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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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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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Casey at the Bat

Casey Gillaspie hit his league-leading seventh home run yesterday.

 
Casey Gillaspie was going to have a hard time matching his big brother’s success. That’s what happens your brother is a former Cape Cod Baseball League MVP.

But Gillaspie is doing his best.

The Falmouth slugger went 4-for-6 in a doubleheader yesterday and belted his league-leading seventh home run. Falmouth split the twin bill with Bourne, winning the first game 3-1 and dropping the second 4-3.

Gillaspie has now officially matched his brother in the home run category. Casey hit a league-best .345 with seven homers in his 2007 MVP campaign with Falmouth.

Casey got off to a bit of a slow start this summer. While teammate Rhys Hoskins was hot from the beginning, Kevin Cron was delivering huge games and Dylan Davis was bursting onto the scene with four home runs in his first four games, Gillaspie was a little more in the shadows. But he was clearly part of the sluggers crew, and he has steadily improved his all-around numbers in the last few weeks.

Gillaspie was hitting .235 on July 15. Since then, he’s had a hit in nine of 10 games and is batting .447 in that stretch with five extra-base hits. He leads the league in home runs by two and he ranks second in extra-base hits. His batting average is up to .292, his on-base percentage is .364 and his slugging percentage is .496.

Falmouth didn’t really need the help, but Gillaspie’s uptick makes them that much more dangerous. Davis had two RBI and Leon Byrd, Jr. (Rice) hit a home run in the game-one win yesterday. Trey Teakell (TCU) tossed seven strong innings on the mound.

In game two, Bourne got six strong innings from Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic), who was making his final start. Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) and Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) drove in two runs each. That was enough to hold off Falmouth.

Gillaspie did his part with a double and a homer. If he stays hot, it’s going to get harder and harder to hold Falmouth off.

 

Hyannis 0, Brewster 0; Hyannis 5, Brewster 4

Hyannis and Brewster also staged a doubleheader and the Harbor Hawks came away from it with three points and a three-point lead in the West standings. Brewster got a dominant performance from Aaron Brown (Pepperdine) in game one. Brown went eight scoreless innings and struck out five. Rocky McCord (Auburn) and Jordan Foley (Central Michigan) matched him though, combining for eight strikeouts and five hits allowed in nine innings. The game ended in a 0-0 tie. In game two, the Harbor Hawks won a one-run game for the ninth time. Brian Anderson (Arkansas) brought in the go-ahead run in the sixth and Eric Eck (Wofford) notched his league-best ninth save to finish it off.

 

Cotuit 8, Y-D 3

Cotuit got two RBI each from newcomer Austin Byler (Nevada) and Team USA returnee Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) on their way to a victory over the Red Sox. The Kettleers are three points back of Hyannis for first place in the West. Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) added a double to take the league lead in extra-base hits. Wiseman is hitting .483 over his last nine games. On the mound, Ben Smith (Coastal Carolina) went four shutout innings with five strikeouts. John Hochstatter (Stanford) worked two scoreless innings for the win and Joel Seddon (South Carolina) got a save with three scoreless frames.

 

Wareham 11, Chatham 6

The Gatemen made the long trek to Chatham and came back with one of their best wins of the season. Ethan Gross (Memphis) went 3-for-4 with four RBI to lead the charge. Kyle Schwarber (Indiana), who went 4-for-4 in his first game back after Team USA, continued to mash, going 4-for-6 with a double in his second game. Brett Pirtle (Mississippi State) added a home run and Adam Toth (Baylor) knocked in two runs. Kurt McCune (LSU) picked up the win with five solid innings. He struck out five and allowed two runs. Jonathan Holder (Mississippi State) struck out three over the final 1.2 innings to finish it off. For Chatham, Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) hit his fourth home run.

 

Harwich at Orleans, PPD

 

What to Watch

Chatham ace Lukas Schiraldi (Navarro College), who shut out Falmouth for six innings in his last start, draws the Commodores again as the Anglers hit the road. Kevin McKanna (Rice) is scheduled to start for Falmouth.
 

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First Place Duel

Kyle Freeland struck out six in two innings and combined with Jeff Hoffman on a shutout of Chatham.

 
For all the parity in the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer, there have been just four 1-0 games. Two of them have come in the budding rivalry between division leaders Hyannis and Chatham.

And knowing Hyannis’ propensity for winning close games, you can guess how they’ve gone.

The Harbor Hawks posted their second 1-0 win of the season against the Anglers last night, and this one was the most impressive. Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) and Kyle Freeland (Evansville) combined for 16 strikeouts as the Harbor Hawks shut down the Anglers. Chatham pitchers did their part in the pitcher’s duel too, but Hyannis scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to win it.

Hyannis is now 21-12-1 and leading the West by two points over Cotuit. Chatham is 23-10-1 and has a whopping 12-point cushion on second-place Harwich in the East.

Wednesday’s match-up shaped up as a pitcher’s duel. Hoffman is perhaps the league’s top prospect while Chatham starter Tommy Lawrence (Maine) was rolling in with a 14.1 inning scoreless streak.

Neither blinked.

Hoffman is on a short leash this summer and Wednesday’s game was scheduled to be his last start. He went out with a bang, striking out 10 and allowing just four hits in seven scoreless innings. After a rough outing in his second start, Hoffman finished his short stint in Hyannis with a pair of shutout performances. He struck out 33 in 24.1 innings.

Freeland picked up where Hoffman left off. He allowed three hits in two innings but all the outs he recorded came via the strikeout. Freeland leads the league in strikeouts with 39, despite coming out of the bullpen in two of his seven appearances. Hoffman and Freeland combined to shut-out a Chatham team that had scored 39 runs in its last four games, all wins.

Lawrence kept up with the Hyannis aces, turning in his second straight quality start. He struck out four and gave up three hits in six innings. Chad Sobotka (South Carolina Upstate) worked a scoreless seventh and Kyle Funkhouser (Louisville) struck out the side in the eighth.

Just when it was looking like the battle would go on forever, though, Hyannis broke through. Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) hit a fly ball down the right-field line that was ruled fair and bounced past a diving Josh Eldridge (Old Dominion). Spoon raced to third and when the ball got away on a bad relay, he scampered home with the winning run.

Hyannis is now 3-1 against Chatham this season, with each win coming by one run. Chatham’s lone victory came by a 10-0 score.

 

Orleans 5, Bourne 4

The Firebirds edged Bourne for their fourth straight win and are suddenly just a point back of Harwich for second place in the East. I wouldn’t have expected the win streak to continue with unbeaten Jaron Long (Ohio State) on the mound for Bourne, but Orleans touched him up for two unearned runs and,with his all-star start coming Saturday, he departed after two innings. The Firebirds offense was led by Jordan Betts (Duke), who had three hits. Will Fulmer (Vanderbilt) had two hits and an RBI. On the mound, Josh Sborz (Virginia) gave up two earned in 3.1 innings before Kyle Twomey (USC) dominated. He struck out five in 3.2 innings of relief for the win. It was the best outing of the summer for the former third-round pick. Brian Clark (Kent State) and Matt Troupe (Arizona) followed him to the mound and pitched an inning each, with Troupe recording his eighth save.

 

Y-D 7, Harwich 6

The Red Sox are also making a run in the East and they’re now two points back of Harwich thanks to an 11-inning win over the Mariners. The Red Sox strung four hits together in the top of the 11th, with the last one a D.J. Stewart (Florida State) RBI single to put them in front. Darrell Hunter (Oregon) then worked a perfect bottom of the 11th for his sixth save. Dan Altavilla (Mercyhurst) picked up the victory with 3.2 scoreless innings of relief. The Red Sox offense was led by Alex Blandino (Stanford), who went 3-for-6 with a home run and two RBI.

 

Cotuit 5, Brewster 4

The Kettleers held off a late rally by the Whitecaps to win 5-4 and stay two points back of first-place Hyannis in the West. Evan Beal (South Carolina) was dominant on the mound, striking out seven in seven shutout innings. It was a return to form for Beal, who had given up six runs in his last outing after two straight scoreless starts. Brewster scored four in the ninth off the Cotuit bullpen, but Joel Seddon (South Carolina) eventually closed the door when he induced a double play and finished things with a strikeout. Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) continued his hot streak with a 2-for-4, two RBI night. He’s 11 for his last 21. Logan Ratledge (NC State) added two hits and an RBI. And the win wasn’t the only good news for Cotuit. According to Greg Joyce of the Cape Cod Times, Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) will be returning to Cotuit after spending most of the summer with Team USA.

 

Falmouth at Wareham, ppd. to July 30

 

What to Watch

Orleans will try for its fifth straight win as it hosts Cotuit at 7 p.m. Jared Miller (Vanderbilt) went seven shutout innings in his last start and gets the ball for the Firebirds. Cotuit counters with Christian Cecilio (San Francisco), who has turned in four solid starts in a row.
 

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The Real Kettleers

Yale Rosen slides in safely for Cotuit during a game this week.

 
You could make a pretty good team out of players who have left Cotuit this summer. From Max Schrock, Will Remillard, Aramis Garcia and Brad Zimmer to Trevor Seidenberger and Dusty Isaacs, you’d be in good shape.

The latest loss is the biggest. Mike Ford arrived for his second summer in Cotuit coming off a draft in which he didn’t hear his name called despite a spring that will go down in Ivy League annals. Ford’s goal was to hook on with a Major League team – and he’s done it. He is expected to sign with the New York Yankees this week.

Ford, who was fresh off a 4-for-4, two home run day, was an MVP candidate. He could make the all-departed Kettleers squad a Cape League contender.

But I have a feeling the real Kettleers would still find a way.

On the day they said farewell to Ford, Cotuit beat Bourne 2-1 and took a three-point lead on Hyannis for first place in the West. The Kettleers – despite all the personnel losses, and despite having had 41 different players don their uniform – have the second-best record in the league.

On Tuesday, they got another strong pitching performance from Jared Walsh (Georgia), who continues to lead the league in ERA at 0.36. The only caveat is that Walsh hasn’t pitched deep into games – he doesn’t have a win or a loss – but he’s been so steady that he’s often set Cotuit on a path to victory.

He went 4.1 scoreless innings against the Braves, striking out three and allowing just one hit. Joel Seddon (South Carolina) allowed his first run of the year in relief but kept Cotuit in front and picked up the victory. Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) turned in his third-straight two-inning stint and picked up the save.

Kyle Kubat (Nebraska) was strong in six innings of work for the Braves, but two unearned runs made the difference. Danny Diekroeger (Stanford) led the Cotuit offense with two hits, while Yale Rosen (Washington State) and Jake Fincher (NC State) had one RBI each.

Cotuit would have loved to have Mike Ford adding a home run to the victory or any of the former Kettleers chipping in. That’s not going to happen, but it sure looks like the Kettleers will be making the best of it anyway.

 

Harwich 3, Chatham 0

Chandler Shepherd (Kentucky) turned in his third scoreless start of the summer and his bullpen finished the job as the Mariners (16-13) knocked off first-place Chatham (9-9-1). Shepherd had gone six shutout innings twice before, and this one may have out-done the first two. He struck out eight and gave up just three hits against a Chatham team that’s been the best in the league. Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State) worked two scoreless innings in relief before Chris Oliver (Arkansas) struck out the side around a walk in the ninth for the save. Aaron Barbosa (Northeastern) had two hits and an RBI to lead the Mariner attack. Derek Fisher (Virginia) and Branden Cogswell (Virginia) drove in the other runs. Harwich has won three straight.

 

Orleans 6, Hyannis 5

The Firebirds had dropped five in a row and – with Brewster hot on their heels – they were in danger of falling into the East basement. They stopped the streak and avoided that drop in the most dramatic fashion possible. With his team trailing 5-4 and Hyannis closer Eric Eck (Wofford) on the mound, Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) drove in the tying and winning runs with a base hit as Orleans walked off with a 6-5 victory over a Hyannis team that generally doesn’t lose close games. The Firebirds had also rallied for two runs in the eighth after Hyannis had gone up 4-2. The rally made a winner out of Brian Clark (Kent State), who went three innings and actually gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth. Collin Slaybaugh (Washington State) had four hits to lead the Firebirds, who had said goodbye to an injured Greg Allen (San Diego State) earlier in the day. For Hyannis, Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) and Skyler Ewing (Rice) both hit their fourth home runs of the season. Ewing went 4-for-5 and now ranks third in the league in hitting.

 

Falmouth 5, Y-D 1

The Commodores had gone 1-4 in their last five, with the only win coming against Y-D. They matched up with Y-D again Tuesday and used a four-run seventh to pick up another victory, snapping a two-game skid. They’re now 16-12, a point back of Hyannis for second in the West. Troy Stein (Texas A&M) went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI to lead Falmouth. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) and Leon Byrd, Jr. (Rice) drove in one run each. On the mound, John Means (West Virginia) went six innings without allowing an earned run. He struck out three. Donny Murray (Holy Cross) got the victory.

 

Brewster 5, Wareham 1

The Whitecaps (11-17) won for the fifth time in seven tries and remained two points out of fourth in the East. Brandon Leibrandt (Florida State) was dominant for a second-straight start, allowing just an unearned run on three hits in five innings. He now has a 1.59 ERA and hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last two starts. Nick Lynch (UC Davis) went 1-for-3 with three RBI to pace the offense, while Nicholas Vazquez (Pittsburgh) and Cole Lankford (Texas A&M) also drove in runs. For Wareham, Sean Newcomb (Hartford) was a bright spot. The big lefty – who started on opening night then missed a big chunk of time with illness – had his best performance since returning. He struck out five in three innings of relief.

 

What to Watch

Just two games on the schedule today. Orleans visits Hyannis and Wareham heads to Bourne. Both are 6 p.m. starts. In Hyannis, Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) will make his third start of the summer.

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Ford Tough

Mike Ford went 4-for-4 with two home runs and is now hitting .420 on the summer.

 
In a Cape Cod TimesQ&A this week, Cotuit’s Mike Ford (Princeton) said his goals for this summer were two-fold. He wants to make the Cape League All-Star team and he’d like to hook on as a free agent with a Major League club.

Both are looking well within reach, especially after last night.

Ford was already in the midst of an MVP-type campaign, and even if he had turned in a solid but unspectacular second half, he would have been one of the better performers in the league. Last night, he went the spectacular route. Ford went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in leading Cotuit past Hyannis 5-0.

Ford is steadily turning into one of the best stories on the Cape. He held his own last summer, then returned to school at Princeton and turned in one of the best baseball seasons the Ivy League’s ever seen when he earned league Pitcher and Player of the Year honors.

And then he didn’t get drafted. Major League teams have their reasons – Ford isn’t big and doesn’t have a clear position destination – but, after this summer, you would think someone would take a chance on the bat.

Ford is now hitting .420, best in the league, and his five home runs are tied for the league lead. His 18 RBI rank third. He also leads the league with a .510 OBP, and his triple-slash line is .420/.510/.691.

He knocked in all five of Cotuit’s runs last night, while Hunter Cole (Georgia) and Nolan Clark (Concordia) added two hits. Christian Cecilio (San Francisco) turned in five shutout innings, reliever Joel Seddon (South Carolina) worked two scoreless to keep his ERA at 0.00, and Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) finished out the game with two quick frames.

Cotuit now owns a 3-1 record against rival Hyannis, and Saturday’s win gives them the most points in the West Division.

The Kettleers have had a lot of roster turnover and a lot of different players than they expected to have. But with Mike Ford in the mix, they may just keep finding a way to win.

 

Falmouth 5, Y-D 0

The Commodores have had some rough pitching performances in July, but last night’s wasn’t one of them. Brandon Magallones (Northwestern) turned in seven innings of one-hit shutout baseball as Falmouth (15-9) blanked Y-D. Magallones had given up three runs on seven hits in his last start but was untouchable this time, taking a no-hitter into the fifth. Donny Murray (Holy Cross) and Zech Lemond (Rice) finished off the shutout inning with an inning each. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) homered to lead the offense, while Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State), Dylan Davis (Oregon State) and Leon Byrd, Jr. (Rice) had two hits each.

 

Brewster 3, Harwich 0

Rain wreaked havoc on the other three games, with Bourne-Wareham getting postponed and two other games getting shortened. Brewster beat Harwich in six innings, as Dylan Toscano (Stony Brook) tossed a shutout with two strikeouts, and that goes into the book as the league’s first one-pitcher shutout of the summer. The Whitecaps got all the offense they needed from a first-inning, three-run double by David Armendariz (Cal Poly). Harwich starter A.J. Reed (Kentucky) pitched shutout ball the rest of the way, but his team didn’t get a shot at a late-innings comeback.

 

Chatham 2, Orleans 1

The Anglers scored two in the top of the seventh, Orleans couldn’t answer in the bottom half and the game was called after that, giving the Anglers their league-leading 17th victory. J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton) hit a solo home run to tie the game in the seventh before Josh Eldridge (Old Dominion) singled and eventually came around with the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Chad Sobotka (SC Upstate) then pitched a scoreless frame before the rain had its say. Matt Gage (Siena) got the win for Chatham with six strong innings. He struck out seven. Bobby Poyner (Florida) was the hard-luck loser for Orleans.

 

What to Watch

A pair of Pepperdine Waves will square off against each other in Brewster at 5 p.m. Corey Miller, a 16th-round pick who just announced he’ll be returning to school, will go for the Firebirds. Aaron Brown, who was drafted in the 30th round as a draft-eligible sophomore, will start for Brewster.

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The Next Big Thing

Kris Bryant and the Cubs have agreed to a deal

 
Maybe it’s the wishful thinking of a Cubs fan, but I’ve thinking/hoping ever since the draft that Kris Bryant could be the next Cape League alum to hit it big in Major League Baseball.

There are plenty of solid Big Leaguers, of course – the alumni list hit 1,000 just this week – but I’m talking perennial all-star types, the Buster Poseys and Evan Longorias of the world. If it happens, Bryant could be the first Cape League star of the 2010’s.

And there’s reason to think it will happen. Bryant hit 31 home runs for San Diego this past spring, 10 more than anyone in college baseball and more than a lot of teams. He had a remarkable year and shot to the top of draft boards. The Cubs took him with the second overall pick and the sides have reportedly have agreed to terms this week on a record signing bonus.

Bryant’s tim on the Cape was typical of what you expect from a freshmen – some struggles, but flashes too. He hit only .223 but bombed three home runs and had more than a third of his hits go for extra bases.

Had Bryant not gone to Team USA and returned to Chatham, it’s a safe bet he would have been a star. Can you imagine him hitting the juiced balls? I’m not sure any record would have been safe.

As it is, Bryant is still a full-fledged Cape League veteran, not a cameo guy like Mark Appel or Mike Zunino.

And he may be the league’s next star. This Cubs fan hopes so.

 

  • I mentioned this on Twitter, but I’ll make note of it here too. Max Pentecost’s amazing performance Wednesday night is made all the more amazing by the fact that he was the starting catcher that night and remained behind the plate for all 12 innings. It’s been a while since the Cape had an elite catching prospect. Pentecost may fit the bill.

  • Derek Fisher hit eight home runs on his way to top prospect honors in the Northwoods League last summer. The Virginia slugger has yet to hit a home run on the Cape but he’s still been one of the league’s best. Fisher leads the league with a .397 batting average. He has five multi-hit games in his last eight. He has also struck out just six times in 58 at-bats and has a .500 on-base percentage.

  • Chatham is doing perfectly fine for itself this season, but that lineup almost had one of the best hitters in the country. Taylor Sparks of UC Irvine was a late invitee to Team USA, and he’s tearing it up for the National Team. He leads the squad with a .421 average.

  • Speaking of the Anglers, for a while it looked like Chatham was going to be a team of solid players, without any stars. Dante Flores has stepped into the void. After hitting just .154 for Chatham last summer, he’s one of the best hitters in the league this year. His triple-slash line is .354/.419/.576, one of the best in the league.

  • There is quite a battle going on for the league lead in stolen bases. Brewster’s Scott Heineman currently has it with 14 steals, but Harwich’s Aaron Barbosa is hot on his heels with 13. Orleans’ Greg Allen and Falmouth’s Kevin Newman each have 11. All of those guys are on pace to run right past the league-leading totals of the last few years. Tony Kemp led with 18 last year, Kyle Wren had 18 in 2011 and Andy Burns had 25 in 2010. The last huge total came in 2009, when Chris Bisson stole 36.

  • Former Chatham A Grant Green was called up to the Oakland A’s this week. He was hitting .318 with 11 homers at Triple A. If Green makes a name for himself at all in the Big Leagues, he’s got Cape League Hall of Famer written all over him. Green won a championship with Y-D then was an MVP candidate for Chatham the next year.

  • My most underrated players in the league so far? Connor Joe of Chatham and Conner Hale of Falmouth. Joe is hitting .282 with a homer and 10 RBI. Hale is at .278 with a home run and 11 RBI. Also, why are there so many Connors/Conners/Conors in the Cape League this year? I can’t keep the spellings straight.

  • Chatham has two players, Mitchell Gonsolus and Sheehan Planas-Arteaga, with on-base percentages north of .420 – and both of them have batting averages under .270. The Anglers can really work a walk.

  • Wareham reliever Ryan Riga has been a busy man this summer. He leads the league in appearances with 14. The Gatemen have played 24 games.

  • There’s always a middle reliever who doesn’t get as much but deserves as much attention as starters and closers. Cotuit’s Joel Seddon is at the top of the list so far. He’s made six appearances and hasn’t allowed an earned run in 15 innings.

  • Some of my favorite players on the Cape are small-school guys who make an impression and come back the next year when their teams need some help. Cotuit’s Galli Cribbs, Jr. and Wareham’s Fred Shepard are doing it this year. Cribbs, of Clarendon College, is hitting .229 and playing a solid shortstop when asked for a Cotuit team that’s been hit hard by personnel losses. Wareham has been in a similar boat and Shepard has stepped up. The left from Amherst has an ERA that’s on the high side but he’s tied for fourth in the league in strikeouts.

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    Midseason Awards

    The halfway point of the season always sneaks up on me. We’re roughly there now, with a couple of teams just past it and a few more right on the number.

    It’s been an interesting year – not quite as eye-popping as last summer, but with some good storylines. Stars are starting to emerge, and these guys are the best of the best with 22 games in the books.

    MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

    Kevin Cron, Falmouth

    Cron’s teammate Rhys Hoskins has been the front-runner all season in my book, but in a 22-game sample size, one hot streak can mean a lot.

    And Cron is on one.

    He’s been steady all summer, with a nine-game hitting streak at one point, and in the last week, he’s been on fire.

    At the halfway mark, Cron ranked fourth in the league in hitting at .367. He sat second in home runs with four. He led in RBI with 20. Cron’s triple-slash line was .367/.444/.620.

    A former third-round pick, Cron had a great freshman season at TCU in 2012 but followed with a shaky sophomore year. It’s safe to say he’s back on track.

    IN THE RUNNING

    Rhys Hoskins, Falmouth
    Dante Flores, Chatham
    Mike Ford, Cotuit
    Ian Happ, Harwich
    Jose Brizuela, Brewster
    Skyler Ewing, Hyannis
    Jimmy Pickens, Chatham
    Chris Marconcini, Orleans
    D.J. Stewart, Y-D
    Max Pentecost, Bourne

     

    OUTSTANDING PITCHER

    Erick Fedde, Y-D

    This was the toughest of the three awards to pick. Nobody has run through the league with dominant outing after dominant outing. Fedde gets the nod with a blend of dominance, steadiness and durability.

    The rising junior at UNLV delivered the best start of opening night and has kept doing it pretty much every step of the way.

    In five starts, he leads the league in innings pitched with 30.2. He owns a 2.35 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, a league-high 26 strikeouts and just eight walks. Opponents are hitting just .204 against him.

    IN THE RUNNING

    Aaron Bummer, Harwich
    Jaron Long, Bourne
    Andrew McGee, Chatham
    Bobby Poyner, Orleans
    Ryan Kellogg, Bourne
    Justin Kamplain, Brewster
    Andrew Thome, Hyannis
    Chandler Shepherd, Harwich
    Lukas Schiraldi, Chatham

     

    OUTSTANDING RELIEF PITCHER

    Matt Troupe, Orleans

    Troupe is one off the league-leading saves pace of Hyannis’ Eric Eck, but Troupe has been as dominant as any pitcher in the league.

    The Arizona junior has five saves to go with a 0.00 ERA. He has struck out 16 and walked four in just 8.1 innings, giving him an eye-popping K/9 ratio of 17.3.

    It’s still early, so that K/9 number will probably go down. But in the last four years, among pitchers with a good amount of innings, the highest number was around 15.

    However it shakes out, it’s a safe bet Troupe will continue to dominate.

    IN THE RUNNING

    Eric Eck, Hyannis
    Trace Dempsey, Bourne
    Jacob Dorris, Chatham
    Darrell Hunter, Y-D
    Brian Miller, Cotuit
    Sarkis Ohanian, Hyannis
    Joel Seddon, Cotuit
    Bradley Roney, Wareham
    Patrick Corbett, Cotuit
    Chad Sobotka, Chatham
    Ryan Riga, Wareham
     

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    Saving the Day

    Cotuit's Brian Miller picked up his third save on a night in which every winning team got a save.

     
    Tuesday featured a night of close games in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Three one-run games, one two-run game and – the largest margin – one three-run game.

    It was a good night to be a closer.

    The league’s best were on display, with Eric Eck (Wofford) picking up his league-best sixth save for Hyannis, Matt Troupe (Arizona) getting his fifth for Orleans and Cotuit’s Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) and Brewster’s Brad Schreiber (Purdue) each picking up their third.

    While Eck has been the saves leader for a week or so, Troupe has been the most dominant. He struck out one in a quick 15-pitch ninth inning last night as Orleans shut out Harwich 3-0.

    Interestingly, for a team that doesn’t have terrific pitching numbers – Orleans has the league’s fifth-best ERA – it was the fourth shutout of the season for the Firebirds.

    It helps to have Troupe. He’s pitched at the back end of each of those shutouts, accounting for four of his five saves. And when he’s come in, the shutouts are not in doubt.

    Troupe has allowed no earned runs this season and just one unearned. In 8.1 innings, he has struck out 16, walked four and allowed just three hits. Opponents are hitting .111 against him.

    As a freshman in 2012, Troupe had six saves in Arizona’s College World Series championship season. He then pitched briefly for Orleans last summer and saved nine more games this spring for the Wildcats.

    This summer, he wasted no time establishing himself as the closer – despite being in a bullpen full of closers. Troupe struck out the side in his first two appearances. He has cruised from there.

    The Firebirds, meanwhile, have been up-and-down, with a perfectly even 11-11 record. Last night, they got a dominant performance from Trent Szkutnik (Michigan), who went six shutout innings five days after pitching the first leg of another shutout. Chris Marconcini (Duke) drove in a run to lead the offense. Brian Clark (Kent State) and Trevor Kelley (North Carolina) pitched a scoreless inning each.

    And as usual, Troupe finished it all off.

     

    Hyannis 4, Chatham 3

    The save by Eck came in an impressive victory for Hyannis (14-7), who held off a first-place Chatham team that had won five straight overall and two straight games on walk-offs. The Anglers fell to 15-7-1. Austin Slater (Stanford) and Jake Hernandez (USC) led the Hyannis offense with an RBI apiece. Dominic Jose (Stanford) and Steve Wilkerson (Clemson) had two hits each. Cy Sneed (Dallas Baptist) picked up the win with five strikeouts in five strong innings. Chatham got two runs off reliever Mike Gunn (Arkansas) to put another rally in play, but Hyannis slammed the door. Sarkis Ohanian (Duke), who’s emerging as one of the best setup men in the league, struck out two in two scoreless frames before Eck worked around a two-out single to pitch a scoreless ninth. For Chatham, Michael Russell (North Carolina) had two hits and two RBI.

     

    Brewster 1, Y-D 0

    Brandon Leibrandt (Florida State) went seven shutout innings as the Whitecaps (7-15) edged Y-D 1-0. Liebrandt, who starred for the Seminoles this spring, had made one relief appearance and one short start this summer. He broke out in a big way Tuesday, allowing just four hits and striking out three while pitching seven full. Evan Rutter (Rice) and Schreiber finished off the shutout. Brewster got just enough offense to back Leibrandt and company, with Austin Bailey (San Diego) delivering an RBI single in the third inning. Y-D ace Erick Fedde (UNLV) gave up just the one run in four innings but took the loss. Alex Blandino (Stanford) had two hits for the Red Sox, who dropped to 10-12-1.

     

    Cotuit 2, Wareham 1

    The Gatemen got one of their best pitching performances of the season but ended up on the wrong end of the scoreboard. Andro Cutura (Southeastern Louisiana) allowed two runs on four hits in eight innings but those two runs were enough for a Cotuit victory. Yale Rosen (Washington State) delivered both runs with a third-inning single, and the Kettleers got a strong pitching performance of their own. Chris Ellis (Ole Miss), who gave up four runs in his last start, was back on track, surrendering just an unearned run in six innings. Reliever Joel Seddon (South Carolina) turned in his sixth zero-earned run start of the summer before Miller came on for the save. Cotuit remains in a three-way tie with Falmouth and Hyannis for first place in the West.

     

    Falmouth 5, Bourne 3

    The Commodores (14-8) won for the third straight time, using a big third inning to beat Bourne (9-13). Surprisingly, Falmouth did not hit any home runs, but had enough offense anyway. Troy Stein (Texas A&M), who’s been kind of an unsung hero behind the team’s power bats, went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) and Dylan Davis (Oregon State) also knocked in runs. Leon Byrd, Jr. (Rice) and Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) each had a double. John Means (West Virginia) was solid on the mound, striking out three and giving up two runs in six innings. Donny Murray (Holy Cross) struck out four in two innings and Hunter Brothers (Lipscomb) struck out the side in the ninth for his first save. Bourne got a big night from Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State), who went 3-for-4 with his third home run.

     

    What to Watch

    Great match-up in Falmouth. Top prospect Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) will make his second start of the summer for Hyannis, and it will come against the league’s most powerful team in the Commodores. Trey Teakell (TCU), who’s been Falmouth’s best starter, will oppose Hoffman. The teams are tied for first place in the West.
     

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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.