Posted on

Liking the Rivalry

COT16_quinn brodey
 
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.
 

Posted on

Staying for the Summer

Connor Simmons picked up the win in Saturday's game.
Connor Simmons picked up the win in Saturday’s game.

 
Humming since opening day, the Cape League’s busy transactions page will slow down now. Sunday was the deadline for signing players on temporary contracts to full contracts, the biggest step in solidifying rosters for the rest of the summer. Some changes will still pop up, but the merry-go-round of the early part of the season is over.

Cotuit was among the busiest teams yesterday, signing 10 temps to full contracts. Then the Kettleers went out and celebrated.

Four players hit home runs and six pitchers held on to the lead as the Kettleers beat Falmouth 9-4 at Lowell Park.

Clay Fisher (UC Santa Barbara), a late arrival after the Gauchos’ trip to Omaha, had about as good a Cape League debut as you could draw up, going 3-for-4 with a grand slam. The slam came in the fourth inning and made it an 8-0 lead.

Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) and A.J. Balta (Oregon) added their first home runs of the summer and Cory Voss (New Mexico) hit his second. Jackson Klein (Stanford), Cal Stevenson (Arizona) and Alonzo Jones (Vanderbilt) added hits to the big offensive day.

On the mound, one of those freshly signed temps, Ross Achter (Toledo) started and allowed one run in three innings. Another one, Connor Simmons (Georgia Southern) went 3.2 scoreless innings and was credited with the win.

The victory was the third in four games for the Kettleers, who are 5-15 and making up a bit of ground in the West. They’re three games back of fourth-place Hyannis.

 

Wareham 5, Bourne 2

The Gatemen topped Bourne and moved into a first-place tie with the Braves in the West. Adrian Tovalin (Azusa Pacific) homered, while Alex Destino (South Carolina), Colton Shaver (BYU) and Luke Bonfield (Arkansas) drove in one run each. Brett Conine (Cal State Fullerton) allowed two runs in four innings ahead of a dominant effort by the Gatemen bullpen. Robert Garcia (UC Davis) and and Jake Matthys (Angelo State) combined for five scoreless innings of relief. Wareham has now won two straight.

Orleans 5, Chatham 0

The Firebirds pushed their win streak to five with a shutout of Chatham and now own the second-best record in the league. Making his fourth start, Jason Morgan (North Carolina) delivered his best start with five two-hit innings and six strikeouts. Kevin Smith (Georgia), Chandler Day (Vanderbilt) and Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) finished off the shutout. At the plate, the top of the Orleans order led the charge. Leadoff man Brian Miller (North Carolina) went 2-for-5 with two RBI. No. 2 hitter Zach Kirtley (St. Mary’s) homered and also drove in two runs. Justin Jones (Georgia State) went 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs.

Harwich 2, Brewster 1

With Orleans winning, Harwich could have lost its grip on first place in the East but remained a game ahead of the Firebirds thanks to a typical pitching performance. Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall) came up with his fourth quality start in as many tries, allowing one run on six hits in six innings. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. Reliever Austin Bain (LSU) struck out five of the eight batters he faced in two scoreless frames and Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) tossed a scoreless ninth for his fifth save as the Mariners hung on to the one-run edge. Brewster starter Kade McClure (Louisville) was strong in his own right, striking out nine in seven innings, but after carrying a shutout into the seventh, he gave up a two-run homer to Johnny Adams (Boston College) that proved to be the difference.

Y-D 8, Hyannis 7

One team had a player with two home runs and six RBI – and lost. Hyannis’ Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee) hit a grand slam in the third inning and a two-run homer in the fifth, but Y-D won a slugfest 8-7 on a ninth-inning walk-off squeeze bunt by Nolan Brown (TCU) to score J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara). Y-D had also rallied from a 7-5 hole with two runs in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) and a balk that allowed a run to score. Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) homered and drove in two runs for the Red Sox and Tyler Houston (Butler) also had two RBI. Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton) went 4-for-5 in the leadoff spot. For Hyannis, Ford Proctor (Rice) chipped in two hits and Brett Netzer (Charlotte) homered.

What to Watch

Fourth of July Baseball from Wareham to Chatham tonight. At Spillane Field, it’ll be a battle for first place between the Gatemen and the Braves.
 

Posted on

What a Relief

Taylor Lehman dominated in relief as Cotuit snapped an eight-game losing streak.
Taylor Lehman dominated in relief as Cotuit snapped an eight-game losing streak.

 
The Cotuit Kettleers could breathe a sigh of relief Saturday – thanks to some relief.

Taylor Lehman (Penn State) pitched five no-hit innings out of the bullpen to maintain an early lead and the Kettleers snapped an eight-game slide with a 6-3 victory over Yarmouth-Dennis at Lowell Park.

The Kettleers had issues in just about every facet of the game in their 1-12 start, and pitching was near the top of the list, with the team ERA hovering over five. Friday, they got a strong showing from a pair of pitchers in a hard-luck 2-1 loss to Hyannis. Saturday, there was more success, with the finish proving even better than the start.

Ross Achter (Toledo) held his own for four innings, allowing three runs. Then came Lehman, the 6-foot-8 left-hander. Both of his prior appearances had been starts. He allowed three earned runs in his first outing then was touched up for five in 3.2 innings the next time out.

Saturday, he relieved Achter to start the fifth and worked around a walk for a scoreless frame. And then he was rolling. Lehman retired the final 13 batters he faced after the fifth-inning walk. Since the walk was erased by a caught stealing, Lehman ended up facing the minimum in his five innings. He finished the game with a strikeout, his third.

The breakout performance helped the Kettleers stay in front after they had taken a 4-2 lead in the first inning. Ryan Hagan (Mercer) had a sacrifice fly and Cory Voss (New Mexico) delivered a two-run double to key the rally. Cotuit added single runs in the fifth and seventh innings, with Patrick Dorrian (Herkimer CC) and Jackson Klein (Stanford) knocking them in.

The Kettleers improved to 2-12 while Y-D went to 6-8.

 

Bourne 4, Falmouth 2

With first place in the West on the line, the Braves topped Falmouth to stay in the top spot. Patrick Raby (Vanderbilt) went six strong innings in his second start of the summer, allowing two runs and striking out four. Doug Norman (LSU) and Andrew Wantz (UNC Greensboro) finished the job by combining for three hitless innings. The offense was led by Justin Yurchak (Binghamton), who took over the league lead in hitting with his fourth consecutive multi-hit game. A transfer from Wake Forest who sat out this spring, Yurchak is now batting .438. Evan Mendoza (NC State) added two RBI and Connor Wong (Houston) knocked in one. For Falmouth, Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) went 1-for-4 to stretch his hitting streak to nine games.

Chatham 2, Brewster 0

The league’s top scoring offense was shut-out for the first time all season as a pair of Chatham pitchers led the Anglers to a key 2-0 win. Both teams are now 8-6, tied for second in the East. Tanner Chock (Presbyterian) and Simon Mathews (Georgetown) did the honors on the shutout, scattering a combined five hits. Chock surrendered only two in five innings but left with the game in a scoreless tie. Mathews followed with four scoreless frames and earned the win when Chatham scored single runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Brewster starter Kade McClure (Louisville) struck out eight in six shutout innings before the Anglers break through against the bullpen. Hunter Lee (High Point) broke the 0-0 tie with an RBI single and Jake Palomaki (Boston College) homered the next inning.

Harwich 2, Orleans 1

The Mariners broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth and topped Orleans to improve to 11-3. They still haven’t lost consecutive games this season. Nick Feight (UNC Wilmington) delivered the key hit with an RBI double in the eighth and he finished 2-for-4 while pushing his hit streak to four. A walk to Austin Filiere (MIT) put a runner on and pinch-runner Steven Foster (Hofstra) moved to second on a wild pitch before Feight’s clutch hit. The rally made a winner out of Austin Bain (LSU), who went two scoreless inning in relief. Peter Solomon (Notre Dame) notched the save. Starter Packy Naughton (Virginia Tech) had gone six strong innings, allowing one run and striking out nine to take over the league lead in Ks. Joseph Dunand (NC State) added an RBI for the Mariners. Will Golsan (Ole Miss) knocked in the lone run for Orleans.

Wareham 5, Hyannis 4

Wareham lost a one-run lead in the top of the eighth but got it back in the bottom half and went on to a 5-4 win over Hyannis. Harrison Wenson (Michigan) plated what proved to be the winning run in the eighth with an RBI single after Colton Shaver (BYU) had started the rally with a single. Ryan Wilson (Pepperdine), who had given up the lead a half-inning before, returned to the mound for the ninth and pitched around a walk to seal the win. Shaver went 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead the Wareham offense. Joey Bartosic (George Washington) and recent arrival Cole Freeman (LSU) added two hits apiece. Hyannis got three hits from Dylan Busby (Florida State). With the win and Falmouth’s loss to Bourne, the Gatemen leapfrogged into second place.

What to Watch

The league’s Pitcher of the Week in the first two installments of the season will try to go for a third as Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall) makes the start for Harwich at Y-D. McCarthy has yet to allow a run this season. He’s up against Mitch Hart (USC), who struggled in his first start but tossed five shutout innings his last time out.
 

Posted on

Brewster has CCBL experience, talented influx

brewster

 
Brewster made the playoffs and had Cape League MVP Nick Senzel starring last summer. Several returning players are back to lead the way.
 

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Brett Cumberland
2. Brent Rooker
3. Kade McClure
4. Alex Schick
5. Mike Kaelin

 

NOTABLE

  • Brewster has five players set to return, and two more who played elsewhere on the Cape.

  • It wasn’t the best baseball year for the Pac 12 conference, but that doesn’t take anything away from the season Brett Cumberland had. Cal’s sophomore catcher earned Player of the Year honors after leading the league in home runs and RBI.

  • Mississippi State’s Brent Rooker made a late cameo with Brewster last year after his MVP campaign in the NECBL season ended. The sophomore has continued to shine this spring.

  • Brewster is slated to have three pitchers who check in at 6-foot-7, and they should at some point take a pitcher with 5-foot-9 reliever Mike Kaelin, who can probably throw a fastball harder than them.

  • Kaelin has been a standout closer at Buffalo and struck out 50 in 32 innings in the Northwoods League this year. He’s draft-eligible and it will be interesting to see where he ends up this summer.

  • Louisville’s Kade McClure, one of the 6-foot-7 guys, is perhaps the best mid-week starter in the nation, with numbers that would look fantastic in any team’s weekend rotation. He likely would have been a weekend guy for the Cardinals, too, but Kyle Funkhouser opted to return to school after last year’s draft, giving Louisville a logjam that it certainly didn’t mind having.

  • When Xavier shocked Vanderbilt in the Nashville regional, Zac Lowther was front and center, going seven strong innings and allowing just a run.

  • Washington was an upset-minded squad in the same regional and will send three players to Brewster.

    •  

    PITCHERS

    Vince Arobio – JR – Pacific – Second in school history in saves after tallying six this year, to go with 27 Ks in 17.1 innings
    Hansen Butler – SO – North Carolina – Made 11 relief appearances for Brewster last summer, posted 2.00 ERA in UNC bullpen this year
    Joe Demers – FR – Washington – Had up-and-down year in weekend rotation for regional club, finishing with 6.91 ERA
    Chris Falwell – JR – Texas A&M Corpus Christi – Shined in pen and moved to weekend rotation, posting 2.91 ERA, 88Ks in 86.2 IP
    Ryan Feltner – FR – Ohio State – Pitched as a starter and reliever, finishing with 4.06 ERA, 61 Ks in 68.2 innings
    Mike Kaelin – RS JR – Buffalo – Saved five games, fanned 44 in 35 innings with only six walks out of Buffalo bullpen
    Zacary Lowther – SO – Xavier – Friday starter tallied 3.09 ERA, 84 Ks in 102 IP en route to second-team all conference honors
    Erik Martinez – SO – California – Struck out 45 in 37.1 innings and saved eight games with opponents hitting just .211 against him
    Kade McClure – SO – Louisville – Excelled in mid-week starting role, going 12-0 with 2.54 ERA, 77 Ks in 78 innings
    Joe Mockbee – SO – Michigan State – Versatile arm started six games and saved five, while posting 3.54 ERA, 59 Ks in 56 innings
    Ryan Nutof – SO – Michigan – Made 11 starts, 10 relief appearances and was solid throughout with 3.67 ERA
    Konnor Pilkington – FR – Mississippi State – Filling a void in weekend rotation and carries 2.01 ERA into Super Regionals
    Rickey Ramirez – SO – Fresno State – Tallied four saves while striking out 42 in 39.2 innings to go with 4.54 ERA
    Alexander Schick – JR – California – Posted 3.76 ERA for Brewster last summer and 2.03 ERA in injury-shortened spring for Cal
    Aaron Soto – SO – Tennessee – Pitched in rotation and out of the bullpen, finishing at 6-2 with 3.63 ERA, 40 K in 62 innings
    Jesse Stallings – SO – LSU – Has 3.64 ERA as valuable bullpen arm for Super Regional-bound Tigers
    Alex Troop – JR – Michigan State – Posted 1.64 ERA in four relief appearances for Spartans
    Jacob Westphal – SO – Tennessee – Pitched well in 12 relief appearances last year then missed all of 2016 season after Tommy John surgery
    Tyler Zuber – JR – Arkansas State – Finished with ERA over six in swing role but lead team in strikeouts with 73 in 69.2 innings
     

    CATCHERS

    Jared Barnes – SO – South Alabama – Listed as catcher & outfielder, hit .292 and tied for team lead in home runs with six
    Brandon Chapman – SO – George Washington – Batted .247 and led team in doubles with 16, while knocking in 25
    Gavin Collins – JR – Mississippi State – Former Bourne Brave hitting .301 with team-best 10 HR for Bulldogs
    Brett Cumberland – SO – California – Emerged as a star this year, hitting .344 with 16 HR, 51 RBI en route to Pac 12 Player of the Year award
    Colby Fitch – SO – Louisville – Has forced his way into playing time by hitting .339 with five homers for No. 2 national seed Cardinals
    Kekai Rios – FR – Hawaii – Finished second on the team with .331 batting average and drove in 18 in debut season
     

    INFIELDERS

    Matt Davis – SO – VCU – Led Atlantic 10 contending Rams with .321 average, 6 HR, 35 RBI
    Nick Dunn – FR – Maryland – Burst onto the scene in College Park, hitting team-best .304 in freshman season
    Zack Gahagan – SO – North Carolina – Had solid second season in Chapel Hill, finishing at .297 with five home runs
    A.J. Graffanino – FR – Washington – Played in 54 games in debut season and hit .250
    Ryan Gridley – SO – Mississippi State – Has started all but one game for Bulldogs and is contributing with .284 AVG, 9 XBH
    Julian Infante – FR – Vanderbilt – Hit .259, belted six home runs in part-time role for Commodores
    Bryce Jordan – SO – LSU – Hitting .299 and leading team with .426 on-base percentage, to go with five home runs
    Ryan Noda – SO – Cincinnati – Played for Y-D last summer then hit .250 with six homers, 18 XBH in second season with Bearcats
    Logan Warmoth – SO – North Carolina – Second-best hitter and top run producer for Heels hit .337 with 4 HR, 53 RBI
    Dustin Williams – JR – Oklahoma State – Batting only .219 but has team-high 14 home runs and .323 OBP
     

    OUTFIELDERS

    Kel Johnson – SO – Georgia Tech – Struggled in 14 games with Brewster last summer but rebounded with .319 AVG, 11 HR this spring
    Beau Jordan – SO – LSU – Batting .296 for Tigers and has chipped in five stolen bases
    Jon Littell – SO – Oklahoma State – Hitting .264 with two homers for Cowboys
    Colby Maiola – SO – Northern Essex CC – UMass-Lowell commit hit at a .453 clip with 10 HR, 43 RBI in second JUCO season
    Jack Meggs – JR – Washington – Followed solid summer with Brewster by hitting .272 with two home runs for Huskies
    Brent Rooker – SO – Mississippi State – NECBL MVP last year hitting .320 with 9 HR, team-high 52 RBI for Bulldogs