Surging

J.J. Matijevic and Falmouth have found their way into the playoff race.

It was all looking so clear. Division leaders clinched playoff spots a while ago. Second-place teams soon joined them. Third and fourth place couldn’t be far behind.

They are, in fact, very far behind.

With a few losses leaving the door open, and their pursuers getting hot, six teams find themselves alive in the playoff race with one day remaining in the regular season. With four teams already safely in, that’s all 10 Cape League teams alive for postseason play with one game to go.

The race has been driven by the teams who were bringing up the rear. Falmouth and Harwich looked like the odd men out a week ago. The Commodores were in the midst of a losing streak that would stretch to seven games. Harwich was hovering near .500 but not making up much ground.

Just a few days later, they’re in the mix.

Falmouth has won three in a row since stopping the losing streak, including the best win of all last night. The Commodores trailed West division winner Hyannis 3-1 late in the game, but scored six runs in the eighth and two in the ninth in storming to a 9-3 win.

Heath Quinn (Samford) started the rally with a game-tying, two-run homer. A base hit by J.B. Woodman plated another run before J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) and Shane Benes (Missouri) hit run-scoring doubles.

Matijevic finished 3-for-5 with two RBI. He’s been on fire lately, going 13 for his last 25, and that stretch has certainly helped Falmouth make its run.

Ben Ancheff (St. Thomas) got the win in relief for Falmouth. The Commodores are now just one point behind Wareham and Cotuit in the West standings. With Cotuit and Wareham meeting today, the Commodores will have a chance to leapfrog one of them with a win.

As for Harwich, the Mariners won for the second straight night, 7-3 over Brewster. Operating with no margin for error – a loss yesterday would eliminate them and the same is true today – Harwich has kept itself alive.

The bats set the stage Saturday, scoring three runs in the first and one in the second. Brock Deatherage (NC State) and Connor Justus (Georgia Tech) both homered. Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) and Cavan Biggio (Notre Dame) added two hits each.

Scott Tully (Notre Dame) gave up three runs in 5.1 innings and the bullpen allowed just two hits over the final 3.2 innings.

Harwich is now two points back of Chatham and Y-D, who are tied for third. The Mariners will face Brewster again in their finale, needing a win and some help to stay in it.

Cotuit 11, Y-D 0

In danger of falling into last place, the Kettleers snapped a three-game skid by blasting Y-D. Tim Susnara (Oregon) went 2-for-5 with five RBI to pace the 14-hit attack. Josh Rojas (Hawaii), playing in just his fourth game, went 3-for-4 and scored two runs. All the offense was more than enough for Daniel Brown (Mississippi State), who worked 6.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Luke Olson (George Washington) finished the job.

Bourne 5, Wareham 4

The Gatemen had 14 hits, but Bourne erased a one-run deficit with two in the eighth in a 5-4 victory. C.J. Chatham (Florida Atlantic) was the hero in the eighth with a two-run double, part of a two-hit night. Reid Humphreys (Mississippi State) and Nick Solak (Louisville) also had two hits each. After the rally, Austin Conway (Indiana State) worked a scoreless ninth for his 10th save. He still has a 0.00 ERA. For Wareham, the Andrew Calica .400 watch is moving right along. Calica went 2-for-5 and is hitting .427 with just one game left. Unless something crazy happens – an 0-for-8 day perhaps – Calica will finish over .400. At the rate he’s going, he may even crack the all-time Cape League top five, which all came from the metal bat era.

Orleans 4, Chatham 2

The magic number for Chatham has been one for much of the week, but the one has proved elusive. Orleans handed the Anglers’ their third straight loss Saturday. Tanner Tully (Ohio State) went six innings and gave up only two unearned runs. Eder Erives (Arizona State) picked up the save. Jeremy Martinez (USC), Willie Abreu (Miami) and Ronnie Dawson (Ohio State) drove in runs for Orleans. The Firebirds have won three straight and, with a win Sunday, can match the 2007 Y-D Red Sox for the best record since 2000.

What to Watch

Everything, pretty much. With so many teams still in the mix, there will again be playoff implications in every game. The match-up between Cotuit and Wareham at Spillane Field is the only one in which neither team has clinched, so that one may be particularly interesting. History could also be made, as Calica’s quest for .400 hits the finish line.

July 27, 2015July 27, 2015

Riding the Wave

Jack Meggs knocked in the go-ahead run in the 10th as Brewster beat Falmouth Sunday.

Apologies for the unannounced hiatus. The Right Field Fog extended family was together on Cape Cod, which was wonderful in general but bad for blogging. Back in business today.

Division leaders Orleans and Hyannis have already clinched playoff spots. All of a sudden, Brewster is looking like the team that’s next in line.

The Whitecaps edged Brewster 4-3 in 10 innings Sunday for their fourth consecutive win. At 22-16, they’ve taken over second place in the East and currently own the league’s second-best record.

The last three wins in the four-game streak have come by one run. With a team that’s great at the plate but a little more up-and-down on the mound, the assumption when they get hot is that the pitching is coming around. That’s not entirely true for Brewster, who has allowed 15 runs in its latest win streak.

The relentless, top-to-bottom offense just keeps pounding away. The Whitecaps are not among the league leaders in extra-base hits – despite leading in hits and batting average – but their ability to knock single after single has been good enough for a lot of wins.

Sunday, the Whitecaps did get a strong pitching performance, as J.D. Busfield (Loyola Marymount) gave up two runs in six innings. But again, it was the offense that came through. After Falmouth tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, Brewster scored one in the top of the 10th and went on to the win.

Leadoff man Colin Lyman (Louisville) started the 10th with a single and a sacrifice bunt moved him to second. With two outs, Jack Meggs (Washington) singled to bring him home.

Trent Paddon (Oregon) worked around two hits in the bottom of the 10th to seal the win.

Meggs and Toby Handley (Stony Brook) finished with two hits each to lead the Brewster offense.

Bourne 9, Wareham 1

The Braves pushed their win streak to three with a blowout of Wareham. Nick Solak (Louisville) and Mike Garzillo (Lehigh) both had three hits and three RBI and Reid Humphreys (Mississippi State) homered. Bourne scored all its runs in two innings, with four in the fourth and five in the sixth. On the mound, Cody Sedlock (Illinois) allowed one run in six innings for the win. Kyle Driscoll (Rutgers) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and the recently signed Daniel Jagiello (Long Island) tossed a scoreless frame in his Bourne debut. Bourne is now 18-18-2. Wareham has lost three in a row and is 15-22-1.

Hyannis 5, Y-D 1

With Bourne making its run, Hyannis kept the Braves at arm’s length with a victory over Y-D, which maintains the team’s three-point cushion in the West. Nick Deeg (Central Michigan) was back to his dominant self after a rough outing in his last start. He struck out seven and allowed one run in eight innings for the win. Jake Rogers (Tulane) homered while Errol Robinson (Ole Miss) had three hits to pace a 12-hit attack. Rogers, a terrific defensive catcher, was hitting .175 just two weeks ago but has gone 10-for-22 since to up his average to .274. Corey Bird (Marshall) and Blake Tiberi (Louisville) chipped in two hits each.

Harwich 8, Chatham 3

The Mariners hit three home runs and got solid showings from three pitchers to beat Chatham 8-3. Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) went deep twice while his Georgia Tech teammate Connor Justus had a home run and four RBI. Preston Palmeiro (NC State) added a hit and scored two runs. Jake Fraley (LSU) homered for Chatham and Garrett Hampson (Long Beach State) had three hits, but the Anglers couldn’t get much else going. Scott Tully (Notre Dame) allowed two runs in six innings for the win. Harwich is now 17-20-1 and three points out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the East.

Cotuit 4, Orleans 2

Cotuit allowed Orleans just one extra-base hit and continued its run toward a playoff spot with a victory over the league-leading Firebirds. The Kettleers have won two straight and hold a three-point lead on Falmouth for fourth place in the West. Daniel Brown (Mississippi State) had his best performance of the summer in quieting the Orleans bats. Brown struck out six and didn’t allow an earned run in seven innings of work. Jack Anderson (Penn State) and Justin Dunn (Boston College) finished off the win. The Cotuit offense steadily pushed in front with single runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Brody Weiss (Riverside CC), Spencer Gaa (Bradley), Jeren Kendall (Vanderbilt) and Will Haynie (Alabama) each drove in a run, with Kendall and Haynie both hitting solo home runs. Haynie now has seven home runs on the year.

What to Watch

It’s a league-wide off day today. When teams return to the fields Tuesday, there will be an interesting match-up in Orleans, where the first-place Firebirds will host surging Brewster. Mitchell Jordan (Stetson) is slated to start for Orleans as he looks to go 7-0.

June 30, 2015June 30, 2015

Big Bats

Will Haynie hit his third and fourth home runs of the year to lead Cotuit past Y-D 11-1.

In 84 Cape League games prior to Tuesday night’s slate, teams had hit double digits in runs only five times. Tuesday, it happened twice.

Perhaps the bats – always behind at the start of a Cape summer – are catching up.

Bourne beat Falmouth 12-3 with a 15-hit, six extra-base-hit attack, while Cotuit broke out for its best offensive day of the season in an 11-1 victory over Y-D.

(Chatham and Orleans also had big nights, scoring nine and eight runs, respectively, while Hyannis went and ruined the league-wide storyline with a 1-0 victory over Brewster.)

For Bourne, the offense was steady in the early going, with single runs in the first, second and third innings, and four in the fourth. For good measure, the Braves scored five in the top of the ninth to hammer it home.

Camden Duzenack (Dallas Baptist) went 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI. Six other players drove in runs, with Ryan Boldt (Nebraska) and Jacob Robson (Mississippi State) bringing home two each. Florida standout Pete Alonso, playing his second game in a Braves uniform, went 3-for-5 with a double and scored a run. C.J. Chatham (Florida Atlantic) had a triple. Every player in the starting lineup had at least one hit.

The 12 runs were a season-high for the Braves, who raised their team batting average by a whopping .10 points, from .229 up to .239.

The outburst was plenty for Keegan Akin (Western Michigan), who tossed five shutout innings. Doug Norman, who had a strong spring in LSU’s bullpen, made his first Braves appearance and picked up the save. Bourne improved to 8-8-1.

Over at Lowell Park, Cotuit was up to similar tricks, although they were a bit more condensed. After getting shut-out for five innings, the Kettleers scored five runs in the sixth inning and six runs in the eighth to blow past Y-D.

Will Haynie (Alabama) was the star of the show with two home runs, a three-run shot in the sixth and a two-run homer in the eighth. Haynie, though he’s only batting .179, is now tied for the league lead in homers with four.

Gene Cone (South Carolina) also homered and drove in two, while Jackson Klein (Stanford) had two hits and two RBI.

Daniel Brown (Mississippi State) gave up one run in five innings on the hill, and Matthew Milburn (Wofford) went the last four innings for the win. He struck out six.

The win was the second straight for Cotuit, who is now 6-12.

Chatham 9, Wareham 2

The Gatemen had won three in a row, but Chatham broke open a close game with five runs in the sixth inning on its way to the 9-2 win. Aaron Knapp (California) and Will Craig (Wake Forest) each had two RBI for the Anglers. Trenton Brooks (Nevada), Cory Raley (Texas Tech) and Kyle Adams (Richmond) added two hits each. Jesse Adams (Boston College) allowed one run in five innings of work for the win. Wareham got a home run from Jarett Rindfleisch (Ball State). Chatham improved to 10-8, which is the third-best record in the league. Wareham is 9-9.

Orleans 8, Harwich 5

Orleans also had a big inning – a five-run fourth – to pull away from Harwich in an 8-5 victory. The Firebirds racked up 16 hits, led by three each from Austin Miller (Loyola Marymount) and T.J. Nichting (Charlotte). Kyle Lewis (Mercer) had two hits and two RBI for his third consecutive two-hit game. The emerging star is second in the league in hitting with a .368 mark and is tied for the league lead in home runs and RBI. In addition to the big night at the plate, Orleans got another strong outing from Mitchell Jordan (Stetson), who struck out eight in six innings of two-hit ball. The only run he allowed was unearned, keeping his season ERA at 0.00. Jordan is 3-0 and leads the league in strikeouts with 25.

Hyannis 1, Brewster 0

The lone exception on the offensive night was in Hyannis, where the Harbor Hawks and Whitecaps were scoreless for eight innings before a walk-off in the ninth. Nicholas Pappas (College of Charleston) plated the winning run with a two-out single in the ninth, scoring Austin Hays (Jacksonville). Before those heroics, two Hyannis pitchers and four Whitecaps were engaged in quite the duel. Vance Tatum (Mississippi State) scattered five hits in five scoreless innings for Hyannis, before Andrew Civale (Northeastern) struck out five in four scoreless frames. Alex Schick (California) gave up just two hits in six innings for Brewster.

What to Watch

No games today. When things pick back up Wednesday, Wareham might be a good place to be. Matt Krook (Oregon), the former first-round pick who’s working his way back from Tommy John Surgery, is slated to start for the Gatemen against Cotuit’s Jon Woodcock (Virginia Tech), who is 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA.

June 8, 2015June 8, 2015

Kettleers aim to be in the mix again

After its run to the Cape League championship in 2013, Cotuit slipped to 18-25-1 last season but made the West finals after sneaking into the playoffs. It’s a lesson – the Kettleers are always dangerous, no matter how their team looks. This season should be no different.

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Anfernee Grier
2. Jeren Kendall
3. Michael Paez
4. Duncan Robinson
5. Kyle Wright

NOTABLE

You can always count on speed in a Mike Roberts lineup, and there’s no shortage this year. Tulane’s Stephen Alemais stole 27 bases, while Coastal Carolina’s Michael Paez stole 19. Several other guys on the roster were in double digits/

For now, the Cotuit pitching staff doesn’t have a guy with a long, proven track record as a starter, but there are some solid pieces in the fold, led by reigning Ivy League Pitcher of the Year Duncan Robinson.

A pair of freshmen look like potential standout relievers, if they stick with that role this summer. Mitch Stallings of Duke struck out 54 in 45.1 innings, while Vanderbilt’s Kyle Wright owns a 1.09 ERA.

Will Haynie headed to Alabama after a strong high school career in Tennessee, but the 6-foot-5 catcher has yet to put it all together with the Tide, hitting under .200 in both his seasons.

If you’re starting from day one at Vanderbilt, you’re doing something right, and outfielder Jeren Kendall certainly is. He has hit .296 and stolen 18 bags for the Commodores this spring. He’ll follow in the footsteps of a number of Vandy outfielders who called Cotuit home in the summer.

Baseball America called Anfernee Grier the best player on a resurgent Auburn team this year, and the athletic sophomore seems primed for a big summer. He was among the SEC’s leaders in hits this season.

PITCHERS

Daniel Brown – SO – Mississippi State – JUCO star with a big fastball struck out 28 in 20.1 relief innings this spring
Justin Dunn – SO – Boston College – Had high ERA last year as a freshman but this season saved 5 games, struck out 46
Nick Eicholtz – SO – Alabama – Had 3.65 ERA, mostly as a starter, in season that was cut short in early May
Bernardo Flores – SO – USC – After limited action as a freshman, struck out 45 in 44.2 innings out of pen this season
Nick Lewis – SO – Baylor – Has been up-and-down in two seasons in Waco, with 4.14 ERA this spring
Duncan Robinson – JR – Dartmouth – Ivy League Pitcher of the Year had 2.62 ERA , 52 Ks & just 12 BB in 65.1 IP
Austin Sexton – SO – Mississippi State – After quiet freshman year, had 3.77 ERA in weekend rotation this season
Mitch Stallings – FR – Duke – Lefty led Blue Devils in appearances as a frosh and struck out 54 in 45.1 innings
Jon Woodcock – JR – Virginia Tech – Veteran southpaw struck out a team-high 69 with 3.73 ERA this season
Kyle Wright – FR – Vanderbilt – Top reliever for Commodores has 1.09 ERA, 53 Ks in 49.1 IP

CATCHERS

Will Haynie – SO – Alabama – Highly-touted catching prospect hit 8 home runs this season but batted just .195
Tim Susnara – FR – Oregon – Late-round pick out of high school hit .223 in first season in Eugene

INFIELDERS

Stephen Alemais – SO – Tulane – All-conference pick hit .312, stole 27 bases this spring
Spencer Gaa – SO – Bradley – Followed solid freshman year with .351 campaign this season
Casey Hughston – SO – Alabama – Emerged as standout this spring, hitting .332 with six homers and 12 stolen bases
Michael Paez – SO – Coastal Carolina – After strong summer in Prospect League, speedster hit .326 with 8 HR, 19 SBs

OUTFIELDERS

Matt Albanese – SO – Bryant – Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year last season hit .319 with 5 HR as a sophomore
Gene Cone – SO – South Carolina – Hit .257, stole 13 bags while starting every game for South Carolina this season
Anfernee Grier – SO – Auburn – Highly-ranked ahead of 2013 draft, followed steady debut with .323 average, 9 SB this year
Keenan Innis – SO – Georgia Tech – After injury cut short his freshman year, hit .314 as a sophomore
Jeren Kendall – FR – Vanderbilt – Wisconsin high school star fitting right in at Vandy, with .296 AVG, 7 HR, team-high 18 SB
Jack Klein – SO – Stanford – Late-round pick in 2013 hit .217 this season
Kort Peterson – SO – UCLA – Became regular contributor as a sophomore, hitting .274 and swiping 15 bags