Still Battling

Eddie Muhl pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief in Monday's win.
Eddie Muhl pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief in Monday’s win.

 
Brewster and Hyannis are on the verge of the playoffs, but they’ve been there for a while now and haven’t been able to take the leap. That’s due to their own struggles and late pushes by the teams behind them.

With a win and a Brewster loss, Chatham moved within one point of the Whitecaps for the final playoff spots in the East. Meanwhile, Cotuit topped Hyannis – the sixth straight loss for the Harbor Hawks – to get within three points of the last spot in the West. With two games remaining for everybody, any of those four teams could still make the postseason.

Chatham knocked off West-leading Falmouth for its key win Monday. Caleb Gilbert (LSU), who hadn’t gone more than four innings in any outing, went seven strong, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out seven. Falmouth used four pitchers as it preps for the playoffs and Chatham did damage against all of them, even ace Brady Puckett (Lipscomb). Jeremy Vasquez (Florida) went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. D.J. Artis (Liberty) continued his late-season surge with three hits, two runs and an RBI. Kyle Adams (Richmond) and Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) drove in one run each.

Chatham improved to 16-25-1. Both of its remaining games are against Orleans. Brewster takes on first-place Harwich in its last two.

In Hyannis, Cotuiti made up ground in the fastest way possible for the second time in the last four games, topping the Harbor Hawks. Hyannis hasn’t won since the day after the All-Star Game.

Jason Bilous (Coastal Carolina), who struggled in his first start July 18, delivered a second consecutive strong performance, going five innings and allowing one run. Eddie Muhl (George Washington) followed with 2.2 scoreless frames and Alec Byrd (Florida State) finished the job for the save.

A two-run single by A.J. Balta (Oregon) powered a three-run third inning that put the Kettleers in control. Balta finished 2-for-5 with three RBI. Ryan Hagan (Mercer) added two hits and two RBI. Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) also had two hits and Jordan Pearce (Nevada) scored two runs.

Despite the six straight losses, Hyannis still has a leg up on the Kettleers and can clinch a playoff spot with a victory. Cotuit needs to win out and have Hyannis lose both of its last two. Hyannis has Falmouth and Y-D to finish up and Cotuit gets Y-D and Wareham.

 

Bourne 3, Harwich 2

Bourne walked off on Harwich, with David MacKinnon (Hartford) coming around on a wild pitch and a throwing error in the bottom of the ninth. The big finish capped a rally from a 2-0 hole by the Braves, who tied the game in the seventh on a two-run single by Jeremy Eierman (Missouri State). Zach Spangler (Kent State) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) struck out four of the seven batters he faced but was tagged with the loss on the unearned run in the ninth. MacKinnon scored two runs for the Braves. Johnny Adams (Boston College) had an RBI for Harwich. The Mariners remain three points in front of Y-D in the East and can clinch the division title and the top seed with one victory.

Wareham 5, Orleans 4

The Gatemen scored two in the eighth and held off a Firebird rally in the ninth for a 5-4 win. A two-run double by Adrian Tovalin (Azusa Pacific) broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth. Orleans got an RBI fielder’s choice from Brian Miller (North Carolina) in the ninth, but Christian Taugner (Brown) came on and stranded Miller at first to end the game. Dalton Horton (TCU) got the win in relief for the Gatemen. Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Cole Freeman (LSU) had two hits and scored two runs, pushing his average to .378 as he remains in position for the batting title.

Y-D, Brewster 4

A run in the eighth and two in the ninth pushed Y-D past Brewster. Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) scored in the eighth on a dribbler by Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton). In the ninth, Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton) plated the tying run with an RBI double and Toffey gave the Red Sox the lead with a run-scoring base hit. Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine) then worked around a walk and an error in the bottom of the ninth to seal the win for Y-D. J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara) had two hits and scored two runs for the Red Sox. Persinger added two hits. For Brewster, Kekai Rios (Hawaii) had two hits and two runs scored.

 

What to Watch

The playoff chase continues for Cotuit and Chatham. The Kettleers visit Y-D at 4:30 p.m. Chatham hosts Orleans at 7.
 

Home Run Hitter

Matt Davis hit his league-best seventh home run Saturday.
Matt Davis hit his league-best seventh home run Saturday.

 
Six current Cape Leaguers hit 14 home runs or more for their college teams this spring. Harwich’s Nick Feight (UNC Wilmington) finished tied for second in the nation with 21. Two more had 18, two had 17 and one had 14. Three players took a break from their time on the Cape to head to Omaha for the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby, and Chatham’s Hagen Owenby (East Tennessee State) came back with the crown.

That’s all to say that there is no shortage of sluggers in Cape League uniforms this summer.

But the guy leading the pack isn’t among that group.

Brewster’s Matt Davis (VCU) hit his league-best seventh home run in Saturday’s win over Cotuit. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound infielder — coming off a spring in which he hit six home runs — now has two more blasts than any of his Cape League mates.

A rising senior at VCU who’s been the anchor of the Rams’ offense the last two seasons, Davis is also hitting .314 this summer, leads the league in slugging percentage and ranks second in RBI with 18. He’s been the top performer for the top-performing offensive team on the Cape and has done it all while playing out of position. An infielder at VCU, he’s been slotting in mostly in left field for the Whitecaps.

His homer Saturday was a solo shot in a 5-0 burst for the Whitecaps over the first four innings. Davis finished 2-for-3. Nick Dunn (Maryland), Kel Johnson (Georgia Tech) and Kekai Rios (Hawaii) added hits.

The offense was more than enough for starter Konnor Pilkington (Mississippi State), who struck out five in seven shutout innings. Hanson Butler (North Carolina) and Tyler Zuber (Arkansas State) finished off the win.

 

Falmouth 4, Chatham 2

Falmouth is the hottest team in the league, topping Chatham for its fifth straight win. Brady Singer (Florida) made his second start and delivered another scoreless outing, allowing three hits in five innings after six shutout innings in his debut. Three relievers kept Falmouth in front before Seth Elledge (Dallas Baptist) worked a scoreless ninth for his second save. Singer’s Florida teammate Deacon Liput went 1-for-4 with an RBI in his second Cape game. Ryan Chandler (Rice) also knocked in a run. With the win, Falmouth improved to 15-10 and has a three-point lead on Wareham for first place in the West. Chatham fell to 11-14, which leaves them in a fourth-place tie with Brewster.

Wareham 3, Harwich 3

Wareham played to a tie for the second night in a row after 12 innings failed to yield a winner against Harwich at Whitehouse Field. The Gatemen were likely happier with the tie than the Mariners. Harwich led 3-0 into the eighth inning before Wareham rallied. The Gatemen got an RBI single by Austen Wade (TCU) in the eighth and tied it in the ninth on a Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) RBI triple and a Robert Metz (George Washington) bunt single. Both runs were unearned due to a one-out error. The runs came off Harwich closer Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall), who had yet to blow a save chance. Wareham kept Harwich off the board the rest of the way thanks to four scoreless innings from Jake Matthys (Angelo State). Brad Bass (Notre Dame) and Teddy Rodliff (Notre Dame) were also lights out for Harwich. Both teams left two runners on base in the 11th. Bart and Metz led the Wareham offense with three hits each. Ernie Clement (Virginia) had four hits for Harwich and leads the league with a .394 batting average. Before the Harwich bullpen lost the lead, Packy Naughton (Virginia Tech) went seven shutout innings, striking out four and allowing just two hits.

Y-D 3, Bourne 1

The Red Sox won their fourth straight and handed Bourne its sixth loss in a row. Oliver Jaskie (Michigan) allowed just an unearned run in six innings for the Red Sox, Nathan Kuchta (San Diego) tossed two scoreless frames and Bryan Pall (Michigan) picked up his sixth save, which is tied for the league lead. Pall has saved three games in Y-D’s four-game streak. J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara) paced the offense with two hits, a run scored and an RBI. Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s) had a hit and a run scored and Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) had two hits. Y-D moved to 15-10 while Bourne fell to 11-13-1.

Orleans 7, Hyannis 1

Orleans stopped a four-game losing streak with a home win over Hyannis. Joe Ryan (Cal State Northridge) struck out seven and gave up just two hits in five scoreless innings, his second straight scoreless start. Kevin Smith (Maryland) gave up one run in three innings of relief and Calvin LeBrun (Gonzaga) worked the ninth to finish off the win. Leadoff man Brian Miller (North Carolina) had three hits, an RBI and a run scored, while Will Golsan (Ole Miss) and Zach Kirtley (St. Mary’s) had two hits each. Seven different Firebirds drove in a run. Hyannis got two hits from Cody Henry (Alabama).

 

What to Watch

The top two teams in the West, Falmouth and Wareham, square off a Spillane Field at 7 p.m. Brendan King (Holy Cross), who has pitched as a starter and reliever with a 3.70 ERA, goes for the Commodores against Zachary Pop (Kentucky), who allowed one run in five innings his last time out.
 

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.
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    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