Back in Red

Chatham released Texas Tech standout Tanner Gardner Monday after a brief stay on the Cape. His time included a dramatic walk-off home run that gave the Anglers a win in his debut.

Tuesday, the Anglers found another Red Raider with a flair for the dramatic.

Orlando Garcia (Texas Tech) hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth as Chatham beat Brewster 4-3. The win snapped a five-game losing streak and an eight-game winless streak that included one tie. Chatham’s last win was July 6 – when Gardner hit his walk-off.

The Anglers trailed 3-0 in the early going before pushing two runs across in the fifth. They still trailed in the ninth when three straight singles allowed them to tie the game. Stuart Fairchild’s (Wake Forest) base hit brought the tying run home.

Garcia came up next and fell behind in the count 1-2. He fouled two pitches off then smacked a single to right field to score Simon Matthews (Georgetown) with the winning run.

Garcia came in hitting .109 since his arrival July 2, after he had hit .265 for the Red Raiders. The walk-off gave him his first RBI of the summer.

John Aiello (Wake Forest) added an RBI for the Anglers and Hagen Owenby (East Tennessee State) went 3-for-4. Starter Lincoln Henzman (Louisville) allowed three runs in five innings. Three relievers allowed just one hit over the final four innings.

Brewster got two hits from Brent Rooker (Mississippi State). Zac Lowther (Xavier) struck out eight in five innings and remained in the league lead with 45 on the year.

The win was a big one for Chatham, which would have fallen five points behind Brewster for the final playoff spot with a loss.

Y-D 1, Orleans 0

The Red Sox continue to be at their best against Orleans, finishing the regular season series 5-1 and continuing to get some breathing room in the standings as a result. The lone run of the game scored in the bottom of the 10th inning on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton). Kevin Smith (Maryland) had started the frame with a single then moved to second on a stolen base and third on a wild pitch. Two walks then loaded the bases. The rally made a winner out of Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine), who had pitched a scoreless top of the 10th. That followed two innings from Nathan Kuchta (San Diego) and a strong start by Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina), who delivered a second straight scoreless outing. For Orleans, Jason Morgan (North Carolina) went six scoreless frames. Y-D improved to 20-12 and has matched Falmouth for the best record in the league. The Red Sox remain tied for first place in the East with Harwich, who is 19-11-2. Orleans fell to 15-16-1.

What to Watch

Back to a full slate of games today and should be an interesting match-up in Harwich when Falmouth comes to town. League ERA leader Jeffrey Passantino (Lipscomb) goes for the Commodores against Ryan McAuliffe (St. John’s), who has a 2.16 ERA.

July 4, 2016July 4, 2016

Staying for the Summer

Connor Simmons picked up the win in Saturday's game. — Connor Simmons picked up the win in Saturday’s game.

Humming since opening day, the Cape League’s busy transactions page will slow down now. Sunday was the deadline for signing players on temporary contracts to full contracts, the biggest step in solidifying rosters for the rest of the summer. Some changes will still pop up, but the merry-go-round of the early part of the season is over.

Cotuit was among the busiest teams yesterday, signing 10 temps to full contracts. Then the Kettleers went out and celebrated.

Four players hit home runs and six pitchers held on to the lead as the Kettleers beat Falmouth 9-4 at Lowell Park.

Clay Fisher (UC Santa Barbara), a late arrival after the Gauchos’ trip to Omaha, had about as good a Cape League debut as you could draw up, going 3-for-4 with a grand slam. The slam came in the fourth inning and made it an 8-0 lead.

Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) and A.J. Balta (Oregon) added their first home runs of the summer and Cory Voss (New Mexico) hit his second. Jackson Klein (Stanford), Cal Stevenson (Arizona) and Alonzo Jones (Vanderbilt) added hits to the big offensive day.

On the mound, one of those freshly signed temps, Ross Achter (Toledo) started and allowed one run in three innings. Another one, Connor Simmons (Georgia Southern) went 3.2 scoreless innings and was credited with the win.

The victory was the third in four games for the Kettleers, who are 5-15 and making up a bit of ground in the West. They’re three games back of fourth-place Hyannis.

Wareham 5, Bourne 2

The Gatemen topped Bourne and moved into a first-place tie with the Braves in the West. Adrian Tovalin (Azusa Pacific) homered, while Alex Destino (South Carolina), Colton Shaver (BYU) and Luke Bonfield (Arkansas) drove in one run each. Brett Conine (Cal State Fullerton) allowed two runs in four innings ahead of a dominant effort by the Gatemen bullpen. Robert Garcia (UC Davis) and and Jake Matthys (Angelo State) combined for five scoreless innings of relief. Wareham has now won two straight.

Orleans 5, Chatham 0

The Firebirds pushed their win streak to five with a shutout of Chatham and now own the second-best record in the league. Making his fourth start, Jason Morgan (North Carolina) delivered his best start with five two-hit innings and six strikeouts. Kevin Smith (Georgia), Chandler Day (Vanderbilt) and Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) finished off the shutout. At the plate, the top of the Orleans order led the charge. Leadoff man Brian Miller (North Carolina) went 2-for-5 with two RBI. No. 2 hitter Zach Kirtley (St. Mary’s) homered and also drove in two runs. Justin Jones (Georgia State) went 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs.

Harwich 2, Brewster 1

With Orleans winning, Harwich could have lost its grip on first place in the East but remained a game ahead of the Firebirds thanks to a typical pitching performance. Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall) came up with his fourth quality start in as many tries, allowing one run on six hits in six innings. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. Reliever Austin Bain (LSU) struck out five of the eight batters he faced in two scoreless frames and Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) tossed a scoreless ninth for his fifth save as the Mariners hung on to the one-run edge. Brewster starter Kade McClure (Louisville) was strong in his own right, striking out nine in seven innings, but after carrying a shutout into the seventh, he gave up a two-run homer to Johnny Adams (Boston College) that proved to be the difference.

Y-D 8, Hyannis 7

One team had a player with two home runs and six RBI – and lost. Hyannis’ Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee) hit a grand slam in the third inning and a two-run homer in the fifth, but Y-D won a slugfest 8-7 on a ninth-inning walk-off squeeze bunt by Nolan Brown (TCU) to score J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara). Y-D had also rallied from a 7-5 hole with two runs in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) and a balk that allowed a run to score. Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) homered and drove in two runs for the Red Sox and Tyler Houston (Butler) also had two RBI. Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton) went 4-for-5 in the leadoff spot. For Hyannis, Ford Proctor (Rice) chipped in two hits and Brett Netzer (Charlotte) homered.

What to Watch

Fourth of July Baseball from Wareham to Chatham tonight. At Spillane Field, it’ll be a battle for first place between the Gatemen and the Braves.

June 14, 2016June 14, 2016

A different year

Last seen in a well-played, three-game Cape League championship series, Hyannis and Yarmouth-Dennis are still looking for their first victories of the 2016 season. The Harbor Hawks fell to 0-4 with a 6-1 loss to Orleans Monday, while defending champion Y-D dropped to 0-3 with a 9-1 defeat at the hands of Harwich.

Hyannis has had two close games mixed in with the winless start, falling 3-2 to Bourne on opening night and 5-4 to the Braves again two days later. Y-D has struggled a little more, with a league-worst 8.64 ERA setting the stage for some tough endings. The Red Sox actually lead the league in home runs with five but still haven’t had enough offense.

Both teams will have some reinforcements arriving as we get deeper into the season – particularly Y-D’s pitching staff – but there was no help on the way Monday.

Orleans raced to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first against Hyannis and never looked back. A two-run double by Chris Triano (Keystone College) was the big blow. Riley Adams (San Diego) also knocked in a run with a double.

Jason Morgan (North Carolina) ran with the early lead, allowing one run on two hits in five innings, while fanning five. A fourth-inning home run by Zach Rutherford (Old Dominion) provided Hyannis with its only offense. Charlie Barnes (Clemson) struck out seven in four innings for the Harbor Hawks but was touched up for the early runs.

For Orleans, Riley Mahan (Kentucky) and Adam Haseley (Virginia) each had three hits. Triano, who hit .405 with 13 homers for D-III Keystone, is off to a 5-for-7 start with the Firebirds.

In Harwich, Y-D ran into the team that’s off to the hottest start this summer. Harwich raced to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings and cruised to its fourth straight win.

Austin Filiere (MIT) hit his second home run of the summer and drove in four. Pavin Smith (Virginia) also went deep for the Mariners. Anthony Critelli (Holy Cross) added two RBI.

Harwich starter B.J. Myers (West Virginia) delivered one of the best starts of the young Cape League season with seven strong innings. He allowed one run and struck out four. Y-D managed just five hits against Myers and the Harwich bullpen.

Bourne 10, Cotuit 1

Cotuit also remained winless while Bourne ran its record to 3-0 with a 10-1 win at Doran Park. The Braves smacked 16 hits, with Willy Yahn’s (Connecticut) 3-for-5 day leading the charge. Former Wareham Gateman David MacKinnon (Hartford) had two hits, as did Connor McVey (Cincinnati) and Tyler Friis (Indiana State). Nine of Bourne’s 16 hits went for extra bases. Joshua Shapiro (Marshall), who had an ERA over five this spring, shined in his Cape debut, pitching six shutout innings for the win.

Falmouth 5, Wareham 4

The Commodores held off a late charge for a win over Wareham, as both teams went to 2-1 on the year. Willie Burger (Penn State) went 3-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Falmouth attack. Kevin Merrell (South Florida) added two hits and two runs scored. Jeffrey Passantino (Lipscomb) went 6.1 strong innings, while Tyler Jones (Wichita State) got the win in relief. Brac Warren (Oregon) went two innings for the save. Robert Metz (George Washington) had two hits for the Gatemen and Colton Shaver (BYU) continued his hot start with a double and an RBI.

Brewster 14, Chatham 6

The Whitecaps scored double-digit runs for the second straight game but took an unusual route. Trailing 5-4, they scored 10 runs in the seventh inning to blow the game open. Sixteen men came to the plate in the big inning and several of them reached more than once. Seven hits, four walks, two hit-batsmen and two errors accounted for the offense. Colby Maiola (UMass Lowell) drew a bases-loaded walk for the go-ahead run and the lead grew from there. Eight different Whitecaps finished with at least one RBI in the game. Matt Davis (VCU) drove in three runs. Nick Dunn (Maryland) had four hits. Jacob Westphal (Tennessee) was the beneficiary of the big inning and got the win in relief. Chatham got three hits from Patrick Mathis (Texas).

What to Watch

Harwich will try to get to 5-0 as it visits Orleans. Ryan McAuliffe (St. John’s), who’s coming off a pretty good spring in the Red Storm rotation, is slated to start for the Mariners. Colton Hatchcock (Memphis) is set for his Orleans debut.

June 5, 2016June 7, 2016

Firebirds building on big year

The 2015 Firebirds were one of those once-in-a-few-years Cape League teams that more closely resembles an all-star squad, and the result was 31 wins. With nobody back from that team, the 2016 Firebirds have a tough act to follow.

Five to Watch

1. Riley Adams
2. Michael Mediavilla
3. Zach Warren
4. Chandler Day
5. Zach Kirtley

Notable

Vanderbilt’s Donny Everett, who died in a drowning accident last week, was slated to play for Orleans this summer. The Firebirds Twitter account joined the college baseball community in offering condolences.

Two other Commodores, Chandler Day and Ethan Paul, will head for Orleans. Day is a highly-touted freshman pitcher, while Paul had a solid season in the Vanderbilt infield.

Zach Willeman followed Eric Lauer to the mound a few times this season for Kent State and will follow his footsteps to Orleans this summer. Lauer was terrific for the Firebirds last year and even better for the Golden Flashes this spring. Willeman was the Kent State closer.

The Kent State connection isn’t the only one from last year’s Orleans’ rotation. Kyle Serrano’s Tennessee teammate Zach Warren is bound for Orleans after a pretty good sophomore season

Gonzaga’s Eli Morgan had the best starting pitching numbers among incoming Firebirds, going 10-2 with 99 strikeouts.

Will Stokes isn’t even the official closer at Ole Miss. That job belongs to former Falmouth Commodore Wyatt Short, but Stokes still managed to save seven games. He and Short combined for 18.

Miami has been one of the best teams in the nation and Michael Mediavilla has certainly pulled his weight. He’s 10-1 on the year and went seven strong innings in a regional win Saturday.

San Diego catcher Riley Adams is one of just five sophomores among the 15 Johnny Bench Award semifinalists. He had a strong sophomore campaign, improving across the board from a freshman season that was also pretty good.

Virginia’s Adam Haseley was a key part of last year’s College World Series championship, but he and the 2016 Cavaliers were bounced out of their own regional Sunday by East Carolina.

Brian Miller, North Carolina infielder, is not to be confused with Brian Miller, Vanderbilt reliever who starred for Cotuit in 2013. This Miller looks like he could be a fixture at the top of the Orleans order after hitting .345 and stealing 21 bases.

PITCHERS

Brandon Bielak – SO – Notre Dame – Struck out almost a batter an inning with 2.10 ERA pitching mostly out in relief
Chandler Day – FR – Vanderbilt – Highly-touted, projectable freshman held his own in debut, with 4.26 ERA in 10 appearances
Sean Guenther – SO – Notre Dame – Saved five games as a freshman before pitching mostly as a starter with 4.62 ERA this year
Calvin LeBrun – SO – Gonzaga – Went 5-4 with 4.97 ERA while pitching mostly out of the bullpen for Zags
Zach Logue – SO – Kentucky – Split time as reliever and starter and posted 2.68 ERA, 38 Ks
Kirk McCarty – SO – Southern Miss – Ace of Golden Eagle’s staff is 8-1 with 3.15 ERA and 89 strikeouts
Michael Mediavilla – SO – Miami – Saturday starter leads ‘Canes in strikeouts with 69 and holds 10-1 record with 3.23 ERA
Eli Morgan – SO – Gonzaga – Second-best starter for Bulldogs went 10-2, 3.66 ERA, 99 Ks in 103.1 innings
Jason Morgan – SO – North Carolina – Weekend starter went 3-3 with 4.10 ERA and 47 Ks
Joe Ryan – SO – Cal State Northridge – Pitched as both starter and reliever and finished with 3.35 ERA
Kevin Smith – FR – Georgia – Went 5-1 in swing role with 3.91 ERA, 40 Ks for Bulldogs
John Sparks – SO – Austin Peay – Struggled out of the pen for Governors, finishing with ERA over 10
Will Stokes – SO – Ole Miss – Has saved seven games with 2.93 ERA in team-high 30 appearances
Zach Warren – SO – Tennessee – Had solid season in weekend rotation with 4.04 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 58 Ks
Zach Willeman – SO – Kent State – Finished top 10 in the nation in saves with 14 while posting 2.70 ERA

CATCHERS

Riley Adams – SO – San Diego – Had terrific season for Toreros, batting .327 with 6 HR, team-best 25 extra-base hits
Drew Lugbauer – SO – Michigan – Standout in NECBL last summer hit .294 with 7 home runs as a sophomore

INFIELDERS

Joe Baker – SO – Texas – Followed strong freshman year with bit of a sophomore slump, finishing at .245 with 1 HR
Garrett Benge – SO – Oklahoma State – Solid performer for Cowboys hitting .298 with four homers
Will Golsan – SO – Ole Miss – Has started every game but one for Rebels and is batting .273 with three homers, 31 RBI
Zach Kirtley – SO – St. Mary’s – Starred as a freshman and was top player for tourney team this year – .326, 7 HR, 43 RBI
Riley Mahan – SO – Kentucky – Followed all-star campaign in Perfect Game League with .316, 5 HR sophomore season
Ethan Paul – SO – Vanderbilt – Fourth-leading hitter for Commodores with .283 AVG, 4 HR, 9 SB

OUTFIELDERS

Adam Haseley – SO – Virginia – Omaha standout in championship run last year still hot, with .304 AVG and 1.73 ERA as a pitcher
Scott Hurst – SO – Cal State Fullerton – Hitting .214 in 50 games for Titans
Garrett McCain – SO – Oklahoma State – Batting .203 in part-time duty for Cowboys
Keegan McGovern – SO – Georgia – Hit .263 with 6 HR, team-best 35 RBI in sophomore campaign
Brian Miller – SO – North Carolina – Led Tar Heels with .345 AVG and stole 21 bases in 26 tries
Sean Watkins – SO – Loyola Marymount – Hit .256 at the plate, saved seven games with 2.86 ERA out of bullpen