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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.

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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.

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Rebels, Commodores set for SEC showdown

No. 2 LSU and No. 10 Kentucky are squaring off this weekend, but that’s not the only SEC battle worth watching for Cape League fans. No. 3 Vanderbilt will visit Ole Miss, with each team featuring six players who are on 2013 Cape League rosters. As a bonus, all three games will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Vanderbilt is 26-4 overall and 8-1 in the SEC. The Rebels are 23-6 but have gotten off to a tough 4-5 start in conference play.

Schedule
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, 5 p.m.
Sunday, 2:30 p.m.

2013 Cape Leaguers
Vanderbilt
Tyler Beede – RHP – Cotuit
Carson Fulmer – RHP – Cotuit
Brian Miller – RHP – Cotuit
Rhett Wiseman – OF – Cotuit
Jared Miller – LHP – Orleans
Philip Pfeifer – LHP – Orleans

Missouri
Hawtin Buchanan – RHP – Bourne
Josh Laxer – RHP – Bourne
Chris Ellis – RHP – Cotuit
Brady Bramlett – RHP – Falmouth
Jacob Waguespack – RHP – Falmouth

Notable
Arms Race
Vanderbilt’s pitching has just been ridiculous this year. I don’t know how anyone can take a series from them. Former Cape Leaguer Kevin Ziomek has been the ace, but 2013 Cape Leaguers Tyler Beede (Cotuit) and Philip Pfeifer (Orleans) haven’t been far behind. Beede is 7-0 with a 0.99 ERA, best among starting pitchers in the SEC. Opponents are hitting .151 against him. Pfeifer has a 3.86 ERA.

Leading Off
Former Cotuit Kettleer Tony Kemp ranks sixth in the SEC in hitting at .375. He has also stolen 14 bases, and his on-base percentage is .486.

Bullpen Rebels
Hawtin Buchanan, Jacob Waguespack and Chris Ellis have all pitched sparingly for Ole Miss because of injuries, but Josh Laxer and Brady Bramlett have been two of the players who’ve picked up the slack. Bramlett has a 1.53 ERA in five appearances, with three starts. Laxer has also pitched out of the bullpen and in a starting role, posting a 2.45 ERA.

Emerging Ace
In his time on Cape Cod, Bobby Wahl was a lights-out closer for Cotuit. He’s now a starter – and an ace. Wahl is 6-0 for the Rebels with a 1.80 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 45 innings pitched. The Friday match-up between Wahl and Ziomek – both former Kettleers – should be a dandy.