Streaking

Cole Freeman is now leading the league in hitting.

For all the dominant pitching in Harwich, the comeback from a tough start in Yarmouth and the steady performances in Falmouth, the summer’s longest win streak belongs to the Wareham Gatemen.

A 4-3 victory in 10 innings over Brewster Tuesday night was the seventh victory in a row for the Gatemen. Sitting at 13-14-3 before the streak began with losses in four of their last five, the Gatemen have stormed to complete control of second place in the West and cemented their spot as one of the league’s top four teams. They’re now 20-14-3.

The drama of Tuesday’s one-run, extra-inning victory was nothing new. Five of the seven victories in the streak have been one-run games. Wareham has had a knack for winning those games with late pushes and solid performances by the bullpen.

Much of Tuesday’s game had the streak in jeopardy. Brewster scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and watched ace Zac Lowther (Xavier) strike out eight in 6.2 scoreless innings.

Wareham didn’t get on the board until the ninth inning but made up for lost time. Singles by Joey Bartosic (George Washington) and Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest) and a walk to Dominic Miroglio (San Francisco) loaded the bases with nobody out. Colton Shaver (BYU) brought a run home with a groundout and an error on a ground ball by Alex Destino (South Carolina) allowed the tying runs to score.

The Gatemen then took the lead in the 10th on three straight singles and a sacrifice fly by Miroglio. Jake Matthys (Angelo State), who had already pitched a scoreless ninth, did the same in the bottom of the 10th to seal the comeback win for the Gatemen.

Bartosic had three hits to lead the offense and Sheets had two. Freeman also had two and officially qualified for the batting title, a race that he now leads with a .387 mark. Freeman has been a key to the win streak, batting leadoff and getting 10 hits.

In addition to Matthys, Wareham got shut-down relief work before the comeback from Dalton Horton (TCU) and Clayton Gelfand (Chico State).

Harwich 7, Orleans 5

Joe Dunand (NC State) is emerging as a league MVP candidate and his latest big game helped lead Harwich to a key win over Orleans. Dunand went 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI and is on a six-game hitting streak, bumping his average to .373. He ranks second in the league in hitting, tied for sixth in home runs and is fifth in RBI — the only player to dot all three leaderboards. Dunand’s RBI double in the third started a comeback from an early 3-1 deficit and Harwich went on to the victory. Coupled with a Y-D loss, the win means the Mariners and Red Sox are locked in a first-place tie in the East. Ernie Clement (Virginia) added three hits and two runs scored for Harwich and Jonathan India (Florida) had two hits and scored twice. The top three hitters in the order — India, Clement and Dunand — scored six of the team’s seven runs. Ryan McAuliffe (St. John’s) got the win in relief and Teddy Rodliff (Stony Brook) pitched three scoreless innings of relief to close out the win. Orleans, which dropped its fourth in a row and fell to 16-20-1, got a home run from Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt).

Falmouth 7, Hyannis 3

The Commodores trailed 1-0 from the first inning through the sixth but blasted their way to a late rally and a win over Hyannis with three runs in the seventh, three in the eighth and one in the ninth. J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) had an RBI single, Willie Burger (Penn State) a sac fly and Tristan Gray (Rice) an RBI double to key the first rally and the Commodores were off and running. Gray finished with two hits to lead the charge and Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) added an RBI. The late surge made a winner out of Brady Puckett (Lipscomb), who allowed a run for the first time since July 1 and responded with six scoreless innings to keep it a 1-0 game. Justin Lewis (Kentucky) struck out eight in six innings for Hyannis.

Bourne 3, Cotuit 2

The Braves went to 5-0 against Cotuit this season and pushed the Kettleers closer to the brink of playoff race elimination with a comeback win at Lowell Park. Trailing 2-0 in the eighth, the Braves got three straight singles ahead of an error, a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly to grab the lead. Sean Leland (Louisville) and Brendon Little (North Carolina) pitched a scoreless inning each to keep the Braves in front and seal the win. Willy Yahn (Connecticut) and Connor Wong (Houston) led the Bourne offense with two hits each. Cotuit, which lost its second straight and fell to 12-24-1, got four good innings from standout freshman Jason Bilous (Coastal Carolina).

Chatham 5, Y-D 4

The Anglers knocked off the East’s best and moved within one game of fourth-place Brewster with a dramatic comeback from four runs down in the ninth. Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) got the Anglers within two on a two-run single with one out in the ninth. Y-D made it two outs, but Stuart Fairchild (Wake Forest) smacked a three-run homer on a 2-2 count to give Chatham its first lead of the game. It was the first homer of the summer for Fairchild, who came in hitting .242. Jake Palomaki (Boston College) and D.J. Artis (Liberty) added hits to the rally for Chatham, which had notched just one hit before the ninth inning. Moises Ceja (UCLA) pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth inning to complete the comeback win. For Y-D, Chatham’s comeback spoiled a dominant start from Jared Janczak (TCU), who went six scoreless innings.

What to Watch

Falmouth and Y-D, owners of the best two records in the league, square off at Arnie Allen Diamond at 6 p.m. All-star Brendan King (Holy Cross), who hasn’t allowed a run since June 24, goes for Falmouth against Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina), who has gone 13.1 scoreless innings over his last two starts.

July 11, 2016July 11, 2016

Liking the Rivalry

Quinn Brodey (Stanford) seems to be enjoying the Barnstable Patriot Cup.

He was hitting .196 on the year when he broke out with a 3-for-5, 5 RBI day in Cotuit’s win over Hyannis July 6. In Sunday’s match-up with the Harbor Hawks, Brodey went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run and scored both runs as the Kettleers grabbed a 2-1 win to even up the rivalry’s season series.

Brodey started Sunday’s scoring immediately, blasting a leadoff home run in the top of the first inning. Hyannis’ Dylan Busby (Florida State) had an answer in the bottom half, hitting a solo shot of his own for his second homer of the summer and a 1-1 tie.

The next six innings maintained that early deadlock. Cotuit starter Matthew Ruppenthal (Vanderbilt) settled in after the home run and didn’t allow another run in three innings of work. Andrew Gonzalez (Michigan State) did the same over 5.1 innings for Hyannis.

In the eighth, Cotuit broke through, with Brodey leading the charge. He doubled with one out and scored the go-ahead run soon after on a Cal Stevenson (Arizona) RBI single.

Taylor Lehman (Penn State) and Eddie Muhl (George Washington) had pitched scoreless relief outings and Josh Roberson (UNC Wilmington) came on after Cotuit took the lead for his second save with two scoreless frames.

The win also helped Cotuit gain some ground on Hyannis. The Kettleers improved to 8-17-1 and are 6-3-1 after their 2-14 start. Slowly chipping away in the standings, they’re five points back of the fourth-place Harbor Hawks, who fell to 11-15.

Falmouth 6, Wareham 2

The Commodores won their sixth straight game and gained some distance on the team closest to them with a 6-2 victory over Wareham. Brendan King (Holy Cross) went four scoreless innings and Brett Gilchrist (Dallas Baptist) picked up the win with three strong innings of relief. He allowed just two unearned runs. Justin Hoyt (Jacksonville State) and Corbin Martin (Texas A&M) each tossed a scoreless inning to finish off the win. Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) hit his second home run of the summer and Deacon Liput (Florida) went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) had two hits and scored two runs. Falmouth is now 16-10 and has matched Harwich for the most wins in the league. Wareham, which got two hits from Alex Destino (South Carolina) fell to 12-11-3.

Harwich 1, Chatham 1

After playing Wareham to a tie Saturday — the second in a row for the Gatemen — Harwich had its second tie in a row after 12 innings weren’t enough at Veterans Field Sunday. Solo home runs in the fourth inning were all the Mariners and Anglers would get. Joseph Dunand (NC State) did the honors for Harwich, while Patrick Mathis (Texas) — slumping since a hot start — answered for Chatham in the bottom of the fourth. Pitching and missed opportunities were the story for the rest of the game. Harwich stranded 12 runners on base and Chatham left eight. Harwich starter Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall) was his usual consistent self, allowing just the one run in six innings. He has gone six innings in each of his five starts, all of which rate as quality starts. Five relievers followed him to the hill and allowed five hits combined in six innings of relief. For Chatham, Parker Rigler (Kansas State) made just his second start after opening the year in the bullpen and scattered five hits in six innings. Isaac Mattson (Pittsburgh) led the way for the relief corps with three innings of one-hit ball.

Brewster 4, Orleans 4

Things were also knotted up at Stony Brook Field, where Orleans rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the top of the ninth and held off Brewster in the bottom half before the teams ran out of daylight. The Firebirds had been shut out on four hits through seven innings by Kade McClure (Louisville) and Max Herrmann (Rutgers). An unearned run in the eighth made it 4-1 and set the stage for the ninth-inning rally. Singles by Will Golsan (Ole Miss) and Zach Kirtley (St. Mary’s) started the charge, and Brian Miller (North Carolina) knocked in Golsan with a base hit. After a pitching change, Adam Haseley (Virginia) came through with a two-run single to tie the game. Zach Logue (Kentucky) and Brandon Bielak (Notre Dame) teamed up for a scoreless bottom of the ninth. Miller, Riley Mahan (Kentucky) and Payton Squier (UNLV) had two hits to lead the Firebirds. Before the Orleans comeback, Brewster got two hits from Brent Rooker (Mississippi) and two runs scored by Colby Fitch (Louisville).

Bourne 3, Y-D 1

Bourne rallied from a 1-0 hole in the late innings and snapped its six-game losing streak with a victory over Y-D. The Braves tied the game 1-1 in the sixth on an RBI single by David MacKinnon (Hartford). In the eighth, Jake Mangum (Mississippi State) had an RBI single for the go-ahead run and Justin Yurchak (Binghamton) delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. Andrew Wantz (UNC Greensboro) then struck out two in a perfect ninth for his fourth save. Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) picked up the win in relief. Starter Tony Dibrell (Kennesaw State) went six strong innings, striking out five and allowing one run. Dibrell took over the league strikeout lead with 31 as he continues a back-and-forth with Harwich’s Packy Naughton in that department. Despite leading for most of the game, Y-D managed only two hits. Starter Jared Janczak (TCU) went five scoreless innings.

What to Watch

Off-day today. When the action resumes Tuesday, Falmouth sends league ERA leader Jeffrey Passantino (Lipscomb) to the hill as it looks for its seventh win in a row at Orleans.

July 7, 2016July 7, 2016

Walk-off Welcome

He hit .379, earned first-team all-conference honors and helped lead his team to Omaha, so Tanner Gardner (Texas Tech) was already a welcome addition for the Chatham Anglers.

Then came his debut.

Gardner made his first appearance on the Cape Wednesday and hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning as Chatham beat Wareham 6-5.

The Anglers had fallen behind 5-3 in the top of the 11th but put two men on and watched Gardner go to work. I don’t recall a Cape League debut with such an emphatic opening statement. The sophomore outfielder was down 1-2 in the count when he launched the game-winner over the fence in right field.

The dramatic win improved Chatham’s record to 11-12. With Orleans dropping its third straight, the Anglers are only one game out of third place in the East.

Gardner finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) – who singled ahead of Gardner’s walk-off – went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Hagen Owenby (East Tennessee State) added two hits and an RBI.

Connor Moore (Seattle), who stranded two runners on in the top of the 11th, earned the win. Long before the rally, college teammate Nick Meservey went three scoreless innings in his second start of the summer.

Wareham got four hits from Joey Bart (Georgia Tech), who bumped his average from .276 to .353.

The loss was costly for the Gatemen, who fell into second place as Falmouth jumped into first.

Falmouth 13, Brewster 8

Falmouth’s leap into first place came via a slugfest win over sliding Brewster. The Commodores had 14 hits and reached a season-high in runs in improving to 13-10 on the year. Matt McLaughlin (Kansas) hit a grand slam to power the big third inning and finished 2-for-3 with five RBI. Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) went 3-for-3, scored four runs and drove in two. Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) added two hits and two RBI. Brett Gilchrist (Dallas Baptist) nabbed the win in relief of starter Jake Bird (UCLA), who was touched up for four runs in 3.1 innings after a dominant start last time out. Brewster lost for the sixth straight time and fell to 9-14 and last place in the East. The Whitecaps still lead the league in runs scored, but have also allowed the most. Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) had two hits and now leads the league with a .386 average. Zack Gahagan (North Carolina) added two hits and two RBI and Logan Warmoth (North Carolina) hit his fourth home run.

Y-D 7, Orleans 3

Y-D scored a key win to move ahead of Orleans for second place in the East. The Red Sox – not too far removed from an 0-5 start to the season – are 13-5 since and are tied with Falmouth for the second-best record in the league. Wednesday, Y-D was out-hit 12-7 but capitalized on miscues and scored five unearned runs. J.J. Schwarz (Florida) hit his first Cape League home run, a three-run shot in the fourth inning that broke the game open. Red-hot Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) saw his four-game hit streak end but picked up an RBI. Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton), Kevin Smith (Maryland) and Corey Dempster (USC) drove in one run each. On the mound, Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina) allowed nine hits in 3.2 innings but limited the damage. William Montgomerie (Connecticut) followed with 4.1 scoreless innings for the win. Orleans, which lost its third straight, got four hits from Riley Mahan (Kentucky).

Harwich 1, Bourne 0

It’s hard to win a pitcher’s duel with Harwich, as the Bourne Braves found out. The Mariners got 11 shutout innings from four pitchers – allowing just four hits along the way – and broke through for the lone run of the game in the top of the 11th. Ernie Clement (Virginia) scored on a groundout to shortstop off the bat of Joseph Dunand (NC State). Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) followed with a scoreless bottom of the 11th to finish off the win, picking up where three of his fellow pitchers left off. Making his second start of the summer, power arm Peter Solomon (Notre Dame) allowed one hit in seven innings and struck out six. Notre Dame teammate Brad Bass and LSU’s Austin Bain kept the Braves off the board. Bourne starter Brady Miller (Western Oregon) went six scoreless innings.

Cotuit 5, Hyannis 1

The Kettleers won for the fifth time in seven games and notched their first victory over rival Hyannis. Quinn Brodey (Stanford), who came into the game hitting .196, went 3-for-3 with a home run and drove in all five of Cotuit’s runs. Clay Fisher (UC Santa Barbara) added two hits and two runs scored. Rio Gomez (Arizona), who pitched in limited action for CWS runner-up Arizona, made his second appearance for Cotuit and struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced in 3.2 innings. Eddie Muhl (George Washington) got the win in relief and Jared Padgett (Mississippi State) pitched three hitless innings for the save. Hyannis got a home run from Zach Rutherford (Old Dominion), his third of the summer.

What to Watch

It’s a league-wide off day Thursday as teams head to Fenway Park for a workout. Friday, there’s plenty of good pitching to choose from, with Brady Puckett (Lipscomb) and his 1.71 ERA going for Falmouth, Erich Uelmen (Cal Poly) looking for his third consecutive scoreless start for Y-D and Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year Tyler Wilson (Rhode Island) making his third start for Harwich.

July 5, 2016July 5, 2016

Back in Town

J.J. Matijevic, pictured last summer, had a two-run homer in his 2016 Cape debut.

J.J. Matijevic came back to the Cape with a bang.

An all-star last summer and probably the top returning player currently on a Cape League roster, Matijevic (Arizona) made his season debut on the Fourth of July and smacked a two-run homer that sent Falmouth to a 2-0 win over Cotuit.

Matijevic finished third in the league in hitting last summer, batting .333 with four home runs. He hit .287 with four homers this spring and was a key part of Arizona’s runner-up finish in the College World Series.

He wasted little time returning to Falmouth after Thursday’s final game in the CWS championship series. Monday, he was in the starting lineup for the Commodores, batting second and playing first base.

His homer in the fifth inning – after a Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) walk – was all the offense Falmouth needed. Jeffrey Passantino (Lipscomb) allowed just two hits and fanned seven in seven shutout innings. Seth Elledge (Dallas Baptist) and Corbin Martin (Texas A&M) finished the shutout with a scoreless inning each.

Tristan Gray (Rice) added two hits for the Commodores and Joshua Watson (TCU) – another late arrival from Omaha – also had two.

Falmouth and Cotuit split their holiday series, with the Commodores improving to 11-10 after Monday’s win.

Wareham 2, Bourne 1

A holiday sweep of Bourne has Wareham alone in first place in the West. The Gatemen rode strong pitching and an opportunistic offense to their third consecutive victory and their second in a row over the Braves. Zachary Pop (Kentucky) gave up one run in five innings in his second start of the summer and Gunner Leger (Louisiana-Lafayette) was again dominant in relief. Leger, who has made two starts and two relief appearances, has given up three hits in 11 innings with 15 strikeouts this season. Monday, he surrendered one hit in three scoreless innings and struck out four. Casey Mize (Auburn) followed Leger and pitched the ninth for the save. Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-3 to lead the offense and his RBI single in the second – following an error – staked Wareham to a 1-0 lead. In the fifth, Bart scored what proved to be the winning run on a passed ball, making both of Wareham’s runs unearned. That made for a hard-luck loss for Tony Dibrell (Kennesaw State) who struck out eight and six innings and now leads the league in strikeouts.

Harwich 11, Brewster 7

For the first time all season, an opponent scored more than five runs against Harwich – and the Mariners won anyway. They racked up 20 hits – which might be a league-season high – and broke a 7-7 tie with a grand slam in the top of the eighth for a slugfest win over Brewster. Nick Feight (UNC Wilmington), back after a stint at Team USA trials, came through with the grand slam after a single and two walks loaded the bases. It was Feight’s first homer of the summer. Austin Filiere (MIT) also homered and drove in two, Antoine Duplantis (LSU) had two hits and two RBI and Anthony Critelli (Holy Cross) went 4-for-4 and scored two runs. Johnny Adams (Boston College) and Joseph Dunand (NC State) had three hits each. Harwich raised its team batting average from .246 to .260. Brewster had plenty of offense of its own, with Bryce Jordan (LSU) going 4-for-4 with two RBI, Matt Davis (VCU) getting three hits and Logan Warmoth (North Carolina) driving in three runs. It was the fourth straight loss for Brewster.

Chatham 6, Orleans 3

The longest win streak in the league met its end at Veterans Field as Chatham topped Orleans 6-3. The Anglers took a lead in the fifth, added to it in the seventh and held off a push by Orleans. Lincoln Henzman (Louisville) struck out eight and allowed just an unearned run in 5.2 innings for the win. Austin Magestro (UNC Wilmington) notched a four-out save. Stuart Fairchild (Wake Forest) and Jordan Romero (LSU) led the Anglers at the plate with two hits and an RBI apiece. Chase Pinder (Clemson), Sean Bouchard (UCLA) and Patrick Mathis (Texas) drove in one run each. Orleans – which had won five in a row – got a home run from Drew Lugbauer (Michigan) but only six hits on the day.

Hyannis 8, Y-D 5

The second-longest win streak in the league also came to an end as Hyannis stopped Y-D’s four-game heater. The Harbor Hawks broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth on a Chris Hudgins (Cal State Fullerton) RBI double and a two-run single by Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee). Garrett Cave (Florida International) ran with the lead, striking out two in a scoreless ninth for the save. That made a winner out of James Harrington (New Mexico), who tossed three perfect innings of relief. Hudgins was one of four Harbor Hawks with a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4. Cody Henry (Alabama) went 3-for-3, Dylan Busby (Florida State) went 2-for-2 with two RBI and Trey Truitt (Mercer) went 2-for-5. Y-D got two hits and two RBI from J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara).

What to Watch

The best pitching staff in the league will try something a little different in the rotation as dominant reliever Austin Bain (LSU) makes his first start when Harwich hosts Bourne. Bain has 12 strikeouts in seven scoreless relief innings this summer.

June 25, 2016June 25, 2016

Eagles Have Landed

Chatham has welcomed in some good players from Boston College over the years – first-round pick Chris Shaw comes to mind – but they haven’t often welcomed in a group of Eagles coming off a spring like this.

Boston College made the program’s first-ever trip to a Super Regional this season and pushed host Miami to the limit before ending up one game shy of Omaha. As they embarked for their summer destinations, there was undoubtedly a desire to keep the momentum rolling into next year.

The Anglers have been one of the beneficiaries. In Friday’s game, BC’s Jacob Stevens went five scoreless innings for a 3-1 win over Bourne and teammate Donovan Casey went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Fellow Eagle Jake Palomaki added a run scored.

Chatham moved to 7-6 with the victory, good for a third-place tie with Orleans in the East.

Friday’s game was the Cape debut for Stevens, who showed early signs that he’ll be building on his big freshman year. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound right-hander was a stalwart in the weekend rotation for the Eagles, finishing with a 2.54 ERA en route to ACC All-Freshman honors. His 70 strikeouts ranked second on the team, just two behind the leader – none other than first-round pick Justin Dunn.

Friday, Stevens struck out two and walked two while allowing only three hits. When he departed after five innings, Chatham had a 2-0 lead and would stay in front the rest of the way.

Stevens’ lead was sparked by his college teammates, as Casey drove in Palomaki to make it 1-0 in the first inning. Batting first and third in the order, Palomaki and Casey are off to strong starts. Palomaki, who hit .258 and stole 19 bases for the Eagles, is batting .310 and has scored six runs in nine games. Casey, coming off a spring in which he hit .273, is at .357 for the Anglers and his 2-for-4 night was his third consecutive two-hit game. He has a hit in all but one of the seven games he’s played.

With the Eagles coming through, Chatham also got two hits and a run scored from Sean Bouchard (UCLA). Chase Pinder (Clemson) also scored a run. Three relief pitchers took the mound after Stevens and finished off the win, with Moises Ceja (UCLA) earning his second save.

Brewster 3, Harwich 2

The league’s highest-scoring offense broke through late against the league’s best pitching staff as Brewster rallied past first-place Harwich. The Whitecaps trailed 2-1 before tying the game in the eighth and walking off with a 3-2 win in the ninth. Logan Warmoth (North Carolina) doubled in the eighth and came around on an error on a ball off the bat of Brent Rooker (Mississippi State). Beau Jordan (LSU) then brought home Ryan Noda (Cincinnati) in the ninth with a walkoff RBI single. Jordan, Warmoth and Rooker all finished 2-for-4 to lead the charge for the Whitecaps. Konnor Pilkington (Mississippi State) gave the Whitecaps some good pitching of their own, allowing one run in five innings. Tyler Zuber (Arkansas State) was credited with the win thanks to two scoreless innings of relief. Harwich got another strong performance from a starting pitcher as Hunter Williams (North Carolina) allowed one run in seven innings before Brewster got to the Mariner bullpen. The Whitecaps grabbed sole possession of second place in the East with an 8-5 mark.

Hyannis 2, Cotuit 1

Hyannis made two early runs stand up and went to 2-0 in the Barnstable Patriot Cup with a win over sliding Cotuit, which dropped its eighth in a row. Cody Henry (Alabama) scored an unearned run in the second inning and Chris Cullen (South Carolina) had a sacrifice fly to score Dylan Busby (Florida State) in the fourth. That was all the Harbor Hawk pitchers would need, as Alex Eubanks (Clemson) went six shutout innings and Al Pesto (Duke) and Garrett Cave (Florida International) closed out the win. Cave struck out the side around a hit in the ninth for his fourth save. Keith Rogalla (Creighton) and Cal Becker (Sonoma State) pitched well for the Kettleers.

Y-D 12, Wareham 4

Y-D built a 6-0 lead and answered a four-run Wareham rally with six more runs in a 12-4 blowout at Spillane Field. Seven different Red Sox knocked in runs, with Tyler Houston (Butler) and Kevin Smith (Maryland) plating two each. Matt Winaker (Stanford), Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) and Paul Rufo (Binghamton) had two hits each. Erich Uelmen (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) ran with the early lead, tossing five shutout innings with five strikeouts.

Falmouth 7, Orleans 3

Falmouth rallied from a 3-0 deficit with seven unanswered runs in the middle innings en route to a win over Orleans. Tyler Lawrence (Murray State) went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs to lead the comeback efforts. Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) homered and drove in two. Seven different Commodores crossed the plate. The rally helped make a winner out of Brendan King (Holy Cross), who started and allowed three runs in five innings. Three Falmouth relievers combined to surrender just one hit over the final four innings.

What to Watch

The top three teams in the West are all within one point of each other in the standings, and two of them will meet Saturday as Bourne hosts Falmouth at Doran Park.

June 10, 2016June 10, 2016

Young talent leads Commodores

Falmouth missed the playoffs last season but has a talented team ready for a return trip.

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Luken Baker
2. Brady Puckett
3. J.J. Matijevic
4. Bryce Montes de Oca
5. Brady Singer

NOTABLE

The Falmouth roster no longer includes the guy who stole all the headlines in the preseason. Missouri State All-American Jake Burger is on the Team USA roster. But there’s plenty of talent left . . .

A late addition who stands as a good replacement for Burger is TCU freshman Luken Baker. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year came in highly touted and has been a force at the plate and on the mound. He’s also at his best right now, coming off four home runs in the Big 12 Tournament.

Baker is one of 12 freshmen on the roster – a high number – but there’s quite a pedigree for a lot of them. Florida’s Brady Singer was the highest unsigned high school pick in the draft last year, Tyler Holton and Cole Sands grabbed spots in the Florida State rotation right off the bat, and Josh Watson leads a powerful TCU team in home runs.

The Commodores will have some veterans to lean on around the youth. J.J. Matijevic was a breakout star for the Commodores last summer and is one of the few returning Cape League all-stars. Stephen Villines and Evan Skoug are also slated to be back after a good summer.

Brady Puckett, who’s penciled in as the opening night starter for the Commodores, had a fantastic sophomore season en route to Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Year honors. He’s also 6-foot-8.

Cadyn Grenier didn’t have a great first season at Oregon State but has the credentials. He was a 21st-round pick who was mentioned as a possible first-round pick last year.

Dallas Baptist continued its emergence as a baseball power this year and will send three players to Falmouth.

In addition to Baker’s success at TCU, Falmouth has Skoug and Watson hitting in the middle of the Frogs’ order.

Missouri’s Bryce Montes de Oca, another 6-foot-8 pitcher, lit up the radar gun last summer as he continued a comeback after Tommy John surgery in high school. Unfortunately, he was shut down after .1 inning this year and had surgery, but this indicates he starts rehab in June, so he may still pitch for Falmouth.

PITCHERS

Jake Bird – SO – UCLA – Had solid freshman season before struggling to ERA over six this season
Seth Elledge – FR – Dallas Baptist – One of the nation’s leaders in saves, racked up 14 with 1.61 ERA, 31 Ks in 28 innings
Glenn Otto – SO – Rice – Busy reliever for Owls tallied eight saves and struck out 76 in 71.2 innings
Brett Gilchrist – FR – Dallas Baptist – Two-sport standout struggled in first year with DBU, finishing with 14.54 ERA in 10 appearances
Tyler Holton – FR – Florida State – Two-way player having more luck on mound in first year, with 2.92 ERA, team-best 78 Ks
Cole Sands – FR – Florida State – Went 6-6 with 4.21 ERA in weekend rotation for Seminoles, striking out 46 in 66.1 innings
Tyler Jones – SO – Wichita State – Pitched out of the bullpen for Shockers, finishing with 6.18 ERa, 35 Ks in 39.1 innings
Turner Larkins – SO – Texas A&M – Working as a starter and reliever for Aggies, has 2.82 ERA, 35 Ks in in 38.1 innings
Brady Singer – FR – Florida – Highest unsigned high school pick in the 2015 draft, has 4.95 ERA in relief for Gators
Corbin Martin – SO – Texas A&M – Has struck out 33 in in 26.1 innings pitched out of bullpen for Super Regional-bound Aggies
Stephen Villines – SO – Kansas – Standout closer for Jayhawks and Falmouth last summer had 5 SV, 2.13 ERA this year
Bryce Montes de Oca – SO – Missouri – Flamethrower who flashed potential with ‘Dores last year pitched just .1 inning this year
Kyle Nelson – SO – UC Santa Barbara – Standout reliever on Gauchos’ first-ever Super Regional squad has 2.08 ERA, 84 Ks in 69.1 IP
Thomas Ponticelli – FR – San Francisco – Grabbed Saturday starter role as a freshman and finished with 5.94 ERA with 44 Ks
Brady Puckett – SO – Lipscomb – Six-foot-eight righty earned A-Sun Pitcher of the Year after going 9-2, 2.93 ERA, 101 Ks in 107.2 IP
Bo Tucker – SO – Georgia – Posted 3.71 ERA and three saves while striking out a batter an inning out of Georgia bullpen

CATCHERS

Matt Duce – FR – Dallas Baptist – Delivered strong debut for regional club, batting .321 with 4 HR, 30 RBI
J.J. Matijevic – SO – Arizona – Finished third in Cape League in AVG last year and batted .289 with 4 HR in sophomore season
Evan Skoug – SO – TCU – Major run producer for Frogs batting .290 with 9 HR, 50 RBI, team-best 30 XBH

INFIELDERS

Luken Baker – FR – TCU – Projected as one of the top frosh in the nation and hasn’t disappointed — .382 with 8 HR, 54 RBI plus 1.70 ERA
Tristan Gray – SO – Rice – Returning Commodore hit .295 with five homers for Owls this spring
Dane Myers – SO – Rice – Also a pitcher, hit .264 with two home runs and saved seven games out of Owls bullpen
Cadyn Grenier – FR – Oregon State – Highly touted freshman struggled a bit in debut, hitting .240
Deacon Liput – FR – Florida – 39th round pick out of high school has started all but one game for Gators and is hitting .277 with 13 SBs
Matt McLaughlin – SO – Kansas – Started every game for Jayhawks and hit .256 with two homers

OUTFIELDERS

Ryan Chandler – SO – Rice – Reigning CUSA Freshman of the Year followed with .270 sophomore season, adding 2 HRs, 20 RBI
Michael Gigliotti – SO – Lipscomb – Hit .302 and stole 15 bases a year after strong debut season with Lipscomb
Trevor Larnach – FR – Oregon State – Scuffled with the bat in first season in Corvallis, finishing with average under .200
Josh Watson – FR – TCU – Hitting .282 and leading the Horned Frogs in home runs with 11 in first season