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Daily Fog: Evened Out

Sam Haggerty and Hyannis were the last unbeaten team in the league - for a few hours.
Sam Haggerty and Hyannis were the last unbeaten team in the league – for a few hours.

 

Five days into the Cape Cod Baseball League season, nobody’s undefeated and nobody’s winless.

Yesterday’s slate of doubleheaders assured that. Previously unbeaten Harwich and Hyannis squared off and split their doubleheader, Brewster handed Bourne its first loss, and Yarmouth-Dennis broke into the win column twice with a sweep of Wareham.

I think the Red Sox were the happiest if the bunch.

Coming into the year, they looked like one of the most talented teams in the league but didn’t get much going in the first three games of the season, losing 7-2, 3-0 and 2-1. The third of those was the most frustrating as potential ace Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast) was charged with two unearned runs in a 2-1 loss.

Sunday, the Red Sox were finally on track.

In game one, they had their best offensive day of the season and beat the Gatemen 7-1. Rob Fonseca (Northeastern), who missed the spring season due to injury, smacked a home run for his first Cape League hit. Jason Goldstein (Illinois) and Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State) added two hits apiece, and Michael Foster (Northeastern) drove in two runs.

On the mound, former first-round pick Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton) made his Cape League debut and struck out three in three scoreless innings. Dimitri Kourtis (Mercer), who played for Harwich in 2012, followed with three strong innings for the win.

In game two, Josh Staumont (Azusa Pacific) and Tyler Jay (Illinois) combined to allow just an unearned run in seven innings as Y-D won 3-1. A.J. Simcox (Tennessee) knocked in two runs while Fonseca and Brennon Lund (BYU) had two hits each.

Kyle Cody (Kentucky), potentially one of the top pitching prospects in the league, struck out six in three innings for Wareham.

Hyannis 2, Harwich 0; Harwich 5, Hyannis 2

Hyannis staked claim to the title of lone unbeaten – but it didn’t last long. After knocking off unbeaten Harwich to go to 3-0, the Harbor Hawks fell in game two to the Mariners. In the opener, Jordan Minch (Purdue) and Matthew Margaritonda (Marshall) combined on the shutout, scattering seven hits while striking out three. Hyannis was out-hit 7-3, but scratched across runs in the first and third innings. Joe Purritano (Dartmouth) had an RBI, while Bobby Melley (Connecticut) and Matthew Britton (Mississippi State) had one hit each. In game two, Harwich starter Jon Harris (Missouri State) struck out eight in four innings and his offense rallied from a 2-0 first-inning deficit. Ian Happ (Cincinnati), who went 5-for-6 in the doubleheader, had three hits in game two and scored a run. Tyler Servais (Princeton) added two hits and Danny Zardon (LSU) had an RBI.

Brewster 5, Bourne 2; Bourne 4, Brewster 3

The Whitecaps handed Bourne its first loss in game one. Andrew Lee (Tennessee) struck out six and allowed one earned run in two innings for the win, and Evan Hill (Michigan) picked up the save. Gio Brusa (Pacific) hit his first home run of the year and drove in two, while Luke Lowery (East Carolina) also knocked in two. In the second game, Bourne held off a Brewster rally to win by a run. Jake Long (Clemson) got the win in relief with 2.1 scoreless innings and John Gorman (Boston College) notched a save. Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) had two hits, an RBI and two runs scored to lead the Braves offense.

Cotuit 4, Chatham 1; Cotuit 3, Chatham 0

Cotuit moved to 3-2 on the year with a sweep of Chatham, who fell to 1-4. Four pitchers combined on a steady performance in game one, with Adam Whitt (Nevada) picking up the win. Casey Schroeder (Polk State College), Brendan Hendriks (San Francisco) and D.C. Arendas (South Carolina) drove in a run each. In game two, four more pitchers teamed up for a one-hit shutout. Dalton Potts (Tennessee Martin) and Bailey Clark (Duke) carried a no-hitter into the fourth. Chatham broke through with its lone hit in the fifth, but that was all Vincent Fiori (South Carolina) gave up. A.J. Minter (Texas A&M) closed things out with 2.2 scoreless frames. Logan Taylor (Texas A&M) had two hits to power the offense.

Falmouth 6, Orleans 5; Falmouth 9, Orleans 3

Orleans was coming off a 9-0 victory over Chatham but was swept at home by Falmouth. The Commodores scored two in the fifth inning of a back-and-forth game one on a two-run homer by Conner Hale (LSU). Hale was a late addition to this year’s roster who played a key role for the Commodores last year. Kevin Newman (Arizona), another returning player, also homered. Kyle Zimmerman (Wayne State) picked up the win in relief and Kevin Mooney (Maryland) grabbed a save. For Orleans, Christin Stewart (Tennessee) hit his second home run of the summer, making him the the only player in the league with two. In the second game, the Commodores rolled 9-3 behind a nine-hit attack. Leon Byrd Jr. (Rice) went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs, while Matthew Eureste (San Jacinto) went 3-for-4 and is now hitting .556 on a temp contract. Hale went 2-for-4 to add to his big day. On the mound, Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) picked up the win.

What to Watch

Just one game on the docket tonight, a makeup between Brewster and Hyannis. It’s set for 6 p.m. at McKeon Park. Starting pitchers still TBD.

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Cotuit Wins It

The Cotuit Kettleers show off their championship hardware.

 
When Cotuit opened the 2013 Cape Cod Baseball League season against Orleans on June 12, Caleb Bryson was in Lima, Ohio, going 1-for-3 for the Hamilton Joes in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. Garrett Stubbs was not far away from Cotuit, in Plymouth, going 1-for-4 for the NECBL’s Plymouth Pilgrims against the Ocean State Waves. Austin Byler was rehabbing an injury in Nevada. Jake Fincher and Logan Ratledge were on their way to Omaha. Stanford teammates Drew Jackson and Danny Diekroeger hadn’t suited up yet. Mark Payton was weighing his options after just getting drafted in the 16th round. Rhett Wiseman had just finished his season with Vanderbilt. Evan Beal was one day removed from South Carolina’s heart-breaking Super Regional loss to North Carolina. Wesley Cox and Dalton Potts were playing for the Front Royal Cardinals in the Valley League. Bradley Zimmer was in a Cotuit uniform, but he knew he’d soon be packing his bags for a summer with Team USA.

On August 15, they were all on a Cape Cod field together.

And they were celebrating.

Cotuit’s remarkable season of near-constant change ended with a Cape Cod Baseball League championship. If the Kettleers are getting rings, they’re going to need quite a few. Fifty-one players donned a Cotuit uniform this summer. Every week, they lost somebody. Every week, they gained somebody. Somehow, they were one of the league’s best teams while they rode the roster roller-coaster. Whoever was on the field – whoever wasn’t – the Kettleers found a way to play winning baseball more often than not.

They did it one last time Thursday night.

Cotuit completed a championship sweep of Orleans with a 6-1 victory at Eldredge Park, capturing its second Cape League title in four years.

It was clinched on the strength of a championship-worthy all around performance. Christian Cecilio (San Francisco) went six scoreless innings, turning in his best start of the year when Cotuit needed it most. The offense took an early lead, putting the pressure on, and pulled away late. The defense didn’t make an error. And the Kettleers had to feel like they were living right when Pat Quinn’s would-be grand slam in the seventh inning went just foul.

Cecilio allowed just four hits. Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) pitched a third of an inning and gave up three hits. He’d shut down Orleans’ comeback attempts the night before, but manager Mike Roberts didn’t hesitate to pull him. Wesley Cox (Texas San Antonio) came in, got out of a bases-loaded jam and then finished the job.

The trio held Orleans to one run, just the second time the Firebirds have scored one run since July 17.

And the pitchers had support. Facing Jared Miller (Vanderbilt), who had been fantastic late in the season, the Cotuit offense scratched and clawed. Danny Diekroeger (Stanford) knocked in a run in the third on an infield single for the 1-0 lead. The Kettleers then went two innings without a hit before another infield single, this one by Drew Jackson (Stanford), scored the second run.

Orleans had designs on a comeback, but came up empty on the bases-loaded chance in the seventh. In the next half-inning, Cotuit blew the doors off with four more runs, despite the fact that Orleans went to dominant closer Matt Troupe (Arizona) when it got into trouble. A squeeze, an error and a two-run single by Nolan Clark (Concordia) made it 6-0.

The Firebirds scored a run in the ninth but Cox finished the game by inducing a ground-out.

Cotuit celebrated.

Cape League champions often have a signature, a brand that defines their seasons or their playoff runs. For Wareham in 2012, it was late-inning magic and overwhelming power. For Y-D’s mini-dynasty from 2004 to 2007, it was terrific talent buying into a winning culture.

This Cotuit team won in many different ways, with many different people. When they lost talent, they brought in talent. When they took the field with newcomers all over the place, it didn’t matter. It turned into a positive. The Kettleers rode players who were thrilled to get a chance in the Cape League.

Their signature is their lack of signature, their ability to play good baseball – and the organization’s ability to build a good baseball team – no matter what.

On a given day, the Kettleers found a way to win that day’s game.

On August 15, with a team that was scattered across the country two months before – and with a whole other team’s worth of former players watching and rooting from Georgia and Texas and California and the New York Penn League – they won a very big one.

 

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One Away

Jake Fincher slides into second in Saturday's game.

 
After nothing but close games in the first-round of the playoffs, the division championship series got underway with two games that were a little more lopsided. Cotuit rolled past Bourne and Orleans pulled away late to hand Chatham its first playoff loss.

 

Cotuit 9, Bourne 2

The last time the Cotuit Kettleers were in the West finals and the last time they were the No. 3 seed, they won the 2010 Cape Cod Baseball League championship. They took a step in the same direction yesterday when they jumped to an early lead and cruised over Bourne 9-2 in game one of the Western Division championship series.

The Kettleers scored five runs in the second inning and never really looked back, adding to the lead as they went. Dalton Potts (Tennessee Martin), making just his second start of the summer, stranded two men in three of his five innings and held the Braves to just a run. John Hochstatter (Stanford), Joel Seddon (South Carolina) and Eric Karch (Pepperdine) finished the job.

The Cotuit offense once again got huge contributions from its late-season reinforcements. Caleb Bryson (Samford) hit his fifth home run in his sixth game to start the scoring, and Austin Byler (Nevada) blasted a two-run shot a batter later to give Cotuit the lead. Danny Diekroeger (Stanford) added two RBI, while Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco), who’s back from an injury that kept him out of part of the first-round series, went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

The Kettleers finished with 13 hits. Jake Fincher (NC State), Logan Ratledge (NC State) and Garrett Stubbs (USC) chipped in two each.

The Braves, who are playing without MVP Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State), had 10 hits of their own but scored just the two runs. That’s been an issue all year – the Braves ranked second in the league in batting average but just seventh in runs scored.

Game two is set for today at 6 p.m. at Doran Park.

 

Orleans 7, Chatham 3

The Firebirds broke open a 4-3 game with three in the eighth and three pitchers allowed just three hits en route to a victory over Chatham. Orleans, who won two straight against Chatham to end the regular season, has now won three straight.

Corey Miller (Pepperdine), who won one of those two regular-season meetings, went five strong innings for the Firebirds, allowing three unearned runs on three hits. He struck out six.

Then the bullpen took over. Luis Paula (North Carolina) and Jeremy Rhoades (Illinois State) pitched the last four innings without allowing a hit. In the playoffs, Orleans relievers have now allowed four runs in 14 innings.

The offense spotted Miller a four-run lead with two in the first and two in the second. Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and Jordan Betts (Duke) knocked in two. Vince Conde (Vanderbilt) added two hits and an RBI.

Game two is slated for 7 p.m. in Orleans. Shawn O’Neill (La Salle) goes for the Firebirds. He has pitched mostly as a reliever this summer. Aaron Garza (Houston), who’s winless despite some solid starts, gets the ball for Chatham.

 

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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.