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.