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Showdown

Kevin Cron knocked in two runs as Falmouth topped Hyannis.

 
Hyannis has owned the West for much of this season in part because it has owned Falmouth. Though the Commodores had the flashier numbers, the Harbor Hawks won each of the first four meetings, making it tough for Falmouth to make up ground.

Hyannis still takes the seasons series thanks to those four wins, but Falmouth has won the last two.

And the division is now co-owned.

With an 8-4 victory over Hyannis last night, Falmouth moved into a 48-point tie with the Harbor Hawks atop the Western Division. Cotuit, which lost to Bourne last night, is a point back.

For Falmouth, last night’s win continued a surge that always seemed close. The Commodores have won four in a row, their first such streak of the season, and they now lead the West in wins with 24. Hyannis is 23-16-2.

Falmouth was shut out for the first three innings last night by late addition Logan Carman (Southern Maine), a D-III All-American. Hyannis needs some help with departures of starters Jeff Hoffman, Patrick Andrews and Austin Pettibone.

It looked like Carman could provide the boost, but ultimately, Falmouth’s big bats represented a tough introduction. The Commodores scored five runs in the fourth and never looked back.

Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) led the parade for Falmouth with four hits, including a home run and a double. Kevin Cron (TCU) went 1-for-3 with three RBI, while Kevin Newman (Arizona) and Conner Hale (State College of Florida) had two hits and an RBI apiece.

On the mound, Trey Teakell (TCU) gave up three runs, two earned, in four innings. Kevin Mooney (Maryland) got the win with two innings of relief. Donny Murray (Holy Cross), Brent Stong (Bradley) and Hunter Brothers (Lipscomb) pitched a hitless inning each and combined for five strikeouts.

While Falmouth’s win tightens things up, the division title is still going to come down to the final three games. Falmouth plays Cotuit twice in its final three, which could make things very interesting. In the meantime, Hyannis has Wareham before two straight games against East foe Y-D.

A number of scenarios could play out. For now, Falmouth has made things a little bit tighter.

 

Harwich 5, Chatham 3; Harwich 3, Chatham 1

Harwich has been treading water for about two weeks but took a big step up yesterday with a doubleheader sweep of first-place Chatham. Harwich is now back in second place in the East, a point ahead of Orleans. In game one, Aaron Bummer (Nebraska) went six strong innings, allowing just one earned run. Mason McCullough (North Carolina) worked a perfect seventh for the save. A balanced attack led the offense, with Ben Moore (Alabama), A.J. Reed (Kentucky), Ryan Lindemuth (William & Mary) and Blair DeBord (Kansas State) driving in one run each. In game two, Harwich got a home run from Gunnar Heidt (College of Charleston) to take a lead it never lost. Brett Austin (NC State) added two hits and an RBI, while Reed knocked in one. Dillon Peters (Texas) pitched three scoreless frames and Ian Tompkins (Western Kentucky) went four strong innings for the win, allowing just one run and striking out six.

 

Y-D 5, Orleans 3

The Red Sox stopped Orleans’ eight-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory and clinched the final playoff spot in the East in the process. Facing Jared Miller (Vanderbilt), who had turned in two consecutive dominant starts, Y-D scored five runs in the first four innings and made the lead stand up. Alex Blandino (Stanford) and Jose Trevino (Oral Roberts) knocked in two runs each while Taylor White (UNLV) drove in the other. Auston Bousfield (Ole Miss) had two hits and scored two runs. On the mound, Clay Smith (St. Louis) gave up three runs in six innings for the win. Alexander Katz (St. John’s) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings in his Cape debut before Kody Kerski (Sacred Heart) finished it off.

 

Bourne 2, Cotuit 0

With Jaron Long and Austin Gomber departing, the Braves are going to need some help in the starting rotation come playoff time. After last night, Jacob Lindgren (Mississippi State) may be up to the task. A starter in the spring but a reliever all summer, Lindgren made his first Cape start and dominated, tossing six shutout innings and striking out seven as the Braves shut out Cotuit. Jack English (Florida Gulf Coast) struck out four in two innings before Lindgren’s Mississippi State teammate Will Cox struck out the side in the ninth for the save. For Cotuit, newcomer Dalton Potts (Tennessee-Martin) went five strong innings but Bourne got to him for two runs that proved to be enough. Mark Laird (LSU) and Jeff Gardner (Louisville) drove in a run each.

 

Wareham 8, Brewster 1

The Gatemen pounded out 19 hits and got a strong pitching performance from Andro Cutura (Southeastern Louisana) en route to a lopsided victory. Cutura, a hard-luck loser several times, went seven innings and struck out six while allowing just a run. He also finally received some run support. Daniel Rosenbaum (Louisville) had three hits and a home run, while Trevor Podratz (Hawaii), Cole Stancil (St. Leo) and Ethan Gross (Memphis) also had three hits. Chris Chinea (LSU) had two hits and drove in two runs. With the loss and a win by Y-D, Brewster officially was eliminated from the playoff race.

 

What to Watch

Second place in the East may well be decided today as Harwich hosts a double-header with Orleans beginning at 4:30 p.m. The Mariners have a one-point edge on Orleans for second place.
 

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The Long Way

Jaron Long moved to 4-0 with another impressive start on Friday.

 
When I was choosing the midseason awards winners, I shied away from Bourne’s Jaron Long (Ohio State) for Outstanding Pitcher because he was off the innings and appearances pace of the league’s best. He’d made three starts, while others had made five.

It’s too bad the midway point didn’t come a few days later, because Long might have been the best pick.

The rising senior righty improved to 4-0 on Friday with his fourth dominant start of the summer. He gave up two hits in six shutout innings and struck out five as Bourne topped Harwich 3-2.

Long now leads the league in wins with four and ERA with a 0.41 mark. He has struck out 20 and walked only two all season. He’s given up just 14 hits in 22 innings of work – and just one extra-base hit. In three of his four outings, he’s allowed no runs. And three of his wins have come against Hyannis, Chatham and Harwich, three of the league’s best teams.

Long is in his second summer with Bourne. He was solid last year, with a 3.26 ERA.

The other thing about last year? He was 3-0. Together with the 4-0 start this year, that means Long has not taken a loss in his Cape League career.

Bourne has given up enough run support every time out this season, even when it was just one run in a shutout of Chatham in his first start. On Friday, the Braves got two hits and an RBI from Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State), plus two RBI from Vinny Siena (UConn). Once Long departed, Harwich touched up Jacob Lindgren (Mississippi State) for two runs, but Jack English (Florida Gulf Coast) came on for the final two innings and put the game away. English struck out two in two scoreless frames.

That made a winner of Long – again. Is it too late to change my pick?

 

Cotuit 5, Falmouth 1

The Kettleers (15-10) orchestrated an impressive first-inning turnaround on their way to a victory over the Commodores (14-9). Falmouth loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the first inning, but Cotuit starter Evan Beal (South Carolina) struck out the side to end the inning. And it was not an easy side to strike out – Beal went through Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State), Dylan Davis (Oregon State) and Kevin Cron (TCU), who have combined for 12 home runs this year. After that, the Kettleers surged themselves, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first and never looking back. Mike Ford (Princeton), Drew Jackson (Stanford) and Jake Fincher (NC State) drove in first-inning runs, part of big nights for all of them. Jackson and Fincher had two hits each while Ford had three and took over the league lead in hitting at .390. On the mound, Beal continued to dominate after his first-inning magic act, going six shutout innings with five strikeouts. Eric Karch (Pepperdine) picked up a three-inning save.

 

Hyannis 3, Orleans 2

The Harbor Hawks (15-7) won a one-run game for the eighth time this season, breaking a tie with a run in the sixth and then slamming the door for the win over Orleans (11-13). Chase Griffin (Georgia Southern) homered while Dominic Jose (Stanford) and Jay Baum (Clemson) each knocked in a run. Griffin’s home run gave the Harbor Hawks the lead in the sixth and they finished strong from there. Mike Gunn (Arkansas) pitched a scoreless frame and Sarkis Ohanian (Duke) worked one-third of an inning before giving way to closer Eric Eck (Wofford). Eck got out of a first-and-third jam with strikeouts of Orleans power hitters Chris Marconcini (Duke) and Zach Fish (Oklahoma State). He then worked around two hits in the ninth to finish the job for his league-leading seventh save.

 

Chatham 4, Brewster 1

The Anglers (16-8-1) snapped a two-game skid with a 4-1 victory over the Whitecaps (8-16), who had won two in a row themselves. Lukas Schiraldi (Navarro) was just the stopper the Anglers needed, striking out four and giving up just a run on three hits in six innings of work. Schiraldi is now 2-1 and has turned in four straight impressive starts. David Speer (Columbia), who has hooked on with Chatham after getting released by Bourne, worked two scoreless frames in his first Anglers appearance. J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton) picked up the save. Connor Joe (San Diego) went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Michael Russell (North Carolina) had two hits and knocked in a run. Dante Flores (USC) also had two hits. For Brewster, Nicholas Vazquez (Pittsburgh) had two hits. Justin Kamplain (Alabama) struck out nine in five innings and now leads the league in K’s, but he took the loss.

 

Y-D 2, Wareham 1

After a combined seven scoreless innings, Y-D (12-12-1) broke a 1-1 tie with a run in the top of the 10th on its way to a 2-1 victory over the Gatemen (5-20). Taylor Smart (Tennessee) walked to start the 10th and took second on a wild pitch. Mississippi State standout Jonathan Holder entered the game for the Gatemen at that point, but the Red Sox continued the rally anyway. Alex Blandino (Stanford) singled to push Smart to third, and Taylor White (UNLV) brought him home with a base hit. Kody Kerski (Sacred Heart) then pitched a scoreless bottom half to seal the victory. Neither starter factored into the decision but both were solid – Clay Smith (St. Louis) allowed one run in eight innings for Y-D. Tucker Simpson (Florida) gave up one run in seven innings for Wareham.

 

What to Watch

Hyannis and Cotuit continue the Barnstable Patriot Cup series with a 5 p.m. match-up at Lowell Park. The Kettleers are 2-1 in the series so far, but the Harbor Hawks have a better overall record at 15-7. Cotuit is 15-10. Patrick Andrews (Clemson), who’s 2-0 with a 2.64 ERA, starts for Hyannis. Cotuit’s starter is TBA.
 

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Walk This Way

Brandon Sedell and the Chatham Anglers have been the league's most patient team - and it's working for them.

 
The Chatham Anglers have been a good hitting team this summer, but not the Cape’s best. What they do have going for them is the opportunity to hit with more men on base than any team in the league.

Because the Anglers can work a walk.

Chatham drew a season-high 10 walks on Sunday in a 7-3 victory over Brewster. That gives them a league-high 86 for the season, 23 more than second-place Cotuit. Not surprisingly, the Anglers also lead the league in on-base percentage with a .361 mark.

In some cases, you can chalk walks up to the luck of the draw and the fact that you might just be facing pitchers who are wild. But when the numbers are this high, it’s clearly part of an approach. Chatham also led the league in walks last year.

This year, the patient approach has been a key cog in the team’s successful start. The Anglers had a brief hiccup after their hot start but have won two in a row since.

The walks piled up against Brewster, with Richard Prigatano (Long Beach State) drawing three and league-leader Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga) working two. Four of Chatham’s seven runs were scored by batters who got on base with a walk.

Dante Flores (USC) had two hits and an RBI while Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) went 1-for-4 with two runs driven in. Sheehan Planas-Arteaga (Barry) also drove in a run.

Tommy Lawrence (Maine) got the win in relief, striking out four in 3.1 hitless innings.

The Anglers improved to 9-5-1, which puts them back atop the East Division standings.

 

Y-D 4, Harwich 0

The Red Sox (7-7-1) are suddenly the hottest team in the league. They beat Harwich (9-6) by a 4-0 score yesterday for their third straight win. Clay Smith (St. Louis), whose last appearance came in a 17-12 loss to Orleans, was dominant this time, striking out three and scattering five hits in seven shutout innings for the win. Kody Kerski (Sacred Heart) and Sam Coonrod (Southern Illinois) pitched an inning each to finish the shutout. Auston Bousfield (Ole Miss) went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while D.J. Stewart (Florida State) and Taylor Gushue (Florida) also knocked in a run each. Andrew Daniel (San Diego) went 1-for-4 to stretch his hitting streak to 11 games. He now leads the league with a .421 batting average. The Red Sox did most of their damage off Harwich starter Aaron Bummer (Nebraska), who hadn’t given up a run in his first two starts.

 

Cotuit 6, Bourne 1

A night after falling in a walk-off to Bourne, the Kettleers (10-5) won the rematch and became the first team in the league to 10 wins. Bourne fell to 7-8. Christian Cecilio (San Francisco), who had given up seven runs in a loss to Bourne on June 22, got the start and allowed just an unearned run in 7.1 innings. He only struck out two but induced an amazing 15 ground-ball outs. The Cotuit offense also stepped up, scoring two runs off Bourne starter Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic), who was part of a combined no-hitter the last time he faced the Kettleers. Newcomer Logan Ratledge (NC State) hit a solo home run while Kevin Bradley (Clemson) went 1-for-4 with two RBI. Jake Fincher (NC State) and Nolan Clark (Concordia) drove in one run apiece.

 

Hyannis 6, Falmouth 3

The Harbor Hawks (9-4) were the only team to beat Falmouth (9-6) in a stretch of seven games, and they did it again Sunday, ending a three-game winning streak for the Commodores. Andrew Thome (North Dakota) picked up his league-leading third win with five strong innings. Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) and Skyler Ewing (Rice) both hit home runs to lead the Hyannis offense. Austin Slater (Stanford) added two hits. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) hit his second home run of the year for the Commodores.

 

Orleans 2, Wareham 0

The Firebirds (7-7) handed the Gatemen (2-13) their fifth straight loss with the shutout. Bobby Poyner (Florida) struck out five in five innings to get the ball rolling. Four relievers went one inning each to keep it going, with Matt Troupe (Arizona) working the ninth for his third save, which ties him for the league lead. The Orleans offense got two hits and an RBI from Collin Slaybaugh (Washington State), plus an RBI from Jordan Luplow (Fresno State). Trevor Podratz (Hawaii) had two hits to lead Wareham.

 

What to Watch

It’s a league-wide off-day as the teams head to Fenway Park for a work-out in front of scouts.