The Last Blast

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.

June 29, 2014June 29, 2014

Big Arms

Nick Halamandaris makes a play at first earlier this season.

Pitchers have certainly held their own in the Cape League this season, but there haven’t been a ton of dominant performances. Before Saturday’s games, the league’s strikeout leader was a relief pitcher.

But on opposite ends of the Cape Saturday, two pitchers added a little dominance to the equation.

In Falmouth, Wareham’s Kyle Cody (Kentucky) struck out six in seven shutout innings as the Gatemen beat Falmouth 4-0. In Orleans, Kolton Mahoney (BYU) struck out 11 in six innings as the Firebirds beat Y-D 6-3.

Scouts and people who have seen Cody in the past have been waiting for a performance like this. Despite the fact that he pitched only nine innings for Wareham last summer, Perfect Game still picked him as the Cape League’s 30th-best prospect.

The 6-foot-7 righty had pitched 4.1 innings this summer, but broke out with the big performance on Saturday. He allowed three singles, walked one and threw 67 of 91 pitches for strikes.

Scott Effross (Indiana) followed him to the hill and followed suit, striking out four in two scoreless innings to finish off the shutout. The Wareham offense got RBI from Jake Little (Memphis) and Nick Halamandaris (California).

In Orleans, Mahoney has been strong all summer, having gone six scoreless innings in his last start. The 23rd-round pick this year also tossed a no-hitter for BYU this spring.

Last night, he allowed one hit through five scoreless innings before Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) smacked a game-tying, three-run home run in the sixth. But after the home run, Mahoney struck out the final two batters he faced and his offense rallied immediately with a run in the bottom of the sixth to put him in line for the win. The 11 strikeouts put Mahoney in the league lead with 24 on the year.

Kyle Twomey (USC) and Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan) relieved Mahoney and finished off the victory. Edwin Rios (Florida International) and Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) both homered to lead the Firebirds offense.

Cotuit 3, Harwich 1

Cotuit also got a pretty good pitching performance as Logan James (Stanford) allowed one run in five innings with six strikeouts. Adam Whitt (Nevada), who’s been one of the best relievers in the league, struck out seven batters in just 2.2 innings. Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) picked up a save with 1.1 scoreless innings. The Kettleers got an RBI each from Jake Fincher (NC State) and Jeremy Taylor (East Tennessee State). The Kettleers have won two in a row and are now at .500 with an 8-8 mark.

Hyannis 6, Bourne 2

The Harbor Hawks got solid pitching, steady offense and five stolen bases in a victory over West-leading Bourne. The Harbor Hawks are now 10-6, just one game back of the Braves. Blake Hickman (Iowa) allowed two runs and struck out four in five innings. He left with the lead, and reliever Marcus Brakeman (Stanford) kept it thanks to four scoreless frames. David Houser (Tennessee) led the offense with two hits and three RBI. Austin Slater (Stanford) also had two hits. For Bourne, Harrison Bader (Florida) homered.

Brewster 5, Chatham 4

Wade Wass (Alabama) hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to give Brewster its first lead of the game, and the Whitecaps held on from there to win 5-4. The homer was part of a three-hit, four RBI night for Wass, who was batting just .179 coming into the game. Braden Bishop (Washington) and Kevin Martir (Maryland) added two hits each for the Whitecaps. Andrew Naderer (Grand Canyon) struck out five in in three innings of relief and Evan Hill (Michigan) pitched a scoreless ninth.

What to Watch

Orleans, winners of three straight, is now in second place in the East and will visit first-place Harwich tonight at 5:30 p.m. Bobby Poyner (Florida) starts for Orleans, with Jared Poche’ (LSU) going for Harwich.

June 18, 2014June 18, 2014

Fire Power

On a night when college baseball continued to lament the lack of offense in Omaha, their college baseball brethren on Cape Cod flashed some pop in Yarmouth.

Orleans smacked four home runs in a 6-2 victory over Y-D. It is, I believe, the first time since 2012’s year of the home run that a Cape League team has gone yard four times in one game.

Taylor Ward (Fresno State) started the power surge in the second inning, when he smacked a leadoff home run. Two pitches later, Edwin Rios (Florida International) went back-to-back with another bomb. In the third, leadoff man Johnny Sewald (Arizona) hit one, and in the fourth, R.J. Ybarra (Arizona State) clubbed a two-run blast.

Orleans hit more home runs in this one game than any other Cape League team has hit in the entire season. Orleans already led the league in homers with three, but with seven now, the cushion is much bigger. Wareham is next with three and no other team has more than two. Two teams – Chatham and Harwich – are still without a home run.

The four-homer night on Tuesday secured Orleans’ second victory of the season as the Firebirds moved to 2-4. Trent Thornton (North Carolina) made the homers count with 5.1 strong innings on the mound. He allowed two runs and struck out four. Kyle Twomey (USC), Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) and Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan) finished the job without surrendering a run.

Cotuit 7, Bourne 6

Defending champion Cotuit won its fourth in a row with a 7-6 victory over Bourne. The Kettleers had started the summer 0-2 but haven’t lost since. They smacked 11 hits against the Braves, stole five bases and again used a parade of pitchers on their way to the narrow victory. Casey Schroeder (Polk State College) hit a home run to lead the offense, while Jeremy Taylor (East Tennessee State) drove in two runs. Drew Jackson (Stanford), a key part of last year’s championship run, made his first appearance of 2014 and went 2-for-4. The Kettleers did much of their damage against Jimmy Herget (South Florida), who had been impressive in his first start. On the basepaths, Cotuit continued to run wild. They’ve stolen a league-high 18 bases thus far. Caleb Whalen (Portland) stole one more last night and leads the league with five. And on the mound, Cotuit has used at least four pitchers in five of six games this year – and used three in the other. On Tuesday, they used six. Adam Whitt (Nevada) earned his second win with three scoreless innings out of the pen and Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) notched a save. For Bourne, Blake Davey (Connecticut) went 3-for-4 with a home run.

Harwich 2, Falmouth 1

The Mariners won their league-best fifth game thanks to a sixth-inning rally against the Commodores, who dropped to 3-3. Trailing 1-0, the Mariners got RBI from Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) and Brendon Sanger (Florida Atlantic) to take a lead. Reliever Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State), who just returned for his second stint in Harwich, tossed three scoreless innings of relief in making the lead stand up. Robby Kalaf (Florida International) tossed a scoreless ninth for the save. Steven Duggar (Clemson) had two hits for Falmouth, but the Commodores only managed four total. Falmouth’s Matt Hall (Missouri State) turned in his second solid start, going five scoreless innings and striking out six. He leads the league in strikeouts with 11. For Harwich, Michael Boyle (Radford) allowed just an unearned run in five innings.

Chatham 6, Brewster 2

Chatham snapped a four-game skid with a victory over Brewster. Nick Collins (Georgetown) had two hits and two RBI to lead the offense, which broke out after scoring a total of six runs all season. Chatham took advantage of four Brewster errors, and all their runs were unearned. Garrett Hampson (Long Beach State), Landon Cray (Seattle) and Blake Butera (Boston College) all had two hits, as did standout LSU freshman Jake Fraley, who was making his Chatham debut. On the mound, Andrew Chin (Boston College) allowed two runs in six innings, while striking out four. Jeff Gelinas (Maine) and Kyle Davis (USC) combined on the last three innings.

Hyannis 8, Wareham 4

Hyannis jumped into a three-way tie for first in the West with an 8-4 victory over Wareham. Bobby Melley (Connecticut) had his best game in a Hyannis uniform, going 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Daniel Kihle (Wichita State) homered and drove in three, while Sam Haggerty (New Mexico) homered as part of a three-hit night. Tate Scioneaux (Southeastern Louisiana) allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings and Lance Thonvold (Minnesota) went 3.2 innings for the save. For Wareham, Jake Little (Memphis) hit his second home run of the season.

What to Watch

James Mulry (Northeastern), who dominated for Harwich on opening night, will make his second start as the Mariners visit Hyannis for a 7 p.m. start. The Harbor Hawks will throw Joseph Shaw (Dallas Baptist) in his Cape League debut. He had a 2.96 ERA while pitching mostly as a reliever for Dallas Baptist this spring.

June 13, 2014June 13, 2014

Daily Fog: The Start that Counts

Ian Happ is off to a big start for Harwich - and so are his team's starting pitchers. — Ian Happ is off to a big start for Harwich – and so are his team’s starting pitchers.

In a Cape Cod Baseball League season, it always takes a week or two for starting pitchers to warm up. Many have been out of action for a while, so they have to get stretched out. They start small, three innings, four innings, maybe five.

But in Harwich, they have started big.

A night after James Mulry (Northeastern) struck out nine in seven shutout innings, Jason Inghram (William & Mary) took a perfect game into the sixth and struck out eight in seven scoreless frames as the Mariners moved to 2-0 with a 10-0 victory over Brewster.

Of the 20 starts made by Cape League pitchers this year, only three have seen the starter go more than six innings, and Harwich’s southpaw duo owns two of those. The average has been 4.2 innings, and Mulry and Inghram have blown that out of the water.

Inghram’s performance was part of a big night for pitching on the Cape, where three games ended in shutouts. His performance was as good as any.

Inghram was the ace of the William & Mary staff this spring with an ERA under two and a 10-2 record. He also racked 109.2 innings, so he’s plenty warmed up. On Thursday, he needed just 86 pitches to get through seven. He retired the first 17 batters he faced before Josh Vidales (Houston) broke up his perfect game in the sixth. He allowed one more two-out hit in the seventh and nothing else.

Ronnie Glenn (Penn) and Skylar Hunter (The Citadel) pitched a scoreless frame each to finish off the win.

The Harwich offense also took care of business, pounding 11 hits and breaking the game open with a six-run fourth. Returning star Ian Happ (Cincinnati) had another big night, going 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI. Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) added two hits and three RBI, while Anthony Hermelyn (Oklahoma) drove in two.

North Carolina star Skye Bolt made his long-awaited Harwich debut when he pinch-hit in the eighth. Bolt was on the Harwich roster last year but ended up with Team USA.

Falmouth 3, Y-D 0

Pitching also shined in Yarmouth, where second-year Falmouth Commodore Kevin McCanna (Rice) tossed six innings of one-hit baseball in a 3-0 win. McCanna had an ERA over six on the Cape last summer, but his spring at Rice was an indicator that he’d be moving in the right direction this summer. He obliged in his first start, striking out four and giving up just the one hit. At the plate, Matt Eureste (San Jacinto) and Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts) – both on temporary contracts – drove in a run apiece, with Afenir notching three hits. Y-D starter Kevin Duchene (Illinois), a former Big 10 Freshman of the Year, gave up two runs in 4.2 innings.

Bourne 1, Orleans 0

The other shutout belonged to Bourne, which moved to 2-0 with an 11-inning victory over the Firebirds. Eric Nyquist (Mercer) gave up two hits in six innings before giving way to the bullpen, which picked up where he left off. Lucas Laster (Mississippi State), John Gorman (Boston College) and Brad Raley (Lake Erie College) delivered five scoreless frames and set the stage for Bourne to walk-off in the 11th. With a runner on third, Billy Fleming (West Virginia) smacked a base hit to bring in the only run of the game and give Bourne the win. The Braves finished with only three hits as Orleans pitchers were just as good as their counterparts. Tyler Honahan (Stony Brook) started and struck out five in five innings.

Wareham 13, Chatham 3

Wareham’s 2013 offense did not score more than 12 runs a single time, but the 2014 Gatemen did it on day two as they got into the win column with a blowout of Chatham. Wareham got at least one hit from every player in the lineup and finished the night with 17. Nick Halamandaris (California) went 3-for-5 with two RBI, while Memphis teammates Jake Little and Keaton Aldridge each hit home runs – the first homers of the Cape League season. Little and Aldridge also had multi-hit games, along with Willie Calhoun (Arizona), Andrew Knizner (NC State) and Charlie Warren (Rice). Anthony Kay (Connecticut) got the win with three scoreless innings of relief.

Hyannis 6, Cotuit 5

The Harbor Hawks and Kettleers met for the second straight night, and the Hawks delivered their second straight one-run win. After trailing 4-0 they rallied to tie it but fell behind 5-4 in the eighth. But in the top of the ninth, they scored two to take a one-run lead and held it through the bottom of the ninth. Florida State star freshman Ben DeLuzio, a third-round pick out of high school, delivered a two-run triple in the eighth to give Hyannis the lead. Lance Thonvold (Minnesota) struck out two in a scoreless ninth to seal the win. Hyannis also got two RBI from Bobby Melley (Connecticut), the Barnstable native who’s coming off a huge year for UConn. Cotuit got another multi-hit night from D.C. Arendas (South Carolina), who went 2-for-3 and is your early league batting average leader.

What to Watch

Two big-time pitchers will make their Cape League debuts tonight. At 6:30 in Falmouth, Y-D’s Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast) gets the ball on the heels of a tremendous spring in which he emerged as one of the nation’s best pitchers. In Orleans, the Firebirds will start Trevor Megill (Loyola Marymount), who was a third-round pick of the Cardinals in this year’s draft. Megill, who was on Orleans’ preseason roster last year, had Tommy John surgery and missed all of this past season at Loyola.