Posted on

Big Bats

Will Haynie hit his third and fourth home runs of the year to lead Cotuit past Y-D 11-1.
Will Haynie hit his third and fourth home runs of the year to lead Cotuit past Y-D 11-1.

 
In 84 Cape League games prior to Tuesday night’s slate, teams had hit double digits in runs only five times. Tuesday, it happened twice.

Perhaps the bats – always behind at the start of a Cape summer – are catching up.

Bourne beat Falmouth 12-3 with a 15-hit, six extra-base-hit attack, while Cotuit broke out for its best offensive day of the season in an 11-1 victory over Y-D.

(Chatham and Orleans also had big nights, scoring nine and eight runs, respectively, while Hyannis went and ruined the league-wide storyline with a 1-0 victory over Brewster.)

For Bourne, the offense was steady in the early going, with single runs in the first, second and third innings, and four in the fourth. For good measure, the Braves scored five in the top of the ninth to hammer it home.

Camden Duzenack (Dallas Baptist) went 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI. Six other players drove in runs, with Ryan Boldt (Nebraska) and Jacob Robson (Mississippi State) bringing home two each. Florida standout Pete Alonso, playing his second game in a Braves uniform, went 3-for-5 with a double and scored a run. C.J. Chatham (Florida Atlantic) had a triple. Every player in the starting lineup had at least one hit.

The 12 runs were a season-high for the Braves, who raised their team batting average by a whopping .10 points, from .229 up to .239.

The outburst was plenty for Keegan Akin (Western Michigan), who tossed five shutout innings. Doug Norman, who had a strong spring in LSU’s bullpen, made his first Braves appearance and picked up the save. Bourne improved to 8-8-1.

Over at Lowell Park, Cotuit was up to similar tricks, although they were a bit more condensed. After getting shut-out for five innings, the Kettleers scored five runs in the sixth inning and six runs in the eighth to blow past Y-D.

Will Haynie (Alabama) was the star of the show with two home runs, a three-run shot in the sixth and a two-run homer in the eighth. Haynie, though he’s only batting .179, is now tied for the league lead in homers with four.

Gene Cone (South Carolina) also homered and drove in two, while Jackson Klein (Stanford) had two hits and two RBI.

Daniel Brown (Mississippi State) gave up one run in five innings on the hill, and Matthew Milburn (Wofford) went the last four innings for the win. He struck out six.

The win was the second straight for Cotuit, who is now 6-12.
 

Chatham 9, Wareham 2

The Gatemen had won three in a row, but Chatham broke open a close game with five runs in the sixth inning on its way to the 9-2 win. Aaron Knapp (California) and Will Craig (Wake Forest) each had two RBI for the Anglers. Trenton Brooks (Nevada), Cory Raley (Texas Tech) and Kyle Adams (Richmond) added two hits each. Jesse Adams (Boston College) allowed one run in five innings of work for the win. Wareham got a home run from Jarett Rindfleisch (Ball State). Chatham improved to 10-8, which is the third-best record in the league. Wareham is 9-9.
 

Orleans 8, Harwich 5

Orleans also had a big inning – a five-run fourth – to pull away from Harwich in an 8-5 victory. The Firebirds racked up 16 hits, led by three each from Austin Miller (Loyola Marymount) and T.J. Nichting (Charlotte). Kyle Lewis (Mercer) had two hits and two RBI for his third consecutive two-hit game. The emerging star is second in the league in hitting with a .368 mark and is tied for the league lead in home runs and RBI. In addition to the big night at the plate, Orleans got another strong outing from Mitchell Jordan (Stetson), who struck out eight in six innings of two-hit ball. The only run he allowed was unearned, keeping his season ERA at 0.00. Jordan is 3-0 and leads the league in strikeouts with 25.
 

Hyannis 1, Brewster 0

The lone exception on the offensive night was in Hyannis, where the Harbor Hawks and Whitecaps were scoreless for eight innings before a walk-off in the ninth. Nicholas Pappas (College of Charleston) plated the winning run with a two-out single in the ninth, scoring Austin Hays (Jacksonville). Before those heroics, two Hyannis pitchers and four Whitecaps were engaged in quite the duel. Vance Tatum (Mississippi State) scattered five hits in five scoreless innings for Hyannis, before Andrew Civale (Northeastern) struck out five in four scoreless frames. Alex Schick (California) gave up just two hits in six innings for Brewster.
 

What to Watch

No games today. When things pick back up Wednesday, Wareham might be a good place to be. Matt Krook (Oregon), the former first-round pick who’s working his way back from Tommy John Surgery, is slated to start for the Gatemen against Cotuit’s Jon Woodcock (Virginia Tech), who is 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA.
 

Posted on

Still Hot

orleans
 
It could have been a rough day for the Orleans Firebirds. Friday’s game was their first without a trio of early standouts who departed for Team USA. The club also released three pitchers with ace potential who are currently in Omaha and who have also earned Team USA invites.

But on the field, the Firebirds just kept rolling. Kyle Serrano (Tennessee) struck out eight in five innings and six different players had hits as Orleans beat Harwich 5-1 at Whitehouse Field. It was the fifth straight victory for the Firebirds, who moved to 8-2 and overtook Hyannis for the best record in the league.

It was an impressive first act as a new-look squad, considering what Orleans lost. Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) was hitting .310 and leading the league with four home runs and nine RBI. Bryson Brigman (San Diego) was leading the league in hitting at .385, and Colby Woodmansee (Arizona State) was batting .348 while manning shortstop. In Wednesday’s game, their last in Orleans, that trio combined for four hits, three RBI and two runs scored. They may return to Orleans, since Team USA has a short tour this summer, but their departures are still a big blow for now. And that’s not even counting the trio of pitchers who showed up on the transactions list yesterday. Logan Shore and A.J. Puk of Florida and Connor Jones of Virginia all had the potential of being the best arms on the Cape.

Clearly, though, Orleans – like any CCBL team this time of year – will focus on what it still has. And it was pretty good Friday night.

Serrano turned in his second solid start of the summer, allowing one run on three hits in five innings and striking out eight. Chandler Blanchard (Pepperdine) followed with two scoreless frames and Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) and Jason Harper (Southern Connecticut) chipped in one inning each.

At the plate, the Firebirds had only one more hit than the Mariners but took advantage of them with a four-run fourth inning and another run in the sixth. Nick Zammarelli (Elon) went 1-for-3 with two RBI and Adam Pate (North Carolina) had an RBI. Kyle Lewis (Mercer) went 1-for-4 with a double.

It was enough for the Firebirds to stay hot, even on a rough day.
 

Brewster 4, Y-D 3

The Whitecaps snapped a six-game losing streak in dramatic fashion, tying the game in the ninth and walking off with a 4-3 win over the Red Sox in the 10th. Tyler Ramirez (North Carolina) drew a bases-loaded walk to plate the winning run, after the Whitecaps had loaded the bases with two walks and a single. Brewster also trailed 3-2 in the ninth when a sacrifice fly by Eli White (Clemson) from the No. 9 spot in the order tied the game at 3-3. Colin Lyman (Louisville) and Brandon Gold (Georgia Tech) also knocked in runs for the Whitecaps. Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s) kept the Whitecaps in reach as they rallied, tossing two scoreless innings of relief for the win. The win bumped Brewster ahead of Y-D in the standings at 4-6. The Red Sox fell to 3-7 with their third straight loss. Donovan Walton (Oklahoma State) was again a bright spot for Y-D, going 3-for-5 for the third consecutive game.
 

Chatham 4, Cotuit 1

Every run was scored in the seventh inning, and Chatham tallied a few more on its way to a second straight victory and a spot in second place in the East. With the Anglers trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Zack Short (Sacred Heart) and Aaron Knapp (California) had RBI singles, and Will Craig (Wake Forest) came off the bench for a pinch-hit, two-run single. The rally made a winner out of reliever C.J. Burdick (San Diego) who allowed one run in 1.2 innings. Aaron McGarity (Virginia Tech) picked up the save. Though he did not factor in the decision, starter Jesse Adams (Boston College) pitched six scoreless innings for the Anglers. Cotuit’s Austin Sexton (Mississippi State) allowed two runs in 6.1 innings, both of which scored after he departed in the seventh. Jackson Klein (Stanford) homered for the Kettleers, who fell to 4-6.
 

Bourne 4, Hyannis 2

The Braves only picked up their first win Tuesday – seven games into the season – but haven’t lost since. Friday, they knocked off first-place Hyannis, handing the Harbor Hawks their second straight defeat. Bourne starter Alex Robles (Austin Peay) gave up two runs on three hits in the top of the first inning but settled in and allowed just three more hits and no runs over the final five innings. Nick Solak (Louisville) – who arrived for the first win and now hasn’t lost in a Braves uniform – broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run triple in the seventh. Corey Julks (Houston) also knocked in a run. Cody Sedlock (Illinois) got the win in relief and Austin Conway (Indiana State) picked up his first save.
 

Falmouth 6, Wareham 4

Falmouth smacked 13 hits and broke a 4-4 tie in the eighth on its way to a victory over Wareham. Caleb Hamilton (Oregon State) and Tristan Gray (Rice) knocked in the runs in the eighth. Mitch Longo (Ohio) paced the offense with three hits and an RBI. Bryce Montes de Oca (Missouri) made his first start after two dominant relief stints and gave up one run on one hit in five innings of work. He struck out one. Morgan Earman (Arizona) earned the win out of the pen and Stephen Villines (Kansas) got the save.
 

What to Watch

Hyannis will try to get back on track as it visits Harwich. Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast), who struck out nine in his first start, gets the ball for the Harbor Hawks. Cory Wilder, who had a 3.50 ERA in NC State’s weekend rotation this spring, will start for the Mariners.