His Y-D teammate Walker Buehler takes the top spot for Baseball America after his brief regular-season stint and his dominant effort in the playoffs. Wareham’s Kyle Cody and Brewster’s Cody Ponce check in next, before the top two hitters, Brewster’s Gio Brusa and Harwich’s Ian Happ. Bickford ranks sixth.
Hyannis’ Marc Brakeman, Bourne’s Richard Martin Jr., Falmouth’s Kevin Newman and Harwich’s C.J. Hinojosa round out the top 10.
The full list:
1. Walker Buehler
2. Kyle Cody
3. Cody Ponce
4. Gio Brusa
5. Ian Happ
6. Phil Bickford
7. Marc Brakeman
8. Richard Martin Jr.
9. Kevin Newman
10. C.J. Hinojosa
11. Alex Young
12. Steven Duggar
13. Chris Shaw
14. Kyle Twomey
15. Eric Hanhold
16. Mikey White
17. Garrett Cleavinger
18. Joe McCarthy
19. Kevin Duchene
20. Zack Erwin
21. Josh Sborz
22. Kal Simmons
23. Kyri Washington
24. Garrett Williams
25. Justin Jacome
26. Kolton Mahoney
27. Ryan Perez
28. Rhett Wiseman
29. David Thompson
30. Andrew Stevenson
As always a few surprises from guys who show the flashes that scouts love, but don’t necessarily have great seasons, like Wareham’s Kyri Washington and Chatham’s Garrett Williams.
Good to see Kevin Newman cracking the top 10. He was not on this list last year, despite winning the batting title.
Gio Brusa had the production to match his tools this summer, and it sounds like it was a major step forward for him. He ends up as the top position player prospect.
It was a big year for shortstop prospects, with Martin, Newman, Hinojosa, Mikey White and Kal Simmons all on this list. I was a little surprised to not see David Fletcher on there somewhere.
A very quiet year for rising sophomores. Bickford – who is leaving Cal State Fullerton so that he can enter next year’s draft – and Garrett Williams are the only two on the list.
Ambidextrous Hyannis pitcher Ryan Perez clearly became much more than just a curiosity this summer. He ranks 27th on this list, although BA’s Aaron Fitt speculates that Perez may end up scrapping the two-way routine to become a lefty reliever.
The other prospect list you should be looking for is Perfect Game’s, which should be out in the next few weeks.
Marc Brakeman earned Summer All-America honors from Perfect Game.
Perfect Game’s wrap-up of summer collegiate baseball continued Tuesday with the release of its Summer All-Americans. The Cape League led the way among all summer leagues with 11 players on the three-team, 48-member squad. The Northwoods League checked in second with nine.
The Cape League honorees:
First Team
Conner Hale
Kevin Newman
Ian Happ
Kolton Mahoney
Marc Brakeman
Phil Bickford
Second Team
Chris Shaw
Alex Young
Third Team
Richard Martin, Jr.
Andrew Stevenson
Justin Jacome
Perfect Game also gave an honorable mention nod to Cotuit reliever Adam Whitt.
The list is fun to check out, not just for current Cape connections, but for potential future connections. Current rising sophomores will dominate the Cape League next summer, and PG’s All-Americans include 14 rising sophomores. I would expect to see many on the Cape.
The list: Pete Alonso, Jon DuPlantier, Troy Dixon, Sheldon Neuse, Vince Fernandez, Michael Echaria, Adam McGarity, Tyler Stubblefield, Jayson Yano, Granger Studdard, Jon Escobar, Matt Diorio, Gunnar McNeill, Ronnie Dawson.
The top standout from that class is Pete Alonso of Florida. After earning Freshman All-America honors this spring, Alonso tore up the Northwoods League, slashing .354/.419/.624 with 18 home runs on his way to league MVP honors. The home run total is tied for fourth in league history.
Texas A&M pitcher Tyler Stubblefield is another name to watch. He earned Pitcher of the Year honors in Alaska with a miniscule 1.05 ERA.
Steven Duggar was one of six Falmouth Commodores on the All-League squad.
This is a few days old, but in case you missed it, the Cape League released its All-League selections for the 2014 season. The team is below. Below that, a few notes.
First Base – A.J. Murray – Chatham – Georgia Tech
Second Base – Billy Fleming – Bourne – West Virginia
Shortstop – Kevin Newman – Falmouth – Arizona
Third Base – David Thompson – Orleans – Miami
Infield Utility – Richard Martin Jr. – Bourne – Florida
Outfield – Gio Brusa – Brewster – Pacific
Outfield – Donnie Dewees Jr. – Hyannis – North Florida
Outfield – Steven Duggar – Falmouth – Clemson
Outfield – Ian Happ – Harwich – Cincinnati
Outfield – Mark Laird – Bourne – LSU
Outfield – Andrew Stevenson – Y-D – LSU
DH – Conner Hale – Falmouth – LSU
DH – Chris Shaw – Chatham – Boston College
Catcher – Jameson Fisher – Cotuit – SE Louisiana
Catcher – Anthony Hermelyn – Harwich – Oklahoma
Pitcher – Michael Boyle – Harwich – Radford
Pitcher – Zack Erwin – Harwich – Clemson
Pitcher – Matt Hall – Falmouth – Missouri State
Pitcher – Jordan Hillyer – Chatham – Kennesaw State
Pitcher – Justin Jacome – Y-D – UC Santa Barbara
Pitcher – Ryan Kellogg – Bourne – Arizona State
Pitcher – Kolton Mahoney – Orleans – BYU
Pitcher – Kevin McCanna – Falmouth – Rice
Pitcher – Andrew Naderer – Brewster – Grand Canyon
Pitcher – Kyle Twomey – Orleans – USC
Closer – Phil Bickford – Y-D – Cal State Fullerton
Closer – Adam Whitt – Cotuit – Nevada
Utility – Jake Madsen – Falmouth – Ohio
NOTES
Kevin Newman and Ryan Kellog are your lone repeat honorees. The Arizona-Arizona State rivals had terrific Cape League careers.
For the second year in a row, Falmouth had the most All-League selections with six. Lot of talent at Guv Fuller Field the last two years.
Champion Y-D with only one position player on the team. I thought that might be unusual, but it’s actually the second year in a row. Cotuit had just one All-League hitter last year, Rhett Wiseman. In the case of both Y-D and Cotuit, it speaks to the ability to play one day at a time and find a way to win, without having the stars of stars.
Snubs? Jordan Tarsovich jumps out to me. Probably the league champ’s most consistent hitter, Tarsovich hit .322 with three homers. I think Y-D’s Rob Fonseca (.315, 4 HR’s) could have been there too. And Bourne’s Blake Davey tied for second in the league in extra-base hits. A couple more possibilities, but overall, solid work, I think.
LSU leads all schools with three selections: Andrew Stevenson, Conner Hale and Mark Laird.
Seven schools have an All-League pick for the second year in a row: Arizona, USC, Arizona State, West Virginia, Florida and . . . mighty Kennesaw State. With MVP Max Pentecost last year and standout pitcher Jordan Hillyer this year, the Owls are making some Cape League noise.
How about schools that have an All-League pick for three years running? Nada. I was shocked by that.
Jeff Trundy will try to lead Falmouth to its first title since 1980.
The only good thing about Wednesday’s rainout is that it gives me a little time to get some preview thoughts down. Primary thought: It’s going to be a heck of a series.
First, some points of reference for the series:
Y-D and Falmouth have met twice in the Cape League championship series, in 2004 and 2007. Y-D won both match-ups, the bookends on its dynasty run of three titles in four years. Y-D has been to the finals twice since then, losing to Cotuit in 2010 and Wareham in 2012. Falmouth made the finals in 2011 and lost to Harwich.
Falmouth owns the longest championship drought in the league. Its last title was 1980, when it beat Chatham. The next-longest drought belongs to Hyannis, whose last crown was in 1981. Chatham is the only other team without a championship this century. Its last was in 1998.
This is the fourth straight year without a No. 1 seed in the championship series. Before that, at least one No. 1 seed had made the finals for 14 consecutive years (although it was easier for the No. 1’s to make it before the playoffs expanded).
It’s hard to understate how good the playoff pitching has been for these teams. The Red Sox have had the dominant, clutch performances, but Falmouth has an even better team ERA. The Commodores have given up four runs in 36 innings for a 1.00 ERA. For Y-D, three of four wins have been shutouts.
The rainout should only help the pitching. I’d expect both teams to have things lined up almost perfectly, with the exception of Y-D having had to use Justin Jacome to get out of the East finals. Walker Buehler and Kevin Duchene should be good to go for Y-D, while Falmouth should have the trio of Matt Hall, Kevin McCanna and Alex Young ready.
If that’s the way things shake out, Falmouth might have the edge with the three big arms to Y-D’s two. In its one playoff game not started by Jacome, Buehler or Duchene, Y-D lost 9-2. Jacome could come back for a game three on Saturday, but that would be on only three days’ rest.
If the starting pitching match-ups don’t do it for you, just wait until the late innings. Falmouth’s bullpen hasn’t given up a run in the playoffs, and the back end is anchored by flamethrower Garrett Cleavinger. Y-D has been touched up a little more, but any bullpen that includes Phil Bickford is a good bullpen. Bickford, the Cape League’s Top Pro Prospect award winner, had the equivalent of his Heisman moment for that award when he struck out the side in the ninth Tuesday night to punch Y-D’s ticket to the finals.
The lowest team ERA in the Cape League playoffs last year was 2.57. Falmouth, Y-D and Harwich are all under that bar this year.
Helping the cause in the pitching department is some pretty stellar defense. Falmouth has made three errors in the postseason. Y-D – in six games – has made one.
When comparing the offenses of the two teams, extra-base hits is an interesting place to start. Y-D has seven in six games. Falmouth has nine in only four games. That jibes with a general impression that Falmouth has a little more pop.
Falmouth also gets on base at a better clip – .374 to .297.
The top three hitters in the postseason have all been eliminated, leaving a Y-D Red Sox atop the list. Andrew Stevenson, right? Jordan Tarsovich? A.J. Simcox? Try Michael Donadio. The St. John’s freshman was the Big East’s Newcomer of the Year this spring and he spent most of his summer in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League, where he won the batting title and MVP award. He didn’t begin his CCBL career until July 31 and had a total of two hits in four regular-season games, but he has a hit in every playoff game, including a home run. He’s batting .409 in the postseason.
Marcus Mastrobuoni has been another key addition for the Red Sox. He hit .373 this spring for California State Stanislaus, and hit .313 in five regular-season games for the Red Sox. He started at catcher in the last two games of the Harwich series and went 1-for-3 in the clincher.
On the Falmouth side, Conner Hale has paced the offense, and there probably isn’t a better offensive threat in the series. Hale is slashing .375/.444/.688 in the playoffs with a homer and seven RBI. He has driven in a third of his team’s postseason runs. If you’re making bets on playoff MVP, he’s the favorite.
Hale is part of a lineup that’s just very solid at this point. Jake Madsen quietly hit .346 for the Commodores in the regular season and he’s a consistent, veteran hitter, much like Cameron O’Brien. Hale, Madsen and O’Brien, in fact, are all rising seniors. Throw in talented guys like Boomer White, Matt Eureste and Steven Duggar, plus some guys who aren’t even starting every day, and it’s a very deep lineup. And they’ve got that Newman guy too, the one who wins all the batting titles.
Mrs. RFF and I are planning to be in Falmouth for game one. Can’t wait.
I suppose it’s prediction time. It’s never an easy task and this year is no different. You have to like the way both of these teams are playing – enthusiasm, good defense, fantastic pitching. I think I like Falmouth a little more, with its veteran offense tipping the scales. Feel free to share your own picks in the comments.
Phil Bickford struck out six in 2.2 innings to close out Y-D’s win on Tuesday.
There is some debate in sports whether “clutch” is a real, quantifiable thing.
Wherever you stand on the issue, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox have given one side of the argument some ammunition in the 2014 Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs. In the process, they’ve given Cape League fans a pair of classics.
The Red Sox have pitched very well in the post-season. And when they’ve had to pitch well, they’ve pitched beyond well.
Last night, Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara) and Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton) combined on a shutout as Y-D edged Harwich 2-0 in game three of the East finals to clinch a spot in the Cape League championship.
The Red Sox have now played two decisive third games this postseason and have won them by 1-0 and 2-0 scores. The fact that they’re decisive games is one thing. Then their opponents have upped the ante by pitching gems themselves, and Y-D hasn’t blinked.
Clutch.
Last night, Jacome squared off with Harwich’s Zack Erwin (Clemson). They were both brilliant, but Y-D scratched a run across in the second inning on a two-out chopper from Marcus Mastrobuoni (Cal State Stanislaus) that the Mariners couldn’t handle. Josh Lester (Missouri) scored.
Jacome gave up a double to Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) to start the bottom of the second, as it looked like the Mariners would have a quick answer, but Jacome got out of trouble. From there, he allowed just one more hit, a two-out single in the fifth.
Jacome went 6.1 innings, allowing three hits, striking out six and walking none.
He left with his team clinging to the 1-0 lead but gave the ball to the very capable hands of Bickford, the former first-round pick. Bickford finished off a scoreless seventh and struck out two in a perfect eighth. His team added an insurance run in the ninth on a Brennon Lund (BYU) sacrifice fly, but Bickford didn’t need it.
Facing the middle of one of the best batting orders in the league, Bickford gave up a leadoff single to C.J. Hinojosa (Texas).
And then he was masterful.
Bickford struck out Ian Happ (Cincinnati) – one of the league’s top hitters – on three pitches. Then he struck out Anthony Hermelyn (Virginia Tech) on three pitches. Harwich’s last chance was Annunziata, who owned the double in the second. Bickford needed four pitches this time, but he struck Annunziata out, too, sending Y-D into the championship with a flourish.
For the second straight year, a team is into the finals after needing three games to win each of its first two playoff series. Last year, that team was Cotuit and the Kettleers went on to the title.
Y-D will match up with Falmouth, who is 4-0 in the playoffs.
The championship series is scheduled to begin tonight, but heavy rain is in the forecast, so Thursday might be more likely.
Michael Murray went seven strong innings for Y-D in Sunday’s win.
The 2014 Cape League playoffs have been defined by starting pitching, and the beat went on as the division finals got underway Sunday evening.
In Harwich, Y-D’s Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast) allowed two runs in seven innings as the Red Sox knocked off top-seeded Harwich 7-2. And in Falmouth, Alex Young (TCU) gave the Commodores a series lead with eight innings of one-run ball in a 3-1 victory over Cotuit.
Y-D starting pitchers have now gone at least seven innings and allowed no more than two runs in the Red Sox’ four playoff games. It’s amazing that they lost a game in that stretch, but it was only because Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara) was out-dueled by CCBL outstanding pitcher honoree Kolton Mahoney in game one of the East semis. After that, Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt) and Kevin Duchene (Illinois) both went seven-plus shutout innings.
On Sunday, Murray gave up a first-inning run on a Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) sacrifice fly, ending the shutout streak but not Y-D’s chances. He retired 11 in a row before a Kenny Towns (Virginia) double led to a run in the fifth, but he righted the ship for two more scoreless frames. Dimitri Kourtis (Mercer) relieved him and gave up just one hit in two scoreless innings.
Harwich pitching had been pretty good in its own right in a series sweep of Brewster, but Y-D scored three runs in the third inning and four in the fourth to take control.
Andrew Stevenson (LSU) started it all with one swing of the bat. He smacked a three-run homer in the third to put Y-D in front for good. Stevenson, A.J. Simcox (Tennessee) and Michael Donadio (St. John’s) added RBI in a four-run fourth inning, and that was all Y-D needed.
Mrs. Right Field Fog and I were on hand in Harwich, relegated to the edge of the woods thanks to a huge crowd. The Y-D faithful was out in full force and had a lot to cheer about it. That team is having some fun, too, and is clearly riding some momentum. Harwich will need a big effort today to stay alive.
Over in the West, Falmouth scored all its run on a Matt Eureste (San Jacinto) home run in the second inning and had no trouble making the lead stand up.
Young might have been in the running for CCBL Outstanding Pitcher honors if his Horned Frogs hadn’t made it to Omaha, and he pitched like it Sunday. He gave up one run on four hits and struck out eight in eight innings. Young, whose first CCBL start was on July 5, has not allowed more than two runs in any outing. He has now struck out 36 and walked four, to go with a 1.41 ERA.
Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) pitched the ninth for the save.
As for the Falmouth offense, Eureste delivered. While Kevin Newman (Arizona) was the league MVP and Conner Hale (LSU) the league RBI leaded, Eureste has been a huge key to success. He finished the regular season hitting .292. Sunday’s home run was all the offense Falmouth needed.
What to Watch
Harwich at Y-D, 4 p.m.
Falmouth at Cotuit, 4 p.m.
Starting pitchers are TBA for three of the four teams, with James Mulry (Northeastern) slotted in for Harwich. It’ll be interesting to see if Y-D can go back to the top of its rotation, or if everyone will need another day.
Kolton Mahoney’s 13 strikeouts were the most in a CCBL playoff game since 2006.
Three pitchers tied for the league lead in strikeouts this season, and all three took the ball for their teams in game one of the playoffs Wednesday night.
The strikeout king emerged.
Kolton Mahoney (BYU) struck out 13 in seven scoreless innings as Orleans blanked Y-D 3-0 to take a 1-0 lead in its East semifinal series. The 13 K’s are the most in a Cape League playoff game since 2006, when Riley Boening fanned 14 for Wareham. There have been double-digit performances since, but never more than a dozen. (The list of double-digit guys includes Chris Sale, J.J .Hoover, Mark Appel and Kyle Freeland. Good company.)
Mahoney, who was presented with the league’s Outstanding Pitcher Award before the game, was tagged for four unearned runs in his final regular-season start, but he wasn’t tagged for much of anything on Wednesday. He allowed four hits – all singles – and struck out the side twice.
In the regular season, the Red Sox finished with the second fewest strikeouts in the league, but they had faced Mahoney twice and struck out 19 times total, including his previous season-high of 11.
When Mahoney gave way to the bullpen, the onslaught continued. Bobby Poyner (Florida) struck out the side in the eighth and Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) punched out two in the ninth. That’s 18 strikeouts, of 27 outs recorded.
For much of the game, Mahoney was locked in a pitcher’s duel with Y-D ace Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara). The game was scoreless until the seventh, when Jerry McClanahan (UC Irvine) cracked a two-run single to give Orleans the lead. An error in the eighth allowed the third run to score.
The win was Orleans’ first playoff victory over Y-D since 2002. They haven’t matched up a ton since then, but Y-D had swept the last two series with the Firebirds.
Falmouth 3, Hyannis 0
The other two strikeout leaders squared off, and Falmouth’s pitching was a little better in a shutout of Hyannis. Matt Hall (Missouri State) went six scoreless innings, scattering five hits while striking out one. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech) and Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) finished off the shutout. Marc Brakeman (Stanford), who hadn’t allowed a run in his last two starts, was touched up for just an unearned run in six innings, as Falmouth took a 1-0 lead on an error in the second. Falmouth added a run on a Conner Hale (LSU) home run and a Jake Madsen (Ohio) RBI single in the eighth. Madsen finished with three hits, while Steven Duggar (Clemson) and Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) had two each.
Harwich 7, Brewster 2
In a game that didn’t begin until 9 p.m. thanks to field work after a storm, Harwich busted out quickly with three runs in the first and never looked back. Skye Bolt (North Carolina) went 2-for-4 with a home run and Ian Happ (Cincinnati) went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI to lead a 10-hit attack. Joe McCarthy (Virginia) added three hits. Zack Erwin (Clemson) struck out seven and gave up just two runs in six innings for the win. Seth McGarry (Florida Atlantic) was terrific in relief, striking out every batter he faced in two innings. Ronnie Glenn (Penn) struck out two more in a scoreless ninth. Brewster, which was again playing short-handed, got a home run from Luke Lowery (East Carolina) but not much else.
Cotuit at Bourne, PPD
The rain that threatened the other games completely washed out the match-up at Doran Park. The series is now set to get underway tonight at 6 p.m., back at Doran Park.
Newman takes MVP honor
In a bit of non-playoff news, Falmouth’s Kevin Newman was presented with his batting title trophy on Wednesday – and then with the MVP award. The only two-time batting champ in Cape League history also now becomes the first player to win the batting title and the MVP honor in the same season since Falmouth’s Conor Gillaspie in 2007. I was a little surprised that Newman won the MVP, since he wasn’t a big power guy (eight extra-base hits), but he was second in the league in OBP, near the top in OPS and top 15 in RBI. Plus, without a completely obvious choice behind him, I don’t have a problem with giving it to the guy who made history.
What to Watch
Orleans at Y-D, 4 p.m.
Harwich at Brewster, 4 p.m.
Falmouth at Hyannis, 6 p.m.
Cotuit at Bourne, 6 p.m.
Orleans will try for the sweep of Y-D but will have to go through a very good pitcher as Y-D is slated to give the ball to Walker Buehler. The Vanderbilt righty has had quite a summer, starting with a College World Series title. He then pitched two very good games for Y-D before a brief stint with Team USA. Back on the Cape now, he carries a 1.35 ERA into today’s game. Orleans will counter with Eric Hanhold (Florida). He has a 3.42 ERA and gave up five runs in his last start – against Y-D.
Sal Annunziata homered twice for Harwich in a 10-0 win over Chatham.
It seems like every successful Cape League team has a player of a certain mold. He’s usually a late addition to the roster. He’s a little older, eligible for the draft, but he later than he hopes or didn’t hear his name called at all. He’s from a school that isn’t a baseball powerhouse.
All those characteristics become motivation, and he delivers a big summer.
Harwich has a guy like that.
Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) blasted two home runs last night, his fourth and fifth of the season, as the Mariners hammered Chatham 10-0 to move to the brink of an Eastern Division title.
Harwich has an MVP candidate in Ian Happ, all-stars in Kyle Barrett and Anthony Hermelyn, hyped-up guys like Skye Bolt and C.J. Hinojosa, and the son of a former Major Leaguer in Cavan Biggio.
Annunziata has been as important as all of them. He hit .330 this spring with five homers and led Seton Hall in RBI with 49. In June, he went undrafted but hooked on with Harwich and has been solid.
He’s hitting .265 and leads the Mariners with five home runs. He’s third on the team in RBI with 20. In a stretch in early-July, when Orleans and Y-D were charging hard at Harwich, Annunziata had a nine-game hitting streak as the Mariners kept a grip on first place at all times. Annunziata then went on and won the home run derby at the Cape League All-Star Game.
Last night, with Orleans and Y-D losing, Harwich took a four-point lead at the top of the division and Annunziata set the course. With the game against Chatham scoreless in the fifth, he smacked a solo home run. In the next inning, he hit a two-run shot and his Mariners never looked back, adding six runs in the seventh inning to pull away.
Robby Kalaf (Florida International) went five scoreless innings for the Mariners and three relievers combined to finish off the shutout. Harwich won all six games it played against Chatham this summer.
Annunziata finished with three RBI and four runs scored – and another big game in his big summer.
Bourne 6, Orleans 2
While Falmouth won again, Bourne did too and kept its tenuous two-point hold on first place in the West intact. Jimmy Herget (South Florida), who has had some rough outings recently, delivered in a big spot, striking out seven and giving up just one hit in six scoreless innings. Dylan Nelson (Radford) and Joey Strain (Winthrop) finished the job. The Bourne offense got a home run from Blake Davey (Connecticut), his fifth. Zander Wiel (Vanderbilt) added two RBI and Brian Serven (Arizona State) had two hits.
Falmouth 11, Wareham 2
Falmouth kept pace with Bourne and officially eliminated Wareham from playoff contention with a lopsided victory. The Gatemen are eight points out of fourth, with only three games to play, meaning Hyannis and Cotuit will be safely into the playoffs. For Falmouth, Alex Young (TCU), was dominant, striking out 10 and giving up one run in seven innings. A late arrival after the College World Series, Young has been a huge addition. He owns a 1.50 ERA, has struck out 28 and walked just three, and Falmouth has won every game he’s pitched in. Conner Hale (LSU) led the Falmouth offense with three hits and three RBI, keeping him atop the league RBI leaderboard with 35. Jake Madsen (Ohio) and Nicholas Ramos (Indiana) also had three hits each, while Boomer White (TCU) and Sam Gillikin (Auburn) had two RBI each.
Cotuit 8, Hyannis 0
Cotuit dropped the first three games in the Barnstable Patriot Cup season series with Hyannis, but won the last three, finishing it off with an 8-0 shutout last night. The win also moved Cotuit one point ahead of Hyannis in the West standings. Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) gave Cotuit one of its best starting pitching performances of the summer, going six scoreless with three strikeouts. Jackson McClelland (Pepperdine) and Adam Whitt (Nevada) finished off the shutout. The offense was led by Jackson Glines (Michigan), who had three hits and four RBI, giving him seven hits in the last three games. Jameson Fisher (SE Louisiana), Kyle Holder (San Diego) and Jeremy Taylor (East Tennessee State) had two hits each.
Brewster 14, Y-D 3
Brewster stayed alive in the East race with a lopsided victory over Y-D. The Red Sox started Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara), who had won his last four starts in impressive fashion, but his defense let him down this time as the Whitecaps scored seven runs off him, five of which were unearned. Credit to Brewster, too, though, as they took full advantage of the miscues in reaching their season-high in runs. Zach Gibbons (Arizona), who was hitting .233 entering the game, went 4-for-5 with a home run and seven RBI. Gio Brusa (Pacific) homered and drove in three, Kyle Overstreet (Alabama) went 5-for-6 and Braden Bishop (Washington) went 3-for-3. In its last three wins, Brewster has scored 39 runs. Yesterday, the Whitecaps also got strong pitching as Andrew Lee (Tennessee) went six scoreless innings. The Whitecaps are now three points out of the last playoff spot in the East. Hurting the cause is the fact that they have to play one game against second-place Orleans and two against first-place Harwich to finish the year.
What to Watch
Just a few days after a three-way tie in the East, Harwich could clinch the title outright with a win tonight and an Orleans loss. The Mariners host Y-D at 7 p.m., with James Mulry (Northeastern) on the mound. Mulry started against Y-D on opening night and got Harwich’s season off on the right foot with seven shutout innings.
Justin Jacome tossed six scoreless innings for his fourth straight win on Thursday.
When they lost 6-3 to Orleans on June 28, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox fell to 5-11. The next night, they got a quality start from Bryan Bonnell (UNLV) and beat Brewster 9-7.
It was just the beginning.
Y-D has won 16 of 20 games since that loss to Orleans, a stretch that has turned them into a clear contender while highlighting their biggest strength. In each of those 16 wins, Y-D starting pitchers have given up three runs or fewer.
For win No. 16 last night, a Sox starter delivered the usual, with Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara) going six scoreless innings as Y-D topped West-leading Bourne 7-0.
Jacome has been one of the leaders of the pitching-driven streak, along with Kevin Duchene (Illinois) and Cody Poteet (UCLA). Jacome has won four starts in a row and is now 5-0 on the year with a 1.28 ERA. In his win streak, he has gone at least five innings and allowed two runs or fewer in each start.
Duchene has won three of his last four starts and has allowed one earned run in those games. Poteet has also won three of four – and Y-D won the other game when Poteet had a no-decision. Poteet delivered the best start of all on July 11, when he struck out 10 in six scoreless innings against Harwich.
Mix in Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast), a spring standout who is still looking to hit his stride, and late arrival Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt), and Y-D clearly has the best starting pitching rotation in the league. The numbers are pretty astounding. In the 16 wins, Y-D starters have gone at least five innings 14 times and have allowed one or zero earned runs 11 times. Oddly, two of the four losses in the span have come in 12-1 and 13-2 games, but apart from those, the pitching has dominated.
Jacome continued the trend against Bourne on Thursday, limiting the Braves to just two hits in his six innings of work. The bullpen – which has been plenty good too – made the shutout stand up, with Parker Bugg (LSU) going two scoreless innings and Dimitri Kourtis (Mercer) finishing off the last inning.
The offense has scored 23 runs in the last three victories and knocked 12 hits in Thursday’s game. Andrew Stevenson (LSU) had three, while Josh Lester (Missouri), Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) and Timothy Wharton (Catawba) knocked in two runs apiece.
Y-D is now 21-15, just two points back of Harwich and Orleans, who are tied for first in the East.
Harwich 5, Brewster 3
A night after a loss to Orleans knocked them from first place, the Mariners took advantage of a night off for the Firebirds by beating Brewster to move back into a tie for first place in the East. Robby Kalaf (Florida International) allowed one earned run in five innings and Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State) shut the door with four scoreless innings of relief. Angelo Amendolare (Jacksonville) had two RBI to lead the offense. Brendon Sanger (Florida Atlantic) and Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) knocked in one run each. For Brewster, Gio Brusa (Pacific) hit his fourth home run.
Chatham 4, Hyannis 3
Chatham snapped a four-game skid with a 3-2 victory over Hyannis. Garrett Williams (Oklahoma State), a former top 100 player out of high school, hadn’t pitched more than 3.1 innings in any outing this year, but broke through for six strong frames against the Harbor Hawks. He allowed one run on three hits while striking out three. A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) and Chris Shaw (Boston College), two of the top three RBI men in the league, knocked in a run apiece, while Nick Collins (Georgetown) also had an RBI. Jordan Hillyer (Kennesaw State), who will start for the East in Sunday’s all-star game, pitched the ninth for Chatham and struck out two for the save.
Ty Moore hit a grand slam Sunday for his second homer in as many games.
The Chatham Anglers had the best record in the league last summer and picked up where they left off in their first game this year, blowing past Orleans 10-2. It’s been an interesting ride in the weeks since, not quite as smooth as last year. The Anglers scored four total runs in their next four games, looking punchless after their big debut. They’re still sorting out a solid pitching rotation. They’ve generally been pretty up-and-down.
But one thing has stabilized. The Anglers are not punchless.
Chatham won for the fourth straight time on Sunday, topping Hyannis 9-3. It was also the team’s fourth straight big night at the plate. Chatham has scored at least seven runs and hit at least one home run in each of the four victories.
The Anglers lead the league in runs scored, rank second in hits, second in home runs and third in batting average.
And they’ve got a core group that’s consistently delivering.
A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-3 last night, stretching his hitting streak to 11 games. Nine of the 11 have been multi-hit games. Murray is making a strong case for league MVP honors at this point. He’s third in the league in hitting, tied for first in home runs and tied for second in RBI. He has a 1.042 OPS.
And Murray isn’t alone. Chris Shaw (Boston College) went 2-for-5 last night. He hit home runs on back-to-back days last week and is tied with Murray for the league lead. Ty Moore (UCLA) has been hot too. He hit a grand slam on Sunday, giving home runs in consecutive games, and he’s now hitting .284.
Throw in a solid leadoff man in Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State) and some big hitters who have had their moments, and it’s no wonder the Anglers are scoring. Pat Mazeika (Stetson) added two hits Sunday and Robert Baldwin (Yale) had three.
In the win over Hyannis, the pitching came through, too. Charlie Dant (Dayton), who was on a temporary contract but is now full-time, gave up three runs and struck out eight in five innings for the win. Bryan Goossens (Siena) pitched two scoreless innings and Kyle Davis (USC) delivered his seventh scoreless appearance in 10 tries to finish it off.
Chatham is now 12-9-1, one point back of Orleans for second place and just two behind Harwich for first.
Orleans 5, Wareham 1
The other budding offensive powerhouse in the East won its second straight with a strong performance against Wareham. David Thompson (Miami) led the way with a homer and four RBI. David Fletcher (Loyola Marymount) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and is now on an eight-game hitting streak after a slow start to the summer. R.J. Ybarra (Arizona State) added an RBI. On the mound, Nathan Bannister (Arizona) made his first start after long relief stints in his first three appearances and responded with six strong innings. He struck out six and allowed one run. The Firebirds are 4-0 in games in which Bannister has pitched. Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan) picked up his fourth save.
Falmouth 9, Bourne 3
The Commodores picked up their third straight win and knocked off the Western Division leader in the process. Falmouth is now only three points out of first place. Kevin Newman (Arizona) went 4-for-6 to lead a strong offensive performance. Newman now has seven hits in three games since returning from Team USA trials. Shaun Chase (Oregon) added a home run and three RBI, Conner Hale (LSU) had two RBI and Jake Madsen (Ohio) and Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) had two hits each, with Costello also homering. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech) allowed three runs in five innings before the bullpen cruised through the last four innings. For Bourne, Blake Davey (Connecticut) hit his third home run.
Harwich 5, Cotuit 5 (10 innings)
Harwich and Cotuit played 10 innings at Lowell Park but still couldn’t settle things before darkness fell as they finished in a tie. Grant Kay (Louisville) and Ian Rice (Chipola) each had four hits to lead a 15-hit Cotuit attack. Jake Fincher (NC State) had three hits for the third consecutive game, raising his average from .375 to a league-best .453. On the mound, Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) kept Harwich off the board over the final two innings. For Harwich, C.J. Hinojosa (Texas) and Matt Winn (VMI) had two hits each. Zack Erwin (Clemson) pitched 5.1 innings of one-run relief.
Y-D 3, Brewster 2
Y-D got a strong start from Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara) and a dominant bullpen effort made a one-run lead stand up in a victory over Brewster. Jacome struck out six and allowed two runs in five innings for his third good start of the summer. William Strode (Florida State) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings before Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton) took over and did his usual. Bickford struck out four of the eight batters he faced in 2.2 scoreless frames. Bickford, an unsigned first-round pick last year, has three saves and has given up one total hit in those outings. At the plate, Y-D got two hits from Rob Fonseca (Northeastern). League RBI leader Hunter Cole (Georgia) tacked on one more and Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) also drove in a run. For Brewster, Gio Brusa (Pacific) had three hits, including a home run.
The East’s hottest teams and the highest scoring teams in the league will meet at Veterans Field when Chatham hosts Orleans. Two Cape League veterans who were once high draft picks out of high school are scheduled to square off. Andrew Chin (Boston College), a fifth-round pick in 2011 and a 15th-rounder this year, will make his 11th career Cape League start for Chatham. He’s had two tough outings in a row after a good start. For Orleans, 2012 third-rounder Kyle Twomey (USC), who’s made nine relief appearances after a full summer in the bullpen last year, is scheduled to make his first start of the 2014 season. He has a 2.84 ERA.
