – Poyner, Jared Miller and Szkutnik are the probable starters. Poyner and Szkutnik both finished the regular season with 1.72 ERA’s while Miller’s late-season success makes him look like the real ace of the staff. He had two straight scoreless outings late in the year with a combined 14 strikeouts. In a playoff start against Harwich, Miller struck out eight in seven shutout innings.

  • Not to harp on the Orleans pitching staff, but the bullpen has been fantastic as well. Troupe is at the back end as the most dominant closer in the league, and that’s just one piece of the puzzle. In five playoff games, Orleans pitchers have allowed five earned runs in 17.1 innings. That’s an ERA of 2.63.

  • As you might guess from the above, I give the edge in the series to Orleans based on pitching. Cotuit pitchers have held their own in the playoffs, but there’s still a feeling that things are being patched together, with even a few newcomers making starts. On the bright side, Cotuit’s own dominant closer, Brian Miller, has been great in the playoffs. He hasn’t given up an earned run in 6.1 postseason innings.

  • Cotuit and Orleans played each other in the season opener on June 12. The Cotuit starting lineup on that day featured exactly ONE player who is currently with the team, and that’s Bradley Zimmer, who was gone for most of the summer with Team USA. It’s been a story all year, and it’s even more remarkable when you look at it like that – Cotuit has consistently found ways to win despite constant roster turnover. Cotuit has had 51 players wear its uniform this summer. It’s literally two teams’ worth, and yet here the Kettleers are.

  • Some of Cotuit’s most recent reinforcements have had a big hand in the playoff success. Nevada’s Austin Byler leads the team in postseason batting average at .474, home runs with two and RBI with seven. Catcher Garrett Stubbs, who played two regular-season games, is hitting .455 in the playoffs and delivered a walk-off single in a game-two win over Falmouth to keep Cotuit’s season alive. Caleb Bryson has hit a playoff home run, giving him five in eight games with the Kettleers.

  • The other thing about the newcomers is the psychological lift they provide. This was something I hadn’t thought about until team photographer Joe Cavanaugh mentioned it to me. The Cape League season is long and it’s a grind. But guys like Stubbs and Bryson who are thrilled to be getting a shot aren’t feeling that grind. They’re making the most of every second, and that can be infectious.

  • This will be the second consecutive championship appearance for Cotuit’s Danny Diekroeger. The infielder played for Y-D last summer and started all three games of the title series against Wareham.

  • Orleans had Riley Moore as its starting catcher in the first game of the post-season but got hurt blocking the plate in that game and has been out ever since. Collin Slaybaugh replaced Moore after the injury in the Harwich game and has played every inning since – all 40 of them. If Orleans wins this thing, Slaybaugh is an unsung hero.

  • Cotuit isn’t the only team that’s suffered key personnel losses. Orleans is without Jordan Luplow, who was one of the biggest reasons for their late-season surge. A knee injury sent him home. Zach Fish, one of the team’s best hitters, left late in the regular season.

  • Austin Davidson has been terrific for the Firebirds in the playoffs, with seven RBI in five games. Jordan Betts has also been productive, with seven runs driven in. And how about Geoff DeGroot? The UMass-Lowell junior is a shortstop by trade and was hitting .146 before he went five for his last 11 in the regular season. In the playoffs, he’s hitting .364 with three runs scored, all while playing center field.

  • The last time Eldredge Park hosted a championship series game was in 2005, and attendance was listed at 6,815. At Lowell Park in Cotuit, the last championship game, in 2010, had a listed attendance of 5,391. So, wherever you’re going, get there early.

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    Staying Alive

    Orleans beat Harwich 4-3 to force game three in its East semifinal.

     
    Chatham is into the next round with a sweep of Y-D, the franchise’s first playoff series win since 2001.

    The other three games were decided by one run for a second straight night – and they all went in the other direction. Cotuit, Bourne and Orleans avoided sweeps and kept their seasons alive.

     

    Cotuit 5, Falmouth 4

    In perhaps the best Cape League game of the summer, the Kettleers came from behind twice after the fifth inning and won the game on a walk-off in the 10th.

    It was a fitting finish, too. The Kettleers could probably field two teams with all the players that have come through there this summer, and somehow the team still finished one point out of first place. No matter who was in the lineup, they were getting it done. Yesterday, they got a game-tying two-run homer from Austin Byler (Nevada), a late pick-up. And in the 10th, they won the game on a walk-off RBI single by Garrett Stubbs (USC), who began his Cape League career on August 3.

    The Commodores looked poised for a sweep when they went up 3-0 in the fourth on a three-run homer by Kevin Cron (TCU). Meanwhile, ace John Means (West Virginia) cruised through five innings.

    But Cotuit wasn’t going down easy. A three-run rally in the sixth capped by Byler’s home run tied the game. After Falmouth went up by one in the seventh, Cotuit tied it again in the eighth, setting the stage for the 10th-inning heroics.

    Wesley Cox (Texas-San Antonio), another recent arrival, got the win in relief for the Kettleers.

    Game two is slated for today at 5:30 p.m in Falmouth. Probably pitchers are TBA.

     

    Bourne 1, Hyannis 0

    Two largely unheralded pitchers staged a duel to match what stars Ryan Kellogg and Kyle Freeland did the night before, and Bourne pushed a run across in the eighth for the win.

    Kyle Kubat (Nebraska) delivered his best start of the summer for the Braves, striking out six and scattering six hits in 6.2 innings. His counterpart, Cy Sneed (Dallas Baptist), was just as good for Hyannis, striking out seven and allowing only three hits while also going 6.2 innings.

    In the eighth, Bourne broke through against Hyannis reliever Jordan DeLorenzo (West Florida), a late arrival who had yet to allow a run. Trent Gilbert (Arizona) singled to start the rally, and Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) followed with a bunt single that rolled fair. DeLorenzo retired Mark Laird (LSU) and newly-crowned Cape League MVP Max Pentecost, but Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) knocked an RBI single into right field to score the go-ahead run.

    Michael Costello (Radford), who had come on in the seventh and stranded a pair of runners, gave up two singles in the ninth but wiggled out of trouble to finish off a victory for the Braves.

    Game two will go off at 6 p.m. today at McKeon Park in Hyannis. Jacob Lindgren (Mississippi State), who had pitched out of the bullpen to start the summer before going six shutout innings in his only start, will go for the Braves. Rocky McCord (Auburn), who has allowed one run in his last two starts, gets the ball for Hyannis.

     

    Orleans 4, Harwich 3

    Orleans took a lead in the third and held onto it through a few Harwich rallies, winning by a run and forcing a game three.

    Ross Kivett (Kansas State), Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) and Chris Marconcini (Duke) knocked in the runs in the third, and the three were enough for Bobby Poyner (Florida). He took a shutout into the seventh before giving up one run. He went seven full innings, striking out three and allowing just four hits.

    Closer Matt Troupe (Arizona) came on for the eighth and got into trouble, giving up a walk and two straight singles. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Ian Happ (Cincinnati) scored two and made it a one-run game.

    But Troupe buckled down. He stranded Happ on second with a strikeout of A.J. Reed (Kentucky), who had homered an inning before. In the ninth, Troupe struck out two to finish off the victory.

    For Harwich, Nick Howard (Virginia) turned in an impressive start, striking out nine in nine in seven innings, but he was the hard-luck loser.

    Game three is set for Eldredge Park tonight at 7 p.m., and it might be the best pitching match-up of all the game threes. All-Star Game starter Aaron Bummer (Nebraska) will go for Harwich against Jared Miller (Vanderbilt), who struggled in his last start but struck out 10 in six scoreless innings the start before that.

     

    Chatham 9, Y-D 4

    Chatham led 2-0 for much of the game but found itself tied 3-3 in the eighth. That’s when the Anglers exploded, getting a grand slam from J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton) and scoring six runs to send them on their way to the next round.

    Tommy Lawrence (Maine), who lost to Y-D in a playoff start last year, turned it around this time, giving up just one earned run in 5.1 innings. Jacob Dorris (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) got the win in relief when the Anglers broke through.

    After tying the game in the seventh, they took the lead in the eighth on RBI singles by Blake Butera (Boston College) and Landon Lassiter (North Carolina). Then came the big blow. With the bases loaded, Davis smacked a home run out of the same field where he won All-Star Game MVP honors.

    Dorris gave up one run in the bottom of the eighth but Dominic Moreno (Texas Tech) closed the door in the ninth, sealing the sweep for Chatham and ending Y-D’s season.

    James Kaprielian (UCLA) was a bright spot for the Red Sox, striking out nine in five innings. D.J. Stewart (Florida State) homered and Alex Blandino (Stanford) finished a terrific Cape League career with two hits.

    Chatham won a playoff series for the first time since 2001, when it won the East and lost to Wareham in the league championship.

    The Anglers get a day off while the rest of the teams hit the field for game threes.
     

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    Three Comebacks and an Ace

    Chatham snapped a five-game skid at the right time, winning 6-0 in its playoff opener.

     
    If all the days of the Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs are like day one, we’re in for an exciting week.

    Three of the four games featured comebacks and were decided by a run. The other featured an ace pitching like one and a top team getting back on track. Chatham and Harwich were victorious in the East while Hyannis and Falmouth came out on top in the West.

    Chatham 6, Y-D 0

    On a night when he received the P.F.C. Whitehouse Award as the league’s Most Outstanding Pitcher, Chatham’s Lukas Schiraldi (Navarro) pitched like he deserved it. Schiraldi, who grew increasingly dominant as the summer went on, struck out six and allowed just two hits in seven scoreless innings as Chatham cruised past Y-D.

    Schiraldi was kind of the last man standing among the league’s best pitchers, with Jaron Long signing, and Jeff Hoffman and Erick Fedde departing early. But Schiraldi, who did not make the all-star team, wasn’t just the best of the rest. He was tremendous, especially late in the year. He allowed just five earned runs all summer while winning the league’s ERA title. In his last two starts of the regular season, Schiraldi went 12 scoreless innings.

    The streak continued in the playoffs. Schiraldi allowed a double to D.J. Stewart (Florida State), a single to Alex Blandino (Stanford) and nothing else. Mitch Merten (UC Irvine) followed him to the mound and kept it up, going two hitless innings to finish it off.

    The Anglers, who lost five in a row to end the regular season, also woke up the offense. Dante Flores (USC) hit a grand slam in the second inning, and the Anglers never looked back. Connor Joe (San Diego) added a home run and Ryan Plourde (Fairfield), a recent arrival from the NECBL, drove in a run.

    In game two today, Chatham sends Tommy Lawrence (Maine) to the hill against Y-D’s James Kaprielian (UCLA), one of the top freshmen pitchers in the league.

     

    Hyannis 4, Bourne 3

    Kyle Freeland (Evansville) and Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) staged a pitching duel for the playoff annals, but the game came down to a late rally by the Harbor Hawks. Trailing 3-1, Hyannis scored three runs in the eighth to win 4-3. Is anyone surprised it was a one-run game? Hyannis won eight of them in the regular season.

    Freeland, the Cape’s strikeout king, had pitched in relief more than he had started late in the season, but he got the ball for the opener and didn’t disappoint. Freeland struck out 10 and allowed just three hits and an unearned run in seven innings of work.

    Kellogg matched him, striking out six and allowing one run in seven innings.

    When Freeland and Kellogg departed, the offenses came to life. Bourne scored two in the top of the eighth to take the lead, but Hyannis answered with a decisive three-run rally. Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) doubled in Dominic Jose (Stanford), Ryan Padilla (New Mexico) scored the tying run on a wild pitch and Austin Slater (Stanford) knocked in Spoon with the go-ahead run on a base hit.

    Jordan Foley (Central Michigan), who had given up the two runs in the eighth, returned to the mound in the ninth and closed the door, working around a two-out walk and striking out two to seal the victory.

    Game two is slated for 6 p.m. in Bourne. Cy Sneed (Dallas Baptist), who went six scoreless in his last start, goes for Hyannis against Kyle Kubat (Nebraska), who lost his last three starts but has generally been solid.

     

    Falmouth 6, Cotuit 5

    Cotuit looked like it might spring the upset, but Falmouth rallied from a 5-1 deficit to win 6-5.

    Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) went 3-for-4 with three RBI to lead the comeback charge. Dylan Davis (Oregon State) and Troy Stein (Texas A&M) also had two hits, and the Commodores took advantage of three Cotuit errors.

    Cotuit got a home run from Danny Diekroeger (Stanford) on its way to the lead, but didn’t score in the final four innings. Preston Johnson (Chipola), Brent Stong (Bradley), Jared Price (Maryland), and Hunter Brothers (Lipscomb) combined on the shutout bullpen performance. Price got the win and Brothers picked up the save.

    In game two this afternoon, Falmouth will start John Means (West Virginia), who’s been the team’s best pitcher. Cotuit goes with Evan Beal (South Carolina), who had four strong starts in five tries.

     

    Harwich 6, Orleans 5

    Third-seeded Harwich pulled off the day’s only upset when it came back from a 5-4 deficit after blowing a 4-1 lead.

    Ian Happ (Cincinnati) and Tanner English (South Carolina) homered for the Mariners, with Happ going 3-for-3. English’s home run came in the sixth and turned the 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead.

    The one-run cushion was enough for Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State), who struck out six in four scoreless innings after relieving Dillon Peters (Texas).

    Orleans got a grand slam from Jordan Betts (Duke) to take its lead but didn’t score from the fourth inning on.

    Bobby Poyner (Florida), who probably takes the ace label for Orleans, goes tonight at Whitehouse Field as the Firebirds try to stay alive. Nick Howard (Virginia), who’s working an 11-inning scoreless streak, starts for Harwich.

     

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    More Magic

    Jimmy Pickens hit a home run and a walk-off bunt single to lead Chatham to a division-clinching victory.

     
    The Chatham Anglers have a lot going for them this season – solid starting pitching, a terrific bullpen, some ever-increasing pop in the batting order and a team on-base percentage that would make Billy Beane proud.

    A little magic doesn’t hurt either.

    Chatham clinched the Eastern Division title on Wednesday night with its fifth walk-off victory of the summer, a 6-5, 10-inning thriller over Y-D. The division crown is Chatham’s first since it shared the title with Y-D in 2001.

    The Anglers were coming off an 8-1 loss to Brewster heading into Wednesday’s game, and they fell behind Y-D 5-0 despite having Tommy Lawrence (Maine) on the mound. Lawrence hadn’t given up a run since June, but was touched up for four in five innings.

    Chatham got one back in the sixth on a Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga) sacrifice fly but went to the ninth trailing 5-1. If Chatham was to deliver more heroics, it would be the toughest road yet.

    The Anglers did it anyway.

    Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) smashed a two-run home run to get Chatham closer and to breathe new life into the comeback. It was the fourth home run in as many games for Pickens, who suddenly ranks second in the league in long balls.

    Michael Russell (North Carolina) followed with a base hit and Gonsolus got Chatham within one on an RBI double. Brandon Sedell (Nova Southeastern) then brought home the tying run with a single.

    After keeping Y-D off the board in the top of the 10th, Chatham went back to work. Blake Butera (Boston College) was hit by a pitch and Dante Flores (USC) walked. J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton), who was 3-for-5, was intentionally walked, bringing Pickens to the dish, with the chance to be a hero.

    The way he’d been hitting, the script called for a grand slam. Pickens bunted instead, Y-D had no play and Butera sprinted home with the winning run.

    Pickens finished the day 4-for-6 with three RBI, while Davis was 3-for-5 with two runs scored. The emergence of those two – they’re hitting .483 and .436 over the last two weeks – is another reason to like Chatham’s chances, but they’re not the only heroes.

    Magic like Chatham’s comes from a team effort – and the Anglers are pretty good at that.

     

    Orleans 8, Brewster 2

    Orleans owns the 2013 season’s longest winning streak, and it just keeps going. The Firebirds stretched it to eight last night with an 8-2 victory over the Whitecaps. The Firebirds led 3-2 before scoring five in the ninth to pull away. Ross Kivett (Kansas State) went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI to lead the offense, and four of his teammates added two hits each. On the mound, Bobby Poyner (Florida) went five shutout innings, giving up just two hits while striking out one. Conor Harber (Western Nevada CC), Jeremy Rhoades (Illinois State) and Trevor Kelley (North Carolina) pitched a scoreless inning apiece out of the bullpen.

     

    Hyannis 2, Bourne 0

    Cotuit and Falmouth both won, but the Harbor Hawks stayed one point ahead thanks to a shutout victory over the Braves. Cy Sneed (Dallas Baptist) delivered his best start of the summer, striking out five and allowing just four hits in six innings. Kevin Doherty (Virginia) made his Cape League debut and worked a scoreless frame before Jordan Foley (Central Michigan) finished off the shutout with a two-inning save. Chase Griffin (Georgia Southern) and Brian Anderson (Arkansas) each had two hits and scored a run to pace the offense. For Bourne, Kris Gardner (Wichita State) was the hard-luck lose after his best start of the season. He allowed just two unearned runs in seven innings.

     

    Falmouth 13, Harwich 1

    The Commodores won their third straight with their second 13-run performance of the summer. Facing Harwich standout Chandler Shepherd (Kentucky), Falmouth took a 2-0 lead in the first before blowing the game open and chasing Shepherd with six runs in the fifth. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) hit his league-best eighth home run, part of a 2-for-3, four RBI night. Troy Stein (Texas A&M) also homered and drove in two, while Kevin Cron (TCU) went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Starting pitcher John Means (West Virginia) didn’t need all the offense. He struck out seven and allowed just one hit in six innings, taking a no-hitter into the fifth. Falmouth remains two points back of Hyannis in the West.

     

    Cotuit 6, Wareham 3

    Cotuit also kept pace in the West race with a victory over Wareham. Christian Cecilio (San Francisco) gave up a run in 4.2 innings before the bullpen took over. Joel Seddon (South Carolina) picked up the win and Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) grabbed the save with four strikeouts in two innings. Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) led the offense with three hits, including a triple, and two RBI. Danny Diekroeger (Stanford) also had three hits, while Austin Byler (Nevada) had two hits and an RBI. For Wareham, Sean Newcomb (Hartford) struck out seven in three innings while giving up two runs.

     

    What to Watch

    We’ll finally get a little separation in the West with Falmouth visiting Hyannis. The Falmouth starter is TBA, while Hyannis goes with newcomer Logan Carman (Southern Maine), a Division III All-American. In the East, Chatham is hosting a doubleheader with Harwich, beginning at 4 p.m.

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    MVP Return

    Kyle Schwarber went 4-for-4 with a game-tying home run in his return to the Cape.

     
    Kyle Schwarber’s return to the Cape Cod Baseball League happened on the same field where he left it.

    Little else in the setting was the same.

    On August 17, 2012, Schwarber led the Wareham Gatemen to the league championship on a sunny afternoon at Red Wilson Field in Yarmouth, with fans tucked into every nook and cranny. On July 25, 2013, Schwarber helped a struggling Wareham team salvage a tie with Y-D on a cool, dreary evening.

    The fact that he was here for both is one of the coolest stories of the 2013 Cape Cod Baseball League season.

    Schwarber earned Playoff MVP honors last summer when he hit two home runs in Wareham’s championship-clinching victory. His emergence as a star continued on the same trajectory in the spring, when he hit .366 with 18 home runs and led Indiana to the College World Series. He was ticketed for a return to Wareham, but Team USA came calling and Schwarber ran with the opportunity.

    But along the way, he told Wareham officials he wanted to come back when Team USA’s season ended. It was easy to envision him returning and pushing the Gatemen over the top, leading them to more playoff glory.

    That probably isn’t going to happen. Wareham has had a tough season and needs a miracle just to grab the fourth spot in the playoffs.

    And still, Schwarber came.

    This is a guy who has been playing baseball non-stop since Indiana’s season began on February 15. The grind took him across the country, then to Omaha then to Japan with Team USA.

    Coming back to Cape Cod for a few meaningless games, when scouts already have a good feel for who he is? Nobody would have blamed him if he headed home instead.

    But still, Schwarber came.

    Last night, karma smiled on that move. Schwarber went 4-for-4 in his 2013 debut and his two-run homer in the ninth inning tied the game at 2-2. Wareham and Y-D went on to finish in a tie. Andro Cutura (Southeastern Louisiana) delivered a strong performance on the mound for the Gatemen.

    Schwarber’s move is reminiscent of something another Wareham great once did. Matt Murton, who went on to a Major League career, broke his finger at Team USA tryouts in 2002. The temptation would have been to take the rest of the summer off. Instead, Murton returned to Wareham – where he’d played the summer before – let the finger heal and was in the lineup as the Gatemen won their second consecutive league championship.

    Schwarber likely won’t cap his return with the same kind of hardware, but the sentiment is the same. Both had great experiences in Wareham and both felt a measure of loyalty that isn’t always a priority in summer baseball.

    Schwarber is now 6-for-9 with three home runs in his last two Cape League games. The gap between those games – when they happened and what they meant – is huge, but Schwarber was doing his thing all the same.

     

    Brewster 2, Falmouth 0

    The Whitecaps have hit another rough patch but last night was a pretty serious bright spot. Jake Stinnett (Maryland) struck out eight in seven shutout innings as Brewster topped Falmouth 2-0. Stinnett took a no-hitter into the sixth before a base hit by Cameron O’Brien (Northeast Texas CC). It was the only hit he allowed. Justin Kamplain (Alabama) and Brad Schreiber (Purdue) finished the shutout with an inning each. Nick Lynch (UC Davis) delivered all the offense Brewster needed with two RBI, while Boo Vazquez (Pittsburgh) had two hits and scored both runs. Vazquez has a six-game hitting streak. The win was made all the more impressive by the fact that Brewster’s bus broke down before the game and the team arrived just 30 minutes before game time.

     

    Orleans 7, Cotuit 3

    The Firebirds won their fifth straight, riding a dominant performance by Jared Miller (Vanderbilt) to a victory over the Kettleers. Miller started the summer in the bullpen but went seven shutout innings in his second start last week. This time, he went six scoreless and struck out 10 while allowing just two hits. Shawn O’Neill (La Salle) picked up the save. Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) had two hits and two RBI, while Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) also drove in two. Will Fulmer (Montevallo) and Chris Marconcini (Duke) added two hits each. Orleans is now 18-18, just a point back of Harwich for second place in the West. For Cotuit, Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) made his return from Team USA and went 1-for-4.

     

    Harwich 10, Hyannis 0

    Dillon Peters (Texas) turned in his second straight dominant start and the Mariners pulled away late for an easy victory. Peters struck out six in five scoreless innings after seven shutout innings in his last start. Logan Jernigan (NC State) struck out four in three innings of relief and Jake Drossner (Maryland) finished the job. Derek Fisher (Virginia) had two RBI to lead the attack, while Ben Moore (Alabama) and Tanner English (South Carolina) had two hits each.

     

    Chatham 7, Bourne 3

    The Anglers delivered a steady offensive performance and held off Bourne for their 24th victory of the season. Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) had two hits, including a home run, to power the offense. Landon Lassiter (North Carolina) added two hits and two RBI, Michael Russell (North Carolina) had two hits, Blake Butera (Boston College) drove in two runs and recent arrival Brett Bell (Texas Tech) added two hits. Andrew McGee (Monmouth) gave up three runs in four innings. Dominic Moreno (Texas Tech) got the win with three scoreless innings of relief and David Speer (Columbia) shut down his former team over the final two innings for the save. Bourne got four hits from Mark Laird (LSU) but was again kept from clinching a playoff spot.

     

    What to Watch

    Orleans and Cotuit will meet for a second straight night, this time at Lowell Park. It should be a good pitching match-up with Bobby Poyner (Florida) starting for Orleans and Ben Smith (Coastal Carolina) going for Cotuit. Smith was one of the league’s top strikeout pitchers before he missed his last turn in the rotation.

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    Ford Tough

    Mike Ford went 4-for-4 with two home runs and is now hitting .420 on the summer.

     
    In a Cape Cod TimesQ&A this week, Cotuit’s Mike Ford (Princeton) said his goals for this summer were two-fold. He wants to make the Cape League All-Star team and he’d like to hook on as a free agent with a Major League club.

    Both are looking well within reach, especially after last night.

    Ford was already in the midst of an MVP-type campaign, and even if he had turned in a solid but unspectacular second half, he would have been one of the better performers in the league. Last night, he went the spectacular route. Ford went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in leading Cotuit past Hyannis 5-0.

    Ford is steadily turning into one of the best stories on the Cape. He held his own last summer, then returned to school at Princeton and turned in one of the best baseball seasons the Ivy League’s ever seen when he earned league Pitcher and Player of the Year honors.

    And then he didn’t get drafted. Major League teams have their reasons – Ford isn’t big and doesn’t have a clear position destination – but, after this summer, you would think someone would take a chance on the bat.

    Ford is now hitting .420, best in the league, and his five home runs are tied for the league lead. His 18 RBI rank third. He also leads the league with a .510 OBP, and his triple-slash line is .420/.510/.691.

    He knocked in all five of Cotuit’s runs last night, while Hunter Cole (Georgia) and Nolan Clark (Concordia) added two hits. Christian Cecilio (San Francisco) turned in five shutout innings, reliever Joel Seddon (South Carolina) worked two scoreless to keep his ERA at 0.00, and Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) finished out the game with two quick frames.

    Cotuit now owns a 3-1 record against rival Hyannis, and Saturday’s win gives them the most points in the West Division.

    The Kettleers have had a lot of roster turnover and a lot of different players than they expected to have. But with Mike Ford in the mix, they may just keep finding a way to win.

     

    Falmouth 5, Y-D 0

    The Commodores have had some rough pitching performances in July, but last night’s wasn’t one of them. Brandon Magallones (Northwestern) turned in seven innings of one-hit shutout baseball as Falmouth (15-9) blanked Y-D. Magallones had given up three runs on seven hits in his last start but was untouchable this time, taking a no-hitter into the fifth. Donny Murray (Holy Cross) and Zech Lemond (Rice) finished off the shutout inning with an inning each. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) homered to lead the offense, while Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State), Dylan Davis (Oregon State) and Leon Byrd, Jr. (Rice) had two hits each.

     

    Brewster 3, Harwich 0

    Rain wreaked havoc on the other three games, with Bourne-Wareham getting postponed and two other games getting shortened. Brewster beat Harwich in six innings, as Dylan Toscano (Stony Brook) tossed a shutout with two strikeouts, and that goes into the book as the league’s first one-pitcher shutout of the summer. The Whitecaps got all the offense they needed from a first-inning, three-run double by David Armendariz (Cal Poly). Harwich starter A.J. Reed (Kentucky) pitched shutout ball the rest of the way, but his team didn’t get a shot at a late-innings comeback.

     

    Chatham 2, Orleans 1

    The Anglers scored two in the top of the seventh, Orleans couldn’t answer in the bottom half and the game was called after that, giving the Anglers their league-leading 17th victory. J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton) hit a solo home run to tie the game in the seventh before Josh Eldridge (Old Dominion) singled and eventually came around with the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Chad Sobotka (SC Upstate) then pitched a scoreless frame before the rain had its say. Matt Gage (Siena) got the win for Chatham with six strong innings. He struck out seven. Bobby Poyner (Florida) was the hard-luck loser for Orleans.

     

    What to Watch

    A pair of Pepperdine Waves will square off against each other in Brewster at 5 p.m. Corey Miller, a 16th-round pick who just announced he’ll be returning to school, will go for the Firebirds. Aaron Brown, who was drafted in the 30th round as a draft-eligible sophomore, will start for Brewster.