The Cape League’s Pointstreak scoreboard still has the third game of the championship series on the list and scheduled for Saturday night. It’s like a cruel tease while the withdrawal sets in . . .
The Yarmouth-Dennis pitching staff finished the playoffs with a 1.78 ERA and a batting average against of .188 – and those numbers include a game in which they gave up nine runs to Harwich. Take that game away, and the ERA stands at 1.00. Interestingly, while it may go down as one of the more dominant playoff pitching runs the league has ever seen, the 1.78 ERA isn’t even the best in the last four years. Harwich had a 1.71 ERA when it won the title in 2011. And going back to 2009, Bourne had a 1.38 playoff ERA when it won. Unsurprising moral of the story: if you have a playoff ERA under two, you’re probably going to win it all.
Kudos to the league on including Walker Buehler in the Playoff MVP award. While he only pitched in two of eight playoff games, his 0.00 ERA in 15.1 innings is remarkable and something that hasn’t been done in at least 15 years.
Splitting the award with Buehler was Y-D catcher Marcus Mastrobuoni, one of the most improbable CCBL Playoff MVPs in league history. Mastrobuoni plays for Division II Cal State Stanislaus, and he could very well be the first player from that school to play in the Cape League. He didn’t make his Cape League debut until July 24 and played in only five regular-season games. He wasn’t a full-time starter in the playoffs until Jesse Jenner broke a finger in the opening round. From that back story, Mastrobuoni hit .444 in the playoffs and drove in five of Y-D’s 10 runs in the championship series. He is the first player from a non-Division I school to win the Playoff MVP award since Kevin Hodge, a junior college player, won it in 1997 for Wareham.
The last three times Y-D won the title, its playoff MVP was a pitcher, and twice it was a closer. Joshua Faiola saved two playoff games on his way to the 2004 honor and David Robertson saved four playoff games (all the games Y-D won) to win top honors in 2006. I thought Phil Bickford might continue that trend with his three playoff saves, but it would have been hard to pick him over Mastrobuoni or Buehler.
Hunter Cole has played on two Cape Cod Baseball League championship clubs, but he’s never held the trophy. Cole played in 38 games for Cotuit last year and three in the playoffs before departing. Cotuit went on to the title. This year, after the former Georgia Bulldog was drafted in the 26th round, he came to Yarmouth and was one of the Red Sox’ best hitters before signing with the San Francisco Giants (he remained Y-D’s RBI leader through the end of the season). Cole was in Eugene, Ore., Friday night, playing for the Salem-Kaizer Volcanoes in the Northwest League, but he was watching.
Sidenote: anybody know a bookie who would take a bet on Salem-Kaizer winning the Northwest League title?
How about the summer Jordan Tarsovich had? He was a major key to success for the Red Sox, hitting .322 with three homers in the regular season. He hit .258 in the playoffs and broke open Friday’s game with a bases-loaded double.
Joey Armstrong was kind of on the other end of the spectrum during the regular season, finishing with a .157 batting average, but manager Scott Pickler stuck with him in the playoffs and Armstrong had two hits and an RBI in game one of the title series. Watching him in the championship, you wouldn’t have guessed he had struggled so much. He looked like a key cog.
Not a bad few months for Michael Donadio. Big East Freshman of the Year, Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League Batting Champion and MVP, and Cape Cod Baseball League champion.
Reinforcements like Donadio are always a key for successful Cape League teams, but it helps to have a core of mainstays too, and Y-D had that. Tarsovich, Andrew Stevenson, Rob Fonseca, A.J. Simcox, Josh Lester and Brennon Lund were in Friday’s starting lineup and were all with the team from the first week of the season on.
Stevenson deserves special mention in that department. He played in every single game for the Red Sox this summer, 44 in the regular season and eight in the playoffs. He also played in the All-Star Game, for good measure. He was zero for his first nine this season but ended up hitting .327.
That’s probably enough Y-D stuff and time to salute Falmouth, as well. The Commodores had a great summer, winning 26 games in the regular season for the second year in a row. It kind of felt like this year’s team was an extension of last year’s, with a lot of the same guys and the same feeling around the club, so this might mark the end of an era. The fact that it ended without a championship won’t change a lot of good memories for a lot of really good players.
Kevin Newman should have better memories than anyone. I imagine grounding into a series-ending double play on Friday won’t sit well, but it takes absolutely nothing away from his career. He’s a shoo-in for the Cape League Hall of Fame someday.
Thanks to everyone for reading this summer – and for bearing with me during wedding season. I’ll hopefully be doing some off-season stuff and come next June, we’ll be off and running again.
Finally, if you’ve ever wondered if players truly enjoy their time in the Cape League, you need only ask. Or, since it’s 2014, check Twitter. They had themselves a summer:
Had the best summer with some life long friends! Thank you @YD_RedSox for such a great experience! The Boys did it! #CCBLCHAMPS
Adam Whitt leads the league in appearances and wins.
In an era of pitch counts and closely-watched elbows, sometimes the most valuable player on a Cape League pitching staff isn’t a dominant ace or a flame-throwing closer. It’s the guy who can take the ball every other day, pitch one inning or four and be counted on to come through, whatever the situation.
Two of those guys helped their teams pick up wins last night.
Adam Whitt (Nevada), the captain of this crew, pitched three scoreless innings of relief as Cotuit beat first-place Bourne 9-5. Marcus Brakeman (Stanford), typically a reliever, stepped in for a start and went five solid innings to help Hyannis snap a seven-game losing streak in an 11-8 victory over Falmouth.
Whitt has been tremendous this summer, an MVP if the award ever went to a middle reliever. After a spring in which he saved seven games for Nevada, Whitt has been a whatever-you-need arm for the Kettleers. He is tied for the league lead in appearances with 10 and – despite all of them coming in relief – he’s in the top 10 in innings pitched. It’s not just quantity either. Whitt leads the league in wins with four and ERA with a 0.77 mark. He has given up two earned runs all summer, in 23.1 innings pitched.
On Tuesday, Whitt came on in the seventh, with his team trailing 5-2. He tossed a scoreless inning, and his team scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh on RBI singles by Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt), Jameson Fisher (SE Louisiana) and Brendan Hendriks (San Francisco). Cotuit added two more in the eighth on a home run by John Norwood (Vanderbilt). Whitt ran with the lead, striking out two in a scoreless eighth and finishing the job with a quiet ninth. The win was Cotuit’s second straight.
In Hyannis, the Harbor Hawks needed even more from their jack-of-all trades. Make your first Cape League start and give us a chance to stop a seven-game losing streak while you’re at it? Brakeman was up to the task. The righty from Stanford had pitched as little as a third of an inning in one appearance and four innings in another. He came in with a 1.50 ERA.
Brakeman got into immediate trouble when Falmouth loaded the bases in the first, but he escaped with minimal damage then settled in. He pitched two scoreless frames before Falmouth added two in the fourth. But Brakeman finished with a one-two-three fifth that included a pair of strikeouts.
The offense stayed close while Brakeman was in there then broke out late to take control. Brakeman’s Stanford teammate Austin Slater had three hits and four RBI, while Dylan Bosheers (Tennessee Tech) had three hits and three RBI.
Brakeman didn’t factor in the decision, as Joseph Shaw (Dallas Baptist) got the win and Matt Denny (Misssissippi) got the save.
But for the unsung jack-of-all-trades, that’s all in day’s work.
Harwich 13, Chatham 8
Harwich pounded 20 hits and was on its way to a 13-0 win before Chatham scored eight runs in the top of the ninth. But that was as close as the Anglers got, as Harwich held onto first place with the victory. Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) and Ian Happ (Cincinnati) both homered for the Mariners, while Joe McCarthy (Virginia) had four hits in his second Cape League game. Danny Zardon (LSU) added three hits and two RBI. McCarthy and Zardon each had two doubles. Making his first start after opening the year in the bullpen, Robby Kalaf (Florida International) struck out five and allowed just one hit in five scoreless innings. Ronnie Glenn (Penn) pitched three scoreless innings of relief. Ty Moore (UCLA) and Nick Collins (Georgetown) led Chatham’s late charge.
Orleans 3, Y-D 2
The Firebirds won their fourth in a row, scoring the go-ahead run in the eighth and finishing off Y-D in the ninth. Orleans scratched the key run across with two outs in the eighth, on two singles and an error. That made a winner out of reliever Bobby Dalbec (Arizona), and Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan) pitched a scoreless ninth for his league-best fifth save. David Fletcher (Loyoloa Marymount) and Mitchell Tolman (Oregon) each had two hits for the Firebirds. Hunter Cole (Georgia) had two hits for Y-D.
Brewster 2, Wareham 0
Three pitchers combined on a shutout and the Brewster offense scored a run in the fifth and another in the seventh to win a pitcher’s duel with Wareham. Cody Ponce (Cal Poly Pomona) allowed four hits in six scoreless innings, the second time this summer that he’s gone six scoreless in a start. Joe McCarthy (Southern New Hampshire) pitched 1.2 innings before Pat Ruotolo (Connecticut) grabbed the save, striking out three of the five batters he faced. Drew Harrington (Louisville) allowed one run in five innings. Braden Bishop (Washington) and Luke Lowery (East Carolina) knocked in the decisive runs.
What to Watch
Players from national champion Vanderbilt have been trickling in and a good one will make his debut tonight as Walker Buehler starts for Y-D against Brewster.
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.
Kevin Newman had two hits and a game-tying RBI in his return from Team USA.
Most of the players who left Cape Cod for the Team USA trials made the squad. Two players who didn’t get a spot made their returns to the league last night and did their part in the Cape’s patriotic traditions.
In the first game of the annual July 3 and 4 two-game sets, Falmouth’s Kevin Newman (Arizona) had two hits and a game-tying RBI in a win over Cotuit, and Bourne’s Jimmy Herget (South Florida) closed out a victory over Wareham with two scoreless innings of relief.
Newman, the defending Cape League batting champ, went 2-for-4 with an RBI in his last game before the USA trials, on June 18. He picked up exactly where he left off on Thursday, returning to the leadoff spot in the order and going 2-for-4 with an RBI again. The RBI was a big one, too. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and his team trailing 2-1, Newman smacked a single to score Sam Gillikin (Auburn) with the tying run.
Falmouth then won the game 3-2 in the 10th on a bases-loaded walk to Jake Madsen (Ohio).
Gillikin and Steven Duggar (Clemson) joined Newman with two hits apiece. Garrett Cleavinger (Oregon) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Starter Casey Mulholland (South Florida) allowed just an unearned run. He owns two straight starts now without an earned run allowed.
For Herget, the return to the Cape wasn’t quite so dramatic, but he gives first-place Bourne an unquestioned boost, and the Braves used it to finish off their 14-6 victory. Herget struck out three and allowed one hit in two scoreless innings. Brett Morales (Florida) got the win for the Braves with three scoreless innings of relief.
Bourne trailed 6-3 after four innings, but the offense broke out and made the shutout work of Morales and Herget count. Bourne scored 10 runs in the final four innings to blow the game open.
Mark Laird (LSU) finished with two hits and four RBI, Brett Sullivan (Pacific) had three hits and two RBI and Billy Fleming (West Virginia) had two hits and two RBI.
Bourne has won two in a row since a three-game losing streak.
Y-D 8, Hyannis 2
Y-D topped Hyannis for its fourth straight victory and continued an offensive surge. In three of the victories, Y-D has scored eight runs. In the other, nine runs. The Red Sox are now 9-11 while Hyannis dropped to 10-10. Hunter Cole (Georgia) led the offense with three hits and three RBI, giving him eight hits in the win streak. Rob Fonseca (Northeastern), A.J. Simcox (Tennessee), Josh Lester (Missouri) and Andrew Stevenson (LSU) had two hits each. On the mound, Cody Poteet (UCLA) allowed one run in five innings, a nice rebound after he gave up five runs in his previous start. Y-D has now gotten at least five innings from its starter in three of the victories in the streak. For Hyannis, John LaPrise (Virginia) went 3-for-3 in his second game since arriving from the College World Series.
Chatham 9, Orleans 7
Chatham stopped Orleans’ six-game winning streak with a late rally. Just when it seemed like the Firebirds would keep that streak going after tying the game with two runs in the top of the eighth, the Anglers answered with two in the bottom of the eighth on a Landon Cray (Seattle) RBI double and a Ty Moore (UCLA) RBI single. Kyle Davis (USC), who had allowed the home run that tied the game, then worked around a double to pitch a scoreless ninth and seal the win. Moore and Cray led the offense with two hits and two RBI, while Chris Shaw (Boston College) hit his fourth homer of the year. A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) had two hits to stretch his hitting streak to nine games. It’s also now an eight-game streak of at least two hits. For Orleans, Johnny Sewald (Arizona) homered. David Thompson (Miami) and Brett Lang (UNC-Charlotte) had three hits each.
Harwich 10, Brewster 5
Harwich raced to a 7-0 lead and got another solid performance from a starting pitcher in a victory over Brewster. Michael Boyle (Radford) allowed three runs in six innings of work with eight strikeouts. Brewster hit two home runs off him, but the eight strikeouts were also a season-high for Boyle, who has a 1.56 ERA. The Harwich offense was led by four RBI each from Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) and C.J. Hinojosa (Texas). Annunziata homered. Kyle Barrett (Kentucky) added three hits and three runs scored from the top of the lineup. Luke Lowery (East Carolina) and Scott Kingery (Arizona) had the Brewster home runs.
What to Watch
With Arthur bearing down, the Cape may not have any Fourth of July baseball this year, although games are still on as of this morning.
Wade Wass hit two grand slams and had nine RBI last night.
On a July night last summer, Max Pentecost delivered the season’s most memorable performance when he went 5-for-5 with two home runs. The Bourne catcher had a great summer overall, but that was the night he put himself in the MVP running and the night he cemented his burgeoning prospect status.
It remains to be seen what the rest of the 2014 summer – and beyond – holds for Brewster catcher Wade Wass (Alabama). But on a July night, Wass had the same kind of night that Pentecost had.
In a 12-5 Brewster win over Wareham at Stony Brook Field, Wass hit two grand slams and drove in nine runs.
Cape Cod Baseball League single game records are not readily available online, but I’ve got to think Wass’s performance cracks the books somewhere. In Major League Baseball history, players have two hit grand slams in a single game just 13 times. The last was in 2009. Nine RBI is a little more common at the MLB level, but in seven years of writing about the Cape League, I can’t remember a player hitting that number.
Obviously, it was a heck of a night.
Wass, a junior-college transfer, hit .302 with five homers for Alabama this spring. He was a 13th-round draft pick in 2012 out of the junior college ranks but stayed put.
This summer, he had just five hits in his first nine games but broke out with a home run on a 3-for-4, four RBI night on Saturday. After an 0-4 on Sunday, he delivered his grand performance Wednesday.
With a television audience on Fox College Sports – the crew’s first Cape broadcast of the summer – Wass came up in the third inning with the bases loaded and delivered his first grand slam. In the fifth, he doubled home a run, giving him a pretty good performance even if he had stopped there.
He did not. In the eighth, he came up again with the bases loaded and again smashed a grand slam.
Brewster won 12-5, with big nights from Braden Bishop (Washington) and Gio Brusa (Pacific) as well. Cody Ponce (Cal Poly Pomona) and Andrew Naderer (Grand Canyon) combined on a solid pitching performance.
And they would all agree the night belonged to their teammate. Wass, not surprisingly, now leads the league in RBI with 18 and is tied for second in home runs with three.
Orleans 13, Hyannis 0
The Firebirds now own the longest win streak of the summer thanks to a 13-0 shutout of Hyannis last night. Trent Thornton (North Carolina) struck out seven in five innings and combined with Cody Moffett (Arizona) and Tyler Honahan (Stony Brook) on the shutout. Thornton, who gave up five runs in his last start, allowed just three hits, all singles. The Firebirds offense gave him plenty of support, racing to a 7-0 lead after three innings. R.J. Ybarra (Arizona State) went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Brett Lang (North Carolina) drove in three runs. Edwin Rios (Florida International) also had two RBI, giving him 16 on the year. Orleans is now 11-8, just one game back of Harwich for first place in the East. The Firebirds have scored 39 runs in their last three games and 59 in the six-game streak.
Bourne 7, Harwich 6
Losers of three straight, Bourne came to Whitehouse Field and righted the ship with a narrow victory over East-leading Harwich. The Braves are now 12-6, matching Harwich for the best record in the league. The teams combined for 29 hits in their match-up, but Bourne had a little more offense. Blake Davey (Connecticut) had three hits and two RBI, while five of his teammates knocked in one run apiece. Davey and Harrison Bader (Florida) both homered. Harwich was balanced as well, getting at least one hit from every spot in the lineup, including two from recently arrived C.J. Hinojosa (Texas). Jacob Sparger (Louisville) got the win in relief for Bourne. Joey Strain (Winthrop) picked up a save.
Chatham 7, Cotuit 2
The big night by Wass will make headlines, but nobody in the league has been hotter of later than Chatham’s A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech). He went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI last night as the Anglers beat Cotuit 7-2. Murray is riding an eight-game hit streak that includes seven two-hit games and three home runs. He’s batting an even .500 – 18-for-36 – in the streak. He’s tied for the league lead in homers, ranks second in RBI and is sixth in batting average. Last night, Chris Shaw (Boston College) also homered for the Anglers and Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State) added two hits. Jordan Hillyer (Kennesaw State) allowed one run in five innings, maintaining some remarkable consistency. He has gone exactly five innings and given up exactly one run in all three of his starts, and he has won them all.
Y-D 8, Falmouth 1
Kevin Duchene (Illinois) delivered the performance Y-D’s been waiting for, striking out nine in six shutout innings as the Red Sox beat Falmouth 8-1. Duchene, the former Big Ten Freshman of the Year, hadn’t yet hit his groove and sported a 6.08 ERA after three starts. But Wednesday, he didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning and gave up just two overall. The nine strikeouts vaulted him to second in the league. With Duchene pitching like that and Falmouth starting Kevin McCanna (Rice) the game shaped up as a low-scoring affair, but Y-D scored five runs – four unearned – off McCanna, who had allowed four runs all season. Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) went 3-for-4 to raise his league-best average to .413. Hunter Cole (Georgia) and Vincent Jackson (Tennessee) had two RBI apiece.
What to Watch
Today will bring the first of two games in the annual Fourth of July holiday rivalry series. Orleans and Chatham will be interesting as always, especially with the Firebirds riding their win streak. In Brewster, we’ll see what Wade Wass can do for an encore against Harwich’s Michael Boyle (Radford), who hasn’t allowed an earned run all summer.
Austin Byler homered in his final Cape League game Monday night.
Cotuit’s Austin Byler (Nevada) ended his Cape League career on Monday night. The 23rd-round pick of the Washington Nationals is expected to sign shortly and begin the next chapter in his baseball career.
His Cape League chapter was short, but it was memorable. In 30 career Cape League games spanning the end of last summer and the beginning of this one, Byler batted .299 with six home runs and 18 RBI. He could have easily won Cape League Playoff MVP honors last year after batting .429 with two homers in the postseason. This year, he hit four home runs in 11 games and will depart the Cape with his name atop the home run leaderboard.
He also went out with a bang.
Byler went 3-for-6 last night with a home run as Cotuit beat up on West-leading Bourne 16-6. It was the first time this season that the Kettleers hit double digits in runs.
Fittingly, Byler started his going away party festivities when he led off the second inning with a home run. It touched off a five-run inning that also included a homer by Ian Rice (Chipola College).
After the Braves made it a 5-4 game in the bottom of the second, Cotuit steadily pulled away. The Kettleers got two more home runs from Drew Jackson (Stanford) and Grant Kay (Louisville), the first of the season for both.
Cotuit scored seven runs – six earned – against Bourne’s Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State), who had allowed just one earned run in his first 12 innings this summer.
Byler, Kay and Jackson Glines (Michigan) each had three hits, while Rice had four RBI. Jackson, Jake Fincher (NC State) and Logan Taylor (Texas A&M) had two RBI each, as did Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt), who’s fresh off a College World Series title.
Trey Wingenter (Auburn) got the win in relief. Gabe Berman (Western Michigan) struck out five in 3.1 innings for the save.
Harwich 7, Chatham 3
Harwich and Bourne have been matching each other for the best record in the league for about a week. That finally changed Monday, as the Braves lost and Harwich topped Chatham 7-3 to improve to a league-best 12-6 on the season. Jared Poche’ (LSU) struck out seven in seven shutout innings, giving him a 1.06 ERA in three starts this summer. The offense backed him with a five-run third inning and tacked on two in the ninth. Ian Happ (Cincinnati) went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI to lead the offense. He’s 4-for-8 with six RBI in his last two games. Angelo Amendolare (Jacksonville) added two hits. Chatham, which fell to 8-9-1, got three RBI from Landon Cray (Seattle).
Orleans 11, Brewster 7
The Firebirds remained the hottest team in the league, topping Brewster 11-7 for their fifth straight win. Orleans is 10-8, while Brewster fell to 7-11. David Thompson (Miami) and Mitchell Tolman (Oregon) combined for seven hits in the middle of the order, with Thompson getting four and Tolman knocking three. Cole Peragine (Stony Brook) added three hits and Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) had three RBI. Despite all the offense, Orleans had to withstand a charge from Brewster. Mikey White (Alabama) went 4-for-5, making him seven for his last nine, while Travis Maezes (Michigan) had three hits, including a home run, and four RBI. But after the Whitecaps scored five in the eighth, Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) pitched a perfect ninth to seal the victory for Orleans. Kyle Twomey (USC) was credited with the win after 3.1 scoreless innings of relief.
Y-D 8, Wareham 6
The Red Sox trailed by two in their last at-bat, but scored four runs in the top of the ninth and held off Wareham in the bottom half for an 8-6 win. Hunter Cole (Georgia) had an RBI single to make it a one-run game in the ninth before Andrew Stevenson (LSU) scored the tying run on a wild pitch. Josh Lester (Missouri) then smacked a two-run single to give his team the lead. Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton), the former first-round pick who seems to be sliding into a late-inning role for Y-D, blew away the Gatemen in the bottom of the ninth, striking out two and needing just nine pitches to finish it off. Cole finished with three hits and two RBI for the Red Sox, while Lester and Rob Fonseca (Northeastern) also had two RBI. Nick Halamandaris (California) homered for Wareham and Chris Chinea (LSU) had three RBI.
Falmouth 4, Hyannis 2
Falmouth broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth and didn’t allow another run as it won its second straight with a victory over Hyannis. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech), making his debut in the lineup and batting ninth, delivered a two-run single in the fourth. Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) and Jake Madsen (Ohio) knocked in the other runs. Matt Hall (Missouri State), who came in with the league’s best ERA among qualified starting pitchers, gave up a two-run homer to Daniel Kihle (Wichita State) in the first but settled in from there. He went seven, allowing just the first-inning runs while striking out five. Travis Stout (Jacksonville State) picked up the save. Alec Byrd (Florida State) pitched 3.1 scoreless innings of relief for Hyannis, but the offense couldn’t make up the deficit. Falmouth, at 9-8-1, is just one point back of Hyannis for third in the West.
What to Watch
Tuesday is a league-wide day off, so watch the World Cup. When the league gets back to action Wednesday, division leaders Harwich and Bourne will square off at Whitehouse Field.
A.J. Murray and Chatham pounded 20 hits in a win over Bourne.
Chatham left Red Wilson Field on Tuesday having combined with Y-D on the highest-scoring Cape League game since 2010.
Wednesday, it seemed like the Anglers never left. On the heels of their 16-14 victory over Y-D, Chatham traveled to Bourne and blew past the West-leading Braves 13-3.
If you’re scoring at home, that’s 29 runs in their last two games. They now have 77 runs on the year, 13 more than any other team.
Ty Moore (UCLA) and Garrett Hampson (Long Beach State) – neither of whom really got in on the action Tuesday – led Wednesday’s surge. Moore, the only player in the starting lineup without a hit on Tuesday, went 4-for-6 with a double, a run scored and two RBI against the Braves. Hampson, who had one hit on Tuesday, also knocked four on Wednesday, to go with three runs scored and an RBI. Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State), A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) and Nick Collins (Georgetown) had two hits each, and Chris Shaw (Boston College) had three RBI.
Unlike their slugfest win over Y-D, the Anglers pitchers made sure Bourne didn’t join in the fun on this night. Jordan Hillyer (Kennesaw State) allowed one run in five innings for his second win of the year, and three relievers pitched well to finish it off.
Mark Laird (LSU) was a bright spot for Bourne with four hits, but this one belonged to the Chatham offense. It was the first home loss of the season for Bourne, who fell to 10-4. Chatham improved to 7-6-1.
Brewster 8, Cotuit 0
The Whitecaps (6-8) rode six innings of two-hit ball form Cody Ponce to a shutout of the Kettleers (6-8). Ponce, who starred for D-II Cal Poly Pomona this spring, had been tagged for five unearned runs in 2.2 innings in his previous start. This time, he allowed just a second-inning single and a third-inning double before retiring the final 10 batters he faced in order. Ponce struck out three and didn’t walk a batter. Garrett Mundell (Fresno State), Andrew Naderer (Grand Canyon) and Evan Hill (Michigan) each pitched a hitless inning to secure the shutout. On the other side, Brewster touched up Cotuit starter Sam Tewes (Wichita State) for six runs in an inning and a third. Gio Brusa (Pacific), Travis Maezes (Michigan), Georgie Salem (Alabama) and Josh Vidales (Houston) all had two hits. The Whitecaps sent 10 men to the plate and scored six runs in the second inning.
Orleans 7, Harwich 5
Like West-leading Bourne, East-leading Harwich (10-4) was also knocked down a peg in a loss to Orleans (6-8). David Thompson (Miami) hit two home runs to lead the offense. They were the first of the year for Miami slugger and they added to Orleans’ league-leading total, which now stands at 12. Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) added a two-run single as Orleans broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning. On the mound, Brett Lilek (Arizona State) allowed a run in four innings. Sam Moore (UC Irvine) got the win in relief and Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan) picked up the save. Harwich got a home run from Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech).
Falmouth 9, Hyannis 1
The Commodores nearly matched their season home run total of four in one night, as they smacked three long balls in a blowout of Hyannis. Shaun Chase (Oregon) got the fireworks started with a solo shot in the third, touching off a seven-run inning. The burst included a two-run single by Sam Gillikin (Auburn), an RBI single by Conner Hale (LSU), and RBI single by Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia), a bases-loaded walk to Jake Madsen (Ohio) and a sacrifice fly by Trever Morrison (Oregon State). In the sixth, Matt Eureste (San Jacinto North), one of the league’s batting leaders, hit his first home run. In the seventh, Hale added a solo shot, his second of the year. All the offense wasn’t even necessary behind starter Kevin McCanna (Rice), who turned in his third quality start of the summer. He allowed one run in seven innings, striking out two.
Y-D 9, Wareham 8 (10 innings)
The Red Sox followed up Tuesday’s slugfest against Chatham with another one Wednesday in Wareham, but came away with the victory this time. Y-D scored two in the top of the 10th to break a 7-7 tie. Andrew Stevenson (LSU) drew a bases-loaded walk for the go-ahead run Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State) delivered an important insurance run with a sac fly. Wareham scored one in the bottom of the 10th, but Y-D reliever Josh Pierce (Kent State) got out of a two-on, two-out jam with a strikeout of Wareham standout Willie Calhoun (Arizona). Both teams finished with 15 hits. Y-D was led by Hunter Cole (Georgia), who hit his league-best third home run in just his seventh game. Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) went 4-for-6 with a homer and now leads the league in hitting. Kyri Washington (Longwood) homered for Wareham, and Daniel Rosenbaum (Louisville) went 3-for-5 in his second game of the summer.
What to Watch
Another league-wide day off today. When the teams get back to action Friday, keep an eye on the match-up in Chatham, where the second-place Anglers host East-leading Harwich.
Patrick Mazeika’s three-run homer gave Chatham a lead in Tuesday’s slugfest.
Yarmouth’s Red Wilson Field has the shortest fences in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Home runs are more common there, and in turn, big run totals flow a little more easily.
And every once in a while, the floodgates really open.
Last night at Red Wilson, Chatham and Y-D combined for six home runs, 31 hits and 30 runs in a 16-14 Chatham victory. The 30 combined runs is the most in a Cape League game since 2010, when Y-D beat Orleans 23-10 in a playoff game . . . at Red Wilson Field. Two teams also hit 30 in the 2010 regular season, when Harwich beat Y-D 16-14 . . . at Red Wilson Field. (Two totals near 30 – a 17-12 game last year and a 16-10 game in 2012 – also happened in Yarmouth).
Red Wilson’s latest show belonged to the Anglers, who scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning and stopped the slugfest in the bottom half. With the sun setting on the three-hour, 20-minute game, it was called after eight.
Chatham hit two home runs and Y-D hit three. Chris Shaw (Boston College) had one of the blasts for Chatham as part of a big night. He went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and an RBI. Patrick Mazeika (Stetson) hit the other home run for the Anglers on his way to a 1-for-2, four-run, three-RBI game.
The Anglers trailed 13-11 going into the eighth, but exploded immediately. Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State) led off with a double and A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) traded places with him on an RBI double. After a base hit by Shaw, Landon Lassiter (North Carolina) doubled in the tying run. Y-D went to its bullpen, but Mazeika greeted reliever Dimitri Kourtis (Mercer) with a three-run homer, the biggest and the final blow in the night’s power surge.
Kyle Davis (USC), who’s been one of the best relievers in the league this summer, came on to try and close the door for Chatham. Though even he couldn’t escape without giving up a run – his second of the year – Davis stranded two runners when he ended the game with a strikeout. Davis got the save for Zack Burdi (Louisville), who had gotten out of a jam in the seventh.
Simmons and Landon Cray (Seattle) had three hits each for Chatham, while Murray and Mazeika drove in three runs apiece. Chatham has now scored the second-most runs in the league after ranking in the middle of the pack before last night.
Y-D got two home runs from Hunter Cole (Georgia), plus one each from Rob Fonseca (Northeastern) and Ryan Hissey (William & Mary).
Hyannis 14, Cotuit 2
The Harbor Hawks weren’t at Red Wilson Field but may as well have been in the late innings of a 14-2 victory over Cotuit at Lowell Park. Leading 3-0 into the seventh, Hyannis scored 11 runs over the final three innings. The Harbor Hawks (9-4) have now scored the most runs in the league and are 3-0 against rival Cotuit (6-7). Bobby Melley (Connecticut), who was hitting .250 coming in after a huge spring for the Huskies, broke out with a 4-for-4, four RBI night. Kyle Survance (Houston) homered and drove in two, Daniel Kihle (Wichita State) went 2-for-2 with two RBI and Jarret DeHart (LSU) had two RBI. Tate Scioneaux (SE Louisiana), pitching without a big lead, went six scoreless innings with three strikeouts for his third win in as many starts.
Bourne 5, Orleans 2
Making his ninth career Cape League start, Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) turned in perhaps his best performance as the West-leading Braves (10-3) topped Orleans (5-8). Kellogg went six scoreless innings, striking out four and scattering six hits. Thomas Hatch (Oklahoma State) and Lucas Laster (Mississippi State) finished off the win. Kellogg’s battery mate and ASU teammate Brian Serven homered for the Braves. Gavin Collins (Mississippi State) and Blake Allemand (Texas A&M) added two hits each.
Harwich 4, Wareham 1
The Mariners remained even with Bourne for the best record in the league thanks to a victory over Wareham. Michael Boyle (Radford) allowed just an unearned run in 5.1 innings for the win. Jacob Evans (Oklahoma) struck out four in 2.2 innings of relief and Seth McGarry (Florida Atlantic) pitched a perfect ninth for his first save. Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) homered to lead the offense, while Kyle Barrett (Kentucky) had three hits from the top of the lineup. Barrett owns a six-game hitting streak and is batting .400 on the year.
Falmouth 8, Brewster 3
The Commodores (5-7-1) snapped a five-game winless streak with a victory over Brewster (5-8). Steven Duggar (Clemson) went 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the offense, which hadn’t scored more than five runs since June 15. Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) added three RBI, while Trever Morrison (Oregon State) and Conner Hale (LSU) had two hits each. Matt Eureste (San Jacinto North) went 1-for-4 and continues to lead the league in hitting with a .414 average. On the mound for Falmouth, Matt Hall (Missouri State) turned in one of the team’s best starts of the summer, striking out five in seven scoreless innings. Hall is now tied for the league lead in strikeouts.
What to Watch
A good pitching match-up is lined up in Orleans, where the Firebirds send Brett Lilek (Arizona State) to the mound against Harwich’s James Mulry (Northeastern). Lilek, a standout this spring, struck out six in four scoreless innings in his first Cape League start. Mulry has a 1.39 ERA in two starts.
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.
Cotuit celebrates its victory in game two. The Kettleers celebrated again last night.
The Cape League’s Western Division was tightly-packed all year, and it held true to form in the first round of the playoffs. No. 3 seed Cotuit upset No. 2 Falmouth in game three last night, while No. 4 Bourne knocked off No. 1 Hyannis in their game three. Both Cotuit and Bourne lost the first game of the series before winning the next two. It’s the second time in the four years of this playoff format that a No. 3 and No. 4 team from the same division have both advanced. Cotuit and Wareham did it in 2010, with Cotuit going on to the league title.
In the East, Orleans held off Harwich for a spot in the division championship opposite Chatham.
Cotuit 5, Falmouth 2
The Cotuit-Falmouth was back-and-forth series between two really good teams, and game three was more of the same. Falmouth jumped ahead 2-0 in the first, but Cotuit came back to take the lead in the fourth and held off every Commodore charge to win it.
The 2-0 Falmouth lead was built in loud fashion, when Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) launched a home run to the street beyond left field at Guv Fuller Field, which is a pretty serious shot.
But Cotuit was undeterred.
Starter Christian Cecilio (San Francisco) went six innings and the homer was his only blemish. He retired seven straight after the home run and allowed just two more hits the rest of the way. Facing Gillaspie in the fourth with runners on first and third, Cecilio induced an inning-ending double play.
That performance set the stage for the Kettleers to break through, and they did. Hunter Cole (Georgia) had an RBI double in the second to cut the lead in half. In the fourth, Cole drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game and Austin Byler (Nevada) knocked in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly. Cotuit added a run in the eighth on a squeeze bunt by Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) and another in the ninth on a Garrett Stubbs (USC) RBI single.
Cotuit reliever Wesley Cox (Texas San Antonio) stranded two in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth when he had to go through Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) and Gillaspie. He struck out Hoskins and got Gillaspie to fly out. Cox gave up one more single in the ninth but induced a pair of fly-outs to end it.
The Kettleers are into the West finals for the first time since their championship season in 2010.
For Falmouth, the loss ended a terrific year that included a share of the regular-season title and a whole lot of offense. The Commodores were a fun team to watch, and I imagine we’ll hear a lot of these names again when the draft rolls around next year.
Bourne 9, Hyannis 2
Rocky McCord (Auburn) struck out nine in five innings for Hyannis, but Bourne broke the game open against the Harbor Hawks bullpen and cruised to the upset victory.
The Braves trailed 2-1 going into the sixth, but scored three runs to take the lead then blew the doors off with five in the eighth.
Trent Gilbert (Arizona), who scored the only run in Bourne’s 1-0 victory the night before, went 3-for-5 on Thursday with three RBI. He was part of a huge effort from the bottom of the Bourne order. Eight hitter Tyler Kuresa (UC Santa Barbara) went 2-for-5 with two RBI and nine hitter Richard Gonzalez (Alabama State) went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) added two hits and an RBI.
Cody Livingston (Southern Miss) was dominant out of the Bourne bullpen, which kept the Braves within striking distance. Livingston struck out six and allowed just one hit in 3.2 innings. Sam Dodge (Harvard), making his first appearance, struck out two in a scoreless ninth.
Landon Curry (Indiana State) and Steve Wilkerson (Clemson) had three hits each for Hyannis, but it wasn’t enough.
The Braves are into the West finals for the second straight year. They also did it as the No. 4 seed last year.
Hyannis bids farewell to a talented group that gave the franchise its second division title in three years.
Orleans 2, Harwich 0
Jared Miller (Vanderbilt) and Aaron Bummer (Nebraska) matched each other pitch-for-pitch for six innings before the Firebirds scratched runs across in the seventh and eighth to get the victory.
Miller struck out eight and allowed just three hits in seven scoreless innings. He took a no-hitter into the fifth. Bummer struck out seven and took a shutout into the seventh, before Orleans found a way – a weird way – to get to him. With runners on second and third in the seventh, Bummer threw a wild pitch as he was trying to issue an intentional wall, and Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) raced home.
Orleans added another run in the eighth on a Davidson RBI single, and reliever Brian Clark (Kent State) made the lead stand up. Clark, who tied for the league lead in appearances, had yet to pitch in the playoffs but made it worth the wait. He allowed just a walk while keeping Harwich off the board for the final two innings.
Davidson and Will Fulmer (Montevallo) had two hits to lead the Orleans offense.
The Firebirds will face Chatham in the East finals, the first time the two have met in a finals series since 2005. That Orleans team featured Manny Burriss and it beat an Evan Longoria-led Chatham team on its way to the championship. That was the last league championship for Orleans.
Harwich closed out a memorable campaign and playoff run. The two teams were separated by one point in the regular-season standings and by a total of two runs in the three playoff games.
What to Watch
If the weather cooperates, it’ll be Bourne visiting Cotuit at 4 p.m. and Orleans traveling to Chatham at 7 p.m.
The Bourne starter is likely Kris Gardner (Wichita State), who had some ups and downs but went seven strong innings in his last start. Cotuit’s starter is TBA. Also keep an eye on the status of Max Pentecost. The Cape League MVP was not in the lineup for Bourne last night, and Jen McCaffrey of the Cape Cod Times reported it was because of a bum knee.
Orleans’ probable starter is listed as Corey Miller (Pepperdine), who’s been solid all summer and went five scoreless in his last start. Chatham will send all-star Matt Gage (Siena) to the hill.
