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Back to Normal

Alex Call waits for a throw at second base against Cotuit earlier this week. The Firebirds clinched the East title Thursday.
Alex Call waits for a throw at second base against Cotuit earlier this week. The Firebirds clinched the East title Thursday.

 
It was back to regularly-scheduled programming in the Cape League’s East Division on Thursday night. After two losses and a tie in their previous three games, the Orleans Firebirds looked like their old selves as they clinched the regular-season division title with a 12-8 victory over Hyannis. With Brewster losing, Orleans now cannot be caught.

The Firebirds were not as sharp as usual on the mound, but their powerful offense was on target. The Firebirds hit two home runs in an eight-run second inning. They finished the night with 18 hits, five of which went for extra bases. Ten different players had at least one hit.

With All-Star Game West MVP Devin Smeltzer (San Jacinto) on the hill for Hyannis, you wouldn’t have predicted a slugfest. But after getting a run in the first, the Firebirds went wild in the second inning. Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) hit a grand slam and Kyle Lewis (Mercer) followed that with a solo shot.

Hyannis eventually found some of its offense, making it an 11-8 game in the eighth, but that was as close as it got.

Dalbec went 2-for-3 and the home run was his league-best 11th. I sound like a broken record, but his pace is incredible. Dalbec has played in 25 games. Eleven of his 26 hits are homers.

Lewis finished 4-for-5 with four RBI as he broke out of an 0-for-11 slump. Bryan Reynolds (Vanderbilt), Jeremy Martinez (USC), Daniel Pinero (Virginia) and Sean Murphy (Wright State) all chipped in two hits.

Corbin Burnes (St. Mary’s) was credited with the win in relief.

Orleans finishes its four-game season series against Hyannis with a 3-1 record. The Harbor Hawks are in line to win the West, but they aren’t there yet. In a season of Orleans success, it was fitting that the Firebirds got there first.

With three games remaining, the Firebirds could still match the record of the 2007 Y-D Red Sox, who went 31-12-1, the best record in the league in at least the last 15 years.
 

Y-D 2, Chatham 1

With fifth-place Harwich losing to Wareham, Y-D had a chance to get some breathing room in the East standings. A seventh-inning rally against Chatham did the trick. The Red Sox won 2-1 and moved four points ahead of Harwich for the final playoff berth and just two points back of Chatham for the third seed. The Anglers broke a scoreless tie with a run in the sixth on a Will Craig (Wake Forest) RBI double. But in the very next half-inning, Y-D pushed the tying run across on a passed ball and plated the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Gio Brusa (Pacific). Ben Bowden (Vanderbilt), who had come on in the sixth, ran with the lead, striking out seven of the 13 batters he faced in 3.2 scoreless innings of relief. Y-D is now 21-20. Chatham is 22-19.
 

Falmouth 11, Brewster 7

Falmouth isn’t dead quite yet. The Commodores snapped a seven-game losing streak with a victory over Brewster. Coupled with a Cotuit loss, the Commodores are only three points out of the final playoff spot in the West. J.B. Woodman (Ole Miss) went 2-for-4 with a home run to lead the offensive breakout for Falmouth. Mitch Longo (Ohio), Evan Skoug (TCU) and Tate Blackman (Ole Miss) each drove in two runs. J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) had two doubles. Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) got the win, giving up two runs in five innings. Brewster scored five runs in the seventh against the bullpen but the game was called due to darkness after that.
 

Wareham 5, Harwich 2

The Gatemen inched closer to a playoff spot while Andrew Calica (UC Santa Barbara) inched closer to hitting .400 for the year in a win over Harwich. Wareham now has a two-point edge on Cotuit for third place in the West and is five points in front of last-place Falmouth. As for Calica, he went 1-for-2, walked once and was hit by a pitch. It’s hard to raise a .439 average, but that line did it — Calica is now at .440 with just three games remaining. If you assume he gets 12 at-bats over those final three games, he would need just one hit in 12 at-bats to finish over .400. His teammates had a good offensive night Wednesday, as well. Jay Jabs (Franklin Pierce) went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Gavin Stupienski (UNC Wilmington) had two hits and an RBI. Brett Hanewich (Stanford) struck out eight and allowed just one earned run in five innings for the win. Shaun Anderson (Florida) pitched four innings of one-hit relief.
 

Bourne 10, Cotuit 7

Bourne rallied from a 5-0 deficit and won 10-7 in a game that was called after the seventh due to rain. Nick Solak (Louisville) went 3-for-5 with four RBI to spark the comeback efforts. Brendan McKay (Louisville) and Reid Humphreys (Mississippi State) knocked in two runs apiece, while Jason Delay (Vanderbilt) and Jacob Robson (Mississippi State) both had two hits and scored three runs. Joseph Christopher (St. John’s) gave up two unearned runs in 2.1 innings of relief to help set the stage for the comeback. Kyle Driscoll (Rutgers) got the win in relief. Bourne is 20-19-2 and still has a shot at the West division title. Cotuit fell to 16-25 with its second straight loss.
 

What to Watch

Chatham can clinch a playoff spot and clear up much of the East postseason picture if it wins tonight at Harwich.
 

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Lucky 13

Chatham has had a lot to celebrate with three straight wins.
Chatham has had a lot to celebrate with three straight wins.

 
The only teams in the Cape League currently sporting a win streak are the teams already stationed atop the East division. With lopsided victories last night, first-place Orleans and second-place Chatham gained a little more cushion.

Orleans beat Cotuit 13-2 at Eldredge Park for its fourth straight win. The Firebirds are now 18-6 (that’s .750 baseball, if you’re scoring at home).

In neighboring Chatham, the Anglers won their third straight, beating Wareham 13-6. The Anglers are still eight points behind Orleans but have a three-point cushion on third-place Harwich and are just one win off the pace of Hyannis for the second-best record in the league.

For Orleans, a win streak is nothing new. At various points, the Firebirds have won six, four and three games in a row this summer, accounting for most of their wins. But the 13-2 win was their highest-scoring game and it came on the heels of an 11-2 win Tuesday. Perhaps the Firebirds are getting even hotter.

Orleans got 17 hits and blasted three home runs against the Kettleers. Ronnie Dawson (Ohio State) hit one for the second straight game, while going 3-for-5 with four RBI. Willie Abreu (Miami) and Justin Jones (Georgia State) each hit their first home runs. Orleans now has 20 homers on the summer, nine more than any other team.

Kyle Lewis (Mercer) and Nick Zammarelli (Elon) had three hits apiece, with Zammarelli doing it for the second straight night. Lewis went for a multi-hit game for the fifth time in seven games, raising his average to .360. Vanderbilt’s Bryan Reynolds, making his second appearance since arriving late from Omaha, went 2-for-4.

Eric Lauer (Kent State) had no trouble making the lead stand up, tossing six innings of no-run, one-hit baseball. He struck out eight and brought his ERA to 1.38.

Over in Chatham, the Anglers didn’t flash quite as much pop as the Firebirds, getting only one extra-base hit, but they piled up the singles in hitting a season-high in runs. Like Orleans, it wasn’t their first big game of the week. They beat Harwich 12-4 on Sunday.

Tuesday, they scored five runs against highly-touted lefty Matt Krook (Oregon). Leadoff man Trenton Brooks (Nevada) went 4-for-6 with three RBI and two runs scored. Jake Fraley (LSU) and Todd Czinege (Villanova) each went 3-for-5. Fraley is now hitting .400 and Chatham is 4-2 in the six games he’s played.

Luke Persico (UCLA) and Nick Sciortino (Boston College) drove in two runs each.

Ty Damron (Texas Tech) made his first start since June 22 and the big offensive night helped make it a warm welcome. Damron gave up one unearned run in six innings. Wareham scored five runs in the top of the ninth against the Chatham bullpen but the deficit was much too large.

Two streaking teams scoring 13 runs each are pretty tough to beat.
 

Falmouth 6, Hyannis 1

Falmouth’s Michael Tinsley (Kansas) hit the third pitch he saw from Hyannis ace Nick Deeg (Central Michigan) out of the park, and the Commodores were off-and-running. They scored five runs and chased Deeg – he of the 0.32 ERA – before he could even escape the first. J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) had an RBI and Shane Benes (Missouri) had two. Staked to the early lead, Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) turned in his best start of the summer, giving up one run on three hits in seven innings of work.
 

Harwich 4, Y-D 3

The bottom three teams in the East are trading places nearly every day and Harwich continued the musical chairs with a seventh-inning rally to beat Y-D. With his team trailing 3-2, Sheldon Neuse (Oklahoma) hit a two-run triple in the seventh and Harwich was in business from there. The bullpen didn’t allow a run in the final four innings and Luke Scherzer (Virginia Tech) nabbed his league-leading seventh save. Harwich also got a home run from Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) and two hits from Brock Deatherage (NC State).
 

Bourne 5, Brewster 4

The Braves and Whitecaps scored all their runs in the final four innings, and Bourne managed one more in a 5-4 victory over Brewster. Corey Julks (Houston) had two hits and two RBI. Nick Solak (Louisville), Pete Alonso (Florida) and Jason Delay (Vanderbilt) had one RBI each. Bourne’s Josh Rogers (Louisville) and Brewster’s Alex Schick (California) both delivered solid starts before the bats arrived. Austin Conway (Indiana State) got the save for the Braves.
 

What to Watch

Just a make-up game between Brewster and Orleans on tap tonight. The Firebirds will be going for their fifth win in a row.
 

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Zeroes

Y-D players celebrate in a game earlier this postseason. They're one win away from the title.
Y-D players celebrate in a game earlier this postseason. They’re one win away from the title.

 

BUEHLER
BUEHLER
Matt Hall (Missouri State) delivered one of the better Cape League championship series pitching performances you’ll ever see for the Falmouth Commodores last night, striking out 12 in 6.2 innings.

And he lost.

That tells you all you need to know about how good the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox were.

Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt) tossed eight shutout innings and the offense steadily chipped away against Hall, scoring all its runs with two outs, as the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the championship series with a 5-0 victory at Guv Fuller Field.

The shutout is Y-D’s fourth in seven postseason games and it was the first championship series shutout since 2010, when the Red Sox themselves were held scoreless twice by Cotuit.

The Buehler-Hall match-up shaped up as a special one. Buehler was stellar in limited duty for the Red Sox, after helping Vanderbilt to the national championship. Hall was a mainstay all summer for Falmouth, tying for the league lead in strikeouts.

Pregame impressions were confirmed quickly – very quickly – when the first two innings took about 15 minutes. It was one of those games where you consistently found yourself looking at the innings box on the scoreboard and saying, “Already?”

Hall seemed a little better than Buehler in the early going, facing the minimum through three and stranding a runner on second in the fourth. He strike out the side in the fifth, but he also fell behind. Josh Lester (Missouri) was hit by a pitch to start the inning. After two strikeouts by Hall, Marcus Mastrobuoni (St. John’s) doubled to deep left field, plating Lester for the 1-0 lead.

Hall came back with two K’s in a scoreless sixth, but Lester doubled with one out in the seventh. After Hall struck out T.J. Wharton (Catawba), the Red Sox delivered more two-out magic, by the skin of their teeth. Hall and the rest of the Commodores thought he had a strikeout of Joey Armstrong (UNLV) when he dropped in a 2-2 curveball that must have been a little low. On the next pitch, Armstrong smacked an RBI double to make it 2-0.

Mastrobuoni followed with a single and Armstrong beat the throw home. After Hall departed to a rousing ovation, A.J. Simcox (Tennessee) reached on a ground ball that got past third, allowing Mastrobuoni to score.

It was a hard-to-swallow inning for Hall and the Commodores, who had nearly escaped with the score still 1-0.

But it may not have mattered anyway.

Buehler was on cruise control. He gave up three hits in eight innings and walked only one. If not for three hit batsmen, Falmouth would have scarcely had runners on base.

Buehler’s best work came as the lead grew. After his team’s three-run seventh inning, he gave up a leadoff double to Jake Madsen (Ohio) in the bottom half. He got Shaun Chase (Oregon) on the first pitch, then struck out Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) and Matt Eureste (San Jacinto) without throwing a ball to either of them.

In the eighth, Falmouth sent its middle of the order to the plate. Buehler got Steven Duggar (Clemson) to ground out then struck out Kevin Newman (Arizona) and Conner Hale (LSU) looking. That’s batting champion Kevin Newman and league RBI leader Conner Hale. And they were frozen.

With that, Buehler departed, giving way to William Strode (Florida State). With one more insurance run courtesy of a homer by Mastrobuoni – who had a single, a double, a homer and three RBI – Strode cruised through the ninth. He worked around a two-out walk to finish off the victory.

The teams will now get set for game two, slated for 4 p.m. today in Yarmouth. It should be another terrific pitching match-up with Kevin Duchene (Illinois) going for Y-D and Kevin McCanna (Rice) trying to keep Falmouth alive. Duchene struck out 12 in 7.1 innings of one-hit ball in his previous playoff start, Y-D’s game three win over Orleans. McCanna, a two-year Commodore, allowed one run in eight innings in a playoff start against Hyannis.

 
Notes

  • How about the bottom of Y-D’s lineup? Mastrobuoni – the eighth place batter -was the hitting star of the night with the single, the double and the homer, and two of those came against Hall. Armstrong, batting seventh, had two hits and an RBI and ninth-place hitter Simcox had a hit and an RBI.

  • Walker Buehler’s performance is about as good as it gets in a Cape League championship series game. The last one I remember that was this good was in 2010, when Matt Andriese tossed a complete-game shutout for Cotuit.

  • Buehler now has a 0.00 ERA in 15.1 postseason innings. Obviously, it’s a remarkable stat, and it holds up historically as well. Going back to 2000 – the oldest archives on the Cape League’s web site – you can find plenty of 0.00 playoff ERAs but not a single one that was earned over that many innings. Buehler has been fantastic.

  • Y-D didn’t need to use Phil Bickford Thursday night, and that’s bad news for Falmouth. If Duchene gets Friday’s game to the seventh with his team in the lead and Bickford takes the mound, I would not be optimistic if I were a Commodore fan.

  • Shout-out to Mrs. Right Field Fog an outstanding scorekeeping performance. She brought her A game for the playoffs.

  • Great crowd of almost 3,000 in Falmouth last night. I would bet on an even higher number jamming into the bandbox at Red Wilson Field today. Get there early.

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    The King

    Kevin Newman, pictured with the batting title trophy last year, will get it again in 2014.
    Kevin Newman, pictured with the batting title trophy last year, will get it again in 2014.

     

    Kevin Newman (Arizona) went 0-for-4 for just the third time this season on August 1. His batting average slipped to .357, hitting a mark below .360 for the first time since June 18. Had it stayed there and had everything else proceeded as it did, Newman would not have made history.

    But come on, you didn’t really expect him to go 0-for-4 again, did you?

    The reigning Cape League batting champ became the first player in league history to win two batting titles in a row when he followed up his 0-for-4 night with a 3-for-4 game on Monday and a 2-for-2 performance in Tuesday’s season finale.

    As we wrote last week, Newman has gone three games without a hit just once in his two-year Cape League career. Now was not the time to do it again. Bourne’s Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) was suddenly hot on his heels, going 4-for-4 and 2-for-3 in his final two games to raise his average to .364.

    But thanks to Newman’s surge, it remained second-best.

    The 3-for-4 night on Monday set the table as Newman pushed his average up .013 points. With his team’s playoff spot already clinched, he could have left it right there and celebrated the title, but Newman started Monday’s game anyway. He singled in the first inning and singled in the third before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fourth.

    After the game Newman tweeted his thoughts: “People truly underestimate the fact that the hitters around me set the table and as much of an individual award this batting title is…my teammates are just as responsible. I’m very excited and honored to be apart of the @FalCommodores.”

    A batting title is pretty far on the individual side, but Newman has played alongside a lot of very good hitters in his two seasons, and you have to admire a guy who recognizes that.

    Congrats to Kevin.

     

    Falmouth 10, Cotuit 9

    In addition to Newman’s feat, the Commodores had a walk-off win to celebrate on the final night of the regular season. After Cotuit had taken a 9-7 lead in the top of the 10th, Falmouth scored three runs to win it in the bottom half. Shaun Chase (Oregon) knocked in a run with a single, and the tying run came home on a fielder’s choice by Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts). Boomer White (TCU) then smacked a walk-off RBI single to give Falmouth the win. Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) led the Commodore offense with a homer and three RBI, while Afenir had two RBI. Both teams used seven pitchers as they keep everybody fresh for the playoffs.

     

    Bourne 5, Wareham 1

    Bourne continued adding on to its franchise record for wins, with victory No. 28 in the season finale. Five pitchers combined to limit the Gatemen to just a run, while Mark Laird (LSU) and Blake Allemand (Texas A&M) had two hits and an RBI each. Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) went 2-for-3. Bourne will hit the playoffs on a four-game winning streak. The game marked the end of the line for Wareham, which finished 14-28-2.

     

    What to Watch

    Yesterday’s make-up games means no full off day for the league as the playoffs begin immediately, with all four opening-round series starting tonight. The schedule:

    Cotuit at Bourne, 6 p.m.
    Hyannis at Falmouth, 6:30 p.m.
    Y-D at Orleans, 7 p.m.
    Brewster at Harwich, 7 p.m.

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    Power Pack

    Ty Moore hit a grand slam Sunday for his second homer in as many games.
    Ty Moore hit a grand slam Sunday for his second homer in as many games.

     

    The Chatham Anglers had the best record in the league last summer and picked up where they left off in their first game this year, blowing past Orleans 10-2. It’s been an interesting ride in the weeks since, not quite as smooth as last year. The Anglers scored four total runs in their next four games, looking punchless after their big debut. They’re still sorting out a solid pitching rotation. They’ve generally been pretty up-and-down.

    But one thing has stabilized. The Anglers are not punchless.

    Chatham won for the fourth straight time on Sunday, topping Hyannis 9-3. It was also the team’s fourth straight big night at the plate. Chatham has scored at least seven runs and hit at least one home run in each of the four victories.

    The Anglers lead the league in runs scored, rank second in hits, second in home runs and third in batting average.

    And they’ve got a core group that’s consistently delivering.

    A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-3 last night, stretching his hitting streak to 11 games. Nine of the 11 have been multi-hit games. Murray is making a strong case for league MVP honors at this point. He’s third in the league in hitting, tied for first in home runs and tied for second in RBI. He has a 1.042 OPS.

    And Murray isn’t alone. Chris Shaw (Boston College) went 2-for-5 last night. He hit home runs on back-to-back days last week and is tied with Murray for the league lead. Ty Moore (UCLA) has been hot too. He hit a grand slam on Sunday, giving home runs in consecutive games, and he’s now hitting .284.

    Throw in a solid leadoff man in Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State) and some big hitters who have had their moments, and it’s no wonder the Anglers are scoring. Pat Mazeika (Stetson) added two hits Sunday and Robert Baldwin (Yale) had three.

    In the win over Hyannis, the pitching came through, too. Charlie Dant (Dayton), who was on a temporary contract but is now full-time, gave up three runs and struck out eight in five innings for the win. Bryan Goossens (Siena) pitched two scoreless innings and Kyle Davis (USC) delivered his seventh scoreless appearance in 10 tries to finish it off.

    Chatham is now 12-9-1, one point back of Orleans for second place and just two behind Harwich for first.

     

    Orleans 5, Wareham 1

    The other budding offensive powerhouse in the East won its second straight with a strong performance against Wareham. David Thompson (Miami) led the way with a homer and four RBI. David Fletcher (Loyola Marymount) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and is now on an eight-game hitting streak after a slow start to the summer. R.J. Ybarra (Arizona State) added an RBI. On the mound, Nathan Bannister (Arizona) made his first start after long relief stints in his first three appearances and responded with six strong innings. He struck out six and allowed one run. The Firebirds are 4-0 in games in which Bannister has pitched. Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan) picked up his fourth save.

     

    Falmouth 9, Bourne 3

    The Commodores picked up their third straight win and knocked off the Western Division leader in the process. Falmouth is now only three points out of first place. Kevin Newman (Arizona) went 4-for-6 to lead a strong offensive performance. Newman now has seven hits in three games since returning from Team USA trials. Shaun Chase (Oregon) added a home run and three RBI, Conner Hale (LSU) had two RBI and Jake Madsen (Ohio) and Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) had two hits each, with Costello also homering. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech) allowed three runs in five innings before the bullpen cruised through the last four innings. For Bourne, Blake Davey (Connecticut) hit his third home run.

     

    Harwich 5, Cotuit 5 (10 innings)

    Harwich and Cotuit played 10 innings at Lowell Park but still couldn’t settle things before darkness fell as they finished in a tie. Grant Kay (Louisville) and Ian Rice (Chipola) each had four hits to lead a 15-hit Cotuit attack. Jake Fincher (NC State) had three hits for the third consecutive game, raising his average from .375 to a league-best .453. On the mound, Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) kept Harwich off the board over the final two innings. For Harwich, C.J. Hinojosa (Texas) and Matt Winn (VMI) had two hits each. Zack Erwin (Clemson) pitched 5.1 innings of one-run relief.

     

    Y-D 3, Brewster 2

    Y-D got a strong start from Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara) and a dominant bullpen effort made a one-run lead stand up in a victory over Brewster. Jacome struck out six and allowed two runs in five innings for his third good start of the summer. William Strode (Florida State) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings before Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton) took over and did his usual. Bickford struck out four of the eight batters he faced in 2.2 scoreless frames. Bickford, an unsigned first-round pick last year, has three saves and has given up one total hit in those outings. At the plate, Y-D got two hits from Rob Fonseca (Northeastern). League RBI leader Hunter Cole (Georgia) tacked on one more and Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) also drove in a run. For Brewster, Gio Brusa (Pacific) had three hits, including a home run.

     

    The East’s hottest teams and the highest scoring teams in the league will meet at Veterans Field when Chatham hosts Orleans. Two Cape League veterans who were once high draft picks out of high school are scheduled to square off. Andrew Chin (Boston College), a fifth-round pick in 2011 and a 15th-rounder this year, will make his 11th career Cape League start for Chatham. He’s had two tough outings in a row after a good start. For Orleans, 2012 third-rounder Kyle Twomey (USC), who’s made nine relief appearances after a full summer in the bullpen last year, is scheduled to make his first start of the 2014 season. He has a 2.84 ERA.

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    Out of the Gate

    Chris Chinea and Wareham have been one of the best offenses in the league.
    Chris Chinea and Wareham have been one of the best offenses in the league.

     

    Eight games into the 2014 Cape Cod Baseball League season, the Wareham Gatemen have only one more win than they had at this juncture last year and again find themselves in the basement of the West, where they spent most of last season.

    But if it was hard to imagine the Gatemen climbing out of the basement, it’s far from difficult this year.

    Wareham beat Cotuit 8-3 on Thursday. They’ve now scored the second-most runs in the league, they have the second-most hits, the most total bases, the second-best batting average and the best OPS. The Gatemen have scored 34 runs in eight games. Only once last year did they score 34 in any eight-game stretch.

    Those are all signs that this summer could be different for the 2012 champs, even if the record hasn’t followed suit quite yet.

    Thursday’s victory over Cotuit snapped a four-game losing streak. Like Wareham’s only previous victory – a 13-3 win over Chatham – the offense shouldered the load, pounding 15 hits against four Cotuit pitchers. Unlike the night before, when Wareham had 14 hits but scored only four runs, the production was there on Thursday.

    Blake Lacey (USC) went 2-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI from the nine hole. Kramer Robertson (LSU) and Andrew Knizner (NC State) had three hits each, while Charlie Warren (Rice), Anderson Miller (Western Kentucky) and John Bormann (Texas-San Antonio) had two apiece. Leadoff man Willie Calhoun (Arizona), who ranks fifth in the league in batting at .419 and leads in doubles, went 1-for-3 and scored a run. His one hit was a double, giving him six on the year. Nobody else in the league has more than three.

    Along with the offense, Wareham pitched fairly well. Pitching to his college battery mate Bormann, Brock Hartson (Texas-San Antonio) struck out seven and allowed three earned in six innings while picking up his first CCBL win. Anthony Kay (Connecticut) pitched three scoreless innings for the save. Kay hasn’t allowed a run in 7.2 innings this year.

    Wareham is two games out of a third-place tie between Cotuit and Falmouth, who are both 4-4. Cotuit hit two home runs in the loss to Wareham, getting one from Logan Taylor (Texas A&M) and one from recent arrival Austin Byler (Nevada). Byler was a key part of Cotuit’s championship run last year and was selected by the Washington Nationals in the ninth round of this year’s draft after leading the Mountain West in home runs.

     

    Harwich 6, Chatham 5 (10 innings)

    Harwich won in extra innings for the second night in a row and ran its league-best record to 7-1. The Mariners trailed 3-0 and 5-2 but rallied with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to force extras. After Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) started the rally with a two-out single, Skye Bolt (North Carolina) had an RBI single and Robert Youngdahl (Notre Dame) knocked in two with a base hit to tie the game. In the 10th, Harwich loaded the bases on two singles and a catcher’s interference call. With two outs, Alex Perez (Virginia Tech) worked a walk to force in the winning run. Bolt led the Harwich offense with three hits, while Gonzalez, Perez and Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) had two each. Anthony Hermelyn (Oklahoma) hit Harwich’s first home run of the summer. Gavin Pittore (Wesleyan) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Blake Butera (Boston College) had two hits for Chatham, who dropped to 3-5.

     

    Hyannis 8, Bourne 3

    The Harbor Hawks moved into a tie for first place in the West with Bourne thanks to an 8-3 victory over the Braves. Both teams are now 5-3. Donnie Dewees Jr. (North Florida) had one of the best offensive nights the league has seen thus far, going 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI to lead the Harbor Hawks. Dewees had three hits on the season coming into the game. Daniel Kihle (Wichita State) also homered and drove in three for Hyannis. Starter Nick Deeg (Central Michigan) gave up three runs in the first inning but promptly delivered seven scoreless innings after that. He struck out five and scattered eight hits. Marcus Brakeman (Stanford) tossed a scoreless ninth to finish the win.

     

    Brewster 4, Orleans 2

    After getting shut-out by Orleans 5-0 on Wednesday, Brewster matched up with the Firebirds and won 4-2 to move to 4-4 on the year. That’s good for second-place in the East. The Whitecaps delivered 10 hits and took a lead in the fourth that they never gave up. Mikey White (Alabama) and Justin Hazard (UCLA) had two hits each, while Scott Kingery (Arizona) and John Sansone (Florida State) knocked in one run apiece. On the mound, Andrew Naderer (Grand Canyon) allowed just an unearned run in five innings. Naderer has pitched in relief and now as a starter this summer, and his three appearances have coincided with Brewster wins. Pat Ruotolo (Connecticut) pitched the final four innings for a save. He struck out five.

     

    Y-D 6, Falmouth 3

    The Red Sox trailed 1-0 but scored five runs in the sixth and never looked back. Jason Goldstein (Illinois) cleared the bases with a double in the big sixth inning, while Michael Foster (Northeastern) and Hunter Cole (Georgia) brought in the other runs. Cole, making his Y-D debut, played for Cotuit last summer and was a 26th-round pick of the Giants this year. Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) went 2-for-4 and now leads the league in hitting with a .450 batting average. He has a hit in all six games he’s played. Nicholas Kozlowski (Hofstra) was credited with the win in relief and Dimitri Kourtis (Mercer) got the save. For Falmouth, Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) had a home run and a double.

     

    What to Watch

    Can anybody slow down Harwich? Bourne, who’s tied for the West lead, gets its crack when it visits Harwich tonight at 7 p.m.

     

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    Veterans lead Commodores

    Falmouth 13

     
    falmouthlogoFalmouth had a murderer’s row lineup last summer and rode it to the West Division regular-season championship and the second-best record in the Cape League.

    The sluggers from that team have moved on to big things. Casey Gillaspie is the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, Kevin Cron has had a solid year for TCU, Rhys Hoskins has hit nine homers for Sacramento State and Dylan Davis has helped Oregon State to a national No. 1 ranking.

    But quite a few other Commodores will be back in the fold, as Falmouth is set to bring in one of the league’s more experienced teams this summer. The list includes reigning batting champion Kevin Newman, some key position players and a host of solid bullpen arms.

    It’s a good starting point, a luxury that a lot of Cape League teams don’t often have. Falmouth will build on that foundation with a solid group of newcomers, led by guys like Steven Duggar, Tyler Krieger, Tate Matheny and Heath Quinn.

    I don’t know if the Commodores will hit the long ball like they did last year, but they’ll take the same success either way.

     

    THE SKINNY

    Manager: Jeff Trundy
    Last Year: 26-18; Lost in West Division Semifinals
    Returning Players: 7
    Juniors: 1
    Sophomores: 15
    Freshmen: 4

     

    NOTABLE

  • Four returning pitchers will lead the Commodores’ staff. Three have been bullpen guys in the past – Garrett Cleavinger, Kevin Mooney and Jared Price – while Kevin McKanna should return to the rotation. McKanna didn’t have a great summer last year, but his spring with Rice – coupled with the experience he gained last summer, could mean big things.

  • Colin Poche has not emerged as a star for Arkansas yet, but he was tabbed as the top prospect in the Northwoods League last summer by both Perfect Game and Baseball America. Perfect Game also ranked the Northwoods as the second-best summer league behind the Cape, so it’s high praise.

  • For the second straight year, Missouri top prospect Alec Rash was on the initial Falmouth roster but has since been removed. Rash has made only 10 appearances this spring. He was an unsigned second-round pick in 2012.

  • Clemson is sending two of its best hitters to Falmouth in sophomores Tyler Krieger and Steven Duggar, two of the ACC’s top sophomores. Both also bring speed to the table.

  • Kevin Newman is the top returning hitter in the league, and there’s no disputing that. Newman won the Cape League batting title as a freshman last year.

  • Leon Byrd and Sam Gillikin were big parts of a really good Falmouth team last year. Neither has the kind of spring they’d like, so I imagine they’ll be excited to be back in Falmouth.

  • Oregon State freshman Trever Morrison’s lists as his favorite athlete former Beaver and current Chicago Cub Darwin Barney. Like Barney, Morrison is defensive wiz for a very good Beaver club, but if he ends up in Falmouth, he’ll get an experience Barney did not. Barney was on the 2006 Falmouth roster but played for Team USA instead.

  • Missouri State’s Tate Matheny ranks third in the Missouri Valley Conference in home runs. The leader? Former Commodore Casey Gillaspie, who just earned conference Player of the Year honors.

  • Also of note, Matheny is the son of St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike.

  • Samford has sent a few sluggers to the Cape the last few years – Phil Ervin to Harwich in 2012 and Caleb Bryson to Cotuit late last year. Heath Quinn is next in line. The freshman has slugged nine homers this spring.

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    FIVE TO WATCH

    1. Colin Poche
    2. Tyler Krieger
    3. Kevin Newman
    4. Steven Duggar
    5. Tate Matheny

     

    PITCHERS

    *Garrett Cleavinger – LHP – 6’0 220 – Oregon – Sophomore
    Justin Dillon – RHP – 6’4 225 – Sacramento State – RS Freshman
    Chandler Eden – RHP – 6’4 175 – Oregon State – Freshman
    Matt Hall – LHP – 6’1 190 – Missouri State – Sophomore
    *Kevin McKanna – RHP – 6’1 185 – Rice – Sophomore
    Sean McLaughlin – RHP/OF – 5’11 184 – Georgia – Sophomore
    Sutter McLoughlin – RHP – 6’5 225 – Sacramento State – Sophomore
    *Kevin Mooney – RHP – 6’2 215 – Maryland – Sophomore
    Colin Poche – LHP – 6’3 220 – Arkansas – Sophomore
    *Jared Price – RHP – 6’2 190 – Maryland – Sophomore
    * – returning player

     

    Garrett Cleavinger – LHP – 6’0 220
    Oregon
    Sophomore

    Cleavinger had a great freshman year in Eugene then spent last summer in Falmouth. His ERA was over six with the Commodores but he struck out 22 in just 12.1 innings, flashing the potential that put him at No. 57 on Perfect Game’s top 100 CCBL prospects. Cleavinger has continued to be a big piece of the Ducks’ bullpen this spring, making a team-high 32 appearances with a 3.00 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 27 innings.

    Justin Dillon – RHP – 6’4 225
    Sacramento State
    RS Freshman

    A 39th-round pick out of high school, Dillon redshirted last year and has had a solid first season for the Hornets this spring. Pitching in the weekend rotation, Dillon has a 3.57 ERA.

    Chandler Eden – RHP – 6’4 175
    Oregon State
    Freshman

    A 36th-round pick out of high school, Eden hasn’t seen a ton of action for the top-ranked Beavers this spring, pitching in only seven games. He had some summer success last year, earning top prospect honors in the Horizon Air Summer Series, a competition for summer collegiate teams from out west.

    Matt Hall – LHP – 6’1 190
    Missouri State
    Sophomore

    Hall had a 2.50 ERA in a swing role as a freshman last year. His ERA has risen to 4.40 this season in 15 appearances, 10 of which have been starts. He has struck out 43 and walked 25.

    Kevin McKanna – RHP – 6’1 185
    Rice
    Sophomore

    McKanna was a 22nd-round draft pick out of high school. After a decent freshman year, McKanna had some struggles on the Cape, starting five games for Falmouth and finishing with an ERA over six. Back at Rice, he has settled in as a sophomore. In 15 appearances – 11 starts – McKanna has a 2.84 ERA.

    Sean McLaughlin – RHP/OF – 5’11 184
    Georgia
    Sophomore

    McLaughlin was a weekend starter for the Bulldogs as a freshman and also had a decent year with the bat. This year, he’s made only three pitching appearances, while hitting .274.

    Sutter McLoughlin – RHP – 6’5 225
    Sacramento State
    Sophomore

    Another Sacramento State Hornet, McLoughlin has done his work – and done it very well – out of the bullpen. McLoughlin set a program record for saves as a freshman with 17. He’s picked up nine more this year to go with a 1.99 ERA.

    Kevin Mooney – RHP – 6’2 215
    Maryland
    Sophomore

    Mooney made a splash as a freshman when he saved nine games for the Terps. After a strong summer in the Falmouth bullpen, Mooney has been up to the same tricks this spring, saving nine games again. He owns a 3.25 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.

    Colin Poche – LHP – 6’3 220
    Arkansas
    Sophomore

    A Texas high school star and a fifth-round pick of the Orioles in the 2012 draft, Poche made only eight appearances in his freshman season with the Razorbacks. But last summer, he was catching everybody’s eye again in the Northwoods League, where Perfect Game picked him as the top prospect. This spring Poche has started seven games and made nine relief appearances, posting a 2.55 ERA.

    Jared Price – RHP – 6’2 190
    Maryland
    Sophomore

    Price joined his Maryland teammate Mooney in Falmouth last summer and had a 4.90 ERA in 14 appearances. This spring, his ERA is over seven out of the Terps bullpen, though he has struck out better than a batter an inning.

     

    POSITION PLAYERS

    *Leon Byrd – 2B/SS – 5’7 170 – Rice – Sophomore
    Shaun Chase – C – 6’1 214 – Oregon – Junior
    Conor Costello – OF/RHP – 6’3 204 – Oklahoma State – Sophomore
    Steven Duggar – OF – 6’2 190 – Clemson – Sophomore
    *Sam Gillikin – OF – 6’2 198 – Auburn – Sophomore
    Tyler Krieger – INF – 6’1 175 – Clemson – Sophomore
    Tate Matheny – OF – 6’0 190 – Missouri State – Sophomore
    Trever Morrison – INF – 5’11 173 – Oregon State – Freshman
    *Kevin Newman – SS/INF – 6’1 180 – Arizona – Sophomore
    Heath Quinn – OF – 6’3 195 – Samford – Freshman
    * – returning player

     

    Leon Byrd – 2B/SS – 5’7 170
    Rice
    Sophomore

    Byrd was drafted in the 25th round out of high school. After a solid freshman year, he was a valuable part of Falmouth’s big summer last year, hitting .252 and stealing eight bases. He’s taken a step back this spring, hitting .239.

    Shaun Chase – C – 6’1 214
    Oregon
    Junior

    A late addition to the Falmouth roster, Chase had a career .194 batting average before a breakout this season. Chase is hitting .292 and leads the PAC-12 in home runs with 12. He has a .370 OBP and a .658 slugging percentage.

    Conor Costello – OF/RHP – 6’3 204
    Oklahoma State
    Sophomore

    Costello spent the 2012 season at Arkansas before transferring to Oklahoma State. After sitting out last year, he’s hitting .226 this year with six home runs.

    Steven Duggar – OF – 6’2 190
    Clemson
    Sophomore

    Duggar was a Freshman All-American for the Tigers last year and made a good impression on the Cape in a brief stint with Cotuit. For the Tigers this spring, Duggar has continued on the upward trajectory, hitting .301 and ranking second in the ACC in stolen bases with 25.

    Sam Gillikin – OF – 6’2 198
    Auburn
    Sophomore

    Gillikin hit under .200 as a freshman but got a shot with Falmouth last summer and made the most of it, earning the everyday center field job and hitting .256. He has hit .214 for the Tigers this spring.

    Tyler Krieger – INF – 6’1 175
    Clemson
    Sophomore

    A late-round pick out of high school, Krieger grabbed hold of the shortstop job for the Tigers as a freshman and turned in a solid season, hitting .252. He was Perfect Game’s sixth-best prospect in the California Collegiate League last summer and has followed that up with a big jump in his sophomore campaign. Still the everyday shortstop, Krieger has also been the Tigers’ leading hitting. He’s at .337 with two homers and has added 19 stolen bases.

    Tate Matheny – OF – 6’0 190
    Missouri State
    Sophomore

    A 23rd round pick out of high school by his hometown Cardinals – who are managed by his father – Matheny still opted for Missouri State, and his Bears are very happy about that. After hitting .336 on his way to a parade of Freshman All-America accolades last year, Matheny hasn’t slipped a bit as a sophomore. He’s hitting .330 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI. He ranked third in the Missouri Valley Conference in home runs and earned first-team all-conference honors.

    Trever Morrison – INF – 5’11 173
    Oregon State
    Freshman

    Morrison was a 36th-round pick of the Red Sox last year but headed to Corvallis, where he’s grabbed the starting shortstop job for the No. 1 team in the country. He hasn’t hit a ton, batting .220, but he’s also made just seven errors on the season.

    Kevin Newman – SS/INF – 6’1 180
    Arizona
    Sophomore

    Newman hit .336 on his way to Freshman All-America honors last year but even that didn’t signal what was to come. Playing for Falmouth last summer, Newman hit .375 to become the first freshman in Cape League history to win the batting title. This spring, Newman has hit .292 for the Wildcats.

    Heath Quinn – OF – 6’3 195
    Samford
    Freshman

    Quinn went 4-for-5 in his first collegiate game in February and didn’t slow down much on his way to Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors. Quinn is hitting .321 with nine homers, 47 RBI, a .401 OBP and a .534 slugging percentage.