Willy Yahn scored a run as Bourne edged Cotuit.

The best team batting average and second-best on-base percentage in the league have helped the Bourne Braves race to the top of the West with a 10-5-1 record. Their knack for winning close games has helped, too.

With a 5-4 win over Cotuit Tuesday, the Braves went to 6-1-1 in games decided by two runs or less. That means half the team’s games have been close, and the Braves have won all but one of them.

There have been late heroics, like a walk-off on opening night and a victory in 10 innings the next night. There have also been games like Tuesday, where the bullpen finishes strong and holds up an early lead.

The Braves jumped on Cotuit with five runs in the top of the first inning. They wouldn’t score again and Cotuit got within a run, but the last three pitchers to take the mound pitched a hitless inning each to preserve the slim lead.

The first run of the game came home on a wild pitch. David MacKinnon (Hartford) then knocked a two-run single, Evan Mendoza (NC State) plated a run with a base hit and MacKinnon raced in on a passed ball. Just like that, it was 5-0.

Bourne starter Tony Dibrell (Kennesaw State) – making his first appearance since hooking on with the Braves after being released by Chatham – allowed one run in four innings before the Kettleers scored two in the fifth. Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) had a pair of RBI to lead the comeback effort.

Reliever Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) gave up one run in 1.2 innings before giving way to the big finish. Sean Leland (Louisville), Ronnie Rossomando (Connecticut) and Andrew Wantz (UNC Greensboro) combined for three near-perfect innings. The only base runner reached on a walk and was later erased on a double play. Wantz earned his second save and struck out two in the ninth, giving him 15 Ks in 10.1 innings.

With the win, the Braves have a one-game lead on Wareham for first place in the West. Bourne has won three in a row.

Wareham 1, Chatham 0

The Gatemen kept pace with Bourne thanks to a shutout of Chatham. Jeff Bain (California) went four innings to start the scoreless string. Nick Sprengel (San Diego) then delivered the most dominant stint, striking out seven in three perfect innings of relief on his way to earning the win. Ryan Selmer (Maryland) and Christian Taugner (Brown) tossed one inning each to finish off the shutout. Four Chatham pitchers were almost as good, with starter Andrew Karp (Florida State) striking out five in four innings to lead the way. But Wareham’s one run in the sixth inning was enough. Harrison Wenson (Michigan) led off the inning with a double. With two outs, Cole Freeman (LSU) brought him home with a base hit for the only run the Gatemen would need. Wareham improved to 9-6-1 while Chatham is one of three East teams sitting at 8-8.

Harwich 5, Brewster 1

B.J. Myers (West Virginia) picked up his league-best third win by shutting down the Cape’s highest scoring offense as Harwich topped Brewster. Myers struck out six and scattered five hits in seven shutout innings. He’s now 3-0 with a 0.42 ERA and has gone at least seven innings in each of his three starts. The only run he’s allowed was in his first start. Nick Brown (William & Mary) and Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) finished off the win for the Mariners. Pavin Smith (Virginia) went 3-for-4 with a run scored to lead the Harwich offense, and Cal Raleigh (Florida State) had two RBI. Harwich improved to a league-best 12-4. Brewster got a home run from Ryan Noda (Cincinnati) – his fourth – plus two hits by Nick Dunn (Maryland). Tyler Zuber (Arkansas State) pitched six solid innings of relief for the Whitecaps and struck out six, putting him into a tie for the league lead with 21 Ks.

Hyannis 6, Falmouth 3

The Harbor Hawks handled Falmouth for their seventh win in nine games since their 0-7 start. Andrew Gonzalez (Michigan State) got the start and was hit for three runs in 4.1 innings, but five Hyannis relievers teamed up for a dominant showing, allowing only two hits over the final 4.2 innings. Matthew Naylor (North Florida) was credited with the win and Tyler Stevens (New Mexico) picked up the save. The bullpen efforts set the stage for a rally and the Harbor Hawk offense obliged with three runs in the third and three more in the fifth. A two-run home run by Cody Henry (Alabama) was the biggest blow. Zach Rutherford (Old Dominion) added three hits and an RBI, with Brett Netzer (Charlotte) and Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee) also driving in runs. For Falmouth, Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) had three hits.

Orleans 5, Y-D 3

The Firebirds snapped a four-game slide with a victory over Y-D. Kirk McCarty (Southern Mississippi) struck out seven and allowed two runs in 5.1 innings for the win. Brandon Bielak (Notre Dame) earned the save. Keegan McGovern (Georgia) homered and drove in two to pace the offensive attack for Orleans, while Brian Miller (North Carolina) and Riley Mahan (Kentucky) drove in one run each. Justin Jones (Georgia State) scored a pair of runs. Orleans went to 8-8. Kevin Smith (Maryland) had three hits for Y-D, which dropped to 7-9.

What to Watch

Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year Tyler Wilson (Rhode Island) makes his second start of the summer when Harwich visits Orleans.

Harwich will aim for a return to the playoffs after a rare down year.

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Nick Feight
2. Zach Schellenger
3. Tyler Wilson
4. Evan White
5. Cal Raleigh

NOTABLE

Nick Feight had an enormous sophomore season, perhaps the best performance among sophomores around the country. The UNC-Wilmington catcher hit .349, blasted 21 home runs and racked up an eye-popping 91 RBI in only 60 games.

Zach Schellenger fanned 30 in 33 innings pitched with Harwich last summer, and it’s safe to say he upped that K-rate this spring. Schellenger struck out 70 in 45.1 innings out of the Seton Hall bullpen.

Pitchers in the Atlantic 10 are apparently playing for second place in the race for the conference’s top pitching honor with Tyler Wilson. The Rhode Island sophomore has won the award in each of his first two years in Kingston and was dominant this year. He also led URI’s upset of South Carolina in the opening round of an NCAA regional, battling back for a strong showing after giving up four early runs. It was URI’s first NCAA tournament win in school history.

Kentucky had a down year, but Evan White didn’t. His .376 average was good for third in the SEC.

If the Mariners didn’t have enough pop behind the plate in Feight, they’ll welcome in Florida State’s Cal Raleigh, who has 10 homers in his first season with the Seminoles.

Antoine Duplantis of LSU stepped right into a starting job and hasn’t disappointed. His athleticism will likely stand out this summer, as you’d expect with his genes. His mother was a heptathlete and volleyball player at LSU and his father was an All-American pole vaulter for the Tigers.

Florida has so much pitching depth that a reliever who’s not even the close went on the first day of the Major League Baseball Draft. Once the depth thins out a bit next year, Harwich-bound Jackson Kowar could be next in line as a Gator star. He has fanned 44 in 34 innings as a freshman.

Another Gator freshman, Jonathan India, is ticketed for Harwich, as well. Jonathan India has been one of the team’s top hitters.

If you’re looking for the old small school underdog type to root for, your search is over. Austin Filiere of MIT is slated to play for the Mariners off a huge sophomore season in which he hit over .400 with double-digit home runs. Not many MIT baseball players have been on the Cape or been drafted, for that matter. Filiere is aiming for both.

PITCHERS

Maddux Conger – FR – Vanderbilt – Limited action but strong performer in Vandy bullpen, with .79 ERA in nine appearances
Austin Bain – SO – LSU – Started two games but pitching mostly in relief for Tigers and has struck out 31 in 28 innings
Brad Bass – JR – Notre Dame – Saved two games and posted 1.91 ERA in 19 relief appearances for Fighting Irish
Jackson Kowar – FR – Florida – Successful as starter and reliever with 3.37 ERA, 44 Ks in 34.2 innings in debut with Gators
Shane McCarthy – SO – Seton Hall – Top starter for Pirates went 6-4 with 2.38 ERA and 84 Ks in 102 innings
B.J. Myers – SO – West Virginia – Worked as a starter and reliever, finishing with 4.05 ERA, 53 strikeouts in 66.2 innings
Packy Naughton – SO – Virginia Tech – Native of West Roxbury, Mass., had ERA over six but struck out 74 in 76 IP this spring
Teddy Rodliff – SO – Stony Brook – Notched seven saves with 3.20 ERa, 26 Ks and just three walks in 39.1 innings
Zach Schellenger – SO – Seton Hall – Returning Mariner saved six games and struck out a whopping 70 batters in just 45.2 innings
Peter Solomon – SO – Notre Dame – Struck out a batter an inning with 1.40 ERA in nine bullpen outings
Hunter Williams – SO – North Carolina – Started seven games with solid numbers for Harwich last year and had 3.10 ERA in swing role at UNC
Tyler Wilson – SO – Rhode Island – Two-time Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year went 13-1 with 2.29 ERA, 122 Ks in 102.1 IP this year
Tommy DeJuneas – SO – NC State – Finished with six saves and 6.37 ERA while striking out 27 in 29.2 innings pitched this spring
Brian Brown – SO – NC State – Weekend starter for Wolfpack went 7-3 with 3.70 ERA, 79 Ks in 87.2 innings
Nick Brown – JR – William & Mary – Led team in strikeouts by wide margin with 85 in 96 innings, while posting 5.53 ERA
Ethan Landon – RS SO – Michigan State – Pitched well in Spartans’ rotation, tallying 2.75 ERA, 59 Ks in 85 IP
Matt Minnick – SO – Mercyhurst – Went 7-1 and struck out 61 in 54.1 innings for D-II power Mercyhurst
Spencer Stockton – SO – Jacksonville – Finished with 3.21 ERA as a starter for Dolphins
Speros Varinos – JR – Tufts – Fanned 79 in 67 innings and went 7-1 with 2.15 ERA for D-III Jumbos
Ryan McAuliffe – JR – St. John’s – Went 5-2 with 4.32 ERA in weekend rotation for Red Storm
David McKay – SO – Florida Atlantic – Led team in strikeouts with 66 and had 3.74 ERA in weekend rotation
Brett Daniels – SO – North Carolina – Finished third on the team in appearances and posted 2.17 ERA with 34 Ks in 37.1 IP
Liam Conboy – JR – Susquehanna – Racked up nine saves with 33 Ks in 27 IP for D-III squad

CATCHERS

J.D. Andreessen – SO – Campbell – Hit .294 with two homers for emerging Big South squad
Cal Raleigh – FR – Florida State – Standout freshman making quick impact in Tallahassee, hitting .308 with 10 HR and 50 RBI
Nick Feight – SO – UNC Wilmington – All-American led one of nation’s best offenses with .349 AVG, 21 HR, 91 RBI

INFIELDERS

Ernie Clement – SO – Virginia – Second-best hitter for Cavs finished at .351 with a homer and 18 XBH
Jonathan India – FR – Florida – As Gators head to Super Regionals, ranks second on the team with .310 AVG and has 4 HR, 13 SB
Jack Flansburg – JR – Oklahoma – Batted .278 and hit four homers for Sooners, while finishing third on team in RBI
Pavin Smith – SO – Virginia – Hit .329 and finished second to first-round pick Matt Thaiss for team lead in home runs with eight
Joe Dunand – SO – NC State – Hit .297 with four home runs and finished third on the team with 47 RBI this season
Evan White – SO – Kentucky – Ranked third in SEC with .376 average, and added five home runs, 40 RBI and 10 stolen bases
Kyle Davis – SO – West Virginia – Batted .280 with .394 OBP and led Mountaineers with 10 home runs
Kyle Fiala – JR – Notre Dame – Leading hitter for Fighting Irish finished at .301 with 4 HR, 28 RBI, 10 SBs
Austin Filiere – SO – MIT – Starred for D-III MIT with .428 AVG, .546 OBP, 13 HR, 55 RBI and 14 stolen bases
Ryan Tufts – JR – Virginia Tech – Batted .284 with 18 extra-base hits and finished third on Hokies with RBI
Anthony Critelli – JR – Holy Cross – Batted .267 and led team in home runs with nine and RBI with 41
Max Burt – SO – Northeastern – Started every game for Huskies and hit .238

OUTFIELDERS

Ryan Brown – SO – College of Charleston – Freshman All-American last year met sophomore slump this year, finishing with .223 AVG
Antoine Duplantis – FR – LSU – Burst onto scene with .323 AVG, 14 XBH, 36 RBI and 13 stolen bases while starting every game
Steven Foster – SO – Hofstra – Hit .278 while getting on base at .407 clip and stole nine bases
Trey Harris – SO – Missouri – SEC All-Freshman pick struggled with the bat this year, hitting .216 though he drove in 36
Brock Deatherage – SO – NC State – Returning Mariner hit .317 this spring with six homers and stole 14 bases
Logan Farrar – JR – VCU – Hit .295 with three home runs and stole team-best 15 bases
Tyler Kirkpatrick – JR – Marist – Batted .263 with two homers for Red Foxes this spring

Tag: Cal Raleigh

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