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Video Game Numbers

Dylan Davis drove in eight runs in Falmouth's 18-3 victory.

 
Bourne came into Friday’s game against Falmouth with the best ERA in the league.

The Braves didn’t leave it that way.

A 3-2 Bourne lead turned into a 4-3 deficit in the fifth. And then it turned into a video game.

The Commodores’ explosive offense delivered its most explosive performance yet, scoring 16 runs in four innings as Falmouth rolled to an 18-3 victory. It’s the fifth straight win for the Commodores, who remain tied with Hyannis for first place in the West.

Some of the stat lines that the late-innings burst created are downright ridiculous. Dylan Davis (Oregon State) went 3-for-4 with a home run and eight RBI. Most of the time, he was driving in Kevin Newman (Arizona), who went 6-for-6 with five runs scored.

Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) had three hits, including a home run and a double. He’s seven for his last 10 with two homers. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) had four hits and an RBI. Cameron O’Brien (Northeast Texas CC) homered.

Falmouth has now scored 48 runs in its five-game winning streak, and Cape League offensive leaderboards are being taken over by Commodores. Newman leads the league in batting average, Gillaspie leads in home runs and Hoskins leads in RBI. Falmouth has three of the top six in hitting, three of the top four in home runs and the top three, plus four of the top five, in RBI. They also have the top four in hits.

It all adds up to the league’s best offensive team. Of course, there have been plenty of bad nights, too, and Falmouth may not even win the division. After all their fireworks last night, Cotuit and Hyannis won, too, keeping the division race as tight as could be.

But as long as this lineup stays together, there’s going to be the potential for something like this.

 

Hyannis 6, Wareham 4

The Harbor Hawks remained in a first-place tie thanks to a solid all-around performance against wareham. Peter Fairbanks (Missouri), another pitching reinforcement, gave up three runs in 6.2 solid innings. Bryant Holtmann (Florida State) went .2 innings before giving way to Eric Eck (Wofford), who went the final 1.2 for his 10th save. The offense pounded out 13 hits, with Brian Anderson (Arkansas) getting three, including a home run. Steve Wilkerson (Clemson) also had three hits, while Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) and Chase Griffin (Georgia Southern) had two each. For Wareham, Fred Shepard (Amherst) struck out four while giving up four runs in 6.1 innings.

 

Cotuit 5, Chatham 1

The Kettleers remained a point back of Falmouth and Hyannis with a win over East champ Chatham. Newcomer Tommy Kister (The Masters College) delivered a terrific performance, striking out eight and allowing just a run on three hits in his debut. The bullpen pitched a shutout the rest of the way. At the plate, Jake Fincher (NC State) drove in two runs, while Hunter Cole (Georgia) and Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) knocked in one each. Another newcomer, Caleb Bryson (Samford), homered in his first Cape League at-bat. Chatham has lost three in a row since clinching the division title.

 

Orleans 3, Harwich 2; Orleans 2, Harwich 2

Orleans picked up three points in a doubleheader with Harwich to take over second place in the East by a point. In the first game, they rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) went 2-for-3 with two RBI and Ross Kivett (Kansas State) had two hits. The bullpen set the stage for the comeback and then finished off the win, with Luis Paula (North Carolina) going three scoreless innings and Matt Troupe (Arizona) striking out one in a perfect frame for the save. In game two, the scheduled seven-inning tilt went the maximum nine before ending in a tie. Again, Harwich led 2-0, but Orleans tied it in the sixth and it stayed that way until the end. Geoff DeGroot (UMass-Lowell) had a pinch-hit two-run double to tie it. In the ninth, Orleans reliever Trevor Kelley (North Carolina) worked into and then out of a bases-loaded jam to salvage the tie.

 

Y-D 8, Brewster 1

The Red Sox won their second straight, cruising past Brewster. Kevin McAvoy (Bryant) struck out seven and didn’t allow an earned run in seven innings of work. Two usual position players, Jose Trevino (Oral Roberts) and Taylor White (UNLV), followed him to the mound and pitched a scoreless inning each. Trevino led the offense with a homer and Wayne Taylor (Stanford) also homered. Alex Blandino (Stanford) added two hits and two RBI.

 

What to Watch

Falmouth and Cotuit will play each other in the season’s final two games, starting with a 6:30 p.m. tilt in Falmouth tonight.
 

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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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Casey at the Bat

Casey Gillaspie hit his league-leading seventh home run yesterday.

 
Casey Gillaspie was going to have a hard time matching his big brother’s success. That’s what happens your brother is a former Cape Cod Baseball League MVP.

But Gillaspie is doing his best.

The Falmouth slugger went 4-for-6 in a doubleheader yesterday and belted his league-leading seventh home run. Falmouth split the twin bill with Bourne, winning the first game 3-1 and dropping the second 4-3.

Gillaspie has now officially matched his brother in the home run category. Casey hit a league-best .345 with seven homers in his 2007 MVP campaign with Falmouth.

Casey got off to a bit of a slow start this summer. While teammate Rhys Hoskins was hot from the beginning, Kevin Cron was delivering huge games and Dylan Davis was bursting onto the scene with four home runs in his first four games, Gillaspie was a little more in the shadows. But he was clearly part of the sluggers crew, and he has steadily improved his all-around numbers in the last few weeks.

Gillaspie was hitting .235 on July 15. Since then, he’s had a hit in nine of 10 games and is batting .447 in that stretch with five extra-base hits. He leads the league in home runs by two and he ranks second in extra-base hits. His batting average is up to .292, his on-base percentage is .364 and his slugging percentage is .496.

Falmouth didn’t really need the help, but Gillaspie’s uptick makes them that much more dangerous. Davis had two RBI and Leon Byrd, Jr. (Rice) hit a home run in the game-one win yesterday. Trey Teakell (TCU) tossed seven strong innings on the mound.

In game two, Bourne got six strong innings from Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic), who was making his final start. Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) and Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) drove in two runs each. That was enough to hold off Falmouth.

Gillaspie did his part with a double and a homer. If he stays hot, it’s going to get harder and harder to hold Falmouth off.

 

Hyannis 0, Brewster 0; Hyannis 5, Brewster 4

Hyannis and Brewster also staged a doubleheader and the Harbor Hawks came away from it with three points and a three-point lead in the West standings. Brewster got a dominant performance from Aaron Brown (Pepperdine) in game one. Brown went eight scoreless innings and struck out five. Rocky McCord (Auburn) and Jordan Foley (Central Michigan) matched him though, combining for eight strikeouts and five hits allowed in nine innings. The game ended in a 0-0 tie. In game two, the Harbor Hawks won a one-run game for the ninth time. Brian Anderson (Arkansas) brought in the go-ahead run in the sixth and Eric Eck (Wofford) notched his league-best ninth save to finish it off.

 

Cotuit 8, Y-D 3

Cotuit got two RBI each from newcomer Austin Byler (Nevada) and Team USA returnee Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) on their way to a victory over the Red Sox. The Kettleers are three points back of Hyannis for first place in the West. Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) added a double to take the league lead in extra-base hits. Wiseman is hitting .483 over his last nine games. On the mound, Ben Smith (Coastal Carolina) went four shutout innings with five strikeouts. John Hochstatter (Stanford) worked two scoreless innings for the win and Joel Seddon (South Carolina) got a save with three scoreless frames.

 

Wareham 11, Chatham 6

The Gatemen made the long trek to Chatham and came back with one of their best wins of the season. Ethan Gross (Memphis) went 3-for-4 with four RBI to lead the charge. Kyle Schwarber (Indiana), who went 4-for-4 in his first game back after Team USA, continued to mash, going 4-for-6 with a double in his second game. Brett Pirtle (Mississippi State) added a home run and Adam Toth (Baylor) knocked in two runs. Kurt McCune (LSU) picked up the win with five solid innings. He struck out five and allowed two runs. Jonathan Holder (Mississippi State) struck out three over the final 1.2 innings to finish it off. For Chatham, Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) hit his fourth home run.

 

Harwich at Orleans, PPD

 

What to Watch

Chatham ace Lukas Schiraldi (Navarro College), who shut out Falmouth for six innings in his last start, draws the Commodores again as the Anglers hit the road. Kevin McKanna (Rice) is scheduled to start for Falmouth.
 

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Steady Stars

Drew Stankiewicz squares to bunt for Hyannis in a game earlier this season.

Chatham and Hyannis own a combined three of the starting spots in the All-Star Game. That’s significantly less than Falmouth, less than Harwich and the same number as Brewster.

But who needs star power?

The Anglers beat Wareham 8-4 last night for their fourth straight win and their league-best 23rd of the season. They have a 12-point lead on second-place Harwich in the East.

The Harbor Hawks beat Brewster 5-0 last night for their third consecutive win. They lead the West by four points over Cotuit and five over the star-studded Falmouth squad.

I don’t think Chatham and Hyannis had too many snubs in the all-star department. Skyler Ewing has been the Harbor Hawks’ best player but he had to be an all-star reserve because he plays the same position as Bourne’s Max Pentecost. Lukas Schiraldi has a case for Chatham.

Generally speaking, though, the numbers are about right. The Anglers and Harbor Hawks have some very good players, but success seems to be driven by good, steady baseball more than stars who light it up.

It was more of the same last night.

Chatham scored seven runs in the first two innings on its way to a win over the Gatemen last night. Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga) went 4-for-5 with two runs scored, while Brandon Sedell (Nova Southeastern) went 2-for-4 with four RBI. Dante Flores (USC) added two hits, Michael Russell (North Carolina) hit a home run and J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton) drove in two runs. On the mound, Matthew Gage (Siena) gave up one earned run on six hits in five strong innings. Ryan Leach (Franklin Pierce) and Mitch Merten (UC Irvine) delivered solid work out of the bullpen.

In Brewster, Hyannis got six shutout innings from Austin Pettibone (UC Santa Barbara), who had struggled in his last start. Tyler Spoon (Arkansas), Brian Anderson (Arkansas) and Landon Curry (Indiana State) had two hits each, while Dominic Jose had two RBI. The Harbor Hawks have won three straight and four of five.

 

Bourne 4, Harwich 3

The Braves touched up East All-Star starting pitcher Aaron Bummer (Nebraska) for four runs and got a steady performance from Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic) en route to a 4-3 victory. Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) went 2-for-4 with two RBI and now has a six-game hitting streak. Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) also went 2-for-4, upping his average to .398. Eric Fisher (Arkansas) and Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) also drove in runs for the Braves. On the mound, Gomber didn’t record a strikeout but gave up just two runs in five innings. Trace Dempsey (Ohio State) picked up his fourth save.

 

Orleans 11, Falmouth 4

The Firebirds seem to be getting back on track after a tough stretch, and they beat the Commodores with a big offensive night. Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) led a 15-hit attack with three hits and three RBI. Will Fulmer (Vanderbilt) also had three hits while Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) and Jordan Betts (Duke) had two hits and two RBI each. Corey Miller (Pepperdine) gave up three runs in five innings for the win. For Falmouth, Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) hit his fifth home run and brought his league-leading RBI total to 29. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) went 4-for-5.

 

Y-D 4, Cotuit 3

The Red Sox scored three runs in the eighth and held off a Cotuit charge in the ninth for the victory. D.J. Stewart (Florida State) had an RBI double to get the rally in gear before Jose Trevino (Oral Roberts) got the go-ahead run home with an RBI single. Trevino then scored on an error. Darrell Hunter (Oregon) gave up two hits and a run in the ninth but ultimately struck out the side to pick up the save. Kody Kerski (Sacred Heart) got the win. Trevino led the Y-D offense with three hits and an RBI. For Cotuit, Chris Ellis (Ole Miss) gave up three runs in seven innings.

 

What to Watch

Harwich will see if it can gain some ground when it visits Chatham for a 7 p.m. start. Dillon Peters (Texas) will try for a repeat of his last start, when he went seven shutout innings. Tommy Lawrence (Maine) takes his 3-0 record to the mound for Chatham.

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No Average Joe

Connor Joe, pictured earlier this summer, went 5-for-5 with two home runs as Chatham beat Bourne.

 
Twice in the past few weeks, solid players have cemented themselves as Cape League stars with five-hit, two-homer nights. Kevin Cron did it for Falmouth and Max Pentecost pulled off the same trick for Bourne.

Connor Joe (San Diego) joined the party on Friday night.

The Chatham slugger went 5-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI as the Anglers beat Bourne 10-7.

It was a coming-out party for a guy who’s been solid all summer. Joe came into the game hitting .300. He leaves it at .333 with team-highs of three homers and 20 RBI.

Joe, like everybody else on the San Diego roster, was in the shadow of Kris Bryant this spring. But Joe more than held his own, ranking behind only Bryant on the team in batting average and sitting third in home runs with seven.

Joe started the summer with two hits in the season opener and has been a model of consistency since. Through the first 24 games he played, he never went more than one game without a hit. That string actually ended this week, when Joe went 0-for-3 on both Tuesday and Thursday.

I’d say he made up for it.

Joe hit a two-run homer in his first at-bat, doubled in his second and homered again the third time he came to the plate. He singled in his final two at-bats, the second of which started the game-turning rally. Despite all of Joe’s pop, Chatham found itself tied with Bourne 7-7 going into the ninth. Joe led off with a single and eventually came around – along with two of his teammates – on a bases-loaded double by Sheehan Planas-Arteaga (Barry).

Jacob Dorris (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) worked a scoreless bottom of the ninth to seal the victory, Chatham’s 21st of the year. At the plate, J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton) also drove in a run for Chatham.

For Bourne, the aforementioned had another big night, going 4-for-4 with four RBI. He now leads active players in batting average and is tied for the league lead in RBI.

But this night belonged to Mr. Joe, another star in the making.

 

Hyannis 6, Cotuit 3

The Harbor Hawks scored three in the eighth on their way to a victory over Cotuit, which puts them back atop the West Division with 37 points. Cotuit and Falmouth are both one point back. Skyler Ewing (Rice) delivered an RBI double to break the tie and Chase Griffin (Georgia Southern) knocked in two with a single to up the lead to three. Griffin finished with three RBI, while Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) and Brian Anderson (Arkansas) joined Ewing with one each. Kyle Freeland (Evansville) gave up two earned runs in 6.2 innings and moved into a tie for the league lead in strikeouts. Jordan Foley (Central Michigan) went 1.1 scoreless innings before Eric Eck (Wofford) worked a perfect ninth for his league-leading eighth save.

 

Falmouth 5, Orleans 0

The Commodores pitched well for the third straight night as they shut out Orleans to improve to 18-12. Falmouth has allowed two runs in its last three games. Daniel Koger (Auburn) allowed just one hit in five innings before four relievers finished the job. Richard Martin, Jr. (Florida) led the offense with a 3-for-5 night. The infielder has struggled this summer, coming in hitting .150, but he hit a home run and tripled as part of his breakout performance. Sam Gillikin (Auburn) added an RBI.

 

Brewster 8, Y-D 4

Scott Heineman (Oregon), the league leader in stolen bases and one of its best hitters, added some power to his game. He hit two home runs, his first two of the summer, to lead the Whitecaps past Y-D. Both were solo shots for Heineman, who is now hitting .343. Trevor Mitsui (Washington) also homered for Brewster, who scored seven of its eight runs in the first four innings. Justin Kamplain (Alabama) went six strong innings for his second win, and he’s tied with Hyannis’ Freeland for the league lead in strikeouts. Y-D got home runs from Alex Blandino (Stanford) and Taylor Gushue (Florida) but it wasn’t enough.

 

Harwich 9, Wareham 1

The Mariners out-hit the Gatemen by one but out-scored them by eight in a blowout victory. Nick Howard (Virginia) picked up the win with five shutout innings. He scattered five hits but none of those – and none of the other six for Wareham – went for extra-bases. Harwich, meanwhile, got a home run from Ian Happ (Cincinnati) for the second straight night, giving him four on the summer. Derek Fisher (Virginia), Brett Austin (NC State) and Gunnar Heidt (College of Charleston) had two hits and an RBI each.

 

What to Watch

Four of the top five teams in the league will be squaring off against each other. Cotuit hosts Harwich at 5 p.m. and Chatham welcomes Falmouth to town for a 7 p.m. start.