Streaking

Cole Freeman is now leading the league in hitting.

For all the dominant pitching in Harwich, the comeback from a tough start in Yarmouth and the steady performances in Falmouth, the summer’s longest win streak belongs to the Wareham Gatemen.

A 4-3 victory in 10 innings over Brewster Tuesday night was the seventh victory in a row for the Gatemen. Sitting at 13-14-3 before the streak began with losses in four of their last five, the Gatemen have stormed to complete control of second place in the West and cemented their spot as one of the league’s top four teams. They’re now 20-14-3.

The drama of Tuesday’s one-run, extra-inning victory was nothing new. Five of the seven victories in the streak have been one-run games. Wareham has had a knack for winning those games with late pushes and solid performances by the bullpen.

Much of Tuesday’s game had the streak in jeopardy. Brewster scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and watched ace Zac Lowther (Xavier) strike out eight in 6.2 scoreless innings.

Wareham didn’t get on the board until the ninth inning but made up for lost time. Singles by Joey Bartosic (George Washington) and Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest) and a walk to Dominic Miroglio (San Francisco) loaded the bases with nobody out. Colton Shaver (BYU) brought a run home with a groundout and an error on a ground ball by Alex Destino (South Carolina) allowed the tying runs to score.

The Gatemen then took the lead in the 10th on three straight singles and a sacrifice fly by Miroglio. Jake Matthys (Angelo State), who had already pitched a scoreless ninth, did the same in the bottom of the 10th to seal the comeback win for the Gatemen.

Bartosic had three hits to lead the offense and Sheets had two. Freeman also had two and officially qualified for the batting title, a race that he now leads with a .387 mark. Freeman has been a key to the win streak, batting leadoff and getting 10 hits.

In addition to Matthys, Wareham got shut-down relief work before the comeback from Dalton Horton (TCU) and Clayton Gelfand (Chico State).

Harwich 7, Orleans 5

Joe Dunand (NC State) is emerging as a league MVP candidate and his latest big game helped lead Harwich to a key win over Orleans. Dunand went 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI and is on a six-game hitting streak, bumping his average to .373. He ranks second in the league in hitting, tied for sixth in home runs and is fifth in RBI — the only player to dot all three leaderboards. Dunand’s RBI double in the third started a comeback from an early 3-1 deficit and Harwich went on to the victory. Coupled with a Y-D loss, the win means the Mariners and Red Sox are locked in a first-place tie in the East. Ernie Clement (Virginia) added three hits and two runs scored for Harwich and Jonathan India (Florida) had two hits and scored twice. The top three hitters in the order — India, Clement and Dunand — scored six of the team’s seven runs. Ryan McAuliffe (St. John’s) got the win in relief and Teddy Rodliff (Stony Brook) pitched three scoreless innings of relief to close out the win. Orleans, which dropped its fourth in a row and fell to 16-20-1, got a home run from Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt).

Falmouth 7, Hyannis 3

The Commodores trailed 1-0 from the first inning through the sixth but blasted their way to a late rally and a win over Hyannis with three runs in the seventh, three in the eighth and one in the ninth. J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) had an RBI single, Willie Burger (Penn State) a sac fly and Tristan Gray (Rice) an RBI double to key the first rally and the Commodores were off and running. Gray finished with two hits to lead the charge and Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) added an RBI. The late surge made a winner out of Brady Puckett (Lipscomb), who allowed a run for the first time since July 1 and responded with six scoreless innings to keep it a 1-0 game. Justin Lewis (Kentucky) struck out eight in six innings for Hyannis.

Bourne 3, Cotuit 2

The Braves went to 5-0 against Cotuit this season and pushed the Kettleers closer to the brink of playoff race elimination with a comeback win at Lowell Park. Trailing 2-0 in the eighth, the Braves got three straight singles ahead of an error, a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly to grab the lead. Sean Leland (Louisville) and Brendon Little (North Carolina) pitched a scoreless inning each to keep the Braves in front and seal the win. Willy Yahn (Connecticut) and Connor Wong (Houston) led the Bourne offense with two hits each. Cotuit, which lost its second straight and fell to 12-24-1, got four good innings from standout freshman Jason Bilous (Coastal Carolina).

Chatham 5, Y-D 4

The Anglers knocked off the East’s best and moved within one game of fourth-place Brewster with a dramatic comeback from four runs down in the ninth. Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) got the Anglers within two on a two-run single with one out in the ninth. Y-D made it two outs, but Stuart Fairchild (Wake Forest) smacked a three-run homer on a 2-2 count to give Chatham its first lead of the game. It was the first homer of the summer for Fairchild, who came in hitting .242. Jake Palomaki (Boston College) and D.J. Artis (Liberty) added hits to the rally for Chatham, which had notched just one hit before the ninth inning. Moises Ceja (UCLA) pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth inning to complete the comeback win. For Y-D, Chatham’s comeback spoiled a dominant start from Jared Janczak (TCU), who went six scoreless innings.

What to Watch

Falmouth and Y-D, owners of the best two records in the league, square off at Arnie Allen Diamond at 6 p.m. All-star Brendan King (Holy Cross), who hasn’t allowed a run since June 24, goes for Falmouth against Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina), who has gone 13.1 scoreless innings over his last two starts.

July 19, 2016

Chasing the Throne

An all-star game home run derby needs the league leader in homers.

If the Cape League’s event were held today, that would be impossible. The lead in home runs belongs to a guy now playing for the State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League. Matt Davis, who parlayed his big summer with Brewster into a pro contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, already has his professional career underway.

But the derby may yet get its home run king.

Colton Shaver (BYU) hit his sixth home run of the summer in Wareham’s 3-2 win over Harwich Monday night and has a few games to catch Davis’ number as he heads into the derby.

Shaver doesn’t have the batting average of some recent Cape League star hitters – he’s at .250 – but his on-base percentage is nearly 100 points higher than the batting average mark. He’s slugging .480, good for fourth in the league.

Shaver’s home run Monday lifted the Gatemen over East-leading Harwich. They trailed 2-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth when a Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest) RBI single started the comeback. One pitch later, Shaver blasted a two-run shot and the Gatemen remained in the lead from there.

Dalton Horton (TCU) pitched three scoreless innings of relief after a solid outing by starter Jeff Bain (California) and Jake Matthys (Angelo State) worked a scoreless ninth for the save. Harwich, with 23 runs in its last two games, had only two runs on seven hits in this one.

Wareham improved to 15-14-3, enough for second place in the West.

Hyannis 8, Bourne 5

Three players had multi-hit games and two hit homers as Hyannis out-slugged Bourne. Brett Netzer (Charlotte) and Chris Hudgins (Cal State Fullerton) did the home run damage, with Hudgins’ blast – his third of the summer – opening up a bigger lead in the eighth after Bourne had come within a run. Netzer finished with two hits and scored three runs. Ford Proctor (Rice) added two hits and Cody Henry (Alabama) went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Justin Lewis (Kentucky) made his first start after six relief appearances and went 4.1 scoreless innings for Hyannis. For Bourne, Justin Yurchak (Binghamton) went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the summer and Connor Wong (Houston) had three hits and two RBI.

Falmouth 12, Cotuit 0

The Commodores rolled past Cotuit for their third consecutive win. Deacon Liput (Florida) hit a grand slam and J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI. The rest of Falmouth’s hits were singles but the Commodores were productive nonetheless, scoring the 12 runs on nine hits. Tristan Gray (Rice) went 2-for-3 with three RBI and leadoff man Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) scored three runs. Cotuit got two hits from Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) but couldn’t do much else against Brendan King (Holy Cross) and three relievers. King struck out eight, allowed three hits and didn’t walk a batter in six scoreless innings.

What to Watch

The four teams that were not in action Monday get back at it today. League strikeout leader Zac Lowther (Xavier) gets the start for Brewster ar Chatham.

June 3, 2016June 3, 2016

Harbor Hawks look for an encore

Hyannis lost a heartbreaker to Y-D in the Cape League championship series last year, but it was still one of the best summers McKeon Park has ever seen. Replicating that kind of success is never easy, but the Harbor Hawks again have a lot of offensive potential.

Five to Watch

1. Carl Stajduhar
2. Trey Truitt
3. Devin Smeltzer
4. Taylor Walls
5. Dylan Busby

Notable

New Mexico won the Mountain West Conference title and is in regionals now. Whenever it ends, the Lobos will send a trio of players to Hyannis. Carl Stajduhard has had the best season of the three. He earned conference player of the year honors with great overall numbers – .348, 18 HR – and was unstoppable in conference play with a .421 batting average, nine homers and 39 RBI.

Tristan Hildebrandt ended up as a key late addition for Hyannis last summer but couldn’t build on his success with Cal State Fullerton this spring, finishing the regular season hitting under .200. A return to McKeon Park will offer a chance for a jumpstart.

The other returning Harbor Hawk is Devin Smeltzer, who wasn’t on the team’s initial roster but is there now. Smeltzer had an up-and-down summer last year, but the ups included a no-hitter of Harwich. Smeltzer transferred from Florida Gulf Coast to junior college power San Jacinto and had a terrific sophomore season. As a juco player, he will be eligible for the draft.

Minnesota has sent some pretty good pitchers to Hyannis over the years and Lucas Gilbreath is next in line. He’s been terrific out of the bullpen this year, striking out better than a batter per inning.

Florida State is hitting .295 as a team this season and two guys who had a big hand in the success are bound for Hyannis. Dylan Busby and Taylor Walls are both hitting over .300, with Busby leading the team in home runs.

Rice seems to churn out infielders and Ford Proctor is next in line. The freshman is starting at shortstop and batting third for the Owls as they head to regionals.

Outfielder has a breakout sophomore season then stars on the Cape. Sound familiar? Kyle Lewis’ outfield mate, Trey Truitt, is halfway to a similar path. He hit .354 with 17 home runs and might have been Southern Conference Player of the Year if not for Lewis’ presence.

PITCHERS

Trysten Barlow – FR – Mississippi State – Part of a big class of pitching newcomers in Starkville has not seen any action this year
Charlie Barnes – SO – Clemson – Busy reliever moved into rotation this year and has 4.49 ERA, team-best 78 Ks
Garrett Cave – SO – Florida International – Pitched as starter and reliever and posted 4.67 ERA with 42 Ks
John Gavin – SO – Cal State Fullerton – Not a huge strikeout guy but has 2.16 ERA in Titans’ weekend rotation
Lucas Gilbreath – SO – Minnesota – Following up good summer in Northwoods with dominant year in pen – 1.35 ERA, 41 Ks
Andrew Gonzalez – SO – Michigan State – Put up solid numbers in swing role, with 2.84 ERA in nine starts, eight relief apps
James Harrington – SO – New Mexico – ERA over six while pitching mostly as a mid-week starter for Lobos
Daniel Johnson – SO – Charleston Southern – Weekend starter had 5.82 ERA, 41 Ks
Justin Lewis – SO – Kentucky – Notched four saves with 2.08 ERA as Wildcats reliever
Al Pesto – FR – Duke – Freshman has been valuable part of Blue Devil bullpen with 1.83 ERA in 15 appearances
Ricky Salinas – SO – Rice – Solid weekend starter with 3.62 ERA, 60 Ks
Mac Sceroler – SO – SE Louisiana – Top starter for regional-bound Lions with 2.18 ERA, 92 Ks
Devin Smeltzer – SO – San Jacinto – After no-hitter in CCBL last summer, dominant for JUCO powerhouse – 1.20 ERA, 108 Ks
Tyler Stevens – SO – New Mexico – Solid starter in weekend rotation with 4.34 ERA, 71 Ks

CATCHERS

Chris Cullen – FR – South Carolina – 38th-round pick last year hitting .252, 11 2Bs in part-time gig for Gamecocks
Chris Hudgins – SO – Cal State Fullerton – Splitting time behind plate and hitting .231 with three home runs for Titans

INFIELDERS

Dylan Busby – SO – Florida State – Leading Seminoles with 12 HRs, 47 RBI in breakout sophomore season
Cody Henry – SO – Alabama – Batted .223 with team-best 16 doubles for Crimson Tide
Tristan Hildebrandt – SO – Cal State Fullerton – Returning Hawk has had tough sophomore year with .168 average
Ford Proctor – FR – Rice – Texas high school star having big debut – .343, 3 HRs, team-best in extra-base hits and RBI
Zach Rutherford – SO – Old Dominion – Freshman All-American picked up where he left off this year with team-best .311 AVG, 12 SB
Carl Stajduhar – SO – New Mexico – MWC Player of the Year in midst of huge season for champ Lobos – .348, 18 HR, 66 RBI
Taylor Walls – SO – Florida State – Started every game as a frosh last year and has starred this year with .357 AVG, 6 HR, 14 SB
Peter Zyla – SO – Duke – Batting .253 for regional participant Blue Devils

OUTFIELDERS

Treg Haberkorn – SO – Cincinnati – Solid sophomore year included .264 AVG, 3 home runs, 13 stolen bases
Jack Schaaf – SO – Florida International – Batted .275 with three home runs as a sophomore after similar freshman season
Trey Truitt – SO – Mercer – Starred alongside CCBL ’15 standout Kyle Lewis with .335 AVG, 17 HR, 54 RBI
Drew Wharton – SO – Clemson – Hitting .154 in limited action for Tigers