Steven Duggar was one of six Falmouth Commodores on the All-League squad.
This is a few days old, but in case you missed it, the Cape League released its All-League selections for the 2014 season. The team is below. Below that, a few notes.
First Base – A.J. Murray – Chatham – Georgia Tech
Second Base – Billy Fleming – Bourne – West Virginia
Shortstop – Kevin Newman – Falmouth – Arizona
Third Base – David Thompson – Orleans – Miami
Infield Utility – Richard Martin Jr. – Bourne – Florida
Outfield – Gio Brusa – Brewster – Pacific
Outfield – Donnie Dewees Jr. – Hyannis – North Florida
Outfield – Steven Duggar – Falmouth – Clemson
Outfield – Ian Happ – Harwich – Cincinnati
Outfield – Mark Laird – Bourne – LSU
Outfield – Andrew Stevenson – Y-D – LSU
DH – Conner Hale – Falmouth – LSU
DH – Chris Shaw – Chatham – Boston College
Catcher – Jameson Fisher – Cotuit – SE Louisiana
Catcher – Anthony Hermelyn – Harwich – Oklahoma
Pitcher – Michael Boyle – Harwich – Radford
Pitcher – Zack Erwin – Harwich – Clemson
Pitcher – Matt Hall – Falmouth – Missouri State
Pitcher – Jordan Hillyer – Chatham – Kennesaw State
Pitcher – Justin Jacome – Y-D – UC Santa Barbara
Pitcher – Ryan Kellogg – Bourne – Arizona State
Pitcher – Kolton Mahoney – Orleans – BYU
Pitcher – Kevin McCanna – Falmouth – Rice
Pitcher – Andrew Naderer – Brewster – Grand Canyon
Pitcher – Kyle Twomey – Orleans – USC
Closer – Phil Bickford – Y-D – Cal State Fullerton
Closer – Adam Whitt – Cotuit – Nevada
Utility – Jake Madsen – Falmouth – Ohio
NOTES
Kevin Newman and Ryan Kellog are your lone repeat honorees. The Arizona-Arizona State rivals had terrific Cape League careers.
For the second year in a row, Falmouth had the most All-League selections with six. Lot of talent at Guv Fuller Field the last two years.
Champion Y-D with only one position player on the team. I thought that might be unusual, but it’s actually the second year in a row. Cotuit had just one All-League hitter last year, Rhett Wiseman. In the case of both Y-D and Cotuit, it speaks to the ability to play one day at a time and find a way to win, without having the stars of stars.
Snubs? Jordan Tarsovich jumps out to me. Probably the league champ’s most consistent hitter, Tarsovich hit .322 with three homers. I think Y-D’s Rob Fonseca (.315, 4 HR’s) could have been there too. And Bourne’s Blake Davey tied for second in the league in extra-base hits. A couple more possibilities, but overall, solid work, I think.
LSU leads all schools with three selections: Andrew Stevenson, Conner Hale and Mark Laird.
Seven schools have an All-League pick for the second year in a row: Arizona, USC, Arizona State, West Virginia, Florida and . . . mighty Kennesaw State. With MVP Max Pentecost last year and standout pitcher Jordan Hillyer this year, the Owls are making some Cape League noise.
How about schools that have an All-League pick for three years running? Nada. I was shocked by that.
Y-D players celebrate in a game earlier this postseason. They’re one win away from the title.
BUEHLERMatt Hall (Missouri State) delivered one of the better Cape League championship series pitching performances you’ll ever see for the Falmouth Commodores last night, striking out 12 in 6.2 innings.
And he lost.
That tells you all you need to know about how good the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox were.
Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt) tossed eight shutout innings and the offense steadily chipped away against Hall, scoring all its runs with two outs, as the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the championship series with a 5-0 victory at Guv Fuller Field.
The shutout is Y-D’s fourth in seven postseason games and it was the first championship series shutout since 2010, when the Red Sox themselves were held scoreless twice by Cotuit.
The Buehler-Hall match-up shaped up as a special one. Buehler was stellar in limited duty for the Red Sox, after helping Vanderbilt to the national championship. Hall was a mainstay all summer for Falmouth, tying for the league lead in strikeouts.
Pregame impressions were confirmed quickly – very quickly – when the first two innings took about 15 minutes. It was one of those games where you consistently found yourself looking at the innings box on the scoreboard and saying, “Already?”
Hall seemed a little better than Buehler in the early going, facing the minimum through three and stranding a runner on second in the fourth. He strike out the side in the fifth, but he also fell behind. Josh Lester (Missouri) was hit by a pitch to start the inning. After two strikeouts by Hall, Marcus Mastrobuoni (St. John’s) doubled to deep left field, plating Lester for the 1-0 lead.
Hall came back with two K’s in a scoreless sixth, but Lester doubled with one out in the seventh. After Hall struck out T.J. Wharton (Catawba), the Red Sox delivered more two-out magic, by the skin of their teeth. Hall and the rest of the Commodores thought he had a strikeout of Joey Armstrong (UNLV) when he dropped in a 2-2 curveball that must have been a little low. On the next pitch, Armstrong smacked an RBI double to make it 2-0.
Mastrobuoni followed with a single and Armstrong beat the throw home. After Hall departed to a rousing ovation, A.J. Simcox (Tennessee) reached on a ground ball that got past third, allowing Mastrobuoni to score.
It was a hard-to-swallow inning for Hall and the Commodores, who had nearly escaped with the score still 1-0.
But it may not have mattered anyway.
Buehler was on cruise control. He gave up three hits in eight innings and walked only one. If not for three hit batsmen, Falmouth would have scarcely had runners on base.
Buehler’s best work came as the lead grew. After his team’s three-run seventh inning, he gave up a leadoff double to Jake Madsen (Ohio) in the bottom half. He got Shaun Chase (Oregon) on the first pitch, then struck out Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) and Matt Eureste (San Jacinto) without throwing a ball to either of them.
In the eighth, Falmouth sent its middle of the order to the plate. Buehler got Steven Duggar (Clemson) to ground out then struck out Kevin Newman (Arizona) and Conner Hale (LSU) looking. That’s batting champion Kevin Newman and league RBI leader Conner Hale. And they were frozen.
With that, Buehler departed, giving way to William Strode (Florida State). With one more insurance run courtesy of a homer by Mastrobuoni – who had a single, a double, a homer and three RBI – Strode cruised through the ninth. He worked around a two-out walk to finish off the victory.
The teams will now get set for game two, slated for 4 p.m. today in Yarmouth. It should be another terrific pitching match-up with Kevin Duchene (Illinois) going for Y-D and Kevin McCanna (Rice) trying to keep Falmouth alive. Duchene struck out 12 in 7.1 innings of one-hit ball in his previous playoff start, Y-D’s game three win over Orleans. McCanna, a two-year Commodore, allowed one run in eight innings in a playoff start against Hyannis.
Notes
How about the bottom of Y-D’s lineup? Mastrobuoni – the eighth place batter -was the hitting star of the night with the single, the double and the homer, and two of those came against Hall. Armstrong, batting seventh, had two hits and an RBI and ninth-place hitter Simcox had a hit and an RBI.
Walker Buehler’s performance is about as good as it gets in a Cape League championship series game. The last one I remember that was this good was in 2010, when Matt Andriese tossed a complete-game shutout for Cotuit.
Buehler now has a 0.00 ERA in 15.1 postseason innings. Obviously, it’s a remarkable stat, and it holds up historically as well. Going back to 2000 – the oldest archives on the Cape League’s web site – you can find plenty of 0.00 playoff ERAs but not a single one that was earned over that many innings. Buehler has been fantastic.
Y-D didn’t need to use Phil Bickford Thursday night, and that’s bad news for Falmouth. If Duchene gets Friday’s game to the seventh with his team in the lead and Bickford takes the mound, I would not be optimistic if I were a Commodore fan.
Shout-out to Mrs. Right Field Fog an outstanding scorekeeping performance. She brought her A game for the playoffs.
Great crowd of almost 3,000 in Falmouth last night. I would bet on an even higher number jamming into the bandbox at Red Wilson Field today. Get there early.
Jeff Trundy will try to lead Falmouth to its first title since 1980.
The only good thing about Wednesday’s rainout is that it gives me a little time to get some preview thoughts down. Primary thought: It’s going to be a heck of a series.
First, some points of reference for the series:
Y-D and Falmouth have met twice in the Cape League championship series, in 2004 and 2007. Y-D won both match-ups, the bookends on its dynasty run of three titles in four years. Y-D has been to the finals twice since then, losing to Cotuit in 2010 and Wareham in 2012. Falmouth made the finals in 2011 and lost to Harwich.
Falmouth owns the longest championship drought in the league. Its last title was 1980, when it beat Chatham. The next-longest drought belongs to Hyannis, whose last crown was in 1981. Chatham is the only other team without a championship this century. Its last was in 1998.
This is the fourth straight year without a No. 1 seed in the championship series. Before that, at least one No. 1 seed had made the finals for 14 consecutive years (although it was easier for the No. 1’s to make it before the playoffs expanded).
It’s hard to understate how good the playoff pitching has been for these teams. The Red Sox have had the dominant, clutch performances, but Falmouth has an even better team ERA. The Commodores have given up four runs in 36 innings for a 1.00 ERA. For Y-D, three of four wins have been shutouts.
The rainout should only help the pitching. I’d expect both teams to have things lined up almost perfectly, with the exception of Y-D having had to use Justin Jacome to get out of the East finals. Walker Buehler and Kevin Duchene should be good to go for Y-D, while Falmouth should have the trio of Matt Hall, Kevin McCanna and Alex Young ready.
If that’s the way things shake out, Falmouth might have the edge with the three big arms to Y-D’s two. In its one playoff game not started by Jacome, Buehler or Duchene, Y-D lost 9-2. Jacome could come back for a game three on Saturday, but that would be on only three days’ rest.
If the starting pitching match-ups don’t do it for you, just wait until the late innings. Falmouth’s bullpen hasn’t given up a run in the playoffs, and the back end is anchored by flamethrower Garrett Cleavinger. Y-D has been touched up a little more, but any bullpen that includes Phil Bickford is a good bullpen. Bickford, the Cape League’s Top Pro Prospect award winner, had the equivalent of his Heisman moment for that award when he struck out the side in the ninth Tuesday night to punch Y-D’s ticket to the finals.
The lowest team ERA in the Cape League playoffs last year was 2.57. Falmouth, Y-D and Harwich are all under that bar this year.
Helping the cause in the pitching department is some pretty stellar defense. Falmouth has made three errors in the postseason. Y-D – in six games – has made one.
When comparing the offenses of the two teams, extra-base hits is an interesting place to start. Y-D has seven in six games. Falmouth has nine in only four games. That jibes with a general impression that Falmouth has a little more pop.
Falmouth also gets on base at a better clip – .374 to .297.
The top three hitters in the postseason have all been eliminated, leaving a Y-D Red Sox atop the list. Andrew Stevenson, right? Jordan Tarsovich? A.J. Simcox? Try Michael Donadio. The St. John’s freshman was the Big East’s Newcomer of the Year this spring and he spent most of his summer in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League, where he won the batting title and MVP award. He didn’t begin his CCBL career until July 31 and had a total of two hits in four regular-season games, but he has a hit in every playoff game, including a home run. He’s batting .409 in the postseason.
Marcus Mastrobuoni has been another key addition for the Red Sox. He hit .373 this spring for California State Stanislaus, and hit .313 in five regular-season games for the Red Sox. He started at catcher in the last two games of the Harwich series and went 1-for-3 in the clincher.
On the Falmouth side, Conner Hale has paced the offense, and there probably isn’t a better offensive threat in the series. Hale is slashing .375/.444/.688 in the playoffs with a homer and seven RBI. He has driven in a third of his team’s postseason runs. If you’re making bets on playoff MVP, he’s the favorite.
Hale is part of a lineup that’s just very solid at this point. Jake Madsen quietly hit .346 for the Commodores in the regular season and he’s a consistent, veteran hitter, much like Cameron O’Brien. Hale, Madsen and O’Brien, in fact, are all rising seniors. Throw in talented guys like Boomer White, Matt Eureste and Steven Duggar, plus some guys who aren’t even starting every day, and it’s a very deep lineup. And they’ve got that Newman guy too, the one who wins all the batting titles.
Mrs. RFF and I are planning to be in Falmouth for game one. Can’t wait.
I suppose it’s prediction time. It’s never an easy task and this year is no different. You have to like the way both of these teams are playing – enthusiasm, good defense, fantastic pitching. I think I like Falmouth a little more, with its veteran offense tipping the scales. Feel free to share your own picks in the comments.
Kolton Mahoney’s 13 strikeouts were the most in a CCBL playoff game since 2006.
Three pitchers tied for the league lead in strikeouts this season, and all three took the ball for their teams in game one of the playoffs Wednesday night.
The strikeout king emerged.
Kolton Mahoney (BYU) struck out 13 in seven scoreless innings as Orleans blanked Y-D 3-0 to take a 1-0 lead in its East semifinal series. The 13 K’s are the most in a Cape League playoff game since 2006, when Riley Boening fanned 14 for Wareham. There have been double-digit performances since, but never more than a dozen. (The list of double-digit guys includes Chris Sale, J.J .Hoover, Mark Appel and Kyle Freeland. Good company.)
Mahoney, who was presented with the league’s Outstanding Pitcher Award before the game, was tagged for four unearned runs in his final regular-season start, but he wasn’t tagged for much of anything on Wednesday. He allowed four hits – all singles – and struck out the side twice.
In the regular season, the Red Sox finished with the second fewest strikeouts in the league, but they had faced Mahoney twice and struck out 19 times total, including his previous season-high of 11.
When Mahoney gave way to the bullpen, the onslaught continued. Bobby Poyner (Florida) struck out the side in the eighth and Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) punched out two in the ninth. That’s 18 strikeouts, of 27 outs recorded.
For much of the game, Mahoney was locked in a pitcher’s duel with Y-D ace Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara). The game was scoreless until the seventh, when Jerry McClanahan (UC Irvine) cracked a two-run single to give Orleans the lead. An error in the eighth allowed the third run to score.
The win was Orleans’ first playoff victory over Y-D since 2002. They haven’t matched up a ton since then, but Y-D had swept the last two series with the Firebirds.
Falmouth 3, Hyannis 0
The other two strikeout leaders squared off, and Falmouth’s pitching was a little better in a shutout of Hyannis. Matt Hall (Missouri State) went six scoreless innings, scattering five hits while striking out one. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech) and Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) finished off the shutout. Marc Brakeman (Stanford), who hadn’t allowed a run in his last two starts, was touched up for just an unearned run in six innings, as Falmouth took a 1-0 lead on an error in the second. Falmouth added a run on a Conner Hale (LSU) home run and a Jake Madsen (Ohio) RBI single in the eighth. Madsen finished with three hits, while Steven Duggar (Clemson) and Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) had two each.
Harwich 7, Brewster 2
In a game that didn’t begin until 9 p.m. thanks to field work after a storm, Harwich busted out quickly with three runs in the first and never looked back. Skye Bolt (North Carolina) went 2-for-4 with a home run and Ian Happ (Cincinnati) went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI to lead a 10-hit attack. Joe McCarthy (Virginia) added three hits. Zack Erwin (Clemson) struck out seven and gave up just two runs in six innings for the win. Seth McGarry (Florida Atlantic) was terrific in relief, striking out every batter he faced in two innings. Ronnie Glenn (Penn) struck out two more in a scoreless ninth. Brewster, which was again playing short-handed, got a home run from Luke Lowery (East Carolina) but not much else.
Cotuit at Bourne, PPD
The rain that threatened the other games completely washed out the match-up at Doran Park. The series is now set to get underway tonight at 6 p.m., back at Doran Park.
Newman takes MVP honor
In a bit of non-playoff news, Falmouth’s Kevin Newman was presented with his batting title trophy on Wednesday – and then with the MVP award. The only two-time batting champ in Cape League history also now becomes the first player to win the batting title and the MVP honor in the same season since Falmouth’s Conor Gillaspie in 2007. I was a little surprised that Newman won the MVP, since he wasn’t a big power guy (eight extra-base hits), but he was second in the league in OBP, near the top in OPS and top 15 in RBI. Plus, without a completely obvious choice behind him, I don’t have a problem with giving it to the guy who made history.
What to Watch
Orleans at Y-D, 4 p.m.
Harwich at Brewster, 4 p.m.
Falmouth at Hyannis, 6 p.m.
Cotuit at Bourne, 6 p.m.
Orleans will try for the sweep of Y-D but will have to go through a very good pitcher as Y-D is slated to give the ball to Walker Buehler. The Vanderbilt righty has had quite a summer, starting with a College World Series title. He then pitched two very good games for Y-D before a brief stint with Team USA. Back on the Cape now, he carries a 1.35 ERA into today’s game. Orleans will counter with Eric Hanhold (Florida). He has a 3.42 ERA and gave up five runs in his last start – against Y-D.
Sal Annunziata homered twice for Harwich in a 10-0 win over Chatham.
It seems like every successful Cape League team has a player of a certain mold. He’s usually a late addition to the roster. He’s a little older, eligible for the draft, but he later than he hopes or didn’t hear his name called at all. He’s from a school that isn’t a baseball powerhouse.
All those characteristics become motivation, and he delivers a big summer.
Harwich has a guy like that.
Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) blasted two home runs last night, his fourth and fifth of the season, as the Mariners hammered Chatham 10-0 to move to the brink of an Eastern Division title.
Harwich has an MVP candidate in Ian Happ, all-stars in Kyle Barrett and Anthony Hermelyn, hyped-up guys like Skye Bolt and C.J. Hinojosa, and the son of a former Major Leaguer in Cavan Biggio.
Annunziata has been as important as all of them. He hit .330 this spring with five homers and led Seton Hall in RBI with 49. In June, he went undrafted but hooked on with Harwich and has been solid.
He’s hitting .265 and leads the Mariners with five home runs. He’s third on the team in RBI with 20. In a stretch in early-July, when Orleans and Y-D were charging hard at Harwich, Annunziata had a nine-game hitting streak as the Mariners kept a grip on first place at all times. Annunziata then went on and won the home run derby at the Cape League All-Star Game.
Last night, with Orleans and Y-D losing, Harwich took a four-point lead at the top of the division and Annunziata set the course. With the game against Chatham scoreless in the fifth, he smacked a solo home run. In the next inning, he hit a two-run shot and his Mariners never looked back, adding six runs in the seventh inning to pull away.
Robby Kalaf (Florida International) went five scoreless innings for the Mariners and three relievers combined to finish off the shutout. Harwich won all six games it played against Chatham this summer.
Annunziata finished with three RBI and four runs scored – and another big game in his big summer.
Bourne 6, Orleans 2
While Falmouth won again, Bourne did too and kept its tenuous two-point hold on first place in the West intact. Jimmy Herget (South Florida), who has had some rough outings recently, delivered in a big spot, striking out seven and giving up just one hit in six scoreless innings. Dylan Nelson (Radford) and Joey Strain (Winthrop) finished the job. The Bourne offense got a home run from Blake Davey (Connecticut), his fifth. Zander Wiel (Vanderbilt) added two RBI and Brian Serven (Arizona State) had two hits.
Falmouth 11, Wareham 2
Falmouth kept pace with Bourne and officially eliminated Wareham from playoff contention with a lopsided victory. The Gatemen are eight points out of fourth, with only three games to play, meaning Hyannis and Cotuit will be safely into the playoffs. For Falmouth, Alex Young (TCU), was dominant, striking out 10 and giving up one run in seven innings. A late arrival after the College World Series, Young has been a huge addition. He owns a 1.50 ERA, has struck out 28 and walked just three, and Falmouth has won every game he’s pitched in. Conner Hale (LSU) led the Falmouth offense with three hits and three RBI, keeping him atop the league RBI leaderboard with 35. Jake Madsen (Ohio) and Nicholas Ramos (Indiana) also had three hits each, while Boomer White (TCU) and Sam Gillikin (Auburn) had two RBI each.
Cotuit 8, Hyannis 0
Cotuit dropped the first three games in the Barnstable Patriot Cup season series with Hyannis, but won the last three, finishing it off with an 8-0 shutout last night. The win also moved Cotuit one point ahead of Hyannis in the West standings. Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) gave Cotuit one of its best starting pitching performances of the summer, going six scoreless with three strikeouts. Jackson McClelland (Pepperdine) and Adam Whitt (Nevada) finished off the shutout. The offense was led by Jackson Glines (Michigan), who had three hits and four RBI, giving him seven hits in the last three games. Jameson Fisher (SE Louisiana), Kyle Holder (San Diego) and Jeremy Taylor (East Tennessee State) had two hits each.
Brewster 14, Y-D 3
Brewster stayed alive in the East race with a lopsided victory over Y-D. The Red Sox started Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara), who had won his last four starts in impressive fashion, but his defense let him down this time as the Whitecaps scored seven runs off him, five of which were unearned. Credit to Brewster, too, though, as they took full advantage of the miscues in reaching their season-high in runs. Zach Gibbons (Arizona), who was hitting .233 entering the game, went 4-for-5 with a home run and seven RBI. Gio Brusa (Pacific) homered and drove in three, Kyle Overstreet (Alabama) went 5-for-6 and Braden Bishop (Washington) went 3-for-3. In its last three wins, Brewster has scored 39 runs. Yesterday, the Whitecaps also got strong pitching as Andrew Lee (Tennessee) went six scoreless innings. The Whitecaps are now three points out of the last playoff spot in the East. Hurting the cause is the fact that they have to play one game against second-place Orleans and two against first-place Harwich to finish the year.
What to Watch
Just a few days after a three-way tie in the East, Harwich could clinch the title outright with a win tonight and an Orleans loss. The Mariners host Y-D at 7 p.m., with James Mulry (Northeastern) on the mound. Mulry started against Y-D on opening night and got Harwich’s season off on the right foot with seven shutout innings.
Brian Serven puts a tag on a Cotuit runner in Wednesday’s game.
The wedding and honeymoon were pretty much perfect. What did I miss?
Two weeks of an eight-week Cape League season is a pretty good chunk of time. I feel like I went on a field trip that not everybody went on, and now that I’m back to school, it’s tough to get my bearings.
Then again, some things don’t seem to be changing.
Bourne continued to dominate the West last night with a 12-4 win over Cotuit, its third in a row. In the East, Harwich and Orleans remain at the top of the standings, although there was finally a change in order with a 4-3 extra-innings win by Orleans last night that put the Firebirds into first place.
Bourne has the best record in the league at 23-11-1. In their current three-game streak, they’ve allowed four runs in each game and have scored plenty more, capped by last night’s win over Cotuit. Samuel Kmiec (Winthrop) delivered a strong start, allowing one run in 5.1 innings. He’s won two starts in a row after a rough start to the season.
The offense backed Kmiec with 15 hits. Richard Martin Jr. (Florida), Blake Allemand (Texas A&M) and Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) led the way with three hits apiece. Allemand and Mark Laird (LSU) each had two RBI.
Over in Harwich, first place in the East finally changed hands, as Orleans beat Harwich 4-3 in 11 innings. The game was tied 2-2 until the Firebirds pushed two runs across in the top of the 11th, one on a wild pitch and the other on a Cole Peragine (Stony Brook) RBI single. Harwich got within a run in the bottom of the 11th on a Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) RBI double, but Orleans reliever Hayden Stone (Vanderbilt) retired two of the league’s best hitters – Anthony Hermelyn (Virginia Tech) and Ian Happ (Cincinnati) – to end the game.
Stone allowed one run in two innings for the win. Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) delivered four huge innings of scoreless relief to keep the game tied. Harwich’s Jacob Evans (Oklahoma) played the same role as Dalbec, with 4.1 scoreless innings.
Orleans is now 21-13-2 while Harwich dropped to 20-13-2.
Y-D 8, Chatham 4
One big difference since I last checked in two weeks ago: the Y-D Red Sox. Y-D beat Chatham 8-4 last night for its ninth win in its last 11 games. The Red Sox are now 20-15, just a two points out of second place and four points out of first. A balanced offensive attack led the way against Chatham standout Kyle Davis (USC), with five players knocking two hits each. Davis, typically a reliever, came in with a 1.35 ERA but was touched up for seven runs in four innings. Jesse Jenner (San Diego) had two hits and two RBI to lead the charge. Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) went 2-for-3 for his 12th multi-hit game of the summer. On the mound for Y-D, Cody Poteet (UCLA) allowed two earned runs in five innings. Three relievers combined on four scoreless innings. Chatham got three hits from Nick Collins (Georgetown). The loss was the Anglers’ fourth in a row.
Hyannis 3, Wareham 0
Blake Hickman (Iowa) delivered his second consecutive impressive start and Hyannis overcame dominant Wareham pitching to shut out the Gatemen. Hickman had gone seven scoreless innings in his previous start, a 3-0 win over Brewster. This time, he went 6.1 scoreless frames, striking out five and allowing four hits. Ryan Perez (Judson) followed Hickman to the mound and picked up a save with 2.2 shutout innings. Wareham’s Kyle Cody (Kentucky) and Sean Adler (USC) combined for six perfect innings, but Hyannis broke through for three runs in the seventh. John La Prise (Virginia) led the offense with a hit and two RBI.
Falmouth 7, Brewster 3
The Commodores remain comfortably in second place in the West after rebounding from a loss to Bourne Tuesday with a win over Brewster. Conner Hale (LSU) hit his fourth home run while Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts) had two hits and three RBI. Jake Madsen (Ohio) added three hits and two RBI. Alex Young (TCU) struck out seven and gave up two runs in five innings. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech) got the win in relief. Scott Kingery (Arizona) and Luke Lowery (East Carolina) both homered for Falmouth.
What to Watch
Three games on tap tonight, including a good one in Yarmouth, where the red-hot Red Sox take on West-leading Bourne.
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.
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.
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.
