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Riding the Wave

Gio Brusa homered in Brewster's victory over Harwich.
Gio Brusa homered in Brewster’s victory over Harwich.

 

The Cape Cod Baseball League has used an eight-team playoff structure since 2010, and in all those years, we haven’t seen anything like what the Brewster Whitecaps are doing these days.

Brewster, well off the pace for much of the summer, has won five of six. Combined with a skid by Chatham, the Whitecaps put themselves into the thick of the playoff race. And last night, they took a full leap, beating Harwich 2-0 while Chatham lost to Orleans. That means Brewster is in fourth place by a point over Chatham, with one game to play.

It’s a rare feat.

When the Cape had a four-team playoff bracket, battles for those spots were pretty frequent. But with eight of 10 teams making it, there are bound to be two teams that aren’t even close. In five of the eight races since 2010, the fourth and fifth-place teams were separated by nine points or more.

And in the only close races, it wasn’t a come-from-behind situation, at least not one that happened so late. In 2010, Harwich held off Chatham by three points and had been ahead of the Anglers well before the stretch run. In 2011, Falmouth edged Cotuit by three points after going 3-7 in its last 10, allowing Cotuit to get close. In 2012, Bourne and Hyannis finished tied for the last playoff spot when the Braves lost their last two and the Harbor Hawks won their last two, but the team that came from behind lost out on the tiebreaker, as Bourne ended up with the spot.

Brewster’s comeback – if it’s completed – would stand alone. On July 25, the Whitecaps lost to Chatham 8-3. They fell to 12-24-1, while Chatham improved to 16-20-1. The Anglers had an eight-point cushion, with seven games to play.

Since then, Brewster hasn’t lost, and Chatham has gone 1-5. That’s the recipe for a takeover.

The Whitecaps knocked off East champ Harwich Sunday to take their biggest step yet. They managed only three hits but scored two runs. Gio Brusa (Pacific) homered and Zach Gibbons (Arizona) had an RBI. Four pitchers made the two-run lead seem plenty big enough. Joe McCarthy (Southern New Hampshire) allowed four hits in five innings. Ryan Mason (California) pitched two scoreless frames, Doug Willey (Franklin Pierce) tossed a scoreless eighth and Pat Ruotolo (Connecticut) pitched a perfect ninth for the save.

Meanwhile, Orleans beat Chatham 4-0 in a game that was called after five innings due to some classic Veterans Field fog. The Anglers would have loved to keep playing, because now the playoff race comes down to one game.

If the Whitecaps beat Harwich tonight, they’re in. If they don’t, and Chatham loses, they’re still in. But if Chatham wins, then the comeback will have been for naught.

It’s a sprint to the finish now.

 

Orleans 4, Chatham 0

Orleans scored all its runs in the fifth inning of the five-inning fog game. Geoff DeGroot (Rutgers) had a two-run single to key the rally and David Thompson (Miami) had a sacrifice fly. Kyle Twomey (USC) pitched four scoreless innings for the Firebirds, before Hayden Stone (Vanderbilt) pitched around a single for a scoreless fifth. The win allowed Orleans to move one point ahead of Y-D for second place in the East.

 

Hyannis 3, Y-D 3

The Harbor Hawks scored two runs in what proved to be the final inning, as the teams played to a tie in eight innings after the game was called due to darkness at Red Wilson Field. Sam Haggerty (New Mexico) had an RBI double in the eighth for Hyannis and Arden Pabst (Georgia Tech) knocked in the tying run with a sacrifice fly. Ryan Perez (Judson) then pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Haggerty led the Harbor Hawks with three hits and two RBI. For Y-D, Andrew Stevenson (LSU) went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Rob Fonseca (Northeastern) drove in a run. Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton) and Zac Favre (Central Florida) each struck out four in short relief stints before the late Hyannis rally.

 

Postponements

Games between Falmouth and Cotuit and Bourne and Wareham were washed out.

 

What to Watch

One more full day of games in the regular season, with one makeup game currently scheduled for Tuesday. Tonight, eyes are on the same teams in the East as Brewster visits Harwich and Chatham visits Orleans.
 

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The Last Blast

A.J. Murray hit a walk-off home run as Chatham beat Hyannis.
A.J. Murray hit a walk-off home run as Chatham beat Hyannis.

 

Sunday night was a big one for home runs in the Cape Cod Baseball League, with seven of 10 teams hitting at least one and those squads combining for 10 total.

They saved the biggest one for last.

In the bottom of the 12th at Veterans Field, Chatham’s A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) hit a walk-off solo home run to give the Anglers a 5-4 victory over Hyannis.

Chatham was coming off a one-run loss to Brewster in which it was the victim of a late Whitecaps home run. This time, after tying the game in the eighth, the Anglers held Hyannis down and finally broke through in the 12th.

Murray led off the inning against Hyannis closer Ian Gibaut (Tulane), who had given up two runs – and no homers – in five appearances this summer. Murray jumped off the first pitch Gibaut threw – and made it the only pitch Gibaut would throw.

The homer was the third of the year for Murray, which puts him in a tie for the league lead.

It made a winner out of the other hero, Kyle Davis (USC), who continued to look like perhaps the most valuable pitcher in the league. He leads the league in appearances with eight, ranks second in the league in strikeouts with 20 and has a 1.35 ERA. He was at his bullpen-saving best on Sunday, coming on in the ninth and pitching four scoreless innings to keep the game tied. He allowed just one hit and struck out four. In the top of the 12th, he struck out the last two batters on four pitches each to give Chatham a little surge of momentum ahead of Murray’s blast.

Murray finished the night 3-for-4 with two RBI. Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State) added two hits. Nick Collins (Georgetown), in as a pinch-hitter, knocked in the tying run in the eighth with a single.

Hyannis got a home run from Carl Wise (College of Charleston) and four hits from Donnie Dewees Jr. (North Florida). Ryan Perez (Judson) struck out five in three scoreless innings of relief and is now tied with Davis for second in the league in K’s.

Chatham improved to 8-8-1 while Hyannis fell to 10-7.

 

Orleans 15, Harwich 8

No one’s been very close to first-place Harwich since the first week of the season, but the Firebirds drew within two games thanks to their fourth straight win, a blowout of the Mariners. The Firebirds (9-8) scored five runs in each of the first two innings. After Harwich (11-6) chipped away to make it 10-7 going into the eighth, Orleans delivered another five-run inning to put the game away. Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) and R.J. Ybarra (Arizona State) hit back-to-back home runs to account for the five runs in the eighth. Dalbec finished with four RBI. Geoff DeGroot (Rutgers), Edwin Rios (Florida International) and Mitchell Tolman (Oregon) all had three hits. For Harwich, Angelo Amendolare (Jacksonville) had three hits and Ian Happ (Cincinnati) had three RBI.

 

Wareham 7, Cotuit 6

Cotuit (8-9) joined in the home run party with two, but the Gatemen (6-11) had a little more offense in the end in a 7-6 victory. Jake Little (Memphis) homered for the Gatemen, his third of the year, while Willie Calhoun (Arizona) went 2-for-4 with his 12th double. Charlie Warren (Rice) added two hits while Corey Ray (Louisville) had two RBI. Wareham finished with 10 hits and now leads the league in team batting average. The Gatemen bullpen also delivered, with four pitching combining on 6.1 innings of one-run ball. Nick Fuller (UMass-Dartmouth) was credited with the win and Ryan Olson (San Diego) picked up the save. For Cotuit, Logan Taylor (Texas A&M) and Austin Byler (Nevada) each hit their third home run of the summer.

 

Falmouth 8, Bourne 3

The Commodores touched up Bourne standout Andrew Sopko (Gonzaga) for three runs then really broke out against the bullpen and pulled away for an 8-3 victory. Sopko had struck out 13 and given up one run in 10 innings thus far, but Falmouth got a leadoff home run from Sam Gillikin (Auburn) in the first inning and tacked on single runs in the second and fourth innings. Sopko departed in the sixth, and Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts) – who went 4-for-4 – broke a 3-3 tie with an RBI single. Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) delivered an RBI double in the seventh. In the eighth, Afenir doubled home a run and Nicholas Ramos (Indiana) knocked in two with a base hit. The late surge made a winner out of reliever Kyle Zimmerman (Wayne State), who went two scoreless innings. Bourne still leads the West with an 11-6 record. Falmouth improved to 8-8-1.

 

Y-D 9, Brewster 7

Y-D held off a late charge by Mikey White (Alabama) and Brewster to snap a two-game skid. The Red Sox (6-11) led 9-4 going into the ninth before the Whitecaps (7-10) made it interesting. After a sacrifice fly by Wade Wass (Alabama), White hit his second home run of the game – a two-run shot – to get his team within two runs. But with a runner on first, Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton) came out of the Y-D bullpen and struck out Andrew Lee (Tennessee) to end the game. The win went to starter Bryan Bonnell (UNLV), who allowed three runs in six innings. The Y-D offense was led by Andrew Stevenson (LSU) and Josh Lester (Missouri), who had two hits each. Jason Goldstein (Illinois) had one hit and four RBI, while Rob Fonseca (Northeastern) drove in two.

 

What to Watch

The league leaders in ERA among qualified starting pitchers will square off as Falmouth visits Hyannis. Matt Hall (Missouri State), who has a 0.56 ERA, will go for the Commodores against Hyannis and Tate Scioneaux (SE Louisiana), who has a 1.56 ERA.

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A Little Spark

Reilly Hovis tossed three scoreless frames in Orleans' victory on Friday.
Reilly Hovis tossed three scoreless frames in Orleans’ victory on Friday.

 

For most of the summer, I’ve been thinking Orleans looked like one of the best teams in the league without really looking like it. The Firebirds lead the league in home runs and extra-base hits, and their pitchers have allowed the fewest hits in the league. But on the flip side, they only rank fourth in runs scored and batting average, and their pitchers have walked the most batters in the league.

That’s a recipe for the ups and downs the Firebirds have had, but there have been more ups lately. With last night’s 7-3 victory over Wareham, Orleans moved one point back of Chatham for second place in the East.

Trevor Megill (Loyola Marymount) and Nathan Bannister (Arizona) continued to join forces for what amounts to solid starts. Megill, recovering from Tommy John surgery, went two innings. Bannister followed with four, allowing two runs. Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) then sealed the deal with the best performance of the night, striking out four in three scoreless innings.

At the plate, the Firebirds broke open a 3-3 game with two runs in the eighth inning and two more in the ninth. An error brought the go-ahead run home in the eighth, and Geoff DeGroot (Rutgers) followed with an RBI single. In the ninth, David Thompson (Miami) smacked a two-run single to make it 7-3.

Thompson went 2-for-5 and is now seven for his last 13. DeGroot and David Fletcher (Loyola Marymount) also had two hits.

Wareham fell to 4-11 with the loss, but Willie Calhoun (Arizona) continued to be a bright spot for the Gatemen. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles, giving him a league-high 11 for the year. Last season, the league leader in doubles finished with 14.

 

Falmouth 5, Y-D 1

Like Orleans, Falmouth also won its third straight, improving to 7-7-1 on the year with a 5-1 victory over Y-D. Jake Madsen (Ohio), who didn’t have an extra base hit coming into the game, went 3-for-4 with three doubles. Nicholas Ramos (Indiana) had two hits and two RBI and Trever Morrison (Oregon State) had a triple and two RBI. On the mound, Casey Mulholland (South Florida) delivered his best start of the summer, allowing just an unearned run on three hits in six innings of work. Garrett Cleavinger (Oregon), who had terrific numbers this spring, pitched a scoreless inning, as did Travis Stout (Jacksonville State) and Kevin Mooney (Maryland). Florida Gulf Coast standout Michael Murray made his third start for Y-D and allowed two earned runs in 6.2 innings.

 

Cotuit 6, Hyannis 2

Cotuit doesn’t have much in the way of starting pitching on its staff, and coming into Friday, only once all season had a starter gone more than four innings. With the Kettleers riding a two-game losing streak, Vincent Fiori (South Carolina) gave his team what it needed. Fiori allowed one run in five innings with seven strikeouts as the Kettleers (7-8) topped Hyannis (9-6). Trey Wingenter (Auburn) and Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) combined on four innings of relief as Cotuit allowed just four total hits. At the plate, Cotuit got a home run from Logan Taylor (Texas A&M), plus RBI from Brendan Hendriks (San Francisco), Jake Fincher (NC State) and Dalton Dulin (Mississippi). Hyannis had been 3-0 against rival Cotuit this season.

 

Bourne 8, Brewster 2

Coming off their first home loss of the season, Bourne didn’t take another one, topping Brewster 8-2 to improve to 11-4, tied for the best mark in the league. Making his first start, Josh Rogers (Louisville) gave up just an unearned run in five innings. He struck out four and gave up three hits. His teammate Jacob Sparger (Louisville) followed with three scoreless frames and John Gorman (Boston College) pitched the final inning. Brett Sullivan (Pacific) led the offense with three hits, while Blake Allemand (Texas A&M) and Billy Fleming (West Virginia) had two hits and two RBI each.

 

Harwich 10, Chatham 4

The Mariners continued to match Bourne for the league’s best record with a 10-4 victory over Chatham. Jason Inghram (William & Mary), Jacob Evans (Oklahoma) and Robby Kalaf (Florida Internatinal) limited a Chatham an offense that had scored 29 runs in its last two games. Both Evans and Kalaf have yet to allow a run this summer. Anthony Hermelyn (Oklahoma) paced the Harwich offense with four hits and two RBI while Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) had three hits and two RBI. Kyle Barrett (Kentucky) had two hits and now owns an 11-game hit streak.

 

What to Watch

Ms. Right Field Fog and I will be in Hyannis tonight as the Braves come to McKeon Park for a 6 p.m. start. Travis Bergen (Kennesaw State), who allowed one run in five innings in his first start, gets the ball for the Braves. Hyannis will go to big righty Blake Hickman (Iowa), one of the top prospects in the Northwoods League last summer.

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Kettleers to the Lead

Caleb Bryson hit a home run, his six in nine games, as Cotuit took a 1-0 lead in the championship series.

 
The last time Cotuit and Orleans played in the regular season, the Firebirds won a 2-0 shutout. They came into the Cape League championship series with a little extra rest and with their pitching lined up. They had won 15 of their last 18.

Cotuit, as always, was undeterred.

The Kettleers broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the eighth and out-pitched Orleans pretty much the whole way en route to a 4-2 victory yesterday in game one of the Cape Cod Baseball League championship series. Cotuit is one win away from its second championship in four years.

Cotuit took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Wednesday’s game on a home run by Caleb Bryson (Samford), who has to be one of the greatest late-season pick-ups in Cape League history. Bryson has six home runs in nine games with the Kettleers.

For a while, it looked like the lead would hold up. While Orleans starter Bobby Poyner (Florida) kept it from growing by escaping two bases-loaded jams, Cotuit’s Evan Beal (South Carolina) kept it from shrinking for four innings. Beal, who pitched five strong innings in a start in the Falmouth series, was even better this time, scattering five hits in six innings.

But the Firebirds came on. A base hit by Geoff DeGroot (UMass-Lowell) that was mis-played in left field allowed a run to score in the fifth. Orleans then tied it in the seventh when Ross Kivett (Kansas State) drew a bases-loaded walk.

Both teams missed chances after that, with Cotuit coming up empty after a failed squeeze bunt in the seventh and Orleans’s Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) getting thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple in the top of the eighth.

At that point, the vaunted Orleans bullpen was in action, but Cotuit broke the tie anyway. In the bottom of the eighth, Cotuit loaded the bases on a walk, a double by Logan Ratledge (NC State) and an intentional walk. Orleans went lefty-lefty against Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) with Brian Clark (Kent State), who hadn’t allowed a run since July 16, but Zimmer delivered. He chopped a single up the middle and two runs scored to put Cotuit ahead.

Needing just three outs, Cotuit reliever Wesley Cox (Texas San Antonio) cruised, getting two groundouts and a strikeout to end it.

Game two is set for tonight at 7 p.m. in Orleans. The Firebirds were down 1-0 in their first-round series to Harwich before coming back to win, while Cotuit was up 1-0 in its West finals series with Bourne before getting pushed to a third game. I don’t think anybody would be surprised to see the Cape League summer continue for one more day after tonight.

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Title Series Thoughts

Will Fulmer waits for Bradley Zimmer at second in the final meeting of the regular season between Orleans and Cotuit.

 
Tuesday’s rain gave Cotuit and Orleans an extra day of rest before they square off in the Cape Cod Baseball League championship – and it gives us an extra day to talk about it.

It’ll be a fun series. Cotuit and Orleans are two of the most well-supported franchises in the league, with great fan-bases, great fields and great tradition. It’s the first title round meeting between the two since 1986, when Jeff Conine was in an Orleans Cardinal uniform and Scott Servais was suiting up for Cotuit.

  • The Orleans pitching rotation quietly emerged late in the season as perhaps the best in the league. I say quietly because no Orleans starter cracked the top 20 in strikeouts, and the team’s strikeout leaders were relievers Kyle Twomey and Matt Troupe. But while they weren’t the prototypical, workhorse aces, the group led by Bobby Poyner, Trent Szkutnik, Jared Miller and Corey Miller was fantastic, especially late in the year. Over its final 17 games – when the team went13-3-1 on the heels of a five-game losing streak – Orleans starters gave up two earned runs or fewer in 13 games.

  • The scary thing for Cotuit is that the pitching is lined up – Poyner, Jared Miller and Szkutnik are the probable starters. Poyner and Szkutnik both finished the regular season with 1.72 ERA’s while Miller’s late-season success makes him look like the real ace of the staff. He had two straight scoreless outings late in the year with a combined 14 strikeouts. In a playoff start against Harwich, Miller struck out eight in seven shutout innings.

  • Not to harp on the Orleans pitching staff, but the bullpen has been fantastic as well. Troupe is at the back end as the most dominant closer in the league, and that’s just one piece of the puzzle. In five playoff games, Orleans pitchers have allowed five earned runs in 17.1 innings. That’s an ERA of 2.63.

  • As you might guess from the above, I give the edge in the series to Orleans based on pitching. Cotuit pitchers have held their own in the playoffs, but there’s still a feeling that things are being patched together, with even a few newcomers making starts. On the bright side, Cotuit’s own dominant closer, Brian Miller, has been great in the playoffs. He hasn’t given up an earned run in 6.1 postseason innings.

  • Cotuit and Orleans played each other in the season opener on June 12. The Cotuit starting lineup on that day featured exactly ONE player who is currently with the team, and that’s Bradley Zimmer, who was gone for most of the summer with Team USA. It’s been a story all year, and it’s even more remarkable when you look at it like that – Cotuit has consistently found ways to win despite constant roster turnover. Cotuit has had 51 players wear its uniform this summer. It’s literally two teams’ worth, and yet here the Kettleers are.

  • Some of Cotuit’s most recent reinforcements have had a big hand in the playoff success. Nevada’s Austin Byler leads the team in postseason batting average at .474, home runs with two and RBI with seven. Catcher Garrett Stubbs, who played two regular-season games, is hitting .455 in the playoffs and delivered a walk-off single in a game-two win over Falmouth to keep Cotuit’s season alive. Caleb Bryson has hit a playoff home run, giving him five in eight games with the Kettleers.

  • The other thing about the newcomers is the psychological lift they provide. This was something I hadn’t thought about until team photographer Joe Cavanaugh mentioned it to me. The Cape League season is long and it’s a grind. But guys like Stubbs and Bryson who are thrilled to be getting a shot aren’t feeling that grind. They’re making the most of every second, and that can be infectious.

  • This will be the second consecutive championship appearance for Cotuit’s Danny Diekroeger. The infielder played for Y-D last summer and started all three games of the title series against Wareham.

  • Orleans had Riley Moore as its starting catcher in the first game of the post-season but got hurt blocking the plate in that game and has been out ever since. Collin Slaybaugh replaced Moore after the injury in the Harwich game and has played every inning since – all 40 of them. If Orleans wins this thing, Slaybaugh is an unsung hero.

  • Cotuit isn’t the only team that’s suffered key personnel losses. Orleans is without Jordan Luplow, who was one of the biggest reasons for their late-season surge. A knee injury sent him home. Zach Fish, one of the team’s best hitters, left late in the regular season.

  • Austin Davidson has been terrific for the Firebirds in the playoffs, with seven RBI in five games. Jordan Betts has also been productive, with seven runs driven in. And how about Geoff DeGroot? The UMass-Lowell junior is a shortstop by trade and was hitting .146 before he went five for his last 11 in the regular season. In the playoffs, he’s hitting .364 with three runs scored, all while playing center field.

  • The last time Eldredge Park hosted a championship series game was in 2005, and attendance was listed at 6,815. At Lowell Park in Cotuit, the last championship game, in 2010, had a listed attendance of 5,391. So, wherever you’re going, get there early.

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    Halfway There

    The Orleans Firebirds have been on fire lately, and will have a chance to keep it going in the championship series.

    Orleans is headed back to the Cape Cod Baseball League championship for the first time since 2005 with a dramatic victory over Chatham. In the West, Bourne broke open a scoreless game in the fourth inning and never looked back en route to a victory over Cotuit, which forces a game three.

    Orleans 6, Chatham 5

    The Firebirds were the hottest team in the league at the end of the regular season, and they’re not cooling off in the postseason.

    After watching a hard-charging Chatham team rally from a three-run deficit to take the lead, Orleans immediately scored two runs to tie it then scored what proved to be the winning run in the eighth. The Firebirds are in the finals for the first time since 2005, when they also beat Chatham in the Eastern Division championship series.

    This Orleans team won 11 of its last 13 in the regular season, and has now won four of five in the playoffs. That’s 15 of 18 overall, and the only non-wins were a two-run loss, a one-run loss and a tie.

    The Anglers still figured to be a very tough out. They had a “team of destiny” kind of feel around them all season, and even after a 7-3 loss in game one, I don’t think anyone would have been surprised to see a game three.

    J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton) gave Chatham a 1-0 lead with his second home run of the post-season, a controversial one that was apparently caught by Geoff DeGroot (UMass Lowell) as he flipped over the center field fence. Orleans answered and went up 3-1 before Chatham scored four in the sixth. Connor Joe’s two-run homer gave the Anglers the lead.

    With the game in the hands of the strong Chatham bullpen, the Anglers seemed to be in good shape, but Orleans quickly answered. In the bottom of the sixth, DeGroot, the ninth-place hitter, doubled and then stole third. He scored on a wild pitch. Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) then brought home the tying run on a groundout.

    After a scoreless seventh for both teams, Orleans took the lead in the eighth. Ross Kivett (Kansas State) singled, took second on a balk and third on a passed ball, and scored on a sac fly by Davidson. It was the sixth RBI of the series for Davidson.

    In the ninth, Orleans gave the ball to closer Matt Troupe (Arizona) as he tried to shut down a Chatham team that won five games in the ninth inning or later this season.

    There was no magic this time. Troupe gave up a one-out single but struck out the other three batters to give Orleans a spot in the championship.

    For Chatham, it was a tough ending to a terrific season, the franchise’s best in a long time. I think they’ll be remembered much like the 2005 Chatham team that lost to Orleans – a talented and special group, regardless of where they finished.

    Chatham’s loss also means it’s now been six years since the team with the best record in the regular season went on to win the championship. The 2007 Y-D Red Sox were the last ones.

     

    Bourne 8, Cotuit 1

    Cotuit starter Tommy Kister (The Masters College) no-hit the Braves for three-plus innings, but once they broke the seal, the floodgates soon followed.

    The Braves got their first hit with two outs in the fourth when Jeff Gardner (Louisville) hit a line drive to center that Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) couldn’t come up with on a sliding try. Vinny Siena (Connecticut) followed with a solid base hit to score a run before Trent Gilbert (Arizona) doubled to score two.

    Just like that, it was a 3-0 game, and the Braves never really looked back. They added two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth while keeping Cotuit’s bats quiet the rest of the way.

    Gilbert’s two RBI led the offense, while Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) also drove in two. Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) had an RBI triple, his second in as many games.

    Bourne got a strong start from Christian Colletti (Connecticut), who was making just his second appearance. He struck out eight and allowed just three hits in four shutout innings. Michael Costello (Radford) got the win with three strong innings of relief. With the big lead, Will Cox (Mississippi State) and Jack English (Florida Gulf Coast) slammed the door.

    Game three is set for 4 p.m. today in Cotuit. Ben Smith (Coastal Carolina), who’s been a steady performer all summer, is slated to start for Cotuit. Bourne’s starter is TBA.

     

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    Video Game Numbers

    Dylan Davis drove in eight runs in Falmouth's 18-3 victory.

     
    Bourne came into Friday’s game against Falmouth with the best ERA in the league.

    The Braves didn’t leave it that way.

    A 3-2 Bourne lead turned into a 4-3 deficit in the fifth. And then it turned into a video game.

    The Commodores’ explosive offense delivered its most explosive performance yet, scoring 16 runs in four innings as Falmouth rolled to an 18-3 victory. It’s the fifth straight win for the Commodores, who remain tied with Hyannis for first place in the West.

    Some of the stat lines that the late-innings burst created are downright ridiculous. Dylan Davis (Oregon State) went 3-for-4 with a home run and eight RBI. Most of the time, he was driving in Kevin Newman (Arizona), who went 6-for-6 with five runs scored.

    Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) had three hits, including a home run and a double. He’s seven for his last 10 with two homers. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) had four hits and an RBI. Cameron O’Brien (Northeast Texas CC) homered.

    Falmouth has now scored 48 runs in its five-game winning streak, and Cape League offensive leaderboards are being taken over by Commodores. Newman leads the league in batting average, Gillaspie leads in home runs and Hoskins leads in RBI. Falmouth has three of the top six in hitting, three of the top four in home runs and the top three, plus four of the top five, in RBI. They also have the top four in hits.

    It all adds up to the league’s best offensive team. Of course, there have been plenty of bad nights, too, and Falmouth may not even win the division. After all their fireworks last night, Cotuit and Hyannis won, too, keeping the division race as tight as could be.

    But as long as this lineup stays together, there’s going to be the potential for something like this.

     

    Hyannis 6, Wareham 4

    The Harbor Hawks remained in a first-place tie thanks to a solid all-around performance against wareham. Peter Fairbanks (Missouri), another pitching reinforcement, gave up three runs in 6.2 solid innings. Bryant Holtmann (Florida State) went .2 innings before giving way to Eric Eck (Wofford), who went the final 1.2 for his 10th save. The offense pounded out 13 hits, with Brian Anderson (Arkansas) getting three, including a home run. Steve Wilkerson (Clemson) also had three hits, while Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) and Chase Griffin (Georgia Southern) had two each. For Wareham, Fred Shepard (Amherst) struck out four while giving up four runs in 6.1 innings.

     

    Cotuit 5, Chatham 1

    The Kettleers remained a point back of Falmouth and Hyannis with a win over East champ Chatham. Newcomer Tommy Kister (The Masters College) delivered a terrific performance, striking out eight and allowing just a run on three hits in his debut. The bullpen pitched a shutout the rest of the way. At the plate, Jake Fincher (NC State) drove in two runs, while Hunter Cole (Georgia) and Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) knocked in one each. Another newcomer, Caleb Bryson (Samford), homered in his first Cape League at-bat. Chatham has lost three in a row since clinching the division title.

     

    Orleans 3, Harwich 2; Orleans 2, Harwich 2

    Orleans picked up three points in a doubleheader with Harwich to take over second place in the East by a point. In the first game, they rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) went 2-for-3 with two RBI and Ross Kivett (Kansas State) had two hits. The bullpen set the stage for the comeback and then finished off the win, with Luis Paula (North Carolina) going three scoreless innings and Matt Troupe (Arizona) striking out one in a perfect frame for the save. In game two, the scheduled seven-inning tilt went the maximum nine before ending in a tie. Again, Harwich led 2-0, but Orleans tied it in the sixth and it stayed that way until the end. Geoff DeGroot (UMass-Lowell) had a pinch-hit two-run double to tie it. In the ninth, Orleans reliever Trevor Kelley (North Carolina) worked into and then out of a bases-loaded jam to salvage the tie.

     

    Y-D 8, Brewster 1

    The Red Sox won their second straight, cruising past Brewster. Kevin McAvoy (Bryant) struck out seven and didn’t allow an earned run in seven innings of work. Two usual position players, Jose Trevino (Oral Roberts) and Taylor White (UNLV), followed him to the mound and pitched a scoreless inning each. Trevino led the offense with a homer and Wayne Taylor (Stanford) also homered. Alex Blandino (Stanford) added two hits and two RBI.

     

    What to Watch

    Falmouth and Cotuit will play each other in the season’s final two games, starting with a 6:30 p.m. tilt in Falmouth tonight.
     

    Posted on

    New Faces

    Harwich's Ian Happ, a late roster addition, is off to a great start.

    It’s easy to miss the boat on potential stars when they aren’t part of preseason outlooks and previews, but late additions to Cape League rosters often come to town with pretty good credentials.

    In an effort to keep up, we begin the notebook with a quick look at some of the stand-outs who may not have been on the preseason radar:

    Erich Weiss, Chatham – Texas stand-out had a down junior year, but was still selected in 13th round this year
    Joe Goodman, Chatham – Undersized righty had an ERA under 1.00 for High Point
    Cole Lankford, Brewster – Starred for Texas A&M this year, hitting .352 with three homers
    Jake Stinnett, Brewster – Maryland pitcher was a 29th round pick of the Pirates this June
    Ian Happ, Harwich – Cincy freshman hit .322 with six homers in debut
    Ryan Lindemuth, Harwich – William & Mary junior hit .351 in the spring, was drafted by Pirates in 20th round this year
    Ian Tompkins, Harwich – Western Kentucky reliever struck out 59 in just 35 innings this spring
    Geoff DeGroot, Orleans – Hit .345, stole 25 bases for UMass Lowell
    Jeremy Rhoades, Orleans – Saves six games with an ERA under two for Illinois State
    Jeremy Null, Y-D – Had a tremendous year on the mound for Western Carolina, striking out 109 in 91 IP
    Chad Carroll, Bourne – Terrific season at James Madison – .389, 3 HR, 55 RBI on way to All-CAA honors
    Connor Castellano, Cotuit – TCU commit started his career at Vanderbilt before going the JUCO route
    Steven Duggar, Cotuit – Hit .300 for Clemson as a freshman; ranked 15th best frosh in the country coming into the year
    Alex Haines, Cotuit – Top prospect in the NECBL last year and a 33rd round pick this year
    Trevor Seidenberger, Cotuit – Struck out 63 for TCU and was drafted in 12th round by Brewers
    Conner Hale, Falmouth – JUCO star has committed to LSU for next year
    Trey Teakell, Falmouth – TCU reliever had an ERA under 1.00
    Jake Hernandez, Hyannis – Solid player for Orleans last summer has resurfaced in Hyannis and is off to a fast start
    Fred Shepard, Wareham – Amherst standout was steady contributor for Wareham last year

     

  • Team USA has sort of unofficially gone back to its old trials format, where players headed to camp without roster spots. In recent years, the team was picked without any sort of trials. This year, it’s kind of a hybrid, with some players guaranteed to be on the roster and others fighting for spots. Quite a few players who have already been on the Cape this year are part of the second group, including Harwich’s C.J. Hinojosa and A.J. Reed, Falmouth’s Preston Morrison, Orleans’ Colin Welmon and Cotuit’s Bradley Zimmer.

  • Wareham’s lineup can use all the help it can get, and the Gatemen signed an old friend today who should help the cause in Louisville’s Cole Sturgeon. The sophomore hit .297 with five home runs in Wareham’s championship season last year. He also pitches and had a 1.97 ERA in seven games.

  • Three pitchers have made two starts without allowing an earned run – Harwich’s Aaron Bummer and Chandler Shepherd and Cotuit’s Alex Haines. Haines leads that group in strikeouts with 14 in nine innings. Interestingly, Bummer has only struck out five in 13 innings.

  • Orleans closer Matt Troupe hasn’t picked up a save since getting two early on, but he continues to strike a lot of people out. Troupe has 10 strikeouts in 4.2 innings pitched, good for a 19.3 K/9.

  • The Y-D pitching staff struggled mightily for three games before getting on track Monday. The Red Sox were hurting so much that they put returning all-star infielder Robert Pehl on the mound for an inning. He promptly struck out two in a perfect inning.