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Late Innings

HYA16_bullpen
 
Hyannis ranks next-to-last in team ERA in the Cape League, but if opponents are counting on getting their bats in gear when they face the Harbor Hawks, they better do it before the sixth inning.

In two consecutive wins, Hyannis relievers have allowed a total of two hits and no runs from the sixth inning on. The Harbor Hawks’ top four relievers are turning into one of the best crews in the league.

Garrett Cave (Florida International) leads the league in appearances with 14 and saves with seven. He ranks in the top 15 in the league in strikeouts despite pitching only 12.1 innings. With a big fastball, the 6-foot-4 right-hander has scouts keeping the radar guns handy until the late innings.

Tyler Stevens (New Mexico) is just behind Cave in appearances with 11 and has a 1.03 ERA with 20 strikeouts and not a single walk in 17.1 innings. Matthew Naylor (North Florida) has a 0.84 ERA in 10 outings and James Harrington (New Mexico) has yet to allow a run – earned or unearned – in 11.2 innings of relief.

The combined ERA for the quartet is 1.07. And while they can’t pitch every game, a combination of the four has had a hand in a lot of victories. Hyannis has won six of the seven games Harrington has appeared in and is 10-4 when Cave takes the mound.

Tuesday, Hyannis beat Wareham 6-1 with three of the standout relievers finishing the deal. Naylor pitched two scoreless innings and Harrington and Cave tossed one each. Last night, the Harbor Hawks rallied from a late deficit for a 5-4 win over Bourne, but the comeback was made possible by more dominant bullpen work. Stevens struck out three of the five batters he faced in 1.1 scoreless frames and Cave got the last two outs for save number seven.

Cody Henry (Alabama) led the Hyannis offense with two hits and two RBI, with his two-run single giving Hyannis the lead in the top of the ninth.

The consecutive wins have Hyannis at 13-15 and just one game out of second place in the West.

If the bullpen is involved, that gap may yet close further.
 

Harwich 4, Chatham 0

The Mariners showed off their embarrassment of pitching riches by trotting out Tyler Wilson (Rhode Island) and Peter Solomon (Notre Dame) in the same game, and Chatham was held to two hits in a shutout win for Harwich. Wilson, the Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year, struck out five and gave up only two hits in five innings of work. Solomon, one of the arms getting a lot of buzz this season, returned to the bullpen after a start last time out and went four shutout innings without allowing a hit. He has given up two hits in his last 15.1 innings. The Harwich offense had 14 hits and stranded eight runners, but the four runs were plenty. Nick Feight (UNC Wilmington) hit his second home run while Ernie Clement (Virginia) and Anthony Critelli (Holy Cross) had three hits each.

Y-D 4, Orleans 0

Y-D remained a game back of Harwich in the East with a 4-0 shutout of its own. Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina) struck out five and scattered four hits in 6.1 innings and William Montgomerie (Connecticut) went the final 2.2 frames and didn’t surrender a hit. Matt Winaker (Stanford) went 4-for-5 with a run scored to lead the Y-D offense. J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara), Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) and Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s) drove in one run each. Y-D has won two straight and is 8-2 in its last 10 games.

Falmouth 12, Wareham 3

The Commodores slugged past Wareham and suddenly have a seven-point lead in the West standings. Tyler Lawrence (Murray State) led a 16-hit attack by hitting two home runs and driving in four. Leadoff man Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) went 4-for-5 with three runs scored. J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) added two hits and three RBI and Deacon Liput (Florida) knocked in two runs. Five different Commodores had multi-hit games. Starter Tyler Holton (Florida State) went only two innings, but his FSU teammate Cole Sands shined in relief, striking out six in three scoreless innings for the win.

Cotuit 5, Brewster 2

Cotuit has its first three-game winning streak of the season. Four pitchers combined to hold down the league’s best offense with Ross Achter (Toledo) earning the win in relief. Connor Simmons (Georgia Southern) and Josh Roberson (UNC Wilmington) didn’t allow a hit over the final 3.2 innings. Patrick Dorrian (Herkimer CC) led the Kettleers at the plate with two hits and two RBI. Recently-crowned CCBL Hitter of the Week Quinn Brodey (Stanford) went 1-for-4 and scored two runs.

 

What to Watch

After an off-day Thursday, two surging teams will meet in Yarmouth when the Red Sox host Falmouth.
 

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Liking the Rivalry

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Quinn Brodey (Stanford) seems to be enjoying the Barnstable Patriot Cup.

He was hitting .196 on the year when he broke out with a 3-for-5, 5 RBI day in Cotuit’s win over Hyannis July 6. In Sunday’s match-up with the Harbor Hawks, Brodey went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run and scored both runs as the Kettleers grabbed a 2-1 win to even up the rivalry’s season series.

Brodey started Sunday’s scoring immediately, blasting a leadoff home run in the top of the first inning. Hyannis’ Dylan Busby (Florida State) had an answer in the bottom half, hitting a solo shot of his own for his second homer of the summer and a 1-1 tie.

The next six innings maintained that early deadlock. Cotuit starter Matthew Ruppenthal (Vanderbilt) settled in after the home run and didn’t allow another run in three innings of work. Andrew Gonzalez (Michigan State) did the same over 5.1 innings for Hyannis.

In the eighth, Cotuit broke through, with Brodey leading the charge. He doubled with one out and scored the go-ahead run soon after on a Cal Stevenson (Arizona) RBI single.

Taylor Lehman (Penn State) and Eddie Muhl (George Washington) had pitched scoreless relief outings and Josh Roberson (UNC Wilmington) came on after Cotuit took the lead for his second save with two scoreless frames.

The win also helped Cotuit gain some ground on Hyannis. The Kettleers improved to 8-17-1 and are 6-3-1 after their 2-14 start. Slowly chipping away in the standings, they’re five points back of the fourth-place Harbor Hawks, who fell to 11-15.

 

Falmouth 6, Wareham 2

The Commodores won their sixth straight game and gained some distance on the team closest to them with a 6-2 victory over Wareham. Brendan King (Holy Cross) went four scoreless innings and Brett Gilchrist (Dallas Baptist) picked up the win with three strong innings of relief. He allowed just two unearned runs. Justin Hoyt (Jacksonville State) and Corbin Martin (Texas A&M) each tossed a scoreless inning to finish off the win. Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) hit his second home run of the summer and Deacon Liput (Florida) went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) had two hits and scored two runs. Falmouth is now 16-10 and has matched Harwich for the most wins in the league. Wareham, which got two hits from Alex Destino (South Carolina) fell to 12-11-3.

Harwich 1, Chatham 1

After playing Wareham to a tie Saturday — the second in a row for the Gatemen — Harwich had its second tie in a row after 12 innings weren’t enough at Veterans Field Sunday. Solo home runs in the fourth inning were all the Mariners and Anglers would get. Joseph Dunand (NC State) did the honors for Harwich, while Patrick Mathis (Texas) — slumping since a hot start — answered for Chatham in the bottom of the fourth. Pitching and missed opportunities were the story for the rest of the game. Harwich stranded 12 runners on base and Chatham left eight. Harwich starter Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall) was his usual consistent self, allowing just the one run in six innings. He has gone six innings in each of his five starts, all of which rate as quality starts. Five relievers followed him to the hill and allowed five hits combined in six innings of relief. For Chatham, Parker Rigler (Kansas State) made just his second start after opening the year in the bullpen and scattered five hits in six innings. Isaac Mattson (Pittsburgh) led the way for the relief corps with three innings of one-hit ball.

Brewster 4, Orleans 4

Things were also knotted up at Stony Brook Field, where Orleans rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the top of the ninth and held off Brewster in the bottom half before the teams ran out of daylight. The Firebirds had been shut out on four hits through seven innings by Kade McClure (Louisville) and Max Herrmann (Rutgers). An unearned run in the eighth made it 4-1 and set the stage for the ninth-inning rally. Singles by Will Golsan (Ole Miss) and Zach Kirtley (St. Mary’s) started the charge, and Brian Miller (North Carolina) knocked in Golsan with a base hit. After a pitching change, Adam Haseley (Virginia) came through with a two-run single to tie the game. Zach Logue (Kentucky) and Brandon Bielak (Notre Dame) teamed up for a scoreless bottom of the ninth. Miller, Riley Mahan (Kentucky) and Payton Squier (UNLV) had two hits to lead the Firebirds. Before the Orleans comeback, Brewster got two hits from Brent Rooker (Mississippi) and two runs scored by Colby Fitch (Louisville).

Bourne 3, Y-D 1

Bourne rallied from a 1-0 hole in the late innings and snapped its six-game losing streak with a victory over Y-D. The Braves tied the game 1-1 in the sixth on an RBI single by David MacKinnon (Hartford). In the eighth, Jake Mangum (Mississippi State) had an RBI single for the go-ahead run and Justin Yurchak (Binghamton) delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. Andrew Wantz (UNC Greensboro) then struck out two in a perfect ninth for his fourth save. Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) picked up the win in relief. Starter Tony Dibrell (Kennesaw State) went six strong innings, striking out five and allowing one run. Dibrell took over the league strikeout lead with 31 as he continues a back-and-forth with Harwich’s Packy Naughton in that department. Despite leading for most of the game, Y-D managed only two hits. Starter Jared Janczak (TCU) went five scoreless innings.

 

What to Watch

Off-day today. When the action resumes Tuesday, Falmouth sends league ERA leader Jeffrey Passantino (Lipscomb) to the hill as it looks for its seventh win in a row at Orleans.
 

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Matching shutouts

Brady Puckett tossed six shutout innings in Falmouth's win.
Brady Puckett tossed six shutout innings in Falmouth’s win.

 
At the Cape League’s annual workout at Fenway Park, hitters are on center stage, taking batting practice and running timed sprints. The pitchers don’t get to do as much.

Back on the Cape, a few pitchers put the spotlight back on themselves.

Led by Brady Puckett (Lipscomb), three Falmouth Commodores one-hit Bourne in a 1-0 win. Charlie Barnes (Clemson) set the stage for a similar result in Hyannis, as he and two teammates shut-out Harwich 1-0.

Puckett delivered another in a string of terrific starts for Falmouth. The 6-foot-8 rising junior right-hander had a great spring at Lipscomb. He allowed three runs in four innings in his first Cape League start but has been lights out since — 23 innings, one earned run, 10 hits. Take away the first start, and his ERA would be 0.39. As it is, it’s still at 1.33.

Friday, Puckett allowed one hit in six shutout innings for the second time in his last three starts. He doesn’t strike out a lot of guys — his five Friday were a season-high — but it’s clearly working. The only hit he allowed was a single.

Relievers Brac Warren (Oregon) and Corbin Martin (Texas A&M) didn’t allow a hit after Puckett departed.

Bourne got strong pitching of its own from A.J. Moore (Kennesaw State) but Falmouth broke through in the seventh on a J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) double and a Joshua Watson (TCU) triple.

Falmouth improved to 14-10 and remained in first place in the West.

As for Hyannis, the Harbor Hawks out-pitched Harwich, no easy task. Barnes came in with a 5.30 ERA thanks to two starts in which he gave up four runs in less than five innings. He had also turned in two strong outings and was even better this time. Barnes allowed three hits and struck out five in five shutout innings.

James Harrington (New Mexico) followed with three perfect innings and Garrett Cave (Florida International) closed the door in the ninth to take over the league lead in saves with six.

Harwich got seven strong innings from Hunter Williams (North Carolina), but just like Falmouth, Hyannis got a run in the seventh to make the difference. An RBI groundout by Cody Henry (Alabama) did the trick.

Hyannis ran its record to 11-13.
 

Y-D 8, Orleans 6

After Tuesday’s games, Yarmouth-Dennis and Orleans were tied for second place in the East. With back-to-back matchups between the teams going to Y-D, the Red Sox now have a four-point edge on the Firebirds for second place. A rally from a 6-5 deficit in the eighth sent the Red Sox to the latest win. Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) had a two-run double to power the rally. Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine) and Bryan Pall (Michigan) pitched a scoreless inning each once Y-D grabbed the lead, with Pall earning his fifth save. The win went to Collin Snider (Vanderbilt), who tossed 2.2 shutout frames after starter Erich Uelmen (Cal Poly) was touched up for six runs – the first runs he had allowed all year. Nolan Brown (TCU) had a home run for the Y-D offense and Corey Dempster (USC) had three hits and two RBI. Orleans got a home run and four RBI from Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) and four hits from Adam Hasely (Virginia).

  • Brewster 2, Chatham 1

    • The Whitecaps snapped a six-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over Chatham. After a string of slugfests, Hunter Martin (Tennessee) gave Brewster a strong start, going six innings and allowing one run. Zac Lowther (Xavier) then rescued the Whitecaps from some trouble in the seventh and went strong to the finish line, going 2.1 hitless innings for the save. Lowther – who has pitched entirely in relief – now leads the league with 28 strikeouts. Brewster got all the offense it needed in the third inning, with Bryce Jordan (LSU) and Nick Dunn (Maryland) coming through with RBI singles. Chatham fell to 11-13, one game ahead of Brewster at 10-14.

    Cotuit 3, Wareham 3

    Wareham took a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth, Cotuit tied it in the bottom half and the teams played one more scoreless frame before darkness set in at Lowell Park. Alex Destino (South Carolina) had an RBI single to give Wareham the lead in the ninth before Quinn Brodey (Stanford) came back with an RBI single in the bottom half. Josh Roberson (UNC Wilmington) followed with a scoreless tenth for the Kettleers and Ryan Wilson (Pepperdine) did the same for Wareham, leaving the winning run at first base. Brodey had two hits to lead Cotuit, while Robert Metz (George Washington) had three for the Gatemen.

     

    What to Watch

    The only reigning CWS champion on a Cape League roster makes his debut as Jason Bilous (Coastal Carolina) starts for Cotuit against Brewster. Bilous had a 4.43 ERA in his freshman campaign and made one start in Omaha.
     

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    Kettleers eager to get going

    cotuit
     
    It was a hard off-season in Cotuit with the passing of Arnold Mycock and coach Mike Roberts’ wife, Nancy. It’s a good bet everyone is eager for some Kettleers baseball.
     

    FIVE TO WATCH

    1. Jeren Kendall
    2. Jake Bivens
    3. Alonzo Jones
    4. Matt Ruppenthal
    5. Colton Hock
     

    NOTABLE

  • Jeren Kendall was poised to be one of the top returning players in the league but he has been invited to Team USA, so it remains to be seen whether he spends any time at Lowell Park. If he does, he’s certainly the guy to watch after his huge sophomore season.

  • Kendall’s Vandy teammate Alonzo Jones might be able to do a pretty fair impersonation. A year younger, he has pop and speed.

  • Cotuit’s online roster doesn’t include players on temporary contracts, but we’ll mention one here — East Tennessee State catcher Hagen Owenby hit .374 with 17 homers this spring and seems a safe bet to stick around all summer.

  • The Kettleers have three freshmen who were hearing a lot of draft buzz this time last year. They had varying results in their first years of college, though. Jason Bilous was solid for Coastal Carolina, but UCLA’s Justin Hooper and Mississippi State’s Jared Padgett saw limited action.

  • Stanford’s Colton Hock and Quinn Brodey were standouts for the NECBL’s Newport Gulls last year and are slated to be together again in Cotuit. Hock had a great spring in the Cardinal bullpen. Brodey – a two-way player in the past – honed in on the bat this spring.

  • Are any Mississippi State players not coming to the Cape? Cotuit has two, and I think every Cape team I’ve previewed so far has at least one, or sometimes four.

  • A pair of Mountain West Conference standouts in 2015 will be in Cotuit before starting a new chapter next year. Cory Voss and Cal Stevenson are both transferring to Arizona. Voss went the junior college route this year while Stevenson sat out the season at Arizona. Both are in Cotuit while their future Wildcat teammates head to a Super Regional.

    •  

    PITCHERS

    Jason Bilous – FR – Coastal Carolina – 29th round pick last year had 4.04 ERA, struck out 45 in 42 innings in first season at Coastal
    Colton Hock – SO – Stanford – Had big 2015 with NECBL’s Newport Gulls and put up 2.03 ERA, 6 saves, 61 Ks in 57.2 IP this spring
    Bobby Holmes – SO – Coastal Carolina – Started six games and saved three, with lots of relief work in between and fanned 66 in 69.2 IP
    Justin Hooper – FR – UCLA – Six-foot-five lefty was highly-touted recruit, but pitched only eight innings of the bullpen this spring
    Tyler Johnson – SO – South Carolina – One of three Gamecocks with saves, he owns 9 to go with 55 Ks and just 8 walks in 50 IP
    Matt Ladrech – SO – California – Solid numbers in two years as a starter and had 4.30 ERA this season
    Taylor Lehman – SO – Penn State – Six-foot-eight left-hander finished with 4.79 ERA in Nittany Lions weekend rotation
    Jared Padgett – FR – Mississippi State – Highly-touted left-hander limited to 2.1 innings this spring
    Ryan Rigby – SO – Mississippi State – Strong reliever for Super Regional club has 1.75 ERA, 41 Ks in 19 appearances
    Josh Roberson – FR – UNC-Wilmington – Started three games and made 10 relief appearances with 6.04 ERA and 22 K in 22.1 IP
    Keith Rogalla – SO – Creighton – Former 37th-round pick struck out 59 in 73 innings as weekend starter for Blue Jays
    Matt Ruppenthal – SO – Vanderbilt – Shined in Vandy bullpen with 2.33 ERA, 59 Ks in 46.1 innings
     

    CATCHERS

    Tim Susnara – SO – Oregon – Struggled with the bat in Cotuit last summer but bounced back with .268 AVG, 2 HR for Ducks
    Cory Voss – SO – McLennan CC – MWC Freshman of the Year in 2015 at New Mexico starred in JUCO this year and is bound for Arizona
    Albee Weiss – SO – Cal State Northridge – Hit .219 and ranked second on the team with six home runs this season

     

    INFIELDERS

    A.J. Balta – RS SO – Oregon – In return from redshirt season, hit .219 with team-leading nine home runs and 47 RBI
    Jake Bivens – SO – Michigan – Big 10 Freshman of the Year in 2015 hit .356 as a sophomore with .441 OBP and 13 SB
    Clay Fisher – SO – UC Santa Barbara – Gauchos’ starting shortstop since day one last year, hitting .286 this season with only five errors
    Greyson Jenista – FR – Wichita State – Emerged as Shockers’ top hitter in big freshman year, hitting .326 with five home runs, 32 RBI
    Alonzo Jones – FR – Vanderbilt – Speedy infielder made impact immediately, hitting .285 with 18 XBH, 10 stolen bases
    Jordan Pearce – SO – Nevada – Built on strong freshman season by hitting .332 with 4 HR, 17 2B, team-high 47 RBI
    Josh Shaw – FR – St. John’s – Hit .292 with two home runs and stole seven bases while playing in all 55 games in freshman season
     

    OUTFIELDERS

    Quinn Brodey – SO – Stanford – Two-way standout focused on the plate this spring and hit .280 with 7 HR, team-best 41 RBI
    Dayton Dugas – FR – Wichita State – Hit .304 with four homers, 16 XBH in debut with Shockers
    Jeren Kendall – SO – Vanderbilt – Also a Team USA invite, followed summer in Cotuit with big sophomore year – .332, 9 HR, 28 SB
    Cal Stevenson – SO – Arizona – Hit .356 as a freshman at Nevada and sat out this year after transferring to Arizona