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One Away

Jake Fincher slides into second in Saturday's game.

 
After nothing but close games in the first-round of the playoffs, the division championship series got underway with two games that were a little more lopsided. Cotuit rolled past Bourne and Orleans pulled away late to hand Chatham its first playoff loss.

 

Cotuit 9, Bourne 2

The last time the Cotuit Kettleers were in the West finals and the last time they were the No. 3 seed, they won the 2010 Cape Cod Baseball League championship. They took a step in the same direction yesterday when they jumped to an early lead and cruised over Bourne 9-2 in game one of the Western Division championship series.

The Kettleers scored five runs in the second inning and never really looked back, adding to the lead as they went. Dalton Potts (Tennessee Martin), making just his second start of the summer, stranded two men in three of his five innings and held the Braves to just a run. John Hochstatter (Stanford), Joel Seddon (South Carolina) and Eric Karch (Pepperdine) finished the job.

The Cotuit offense once again got huge contributions from its late-season reinforcements. Caleb Bryson (Samford) hit his fifth home run in his sixth game to start the scoring, and Austin Byler (Nevada) blasted a two-run shot a batter later to give Cotuit the lead. Danny Diekroeger (Stanford) added two RBI, while Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco), who’s back from an injury that kept him out of part of the first-round series, went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

The Kettleers finished with 13 hits. Jake Fincher (NC State), Logan Ratledge (NC State) and Garrett Stubbs (USC) chipped in two each.

The Braves, who are playing without MVP Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State), had 10 hits of their own but scored just the two runs. That’s been an issue all year – the Braves ranked second in the league in batting average but just seventh in runs scored.

Game two is set for today at 6 p.m. at Doran Park.

 

Orleans 7, Chatham 3

The Firebirds broke open a 4-3 game with three in the eighth and three pitchers allowed just three hits en route to a victory over Chatham. Orleans, who won two straight against Chatham to end the regular season, has now won three straight.

Corey Miller (Pepperdine), who won one of those two regular-season meetings, went five strong innings for the Firebirds, allowing three unearned runs on three hits. He struck out six.

Then the bullpen took over. Luis Paula (North Carolina) and Jeremy Rhoades (Illinois State) pitched the last four innings without allowing a hit. In the playoffs, Orleans relievers have now allowed four runs in 14 innings.

The offense spotted Miller a four-run lead with two in the first and two in the second. Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and Jordan Betts (Duke) knocked in two. Vince Conde (Vanderbilt) added two hits and an RBI.

Game two is slated for 7 p.m. in Orleans. Shawn O’Neill (La Salle) goes for the Firebirds. He has pitched mostly as a reliever this summer. Aaron Garza (Houston), who’s winless despite some solid starts, gets the ball for Chatham.

 

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Still Wild

Kyle Freeland and Hyannis remained in a first-place tie with a victory over Y-D.

 
The Western Division race finally gained some clarity on Saturday night.

But the race for the championship will still come down to the season’s final day.

With Falmouth’s 9-5 victory over Cotuit last night, the Kettleers have been eliminated from title contention. They’re three points out, and with only one game left, they can’t make up that ground. But Hyannis also won last night, 6-1 over Y-D, to remain tied with Falmouth for first place.

It’ll come down to today, the third third time in the past four years that a division champion will be decided on the final day. It was the East race in both 2010 and 2011.

Falmouth won its sixth straight to stay in the first-place tie. Trailing 5-1 in the seventh, the Commodores scored five runs to take the lead and added three in the ninth to pull away.

Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) had two hits and added two RBI to his league-leading total. Troy Stein (Texas A&M) also had two RBI, while Kevin Cron (TCU) had three hits. Kevin Newman (Arizona), who may well be on his way to the batting title, had two more hits after his 6-for-6 night. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) had two hits and an RBI.

Once the Commodores got the lead, the bullpen closed the door on Cotuit. Jared Price (Maryland) and Hunter Brothers (Lipscomb) struck out two in a scoreless inning each to preserve the lead.

For all the success Falmouth has had in the last week, Hyannis just will not go away. The Harbor Hawks have won three of their last four.

On Saturday, they got a terrific pithing performance from Rocky McCord (Auburn). He went five scoreless innings in his last start and followed it up with 5.2 strong frames. He allowed one run and struck out three. Kyle Freeland (Evansville) struck out two in 1.1 innings before Jordan DeLorenzo (West Florida), who was making just his second appearance, picked up a save with two scoreless innings.

Jose Lopez (Seton Hall) struck out eight in 6.2 innings, but Hyannis scored two unearned runs off of him and added more against the Y-D bullpen. Ryan Padilla (New Mexico) had two hits and an RBI. Austin Slater (Stanford) added two hits, and Landon Curry (Indiana State) went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

All the same teams will meet again today. As far as Hyannis and Falmouth are concerned, we’ll see if either blinks. If they remain tied, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition, and Hyannis would own the edge.

 

Orleans 1, Chatham 0

Chatham lost its fourth in a row, while Orleans won its 10th in the last 12 with a 1-0 shutout. Corey Miller (Pepperdine) went five scoreless for the win. Jeremy Rhoades (Illinois State), Brian Clark (Kent State) and Matt Troupe (Arizona) finished it off, with Troupe taking over the league lead in saves at 11. Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) delivered the only offense with a solo home run.

 

Harwich 6, Brewster 4

The Mariners remained within striking distance of Orleans for second place with a victory over the Whitecaps. Harwich scored runs in the eighth and ninth to break a 4-4 tie. Nick Howard (Virginia) went 3-for-4 with two RBI and A.J. Reed (Kentucky) hit a home run to lead the Harwich offense. Derek Fisher (Virginia) added two his and Blair DeBord (Kansas State) knocked in two. On the mound, Logan Jernigan (NC State) gave up just two earned runs in 6.2 innings. Sam Howard (Georgia Southern) went 2.1 scoreless innings for the win.

 

Bourne 8, Wareham 0

Three pitchers combined on a shutout as the Braves beat Wareham. Making his first start of the summer, Christian Colletti (Connecticut) struck out three in five scoreless innings. Cody Livingston (Southern Miss) went three innings and Will Cox (Mississippi State) finished it off. Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) and Mark Laird (LSU) had three hits each to lead the offense. Vinny Siena (Connecticut) backed his college teammate Colletti with two RBI.

 

What to Watch

Falmouth visits Cotuit at 4:30 and Hyannis hosts Y-D at 6 in the West race.
 

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More Magic

Jimmy Pickens hit a home run and a walk-off bunt single to lead Chatham to a division-clinching victory.

 
The Chatham Anglers have a lot going for them this season – solid starting pitching, a terrific bullpen, some ever-increasing pop in the batting order and a team on-base percentage that would make Billy Beane proud.

A little magic doesn’t hurt either.

Chatham clinched the Eastern Division title on Wednesday night with its fifth walk-off victory of the summer, a 6-5, 10-inning thriller over Y-D. The division crown is Chatham’s first since it shared the title with Y-D in 2001.

The Anglers were coming off an 8-1 loss to Brewster heading into Wednesday’s game, and they fell behind Y-D 5-0 despite having Tommy Lawrence (Maine) on the mound. Lawrence hadn’t given up a run since June, but was touched up for four in five innings.

Chatham got one back in the sixth on a Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga) sacrifice fly but went to the ninth trailing 5-1. If Chatham was to deliver more heroics, it would be the toughest road yet.

The Anglers did it anyway.

Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) smashed a two-run home run to get Chatham closer and to breathe new life into the comeback. It was the fourth home run in as many games for Pickens, who suddenly ranks second in the league in long balls.

Michael Russell (North Carolina) followed with a base hit and Gonsolus got Chatham within one on an RBI double. Brandon Sedell (Nova Southeastern) then brought home the tying run with a single.

After keeping Y-D off the board in the top of the 10th, Chatham went back to work. Blake Butera (Boston College) was hit by a pitch and Dante Flores (USC) walked. J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton), who was 3-for-5, was intentionally walked, bringing Pickens to the dish, with the chance to be a hero.

The way he’d been hitting, the script called for a grand slam. Pickens bunted instead, Y-D had no play and Butera sprinted home with the winning run.

Pickens finished the day 4-for-6 with three RBI, while Davis was 3-for-5 with two runs scored. The emergence of those two – they’re hitting .483 and .436 over the last two weeks – is another reason to like Chatham’s chances, but they’re not the only heroes.

Magic like Chatham’s comes from a team effort – and the Anglers are pretty good at that.

 

Orleans 8, Brewster 2

Orleans owns the 2013 season’s longest winning streak, and it just keeps going. The Firebirds stretched it to eight last night with an 8-2 victory over the Whitecaps. The Firebirds led 3-2 before scoring five in the ninth to pull away. Ross Kivett (Kansas State) went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI to lead the offense, and four of his teammates added two hits each. On the mound, Bobby Poyner (Florida) went five shutout innings, giving up just two hits while striking out one. Conor Harber (Western Nevada CC), Jeremy Rhoades (Illinois State) and Trevor Kelley (North Carolina) pitched a scoreless inning apiece out of the bullpen.

 

Hyannis 2, Bourne 0

Cotuit and Falmouth both won, but the Harbor Hawks stayed one point ahead thanks to a shutout victory over the Braves. Cy Sneed (Dallas Baptist) delivered his best start of the summer, striking out five and allowing just four hits in six innings. Kevin Doherty (Virginia) made his Cape League debut and worked a scoreless frame before Jordan Foley (Central Michigan) finished off the shutout with a two-inning save. Chase Griffin (Georgia Southern) and Brian Anderson (Arkansas) each had two hits and scored a run to pace the offense. For Bourne, Kris Gardner (Wichita State) was the hard-luck lose after his best start of the season. He allowed just two unearned runs in seven innings.

 

Falmouth 13, Harwich 1

The Commodores won their third straight with their second 13-run performance of the summer. Facing Harwich standout Chandler Shepherd (Kentucky), Falmouth took a 2-0 lead in the first before blowing the game open and chasing Shepherd with six runs in the fifth. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) hit his league-best eighth home run, part of a 2-for-3, four RBI night. Troy Stein (Texas A&M) also homered and drove in two, while Kevin Cron (TCU) went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Starting pitcher John Means (West Virginia) didn’t need all the offense. He struck out seven and allowed just one hit in six innings, taking a no-hitter into the fifth. Falmouth remains two points back of Hyannis in the West.

 

Cotuit 6, Wareham 3

Cotuit also kept pace in the West race with a victory over Wareham. Christian Cecilio (San Francisco) gave up a run in 4.2 innings before the bullpen took over. Joel Seddon (South Carolina) picked up the win and Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) grabbed the save with four strikeouts in two innings. Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) led the offense with three hits, including a triple, and two RBI. Danny Diekroeger (Stanford) also had three hits, while Austin Byler (Nevada) had two hits and an RBI. For Wareham, Sean Newcomb (Hartford) struck out seven in three innings while giving up two runs.

 

What to Watch

We’ll finally get a little separation in the West with Falmouth visiting Hyannis. The Falmouth starter is TBA, while Hyannis goes with newcomer Logan Carman (Southern Maine), a Division III All-American. In the East, Chatham is hosting a doubleheader with Harwich, beginning at 4 p.m.

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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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Next in Line

Daniel Savas struck out 12 in eight innings as Y-D topped Harwich.

 
It has not been a good year for Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox pitchers and with ace Erick Fedde taking a detour to Team USA, it didn’t look like this week would be much help.

Daniel Savas had something to say about that.

The righty from Illinois State turned in as dominant a performance last night as anyone on the Cape has delivered this summer. He struck out 12 and allowed one run in eight innings as the Red Sox beat Harwich 5-3.

It was the the third straight win for Savas, who is steadily emerging as one of the top pitchers in the league. He has suddenly vaulted himself into second in the league in strikeouts, despite the fact that he didn’t make his first appearance until June 23 and his first start until July 5.

The performance is only surprising in the sense that you might not have seen it coming. Savas was a late arrival – on a temporary contract, in fact – but his spring was tremendous. He went 10-0 for Illinois State with a 1.79 ERA and five complete games in 15 starts. He struck out 98 in 100.1 innings. Opponents hit just .180 against him.

Savas had a solid freshman season in 2011 before redshirting in 2012. This season represented an impressive return. He was a first-team all-Missouri Valley pick.

After all of that, though, Savas was not drafted this spring. He hit the road for the Cape, and the Red Sox are very happy he did. He’s been just what the doctor ordered for them – they’re 3-0 in games he’s started.

Last night, Savas actually gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Ian Happ (Cincinnati), but it was smooth sailing from there. He struck out the side after the home run, then cruised, allowing just four more hits. He only got stronger as the game went on, retiring the last 11 batters he faced.

He had plenty of support, too. The Red Sox got two RBI from D.J. Stewart (Florida), plus one RBI each by Taylor Smart (Tennessee) and Alex Blandino (Stanford).

The Red Sox are now just one game under .500, and they may get their ace back soon – Fedde is expected back when Team USA’s season ends next week.

But with Savas in the mix, it may get crowded at the top of the rotation.

 

Chatham 11, Cotuit 8

The East and West first-place teams rank third and fourth in team ERA, but their third meeting of the year was a slugfest. Chatham prevailed, running its record against the Kettleers to 3-0 and becoming the first team in the league to 20 wins. They’re now 20-9. The Anglers scored six runs in the fourth, still found themselves in a tied game but took the lead with one in the sixth and three in the seventh. J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton) hit his second home run, part of a three-hit, three RBI night. Michael Russell (North Carolina) drove in two runs, while Dante Flores (USC), Connor Joe (San Diego) and Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) drove in one each. On the mound, Andrew McGee (Monmouth) had another tough outing, but the bullpen picked up the slack, allowing just one run over the final 4.1 innings. Ryan Leach (Franklin Pierce) got the win and Kyle Funkhouser (Louisville) notched his fourth save in just his fifth appearance. For Cotuit, Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) went 3-for-4 with his first home run of the summer.

 

Bourne 7, Brewster 0

Jaron Long (Ohio State) was terrific again as the Braves shut out Brewster for their second straight win. Long went six scoreless, striking out three and giving up just three hits. He’s now 5-0 and owns more than a third of his team’s wins. He has allowed one run all summer and just 17 hits in 28 innings pitched. Michael Costello (Radford) and Justin McCalvin (Kennesaw State) finished off the shutout, with McCalvin striking out the side in a spotless ninth. The Bourne offense was led by Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State), who went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Trent Gilbert (Arizona) went 4-for-4.

 

Falmouth 12, Hyannis 1

The Commodores was 0-4 against Hyannis but exacted a measure of revenge last night, pounding 18 hits on their way to the lopsided victory. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) went 2-for-4 and hit his sixth home run, which vaults him into the league lead. Five other Commodores also had multi-hit games, led by Kevin Cron (TCU), who went 4-for-4 with three RBI. Dylan Davis (Oregon State) had three RBI and Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) had two, bumping his league-high total to 26. On the mound, Trey Teakell (TCU) – who pitched in a loss to Hyannis last week – went seven strong innings, striking out four and giving up only one hit.

 

Orleans 4, Wareham 0

The Firebirds have been struggling but picked up a much-needed victory with a shutout of the Gatemen. Vanderbilt lefty Jared Miller made his third start and was at his best, tossing seven innings of two-hit baseball. He struck out four. Jeremy Rhoades (Illinois State) and Matt Troupe (Arizona) finished it off, with Troupe getting his sixth save. Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) went 4-for-4 with his second home run of the summer, stretching his hit streak to six games. Vince Conde (Vanderbilt) and Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) had two hits each.

 

What to Watch

Cotuit and Hyannis, the top two teams in the West, will square off for the fourth time this season at 6 p.m. at McKeon Park. The Kettleers are 3-1 in the four match-ups. Kyle Freeland (Evansville), who’s won his last two starts, gets the ball for Hyannis. Christian Cecilio (San Francisco), who has settled in after one bad June start, is on the hill for Cotuit.

 

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New Faces

Harwich's Ian Happ, a late roster addition, is off to a great start.

It’s easy to miss the boat on potential stars when they aren’t part of preseason outlooks and previews, but late additions to Cape League rosters often come to town with pretty good credentials.

In an effort to keep up, we begin the notebook with a quick look at some of the stand-outs who may not have been on the preseason radar:

Erich Weiss, Chatham – Texas stand-out had a down junior year, but was still selected in 13th round this year
Joe Goodman, Chatham – Undersized righty had an ERA under 1.00 for High Point
Cole Lankford, Brewster – Starred for Texas A&M this year, hitting .352 with three homers
Jake Stinnett, Brewster – Maryland pitcher was a 29th round pick of the Pirates this June
Ian Happ, Harwich – Cincy freshman hit .322 with six homers in debut
Ryan Lindemuth, Harwich – William & Mary junior hit .351 in the spring, was drafted by Pirates in 20th round this year
Ian Tompkins, Harwich – Western Kentucky reliever struck out 59 in just 35 innings this spring
Geoff DeGroot, Orleans – Hit .345, stole 25 bases for UMass Lowell
Jeremy Rhoades, Orleans – Saves six games with an ERA under two for Illinois State
Jeremy Null, Y-D – Had a tremendous year on the mound for Western Carolina, striking out 109 in 91 IP
Chad Carroll, Bourne – Terrific season at James Madison – .389, 3 HR, 55 RBI on way to All-CAA honors
Connor Castellano, Cotuit – TCU commit started his career at Vanderbilt before going the JUCO route
Steven Duggar, Cotuit – Hit .300 for Clemson as a freshman; ranked 15th best frosh in the country coming into the year
Alex Haines, Cotuit – Top prospect in the NECBL last year and a 33rd round pick this year
Trevor Seidenberger, Cotuit – Struck out 63 for TCU and was drafted in 12th round by Brewers
Conner Hale, Falmouth – JUCO star has committed to LSU for next year
Trey Teakell, Falmouth – TCU reliever had an ERA under 1.00
Jake Hernandez, Hyannis – Solid player for Orleans last summer has resurfaced in Hyannis and is off to a fast start
Fred Shepard, Wareham – Amherst standout was steady contributor for Wareham last year

 

  • Team USA has sort of unofficially gone back to its old trials format, where players headed to camp without roster spots. In recent years, the team was picked without any sort of trials. This year, it’s kind of a hybrid, with some players guaranteed to be on the roster and others fighting for spots. Quite a few players who have already been on the Cape this year are part of the second group, including Harwich’s C.J. Hinojosa and A.J. Reed, Falmouth’s Preston Morrison, Orleans’ Colin Welmon and Cotuit’s Bradley Zimmer.

  • Wareham’s lineup can use all the help it can get, and the Gatemen signed an old friend today who should help the cause in Louisville’s Cole Sturgeon. The sophomore hit .297 with five home runs in Wareham’s championship season last year. He also pitches and had a 1.97 ERA in seven games.

  • Three pitchers have made two starts without allowing an earned run – Harwich’s Aaron Bummer and Chandler Shepherd and Cotuit’s Alex Haines. Haines leads that group in strikeouts with 14 in nine innings. Interestingly, Bummer has only struck out five in 13 innings.

  • Orleans closer Matt Troupe hasn’t picked up a save since getting two early on, but he continues to strike a lot of people out. Troupe has 10 strikeouts in 4.2 innings pitched, good for a 19.3 K/9.

  • The Y-D pitching staff struggled mightily for three games before getting on track Monday. The Red Sox were hurting so much that they put returning all-star infielder Robert Pehl on the mound for an inning. He promptly struck out two in a perfect inning.

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    Worth the Wait

    Steve Wilkerson, pictured last year, drove in two runs as Hyannis won its long-awaited season opener in walk-off fashion Saturday night.
    One team had played three games. Most had played two. Everybody else had played at least one.

    The Hyannis Harbor Hawks waited.

    Their first three games were postponed due to rain and soggy field conditions at McKeon Park. When the Harbor Hawks got the all clear Saturday night, they got their money’s worth.

    Hyannis rallied from a 4-2 deficit against unbeaten Falmouth and won 5-4 in 12 innings. Ryan Padilla’s pinch-hit, walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th clinched it.

    It was a welcome start for the Harbor Hawks, who missed the playoffs last year. With Falmouth coming to town, getting off on the right foot figured to be tough. The Commodores have scored the most runs in the league thus far and while most lineups are being shuffled around from one day to the next, Falmouth’s has been pretty steady.

    Hyannis countered with a strong outing from starter Cy Sneed (Dallas Baptist), who allowed just a run on two hits in five innings, but Falmouth broke through against the bullpen with four runs in the sixth inning. A two-run double by Kevin Cron (TCU) was the big blow.

    But the Harbor Hawks responded an inning later, tying the score at 4-4 on a two-run double by Steve Wilkerson (Clemson). Wilkerson was a Harbor Hawk in 2012 and the rising senior is back on a temporary contract. He went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI in his 2013 debut.

    The next four innings were scoreless, with the bullpens doing solid work, but Hyannis broke through in the 12th. Will Maddox (Tennessee) was hit by a pitch to start it and stole second. Wilkerson singled and took second on defensive indifference. An intentional walk loaded the bases with one out. After Falmouth got the second out, Padilla (New Mexico) came off the bench and singled in the winning run.

    The Harbor Hawks could celebrate – finally.

     

    Chatham 5, Brewster 4

    Chatham (3-0) is your only undefeated team, and the Anglers owe their latest win to more late-inning heroics. After a walk-off victory over Cotuit on Friday, the Anglers delivered another walk-off on Saturday against Brewster (0-2). With the game tied 4-4 in the ninth, Dante Flores (USC) plated Brandon Sedell (Nova Southeastern) with a base hit to give the Anglers their third victory in as many games. It was the first hit of the season for Flores, who had been 0-for-6. The rally made a winner out of Jacob Dorris (Texas A&M Corpus Christi), who allowed an unearned run in two innings of relief. Connor Joe (San Diego), who’s had a hit in every game, went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jake Stinnett (Maryland) gave Brewster a quality start with six strikeouts in five scoreless innings.

     

    Cotuit 3, Wareham 2

    The Kettleers (2-1) didn’t win on a walk-off, but had some late-inning magic of their own. Wareham’s Fred Shepard (Amherst) mystified the Kettleers for six innings, allowing just two hits in that span, but they got to him for three in the seventh, and that was the difference. Trailing 1-0, Cotuit scored the tying run and chased Shepard. Cotuit greeted reliever Ryan Riga (Ohio State) with a two-rin single by Will Remillard (Coastal Carolina). Mike Ford (Princeton), who had come on in the fifth, sealed the victory for the Kettleers by working out of james in the eighth and ninth innings. Remillard had two hits to lead the offense, as did Hunter Cole (Georgia). Trevor Podratz (Hawaii) homered for Wareham (0-2).

     

    Orleans 3, Y-D 0

    Orleans trotted out a whopping six pitchers, and they combined on a shutout as the Firebirds (1-1) picked up their first win of the season over Y-D (2-2). Lucas Long (San Diego) was credited with the victory, while Matt Troupe (Arizona) struck out the side in a perfect ninth to pick up the save. Troupe was the third straight pitcher to strike out the side for Orleans. Brian Clark (Kent State) did it in the seventh and Jeremy Rhoades (Illinois State) did it in the eighth. Orleans got all the offense it needed in the third thanks to a bases-loaded double by Austin Davidson (Pepperdine).

     

    Harwich 4, Bourne 1

    The Mariners (2-1) took a lead in the top of the first and never trailed en route to the victory over Bourne, who remained winless at 0-3. Ian Happ (Cincinnati), Ben Moore (Alabama) and Aaron Barbosa (Northeastern) drove in runs for the Mariners, while A.J. Reed (Kentucky) delivered a strong start in his 2013 pitching debut. Reed, one of the top two-way players in the country, struck out five and allowed one run on four hits in six innings. Chris Oliver (Arkansas) got the save.

     

    What to Watch

    A pair of 2-1 teams meet in a West showdown as Falmouth hosts Cotuit. Craig Schlitter (Bryant) a stand-out last year, is back on a temporary contract and is slated to start for Falmouth. Alex Haines, who is from Seton Hill (not Seton Hall) starts for Cotuit. Haines struck out 91 in 76.2 innings this season for the D-II Griffins. He was Baseball America’s top prospect in the NECBL last summer and was a 33rd round pick of the Rockies a few weeks ago.