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.

June 29, 2016June 29, 2016

Close Calls

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.

June 27, 2016June 27, 2016

Meat of the Order

Colton Shaver hit a three-run homer in Sunday's win and leads the league in RBI. — Colton Shaver hit a three-run homer in Sunday’s win and leads the league in RBI.

With only two teams left in the College World Series, Cape Cod Baseball League rosters are getting more solidified by the day. So too are batting orders and lineups, and the Wareham Gatemen appear to have come out of the early-season tinkering process with something special.

In the last two games, the Gatemen have trotted out as their 3-4-5 hitters Alex Destino (South Carolina), Colton Shaver (BYU) and Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest). All three had big sophomore seasons at their respective schools. Combined, they batted .327 with 29 home runs.

And now that they’re actually combined, they’re doing some damage.

Destino, Shaver and Sheets combined for seven of Wareham’s 13 hits Friday and drove in eight runs as the Gatemen won a 9-8 slugfest over Brewster. The day before, they delivered four hits and three RBI in a victory over Hyannis.

Wareham is now 8-6-1, good for second place in the West and the third-best record in the league.

The Whitecaps not been an easy team to out-slug this season – they lead the league in runs scored, home runs and extra-base hits – but Wareham did it after falling behind 3-0. The Gatemen exploded for six runs in the fifth inning and tacked on a few more down the stretch to hold Brewster off.

After base hits by Jonathan Engelmann (Michigan) and Joey Bartosic (George Washington), the Gatemen got on the board with an RBI single by Cole Freeman (LSU). Then it was the meat of the order’s turn. Destino plated a run with a single, leaving two men on for Shaver. The BYU standout smacked a three-run homer to put his team in front. One pitch later, Sheets made it back-to-back home runs with one of his own.

Sheets added an RBI double to score Destino in the seventh, and Destino delivered a two-run double in the eighth, which ended up providing the one-run winning margin.

Robert Garcia (UC Davis) was credited with the win in relief and Jake Walters (Alabama) notched his first save.

Destino, Shaver and Sheets finished 7-for-13 with four runs scored and the eight RBI. Destino – the latest arrival among the three – is now hitting .480 with four multi-hit games in six starts. Shaver is at .289 with three homers and leads the league in RBI with 15. Sheets is batting .327 with two homers and 12 RBI.

Hyannis 9, Chatham 2

Hyannis had its best offensive day of the season and paired it with a strong starting pitching performance in a victory over Chatham. The Harbor Hawks’ previous season-high in runs was five. With 13 hits, seven extra-base hits and a pair of home runs, they nearly doubled it. Carl Stajduhar (New Mexico) went deep for the second time this season and Dylan Busby (Florida State) hit his first homer in his third game with the Hawks. Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee) added three hits and two RBI. The offense was plenty for John Gavin (Cal State Fullerton), who had an ERA of 11.25 after three tough relief outings but shined in his first start. He allowed just two hits in 6.1 scoreless innings, striking out six. Chatham got two runs off the bullpen but nothing else.

Bourne 4, Orleans 2

The Braves kept a hold on first place in the West and sent Orleans to its fourth straight loss. Connor Wong (Houston) hit his second home run and his fifth double while driving in a pair of runs to lead the Braves. Justin Yurchak (Binghamton) and Jeremy Eierman (Missouri State) added two hits apiece. Five Braves pitchers took the hill, with no one going more than 3.1 innings. Brendon Little (North Carolina) struck out six of the seven batters he faced and earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) picked up a save. Orleans got a home run from Adam Haseley (Virginia), his second.

Y-D 5, Harwich 1

Y-D topped first-place Harwich for its seventh win in its last 10 games and moved out of the basement in the East. The Red Sox and Orleans are now tied for fourth in the division. The Mariners started two-time CCBL Pitcher of the Week Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall), who had yet to allow a run this season. He gave up three in the early going this time and once he settled in, the Red Sox were in front. Matthew Whatley (Oral Roberts) hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) had an RBI single in the second as Y-D jumped to a 3-1 lead. A Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) home run and a Mikey Diekroeger (Stanford) RBI doubled added some insurance. Mitch Hart (USC) out-dueled McCarthy, allowing one run on five hits and striking out five in seven innings. Bryan Pall (Michigan) pitched two scoreless frames for the save.

Falmouth 3, Cotuit 2

The Kettleers have pitched significantly better the last three games, but the improvement has only yielded one win. Falmouth rallied from a 1-0 deficit in the middle innings Sunday and held on for a one-run victory. Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) and Tyler Lawrence (Murray State) knocked in runs for the Commodores, who scored three despite only two hits. Jeffrey Passantino (Lipscomb) allowed just an unearned run on two hits in six innings for the win. Seth Elledge (Dallas Baptist) earned the save. Colton Hock (Stanford) went five strong innings for Cotuit and Alec Byrd (Florida State) tossed 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

What to Watch

Off-day around the league today. Tuesday, Harwich sends league ERA leader B.J. Myers (West Virginia) to the hill for a battle between first place and second place in the East against Brewster.