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Halfway There

The Orleans Firebirds have been on fire lately, and will have a chance to keep it going in the championship series.

Orleans is headed back to the Cape Cod Baseball League championship for the first time since 2005 with a dramatic victory over Chatham. In the West, Bourne broke open a scoreless game in the fourth inning and never looked back en route to a victory over Cotuit, which forces a game three.

Orleans 6, Chatham 5

The Firebirds were the hottest team in the league at the end of the regular season, and they’re not cooling off in the postseason.

After watching a hard-charging Chatham team rally from a three-run deficit to take the lead, Orleans immediately scored two runs to tie it then scored what proved to be the winning run in the eighth. The Firebirds are in the finals for the first time since 2005, when they also beat Chatham in the Eastern Division championship series.

This Orleans team won 11 of its last 13 in the regular season, and has now won four of five in the playoffs. That’s 15 of 18 overall, and the only non-wins were a two-run loss, a one-run loss and a tie.

The Anglers still figured to be a very tough out. They had a “team of destiny” kind of feel around them all season, and even after a 7-3 loss in game one, I don’t think anyone would have been surprised to see a game three.

J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton) gave Chatham a 1-0 lead with his second home run of the post-season, a controversial one that was apparently caught by Geoff DeGroot (UMass Lowell) as he flipped over the center field fence. Orleans answered and went up 3-1 before Chatham scored four in the sixth. Connor Joe’s two-run homer gave the Anglers the lead.

With the game in the hands of the strong Chatham bullpen, the Anglers seemed to be in good shape, but Orleans quickly answered. In the bottom of the sixth, DeGroot, the ninth-place hitter, doubled and then stole third. He scored on a wild pitch. Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) then brought home the tying run on a groundout.

After a scoreless seventh for both teams, Orleans took the lead in the eighth. Ross Kivett (Kansas State) singled, took second on a balk and third on a passed ball, and scored on a sac fly by Davidson. It was the sixth RBI of the series for Davidson.

In the ninth, Orleans gave the ball to closer Matt Troupe (Arizona) as he tried to shut down a Chatham team that won five games in the ninth inning or later this season.

There was no magic this time. Troupe gave up a one-out single but struck out the other three batters to give Orleans a spot in the championship.

For Chatham, it was a tough ending to a terrific season, the franchise’s best in a long time. I think they’ll be remembered much like the 2005 Chatham team that lost to Orleans – a talented and special group, regardless of where they finished.

Chatham’s loss also means it’s now been six years since the team with the best record in the regular season went on to win the championship. The 2007 Y-D Red Sox were the last ones.

 

Bourne 8, Cotuit 1

Cotuit starter Tommy Kister (The Masters College) no-hit the Braves for three-plus innings, but once they broke the seal, the floodgates soon followed.

The Braves got their first hit with two outs in the fourth when Jeff Gardner (Louisville) hit a line drive to center that Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) couldn’t come up with on a sliding try. Vinny Siena (Connecticut) followed with a solid base hit to score a run before Trent Gilbert (Arizona) doubled to score two.

Just like that, it was a 3-0 game, and the Braves never really looked back. They added two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth while keeping Cotuit’s bats quiet the rest of the way.

Gilbert’s two RBI led the offense, while Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) also drove in two. Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) had an RBI triple, his second in as many games.

Bourne got a strong start from Christian Colletti (Connecticut), who was making just his second appearance. He struck out eight and allowed just three hits in four shutout innings. Michael Costello (Radford) got the win with three strong innings of relief. With the big lead, Will Cox (Mississippi State) and Jack English (Florida Gulf Coast) slammed the door.

Game three is set for 4 p.m. today in Cotuit. Ben Smith (Coastal Carolina), who’s been a steady performer all summer, is slated to start for Cotuit. Bourne’s starter is TBA.

 

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Showdown

Kevin Cron knocked in two runs as Falmouth topped Hyannis.

 
Hyannis has owned the West for much of this season in part because it has owned Falmouth. Though the Commodores had the flashier numbers, the Harbor Hawks won each of the first four meetings, making it tough for Falmouth to make up ground.

Hyannis still takes the seasons series thanks to those four wins, but Falmouth has won the last two.

And the division is now co-owned.

With an 8-4 victory over Hyannis last night, Falmouth moved into a 48-point tie with the Harbor Hawks atop the Western Division. Cotuit, which lost to Bourne last night, is a point back.

For Falmouth, last night’s win continued a surge that always seemed close. The Commodores have won four in a row, their first such streak of the season, and they now lead the West in wins with 24. Hyannis is 23-16-2.

Falmouth was shut out for the first three innings last night by late addition Logan Carman (Southern Maine), a D-III All-American. Hyannis needs some help with departures of starters Jeff Hoffman, Patrick Andrews and Austin Pettibone.

It looked like Carman could provide the boost, but ultimately, Falmouth’s big bats represented a tough introduction. The Commodores scored five runs in the fourth and never looked back.

Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) led the parade for Falmouth with four hits, including a home run and a double. Kevin Cron (TCU) went 1-for-3 with three RBI, while Kevin Newman (Arizona) and Conner Hale (State College of Florida) had two hits and an RBI apiece.

On the mound, Trey Teakell (TCU) gave up three runs, two earned, in four innings. Kevin Mooney (Maryland) got the win with two innings of relief. Donny Murray (Holy Cross), Brent Stong (Bradley) and Hunter Brothers (Lipscomb) pitched a hitless inning each and combined for five strikeouts.

While Falmouth’s win tightens things up, the division title is still going to come down to the final three games. Falmouth plays Cotuit twice in its final three, which could make things very interesting. In the meantime, Hyannis has Wareham before two straight games against East foe Y-D.

A number of scenarios could play out. For now, Falmouth has made things a little bit tighter.

 

Harwich 5, Chatham 3; Harwich 3, Chatham 1

Harwich has been treading water for about two weeks but took a big step up yesterday with a doubleheader sweep of first-place Chatham. Harwich is now back in second place in the East, a point ahead of Orleans. In game one, Aaron Bummer (Nebraska) went six strong innings, allowing just one earned run. Mason McCullough (North Carolina) worked a perfect seventh for the save. A balanced attack led the offense, with Ben Moore (Alabama), A.J. Reed (Kentucky), Ryan Lindemuth (William & Mary) and Blair DeBord (Kansas State) driving in one run each. In game two, Harwich got a home run from Gunnar Heidt (College of Charleston) to take a lead it never lost. Brett Austin (NC State) added two hits and an RBI, while Reed knocked in one. Dillon Peters (Texas) pitched three scoreless frames and Ian Tompkins (Western Kentucky) went four strong innings for the win, allowing just one run and striking out six.

 

Y-D 5, Orleans 3

The Red Sox stopped Orleans’ eight-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory and clinched the final playoff spot in the East in the process. Facing Jared Miller (Vanderbilt), who had turned in two consecutive dominant starts, Y-D scored five runs in the first four innings and made the lead stand up. Alex Blandino (Stanford) and Jose Trevino (Oral Roberts) knocked in two runs each while Taylor White (UNLV) drove in the other. Auston Bousfield (Ole Miss) had two hits and scored two runs. On the mound, Clay Smith (St. Louis) gave up three runs in six innings for the win. Alexander Katz (St. John’s) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings in his Cape debut before Kody Kerski (Sacred Heart) finished it off.

 

Bourne 2, Cotuit 0

With Jaron Long and Austin Gomber departing, the Braves are going to need some help in the starting rotation come playoff time. After last night, Jacob Lindgren (Mississippi State) may be up to the task. A starter in the spring but a reliever all summer, Lindgren made his first Cape start and dominated, tossing six shutout innings and striking out seven as the Braves shut out Cotuit. Jack English (Florida Gulf Coast) struck out four in two innings before Lindgren’s Mississippi State teammate Will Cox struck out the side in the ninth for the save. For Cotuit, newcomer Dalton Potts (Tennessee-Martin) went five strong innings but Bourne got to him for two runs that proved to be enough. Mark Laird (LSU) and Jeff Gardner (Louisville) drove in a run each.

 

Wareham 8, Brewster 1

The Gatemen pounded out 19 hits and got a strong pitching performance from Andro Cutura (Southeastern Louisana) en route to a lopsided victory. Cutura, a hard-luck loser several times, went seven innings and struck out six while allowing just a run. He also finally received some run support. Daniel Rosenbaum (Louisville) had three hits and a home run, while Trevor Podratz (Hawaii), Cole Stancil (St. Leo) and Ethan Gross (Memphis) also had three hits. Chris Chinea (LSU) had two hits and drove in two runs. With the loss and a win by Y-D, Brewster officially was eliminated from the playoff race.

 

What to Watch

Second place in the East may well be decided today as Harwich hosts a double-header with Orleans beginning at 4:30 p.m. The Mariners have a one-point edge on Orleans for second place.
 

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Fired Up

Will Fulmer and his mates at the top of the Orleans lineup have helped power a six-game winning streak.

 
Chatham has run away with the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Eastern Division, but outside of the Anglers, it’s been a wide open race.

There’s a new leader.

Orleans beat Wareham 5-2 last night for its sixth consecutive win. Coupled with a Harwich loss, the Firebirds – the same Firebirds who almost fell into the basement a few weeks ago – are now in second place behind Chatham with 38 points. It’s still a tight race, with Harwich a point out of second and Y-D two points back, but for the moment, the Firebirds are at the top of the non-Chatham heap.

The Orleans streak began with a much-needed victory over Brewster on July 20. At the time, it looked like a key win in the battle for fourth place. Since then, though, the Firebirds have left the Whitecaps – and everybody else – behind.

Last night, the streak continued with a comeback victory over a Wareham team that has been playing better of late. The Firebirds trailed 2-0 but tied the game in the sixth and scored three runs in the eighth to take the lead. Jeremy Rhoades (Illinois State) got the win and Trevor Kelley (North Carolina) picked up the save with two strikeouts in the ninth once his team got the lead.

Two of the biggest reasons for Orleans’ success were on full display in the victory – bullpen work and the ability of the top of the order to set the table.

The bullpen has pitched 21.2 innings in the six-game winning streak and has allowed just four earned runs. That means leads have been consistently maintained and deficits have been held in check, setting the stage for comebacks like the one Orleans delivered last night.

Offensively, the top third of the Orleans order is really getting it done, led by Ross Kivett (Kansas State). A 10th-round pick this June who opted not to sign, Kivett took over the leadoff spot after Greg Allen left the team due to an injury and has been terrific. After starting the year 0-for-15, he has reached base in 25 straight games, with hits in 22 of those games. He’s the league leader in hitting among active players with a .358 average, and he’s batting .444 in the six-game winning streak.

Will Fulmer, who hails from Division II Montevallo, has been a consistent performer for the Firebirds all summer and he too has heated up during the recent surge. Fulmer is batting .400 with six runs scored in the winning streak. The typical third batter, Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) had his best hot streak just before the Firebirds took off, but he’s been steady during the streak too, batting .318 with six runs scored.

Together, the top three have scored 21 of Orleans’ 39 runs in the win streak.

That’s an impressive number – and it has helped fuel an impressive run.

 

Chatham 8, Falmouth 0

Lukas Schiraldi (Navarro) dominated Falmouth again as the Anglers cruised to their 25th win of the season. Schiraldi had pitched six shutout innings against Falmouth in his last start. Matched up with the Commodores again, he did the exact same thing, striking out three and allowing just three hits in six scoreless innings. Schiraldi has allowed one earned run in his last four starts – all wins – and has lowered his ERA to 1.19. Beyond Schiraldi, the bullpen also shined, with three relievers combining for six strikeouts in three hitless innings. The offense gave the pitchers all the support they needed in the early going, scoring six runs in the first inning. Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) led the Anglers with a home run, a double and four RBI in the game.

 

Cotuit 4, Hyannis 1

In the final regular season match-up of the longtime rivals, Cotuit put together a four-run sixth inning and held on to clinch the Barnstable Patriot Cup. Cotuit finished with a 4-2 record against the Harbor Hawks. Hyannis starter Kyle Freeland (Evansville), the Cape League’s strikeout leader, was dominant for the first five innings but Cotuit got to him in the sixth. A Logan Ratledge (NC State) two-run double gave Cotuit the lead. After Freeland departed, Hunter Cole (Georgia) hit an RBI single and Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) smacked an RBI triple. That was enough for the one-man relief effort of Eric Karch (Pepperdine). After starter Jared Walsh (Georgia) went four innings, Karch went the final five and dominated. He allowed just one hit and struck out five. The win moved Cotuit to within one point of Hyannis for first place in the West.

 

Y-D 7, Harwich 4

Y-D further tightened the East race with a victory over Harwich. The teams are now just one point apart in the standings. The Red Sox took a 7-1 thanks to home runs by Jose Trevino (Oral Roberts) and Brandon Downes (Virginia), plus an RBI from D.J. Stewart (Florida State). Harwich scored three runs in the ninth but couldn’t get closer as Y-D closer Darrell Hunter (Oregon) came on to slam the door. Sam Lindquist (Stanford) got the win with five solid innings.

 

Bourne 8, Brewster 7

The Braves held off a late charge in dramatic fashion to top Brewster. With the Whitecaps trailing by two in the ninth and two men in scoring position, Cole Lankford (Texas A&M) lined a base hit into left. One run scored but left-fielder Jeff Gardner (Louisville) threw out Nick Lynch (UC Davis) at the plate to end the game. The defensive heroics made a winner out of reliever Jack English (Florida Gulf Coast). Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) turned in a solid start for the Braves, allowing two runs in five innings. Trent Gilbert (Arizona) and Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) led the offense with four hits apiece. Gilbert had two RBI, as did Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) and Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech). Lynch had four RBI for Brewster.

 

What to Watch

Orleans will try to stay hot against a Cotuit team that has won four of five. Cotuit’s only loss in that stretch came to Orleans. Evan Beal (South Carolina), who went seven scoreless in his last start, gets the ball for the Kettleers. Orleans sends Trent Szkutnik (Michigan) and his 1.98 ERA to the hill.
 

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Lighting Up Hyannis

Jeff Hoffman, pictured last year, was dominant in his third start this year.

 
Jeff Hoffman won’t have the kind of season Sean Manaea had last year. He was a late arrival, so he won’t be on the same innings pace, and he had a tough outing in his last start that shot his ERA through the roof.

But Hoffman is getting plenty of love and for one night, he wowed fans and scouts at McKeon Park just like his former Hyannis teammate did last summer.

The East Carolina righty turned in the most dominant pitching performance of the Cape summer last night, striking out 11 and giving up just three hits in 7.2 scoreless innings as Hyannis beat Orleans 3-0. He walked one and needed just 90 pitches to get into the eighth.

Hoffman is no stranger to summer success. He was quietly solid in the shadow of Manaea last summer, finishing with a 2.40 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 30 innings. And the quiet turned very loud when he lit up radar guns at the All-Star Game. Baseball America rated him the Cape League’s seventh-best prospect.

After a pretty good spring at East Carolina, he returned to Hyannis and made his 2013 debut on July 4. He struck out eight in six innings that night.

His next start looked like a classic in the making – his power vs. the power bats in the Falmouth lineup. It didn’t pan out. Hoffman was chased in the fourth inning and then Hyannis came back to win.

But on Wednesday, Hoffman was firmly back on track. He struck out the side in the second and third innings, tossed a four-pitch inning in the sixth and struck out the first two batters in the eighth. According to Perfect Game’s Frankie Piliere, Hoffman’s fastball reached 98 and consistently sat between 94 and 97. Piliere calls Hoffman a new candidate for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft.

With Hoffman’s performance in the books, Sarkis Ohanian (Duke) sealed the victory for the Hawks with 1.1 scoreless innings. He has now made nine appearances without allowing a run.

Orleans starter Josh Sborz (Virginia) did his best to match Hoffman, striking out eight in five innings, but the Hyannis offense did enough to get control. Skyler Ewing (Rice) went 1-for-4 with two RBI and Dominic Jose (Stanford) drove in the other run.

 

Bourne 11, Wareham 3

In the only other game of the night, the Braves had 15 hits, only three more than Wareham, but scored eight more runs in an easy victory. Every player in the Bourne lineup had a hit. Mark Laird (LSU), who made his Cape League debut last week, had his best game yet, going 3-for-5 with three RBI. Jeff Gardner (Louisville) went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) also drove in two. Kris Gardner (Wichita State) got the start for the Braves and gave up a run in four innings. Jacob Lindgren (Mississippi State) got the win in relief. Cole Sturgeon (Louisville) led Wareham with three hits.

 

What to Watch

Division leaders Cotuit and Chatham will square off at 7 p.m. at Veterans Field. Evan Beal (South Carolina), who tossed six shutout innings against Falmouth in his last start, goes for the Kettleers. Andrew McGee (Monmouth), who had his first bad outing of the summer last time after a terrific beginning, is slated to go for Chatham.
 

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Armed and Ready

Chris Ellis turned in his third strong start of the summer for Cotuit on Thursday.

This is the time of year when hitters in the Cape Cod Baseball League usually start to settle in, but at least for a few teams, last night belonged to the pitchers. The five winning teams on the Cape slate combined to allow just three runs. Nobody allowed more than one run.

Two of the victories were shutouts that continued hot starts for the guys who helped author them.

In Bourne, Jaron Long (Ohio State) made his second start and was just as dominant as he was the first time. After going five shutout innings in his first start, he went six scoreless this time as the Braves rolled over Hyannis 9-0. Long gave up three hits and struck out six. For the season, Long has now allowed just eight hits in two starts – and amazingly, all the hits have been singles.

Long is back for his second summer on the Cape. He was solid last year, but this year he’s taken it to a new level.

Josh Laxer (Ole Miss) followed Long to the hill and didn’t let the shutout slip. He struck out four and didn’t give up a hit in three innings. The Bourne offense did the rest, with all nine starters getting a hit. Jeff Gardner (Louisville) and Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) each had two hits and an RBI.

In Cotuit, the Kettleers didn’t have quite as much offense as Bourne – but they didn’t need it. Chris Ellis (Ole Miss) turned in his third great outing in as many tries as Cotuit eased past Wareham 3-0. Ellis went six scoreless, striking out one and scattering four hits. He’s now given up one earned run on eight hits in 14 innings.

Joel Seddon (South Carolina) finished the job for Ellis, going three innings for the save. He gave up two hits and stretched his season-long scoreless innings streak to 8.2

Wareham starter Fred Shepard (Amherst) was solid for the third time this season, giving up three earned and striking out five in seven innings, but the Kettleers got to him just enough to grab control. Will Remillard (Coastal Carolina) and Tim Kiene (Maryland) both hit their first home runs of the year and that was all the offense Cotuit needed.

 

Harwich 2, Chatham 1

The best individual pitching performance of the night belonged to Harwich’s Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State), who went five no-hit innings against the Anglers. It looked like Harwich might waste it when Chatham tied the game in the sixth off reliever Gunner Carroll (Army), but Carroll avoided further damage and Sean Fitzgerald (Notre Dame) kept the game tied with four scoreless innings of work. That set the stage for Tanner English (South Carolina), who came up with one out in the 10th, fell behind 0-2, worked it full and then cracked a walk-off home run to give Harwich (9-4) its third straight win. English was 1 for his last 16 coming into that at-bat but he picked a good time to break out of the slump. Fitzgerald got the win for the Mariners. Ian Happ (Cincinnati) had the other RBI while Derek Fisher (Virginia) went 2-for-3. Aaron Barbosa (Northeastern) went 1-for-4 and stayed atop the batting average leaderboard with a .405 mark. He also stole three bases to take over the league lead with 10. Chatham (7-5-1) got five strong innings from Lukas Schiraldi (Navarro College).

 

Y-D 8, Orleans 1

The Red Sox (5-7-1) were finally on the right side of a lopsided score as they cruised past Orleans (6-7). Alex Blandino (Stanford), Brandon Downes (Virginia) and Auston Bousfield (Ole Miss) each drove in two runs to pace the offense while Andrew Daniel (San Diego) and Taylor White (UNLV) had two hits each. The pitching staff, which was struggling mightily this time last week, got a quality start from Kyle Wood (Purdue), who struck out two and gave up just a run on four hits in 5.2 innings. In its five victories, Y-D has out-scored the opposition 32-8.

 

Falmouth 4, Brewster 1

The Commodores (8-5) got solid performances from three pitchers and broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the seventh to beat Brewster (3-9). Brandon Magallones (Northwestern) gave up just an unearned run in 5.2 innings, while Jared Price (Maryland) got the win with 1.1 scoreless innings. Donny Murray (Holy Cross) also pitched a scoreless frame, as did Zech Lemond (Rice), who was making his Cape League debut after a big spring as the Owls’ closer. Kevin Cron (TCU) led the Falmouth offense, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and his league-leading seventh double. He’s now carrying an eight-game hitting streak. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) added two hits and an RBI.

 

What to Watch

The top two teams in the league are set to meet in Cotuit at 5 p.m. as the Kettleers host the Harwich Mariners. The clubs have matching 9-4 records. Alex Haines (Seton Hill), who has struck out 14 and hasn’t allowed a run in two starts, is scheduled to start for Cotuit. Keaton Haack (Alabama), who went 5.1 strong innings in a Harwich win over Cotuit, is slated to get the ball again for the Mariners.