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Saving the Day

Cotuit's Brian Miller picked up his third save on a night in which every winning team got a save.

 
Tuesday featured a night of close games in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Three one-run games, one two-run game and – the largest margin – one three-run game.

It was a good night to be a closer.

The league’s best were on display, with Eric Eck (Wofford) picking up his league-best sixth save for Hyannis, Matt Troupe (Arizona) getting his fifth for Orleans and Cotuit’s Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) and Brewster’s Brad Schreiber (Purdue) each picking up their third.

While Eck has been the saves leader for a week or so, Troupe has been the most dominant. He struck out one in a quick 15-pitch ninth inning last night as Orleans shut out Harwich 3-0.

Interestingly, for a team that doesn’t have terrific pitching numbers – Orleans has the league’s fifth-best ERA – it was the fourth shutout of the season for the Firebirds.

It helps to have Troupe. He’s pitched at the back end of each of those shutouts, accounting for four of his five saves. And when he’s come in, the shutouts are not in doubt.

Troupe has allowed no earned runs this season and just one unearned. In 8.1 innings, he has struck out 16, walked four and allowed just three hits. Opponents are hitting .111 against him.

As a freshman in 2012, Troupe had six saves in Arizona’s College World Series championship season. He then pitched briefly for Orleans last summer and saved nine more games this spring for the Wildcats.

This summer, he wasted no time establishing himself as the closer – despite being in a bullpen full of closers. Troupe struck out the side in his first two appearances. He has cruised from there.

The Firebirds, meanwhile, have been up-and-down, with a perfectly even 11-11 record. Last night, they got a dominant performance from Trent Szkutnik (Michigan), who went six shutout innings five days after pitching the first leg of another shutout. Chris Marconcini (Duke) drove in a run to lead the offense. Brian Clark (Kent State) and Trevor Kelley (North Carolina) pitched a scoreless inning each.

And as usual, Troupe finished it all off.

 

Hyannis 4, Chatham 3

The save by Eck came in an impressive victory for Hyannis (14-7), who held off a first-place Chatham team that had won five straight overall and two straight games on walk-offs. The Anglers fell to 15-7-1. Austin Slater (Stanford) and Jake Hernandez (USC) led the Hyannis offense with an RBI apiece. Dominic Jose (Stanford) and Steve Wilkerson (Clemson) had two hits each. Cy Sneed (Dallas Baptist) picked up the win with five strikeouts in five strong innings. Chatham got two runs off reliever Mike Gunn (Arkansas) to put another rally in play, but Hyannis slammed the door. Sarkis Ohanian (Duke), who’s emerging as one of the best setup men in the league, struck out two in two scoreless frames before Eck worked around a two-out single to pitch a scoreless ninth. For Chatham, Michael Russell (North Carolina) had two hits and two RBI.

 

Brewster 1, Y-D 0

Brandon Leibrandt (Florida State) went seven shutout innings as the Whitecaps (7-15) edged Y-D 1-0. Liebrandt, who starred for the Seminoles this spring, had made one relief appearance and one short start this summer. He broke out in a big way Tuesday, allowing just four hits and striking out three while pitching seven full. Evan Rutter (Rice) and Schreiber finished off the shutout. Brewster got just enough offense to back Leibrandt and company, with Austin Bailey (San Diego) delivering an RBI single in the third inning. Y-D ace Erick Fedde (UNLV) gave up just the one run in four innings but took the loss. Alex Blandino (Stanford) had two hits for the Red Sox, who dropped to 10-12-1.

 

Cotuit 2, Wareham 1

The Gatemen got one of their best pitching performances of the season but ended up on the wrong end of the scoreboard. Andro Cutura (Southeastern Louisiana) allowed two runs on four hits in eight innings but those two runs were enough for a Cotuit victory. Yale Rosen (Washington State) delivered both runs with a third-inning single, and the Kettleers got a strong pitching performance of their own. Chris Ellis (Ole Miss), who gave up four runs in his last start, was back on track, surrendering just an unearned run in six innings. Reliever Joel Seddon (South Carolina) turned in his sixth zero-earned run start of the summer before Miller came on for the save. Cotuit remains in a three-way tie with Falmouth and Hyannis for first place in the West.

 

Falmouth 5, Bourne 3

The Commodores (14-8) won for the third straight time, using a big third inning to beat Bourne (9-13). Surprisingly, Falmouth did not hit any home runs, but had enough offense anyway. Troy Stein (Texas A&M), who’s been kind of an unsung hero behind the team’s power bats, went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) and Dylan Davis (Oregon State) also knocked in runs. Leon Byrd, Jr. (Rice) and Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) each had a double. John Means (West Virginia) was solid on the mound, striking out three and giving up two runs in six innings. Donny Murray (Holy Cross) struck out four in two innings and Hunter Brothers (Lipscomb) struck out the side in the ninth for his first save. Bourne got a big night from Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State), who went 3-for-4 with his third home run.

 

What to Watch

Great match-up in Falmouth. Top prospect Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) will make his second start of the summer for Hyannis, and it will come against the league’s most powerful team in the Commodores. Trey Teakell (TCU), who’s been Falmouth’s best starter, will oppose Hoffman. The teams are tied for first place in the West.
 

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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.

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    Five Wins and No Hits

    Austin Gomber tossed five no-hit innings, part of a combined no-hitter for the Braves.

     
    With an 8-0 victory over Cotuit yesterday, Bourne became the third team already this season to put together a five-game winning streak.

    The Braves’ No. 5 was best of all.

    Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic), Josh Laxer (Ole Miss) and Ryan Harris (Florida) combined on a no-hitter as the Braves cruised past Cotuit, who came in as one of the league’s best offensive teams. The Braves’ Jeff Thompson threw a no-hitter last year in a game that went only six innings. Last night’s effort was the league’s first nine-inning no-hitter since June 30, 2010, when Jordan Pries did it for Y-D.

    This one wasn’t celebrated right away. When Mike Ford (Princeton) reached base on a mis-played ground ball in the seventh, it was ruled a double. After the game, the official scorer changed it to an error, giving the Braves the no-no.

    Gomber, who had as good a spring as any pitcher on the Cape, was terrific in his first start. He struck out five in five innings and walked two. Laxer picked up where he left off, striking out one in three innings. Harris finished it off, working around a walk to pitch a hitless ninth.

    Not only was it a no-hitter, Bourne pitchers have now turned in three consecutive shutouts. And in the game prior, they gave up one run. The scoreless streak is at 33 innings. Not surprisingly, the Braves now lead the league in team ERA.

    The Braves’ offense also got it done last night, which was no small feat. Alex Haines (Seton Hill) turned in his second dominant start in as many outings, striking out seven in five scoreless innings. But the Braves bided their time and broke out against the Kettleer bullpen, scoring two runs in the eighth and six in the ninth.

    Eric Fisher (Arkansas) went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Tim Caputo (Rhode Island), Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) and Bobby Boyd (West Virginia) drove in one run apiece, while Pat Kelly (Nebraska), Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) and Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) all had two hits.

     

    Hyannis 3, Orleans 2

    The Harbor Hawks (6-2) took over first place in the West with Cotuit’s loss and their win over the Firebirds (4-4). Andrew Thome (North Dakota) worked six strong innings, giving up one run and striking out three in six innings. Andrew Istler (Duke) picked up his first save. The offense was led by Jake Hernandez (USC), a former Firebird, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Skyler Ewing (Rice) also knocked in a run. In eight games, the Harbor Hawks have now won three in a row, lost two in a row and won three in a row. The wins are coming despite a league-worst .188 team batting average.

     

    Falmouth 6, Chatham 1

    Chatham has hit the skids since its 6-0 start, with Falmouth (5-4) as the latest conqueror. The Commodores handed the Anglers (6-3) their third straight loss. Craig Schlitter (Bryant) got the win with five strong innings and three relievers allowed just one hit over the final four innings. Oregon standout Garrett Cleavinger had an adventure in his first outing, walking three but striking out three in the ninth. Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) led the offensive charge with two RBI and he is now tied for the league lead with eight RBI. Kevin Cron (TCU) added two hits, including his fourth double. Chatham has scored one total run in its last three games.

     

    Harwich 2, Wareham 1

    The Mariners (5-3) are the hottest team in the East thanks to their third straight win, a 2-1 triumph over the Gatemen, who dropped to 1-8. Aaron Bummer (Nebraska) pitched seven shutout innings and now hasn’t allowed a run in 13 innings this season. Sean Fitzgerald (Notre Dame) picked up the save. Josh Anderson (Florida International) drove in both Harwich runs. The Gatemen got a quality start from Tucker Simpson (Florida) but the offense continued to struggle. The Gatemen are hitting just .216.

     

    Brewster 14, Y-D 8

    The Red Sox (3-6) found themselves in a slugfest for the second straight day and lost this one too, as Brewster improved to 3-6 with its best offensive day of the season. Trent Woodward (Fresno State) went 3-for-4 with four RBI and Cole Lankford (Texas A&M) went 3-for-5 with three RBI. Jose Brizuela (Florida State) knocked two triples and drove in three. Ford Stainback (Rice) added three hits and Keaton Aldridge (Memphis) drove in two runs. Corey Taylor (Texas Tech) picked up the win in relief. Y-D got a home run from Taylor Smart (Tennessee) and two RBI from Auston Bousfield (Ole Miss).

     

    What to Watch

    A couple of rivalry games on tap tonight as Cotuit visits Hyannis and Orleans heads to Chatham. Eric Karch (Pepperdine), who’s 2-0, goes for Cotuit against Hyannis’ Jordan Foley (Central Michigan), who had a great spring. Chatham sends Andrew Chin (Boston College) after he went five shutout innings in his last start. Orleans counters with Bobby Poyner (Florida), who has pitched just two innings thus far.

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    Back Up

    Dominic Jose, pictured last summer, had an RBI as the Harbor Hawks got back into the win column on Thursday.

     
    It’s been a rollercoaster season so far for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, but the good thing about a rollercoaster is you usually don’t have to wait long to go back up.

    After starting the year 3-0, then getting shut-out in their next two games, the Harbor Hawks got back into the win column with a 4-3 victory over Wareham (1-6) on Thursday in the only game on the schedule.

    The Harbor Hawks wasted no time breaking the shut-out spell, striking for all four of their runs in the first inning. They used two hits, two walks and an error to get it done.

    Jake Hernandez (USC), a late Hyannis pickup who hit five home runs for Orleans last year, knocked in the first run. Dominic Jose (Stanford) also had an RBI. Another run scored on an error and Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) later scored on an errant throw in a rundown.

    Armed with the lead, Austin Pettibone (UC Santa Barbara) allowed just a run in five innings of work for the win. The Gatemen made some moves against the Hyannis bullpen, but Eric Eck (Wofford) stranded the tying run in the ninth to pick up his second save.

    Hyannis is now 4-2 and sitting just behind Cotuit in the West standings.

    The Gatemen fell to 1-6, but they did out-hit the Harbor Hawks 10-6. Tino Lipson (UC Davis) was a bright spot again, stretching his hitting streak to seven games.

     

    What to Watch

    Back to a full slate of action tonight with a lot of solid arms on the hill. Kyle Cody (Kentucky), who gave Wareham its only victory, will try to get another one as the Gatemen welcome to Falmouth and Craig Schlitter (Bryant) to town for a 7 p.m. start. In Bourne, Arizona State freshman standout Ryan Kellogg makes his first start as the Braves host Brewster.