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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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Holding Steady

Chatham is heating up again after a brief hiccup.

 
It could have been deja vu. The Chatham Anglers have started hot before. In 2010, they won seven of their first 10 games – and just 13 more the rest of the season. They missed the playoffs.

When the 2013 Anglers raced to a 6-0 start and then lost five of six, it was hard not to think back and wonder if it was going to happen all over again.

It’s certainly not happening right now.

Chatham beat Harwich 10-6 for its third straight win and its sixth in seven games. While Cotuit has been steady, and Hyannis has been winning and Harwich and Falmouth have been hot, it’s the Anglers who own the most wins in the league. They’re 13-6-1 and leading the East by five points over Harwich.

Last night, Chatham pounded 13 hits in out-slugging a Harwich team that had just out-slugged Falmouth the night before. Dante Flores (USC) put together his third consecutive multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. He’s now hitting .365, good for second in the league.

Landon Lassiter (North Carolina) added two hits, as did Sheehan Planas-Arteaga (Barry), Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga) and Josh Eldridge (Old Dominion). The Anglers got a hit from eight of nine spots in the order and an RBI from six.

Matthew Gage (Siena) turned in his second straight strong start, striking out two and giving up just two runs in six innings. Harwich did a little damage against the Chatham bullpen, but the Anglers held them off. Kyle Funkhouser (Louisville) picked up his second save in as many chances since arriving on the Cape.

Just like that, the Anglers were back at the top. It looks like they plan to stay.

 

Falmouth 9, Y-D 8

The Commodores (12-8) bounced back from a slugfest loss to Harwich with a slugfest win over the Red Sox (9-10-1). Y-D led 8-6 going into the ninth, but Falmouth scored three runs to win it. Dylan Davis (Oregon State) beat the throw to first on a double-play attempt, which scored the winning run. Falmouth got a huge night from Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State), who hit his fourth home run as part of a 3-for-5, 4 RBI day. He also leads the league in RBI with 18. Kevin Newman (Arizona) and Sam Gillikin (Auburn) also had three hits for the Commodores. Davis, who had hit a home run in three straight games, finally did not go yard, but did hit a double and drove in two runs.

 

Cotuit 2, Hyannis 1

The Kettleers (12-8) snapped a three-game skid and posted their second win of the season over the Harbor Hawks (12-6). Cotuit, Hyannis and Falmouth are all tied atop the West standings with 24 points each. The Kettleers manufactured a run in the top of the ninth to break a 1-1 tie, with Jake Fincher (NC State) reaching on an error, stealing second and coming around on two wild pitches. Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the victory. Steven Duggar (Clemson) had three hits to lead the Kettleers while Logan Ratledge (NC State) and Mike Ford (Princeton) had two each. Evan Beal (South Carolina) tossed five shutout innings with six strikeouts. Andrew Thome (North Dakota) also struck out six for Hyannis.

 

Brewster 5, Bourne 4

The Whitecaps have 40 hits in their last three games, and not surprisingly, they’re on a three-game winning streak that has improved their record to 6-13. On this night, they had 13 hits, bided their time against standout Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) and scored five runs over the last four innings to net the victory. Jose Brizuela (Florida State) went 3-for-5 while Scott Heineman (Oregon) stretched his hit streak to eight games with a 2-for-5 night in the leadoff spot. Trevor Mitsui (Washington State) and Aaron Brown (Pepperdine) added two hits each. Frankie Vanderka (Stony Brook) turned in a solid start, allowing three runs in seven innings. Trey Cochran-Gill (Auburn) got the win in relief.

 

Wareham 2, Orleans 1

The struggling Wareham offense scored the first two runs Orleans standout Bobby Poyner (Florida) has given up all year and made the lead stand up for the victory. Wareham is 4-16, while Orleans dropped to 9-10. Both Wareham runs came in the fifth. Chris Chinea (LSU) knocked in a run on a ground-out before Daniel Rosenbaum (Louisville) hit an RBI single. Three Gatemen pitchers made the slim lead hold up. Tucker Simpson (Florida) struck out four and gave up one run in 5.2 innings to out-duel his college teammate Poyner for the win. Ryan Riga (Ohio State) worked 2.1 scoreless innings and Andro Cutura (Southeastern Louisana) picked up the save.

 

What to Watch

Hyannis and Cotuit will meet again at 5 p.m. at Lowell Park. Adam Ravenelle (Vanderbilt), who has only pitched out of the bullpen so far, will make his first start for Cotuit. Patrick Andrews (Clemson), who was solid in his first start, goes for Hyannis.

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A Falmouth Fourth

Leon Byrd Jr. had a double and a triple as Falmouth ran past Cotuit in a Fourth of July victory.

 
No team in the Cape Cod Baseball League celebrated America’s independence quite like the Falmouth Commodores.

While one other team swept its holiday series, and the others all played to splits, Falmouth surged to a pair of victories over Cotuit, the team that came into the holiday week with the most wins in the league.

With a 5-3 victory Wednesday and a 13-6 win on the Fourth of July, the Commodores have now matched that win total with an 11-7 record. Hyannis also has 11 wins, creating a logjam at the top of the West.

Falmouth picked up No. 11 – and the holiday sweep – thanks to one of its best offensive nights of the season. The Commodores finished with seven extra-base hits and two home runs. Dylan Davis (Oregon State), who hit two home runs on Wednesday, added another last night, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and four RBI. He is tied for the league lead in homers with all of three games under his belt and he’s hitting a cool .538.

Conner Hale (State College of Florida) also homered and went 2-for-4 with four RBI. Leon Byrd Jr. (Rice) had a double and a triple, Kevin Cron (TCU) stayed hot with a 3-for-4 night and two RBI, and Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) went 2-for-4.

On the mound, Daniel Koger (Auburn) struck out six in four scoreless innings in his first appearance since week one. Kevin Mooney got the win in relief.

The Kettleers had 12 hits of their own – including four from Mike Ford (Princeton) and two home runs by Yale Rosen (Washington State), who also joined the tie for the league lead – but it wasn’t enough.

Falmouth, who’s been poised for a breakout all year with its productive offense and strikeout-happy pitching staff, started to do it in style.

 

Hyannis 9, Y-D 6

Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) made his 2013 Cape League debut and didn’t disappoint. The rising junior lefty flashed the stuff that made him Baseball America’s seventh-best prospect in the Cape last year, striking out eight and giving up two runs on five hits in six innings of work. Frankie Piliere of Perfect Game tweeted that Hoffman’s fastball touched 97 and that “the title of best pitcher on the Cape is his to lose.” Hoffman’s debut set Hyannis (11-5) on the course to a victory as they led most of the way and then held off a late run by the Red Sox (8-9-1). Eric Eck (Wofford) picked up his fourth save, which is tied for the league lead. Austin Slater (Stanford) homered for the Harbor Hawks while Jay Baum (Clemson) had three hits and two RBI. Alex Blandino (Stanford) had three hits for the Red Sox.

 

Chatham 7, Orleans 2

After getting shut out on Wednesday, the Anglers (11-6-1) got right back on the horse with a 12-hit showing and a series split with the Firebirds (9-8). Dante Flores (USC), who has had more multi-hit games this summer (5) than single-hit games (3), delivered another one, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Five other Anglers had an RBI each as well, including Connor Joe (San Diego), who had two hits to go with it. On the mound, early-season star Andrew McGee (Monmouth) had his shortest outing of the summer but was still solid. He gave up two runs in four innings while striking out three. Tommy Lawrence (Maine) relieved him and got his second win in five days with two perfect innings. J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton), a two-way player in the college season, made his first pitching appearance of the summer and struck out two for the save.

 

Bourne 6, Wareham 1

Bourne (9-9) had lost its only game with Wareham (3-15) before the holiday, but the series went to the Braves. After a 4-2 victory on Wednesday, they cruised to a 6-1 win on Thursday. Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) went 2-for-5 to finish the holiday series going 6-for-9. Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) and Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) each had three hits while Tyler Kuresa (UC Santa Barbara) homered, his first. Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) had two hits and drove in two runs. On the mound, Jaron Long (Ohio State) turned in his third impressive start, striking out two in five innings and giving up his first earned run of the season. Cody Livingston (Southern Miss) had a dominant relief outing, striking out six of the nine men he faced in three perfect innings. Nigel Nootbaar (USC) finished the job with a scoreless frame. For Wareham Fred Shepard (Amherst) struck out eight in 4.2 innings but was touched up for six runs.

 

Brewster 10, Harwich 5

The teams combined for 34 hits but the Whitecaps (4-13) had a little more production and knocked off the Mariners (10-8). Jose Brizuela (Florida State) went 2-for-4 with four RBI to lead the parade, Trevor Mitsui (Washington State) had three hits and two RBI and Scott Heineman (Oregon) continued a hot streak with a 4-for-5 night in the leadoff spot. Heineman was hitting .143 on June 25. He is now hitting .321. Nicholas Vazquez (Pittsburgh) added two hits and an RBI. On the mound, Jake Stinnett (Maryland) gave up 10 hits in six innings but limited the Mariners to two runs on his way to the win. He struck out six. Corey Taylor (Texas Tech) pitched three strong innings to close it out. Harwich got a hit from every spot in the lineup, including three from Derek Fisher (Virginia), who has a six-game hitting streak and is batting .359.

 

What to Watch

Falmouth will try to stay hot as it heads to Harwich for a 7 p.m. match-up with the Mariners, who have been one of the top teams in the East. Brandon Magallones (Northwestern), who has a 1.86 ERA, goes for Falmouth against A.J. Reed (Kentucky), Harwich’s two-way standout who’s just back from Team USA.

And a quick site note – Daily Fog will take a brief hiatus Saturday but will be back on Sunday.

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Birds on Fire

Zach Fish homered last night and has been part of a huge stretch for the middle of the Orleans batting order.

This time last year, the Harwich Mariners were already well on their way to a historic season of long balls.

The 2013 Orleans Firebirds will not match them – they’re not even a third of the way to Harwich’s one-month total – but in the return of the pitcher-friendly Cape League, they’re doing their best.

The Firebirds lead the league with eight home runs, and the middle of their order is steadily emerging as the best in the league. Thanks to a home run by Zach Fish (Oklahoma State) and another solid night by the rest of the big bats, Orleans knocked off Harwich – the hottest team in the East – with a 6-2 victory. The Firebirds are now 6-4, tied with Harwich for second place and a half-game back of Chatham.

The Firebirds have won two in a row and three of four, a stretch that started with a 17-12 mauling of Y-D.

Their three biggest bats have done a lot of the damage. Over the last four games, Jordan Luplow (Fresno State), Chris Marconcini (Duke) and Fish have hit .388 with four home runs, two doubles, 11 runs scored and 19 RBI. Marconcini, who hit eight home runs for Duke this spring, has been the best of the bunch, going 9-for-18 with two homers, five runs and nine RBI. He leads the league in hitting with a .376 average. He’s tied for second in home runs and ranks second in RBI.

On Monday, he took a backseat to Fish, whose third inning two-run homer put the Firebirds in control. Luplow and Marconcini each added a hit, while Austin Davidson (Pepperdine), another key contributor went 2-for-4 with three runs scored. Recent arrival Vince Conde (Vanderbilt) chipped in two hits and an RBI.

Corey Miller (Pepperdine) got the win for the Firebirds with five strong innings.

 

Chatham 6, Cotuit 4

Cotuit took Chatham’s spot atop Perfect Game’s latest summer collegiate league rankings, but the Anglers got the best of the Kettleers for the second time this season. The teams now have matching 7-4 records. Chatham starter Andrew McGee (Monmouth) continued his early-season dominance, striking out eight and allowing just one earned run in seven innings. That was the first run he’s allowed all year, and he leads the league in strikeouts with 20. Connor Joe (San Diego) and Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) each hit home runs to lead the Chatham offense. Josh Eldridge (Old Dominion) drove in two key runs in the ninth as Chatham held off a late charge by the Kettleers. Max Schrock (South Carolina) had three hits to lead Cotuit.

 

Hyannis 6, Falmouth 4

The Harbor Hawks trailed 4-1 into the sixth but rallied to tie it then won in the 11th inning and are now 7-3, a half-game ahead of Cotuit and Chatham for the best mark in the league. Skyler Ewing (Rice) doubled in the tying run in the ninth. In the 11th, Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) knocked in the go-ahead run. Eric Eck (Wofford) got the win for the Harbor Hawks and Andrew Istler (Duke) came on in the bottom of the 11th to get the save. Steve Wilkerson (Clemson), Ryan Padilla (New Mexico) and Drew Stankiewicz (Arizona State) all had two hits for the Harbor Hawks. Leon Byrd, Jr. (Rice) went 4-for-5 with two RBI and two stolen bases for the Commodores (6-5).

 

Y-D 9, Bourne 1

After giving up 40 runs in its last three games, Y-D (4-7) got a much-needed quality pitching performance from Erick Fedde (UNLV) in an easy win over Bourne (5-6). Fedde, who had already turned in two solid starts, gave up just one run on five hits in seven innings and struck out five. He has a 0.92 ERA and ranks second in the league in strikeouts. The Red Sox offense – which has been steady but just unable to keep up in some slugfests – did the rest, scoring five runs in the first and cruising from there. Taylor Gushue (Florida) went 2-for-5 with two RBI and Brandon Downes (Virginia) also drove in two runs. Andrew Daniel (San Diego), Robert Pehl (Washington) and D.J. Stewart (Florida State) all had two hits. Bourne had won five straight before blowout losses the last two nights.

 

Brewster 6, Wareham 4

The Whitecaps (3-7) and Gatemen (2-9) got together for the second straight night, but this time Brewster prevailed. Jose Brizuela (Florida State) and Keaton Aldridge (Memphis) each had three hits and two RBI for the Whitecaps, while Cole Lankford (Texas A&M) had three hits and knocked in one. Corey Taylor (Texas Tech) got his second win in three days with two scoreless innings of relief. Brad Schreiber (Purdue) picked up the save.

 

What to Watch

Y-D could use another solid pitching performance and may have the right guy on the hill as it hosts Chatham at 5 p.m. Jeremy Null, who ranked 17th in the nation in strikeouts at Western Carolina, will make his first start after three relief appearances. Aaron Garza (Houston) goes for Chatham.

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Five Wins and No Hits

Austin Gomber tossed five no-hit innings, part of a combined no-hitter for the Braves.

 
With an 8-0 victory over Cotuit yesterday, Bourne became the third team already this season to put together a five-game winning streak.

The Braves’ No. 5 was best of all.

Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic), Josh Laxer (Ole Miss) and Ryan Harris (Florida) combined on a no-hitter as the Braves cruised past Cotuit, who came in as one of the league’s best offensive teams. The Braves’ Jeff Thompson threw a no-hitter last year in a game that went only six innings. Last night’s effort was the league’s first nine-inning no-hitter since June 30, 2010, when Jordan Pries did it for Y-D.

This one wasn’t celebrated right away. When Mike Ford (Princeton) reached base on a mis-played ground ball in the seventh, it was ruled a double. After the game, the official scorer changed it to an error, giving the Braves the no-no.

Gomber, who had as good a spring as any pitcher on the Cape, was terrific in his first start. He struck out five in five innings and walked two. Laxer picked up where he left off, striking out one in three innings. Harris finished it off, working around a walk to pitch a hitless ninth.

Not only was it a no-hitter, Bourne pitchers have now turned in three consecutive shutouts. And in the game prior, they gave up one run. The scoreless streak is at 33 innings. Not surprisingly, the Braves now lead the league in team ERA.

The Braves’ offense also got it done last night, which was no small feat. Alex Haines (Seton Hill) turned in his second dominant start in as many outings, striking out seven in five scoreless innings. But the Braves bided their time and broke out against the Kettleer bullpen, scoring two runs in the eighth and six in the ninth.

Eric Fisher (Arkansas) went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Tim Caputo (Rhode Island), Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) and Bobby Boyd (West Virginia) drove in one run apiece, while Pat Kelly (Nebraska), Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) and Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) all had two hits.

 

Hyannis 3, Orleans 2

The Harbor Hawks (6-2) took over first place in the West with Cotuit’s loss and their win over the Firebirds (4-4). Andrew Thome (North Dakota) worked six strong innings, giving up one run and striking out three in six innings. Andrew Istler (Duke) picked up his first save. The offense was led by Jake Hernandez (USC), a former Firebird, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Skyler Ewing (Rice) also knocked in a run. In eight games, the Harbor Hawks have now won three in a row, lost two in a row and won three in a row. The wins are coming despite a league-worst .188 team batting average.

 

Falmouth 6, Chatham 1

Chatham has hit the skids since its 6-0 start, with Falmouth (5-4) as the latest conqueror. The Commodores handed the Anglers (6-3) their third straight loss. Craig Schlitter (Bryant) got the win with five strong innings and three relievers allowed just one hit over the final four innings. Oregon standout Garrett Cleavinger had an adventure in his first outing, walking three but striking out three in the ninth. Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) led the offensive charge with two RBI and he is now tied for the league lead with eight RBI. Kevin Cron (TCU) added two hits, including his fourth double. Chatham has scored one total run in its last three games.

 

Harwich 2, Wareham 1

The Mariners (5-3) are the hottest team in the East thanks to their third straight win, a 2-1 triumph over the Gatemen, who dropped to 1-8. Aaron Bummer (Nebraska) pitched seven shutout innings and now hasn’t allowed a run in 13 innings this season. Sean Fitzgerald (Notre Dame) picked up the save. Josh Anderson (Florida International) drove in both Harwich runs. The Gatemen got a quality start from Tucker Simpson (Florida) but the offense continued to struggle. The Gatemen are hitting just .216.

 

Brewster 14, Y-D 8

The Red Sox (3-6) found themselves in a slugfest for the second straight day and lost this one too, as Brewster improved to 3-6 with its best offensive day of the season. Trent Woodward (Fresno State) went 3-for-4 with four RBI and Cole Lankford (Texas A&M) went 3-for-5 with three RBI. Jose Brizuela (Florida State) knocked two triples and drove in three. Ford Stainback (Rice) added three hits and Keaton Aldridge (Memphis) drove in two runs. Corey Taylor (Texas Tech) picked up the win in relief. Y-D got a home run from Taylor Smart (Tennessee) and two RBI from Auston Bousfield (Ole Miss).

 

What to Watch

A couple of rivalry games on tap tonight as Cotuit visits Hyannis and Orleans heads to Chatham. Eric Karch (Pepperdine), who’s 2-0, goes for Cotuit against Hyannis’ Jordan Foley (Central Michigan), who had a great spring. Chatham sends Andrew Chin (Boston College) after he went five shutout innings in his last start. Orleans counters with Bobby Poyner (Florida), who has pitched just two innings thus far.