Posted on

Catching Fire

Brian Miller had three hits as Orleans won its fourth straight game.
Brian Miller had three hits as Orleans won its fourth straight game.

 
All of a sudden, the best team in the league since day one has somebody hot on its tail.

Harwich lost 4-2 to Chatham for its third straight defeat last night. In the meantime, Orleans shut out Hyannis 4-0 for its fourth straight win. The Firebirds are now just a game back of the Mariners for first place in the East.

Orleans was 7-8 when its win streak began, and the streak has followed a pretty classic good baseball formula – three runs or fewer allowed in each game, at least nine hits and only two errors total across the four-game stretch.

The pitching was at its best in Saturday’s win. Joe Ryan (Cal State Northridge), who has allowed a run or less in each of his four starts, went five strong innings, giving up four hits and striking out three. The bullpen then held up its end of the bargain in dominant fashion. Eli Morgan (Gonzaga), Zach Willeman (Kent State) and Zach Logue (Kentucky) didn’t surrender a hit in teaming up for the final four innings.

At the plate, Keegan McGovern (Georgia) hit his second home run in the win streak, a pinch-hit solo shot in the eighth. Brian Miller (North Carolina) drove in the other three runs for the Firebirds with a 2-for-5 night. Riley Adams (San Diego), Justin Jones (Georgia State) and Will Golsan (Ole Miss) scored a run apiece.

Success on the mound and at the plate in the win streak has put Orleans in third place in both team ERA and team batting average – making them the most balanced team in the league by that measure. A few more wins, and the Firebirds could become the best in the league by another measure.

 

Y-D 3, Falmouth 1

The Red Sox aren’t far behind Orleans for label of hottest team in the league. They topped Falmouth for their third straight win Saturday, rallying from a 1-0 deficit with a run in the seventh and two in the ninth despite finishing with only four hits. Mikey Diekroeger (Stanford) knocked an RBI single to tie the game in the seventh. In the ninth, Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) delivered an RBI double to plate the go-ahead run. Matthew Whatley’s (Oral Roberts) sacrifice fly made it 3-1, and Bryan Pall (Michigan) pitched the bottom of the ninth for his third save. Cal State Fullerton standout Connor Seabold earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief in his Cape League debut. Diekroeger and Toffey had two hits each, the only hits for the Red Sox. Y-D is 10-9, over .500 for the first time this season. Falmouth got a home run from Trevor Larnach (Oregon State) and six innings of one-hit, shutout ball from Florida freshman standout Brady Singer before the Red Sox rallied.

Chatham 4, Harwich 2

Losers of four straight, Chatham knocked off first-place Harwich with runs in the seventh and eighth innings to break a 2-2 tie. Stuart Fairchild’s (Wake Forest) third hit of the night plated the go-ahead run in the seventh. Patrick Mathis (Texas) hit his second home run of the summer in the eighth for a little insurance, and Moises Ceja (UCLA) tossed a scoreless ninth for his third save. That made a winner out of Isaac Mattson (Pittsburgh), who struck out five of the 10 batters he faced in 2.2 scoreless frames. Starter Tanner Chock (Presbyterian) also pitched well, allowing two runs in 5.1 innings. Chase Pinder (Clemson) had three hits and an RBI for the Anglers and Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) also knocked in a run. For Harwich, Packy Naughton (Virginia Tech) struck out five in 4.2 innings and leads the league in Ks with 26. Austin Filiere (MIT) had two hits and two RBI.

Bourne 2, Brewster 1

Bourne stopped a two-game slide and remained in first place in the West with a win over Brewster. An RBI single by Jake Mangum (Mississippi State) plated the go-ahead run in the seventh. Mangum, the SEC batting champ, finished 3-for-4, raising his average to .392. Connor Wong (Houston) and David MacKinnon (Hartford) added two hits each. Patrick Raby (Vanderbilt) allowed one run in five innings and left with the game tied. Doug Norman (LSU) earned the win in relief and Andrew Wantz (UNC Greensboro) picked up his third save with his fourth consecutive scoreless outing. Brewster got seven strong innings from Konnor Pilkington (Mississippi State), who took the hard-luck loss. Nick Dunn (Maryland) had two hits.

Wareham 3, Cotuit 2

Friday, Cotuit won a one-run game for the first time in seven tries. Saturday, Wareham returned the favor, dropping the Kettleers to 1-7 in one-run games with a 3-2 victory at Spillane Field. Three runs in the third inning were all the Gatemen needed as three pitchers combined on a solid showing. Ethan Small (Mississippi State) went four scoreless innings for the win and Ryan Wilson (Pepperdine) escaped trouble in the eighth and tossed a perfect ninth to finish off the win. Colton Shaver (BYU) upped his league-best RBI total to 20 and Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest) also drove in a run. For Cotuit, Colton Hock (Stanford) allowed two earned runs in six innings. Jason Delay (Vanderbilt) homered and Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) had two hits.

What to Watch

Today brings the openers in the two-game home-and-home holiday sets. As has been the case throughout the year, Harwich and Brewster looks an intriguing match-up. Two-time Cape League Pitcher of the Week Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall) gets the ball for the Mariners today against Brewster’s high-powered offense.

 

Posted on

Red Sox defending title again

The Y-D Red Sox celebrate in last year's championship series.
The Y-D Red Sox celebrate in last year’s championship series.

 
If they make the playoffs, look out. The Y-D Red Sox haven’t been the best team in the regular season in either of the past two years, but won the Cape League championship both times. Pitching looks like the strength on paper for the incoming Sox.

Five to Watch

1. Ricky Thomas
2. Alex Faedo
3. Jayson Rose
4. J.J. Schwarz
5. Deon Stafford

Notable

  • Ricky Thomas didn’t have a fantastic freshman season for Fresno State but became one of the Cape’s best pitchers last summer, going 7-0 with a 1.01 ERA. And that was just the beginning for Thomas. Back with the Bulldogs, he’s emerging as one of the top sophomore arms in the nation.

  • Alex Faedo would be a Friday starter just about everywhere, but at Florida, he’s a Sunday starter behind junior stars A.J. Puk and Logan Shore. Despite that, it’s Faedo who leads the team in strikeouts.

  • Mikey Diekroeger is following in the footsteps of brothers Kenny and Danny at Stanford and will follow Danny to the Cape. While Kenny was on a Y-D roster, he never actually played on the Cape. Danny played briefly for Y-D in 2012 and for Cotuit in 2013.

  • Barnstable native Will Toffey will be back for his second summer with Y-D. After a late arrival last year, the Vanderbilt infielder hit .136 in 15 games for the Red Sox.

  • Quite a collection of catchers on the Y-D roster — Florida star J.J. Schwarz, A-10 Player of the Year Deon Stafford of St. Joseph’s and Oral Roberts standout Matt Whatley. While Schwarz has the best credentials, Stafford had the best season with a .400 batting average and 17 homers.

  • Florida was the No. 1 team in the nation for much of the season and is still top five. If the Gators make Omaha, the Red Sox will have a few holes, with Faedo, Schwarz and shortstop Dalton Guthrie all on the roster.

  • The Red Sox could end up with an all-TCU outfield. Three of the four listed on the roster call Fort Worth home.

  • Y-D has welcomed in big-time arms from Cal State Fullerton the last two years — Phil Bickford in 2014 and Chad Hockin last year. Connor Seabold may fit the bill this year, with his 90 strikeouts in just 76.2 innings pitched.

    • PITCHERS

    Michael Baumann – SO – Jacksonville – 2015 Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Year had 4.31 ERA this year, fanned 67
    Sam Delaplane – JR – Eastern Michigan – Saved three games and struck out a batter an inning out of Eagles’ bullpen
    Alex Faedo – SO – Florida – Sidekick to stars A.J. Puk & Logan Shore great in his own right with 102 Ks, 3.58 ERA
    Cre Finfrock – SO – Central Florida – Notched a team-high 70 strikeouts as weekend starter
    Mitch Hart – SO – USC – Freshman All-American struggled in sophomore campaign, with ERA over seven
    Jake Higginbotham – FR – Clemson – 27th-round pick out of high school has 4.59 ERA as starter for Tigers
    Oliver Jaskie – SO – Michigan – Moved into weekend rotation and went 7-3 with 3.36 ERA, 55 Ks
    William Montgomerie – SO – Connecticut – Emerged as reliable weekend arm with 2.86 ERA, 78 Ks
    Bryan Pall – SO – Michigan – Three saves, 26 strikeouts in 26 innings as Wolverine reliever
    Jayson Rose – SO – Utah – One of the top starters in Pac-12 is 8-5 with 2.46 ERA, 96 Ks in 95 IP
    Connor Seabold – SO – Cal State Fullerton – Mostly a starter, has racked up 90 Ks and only seven walks in 76.2 IP
    Collin Snider – SO – Vanderbilt – Standout reliever for Commodores has 2.57 ERA, 30 Ks
    Ricky Thomas – SO – Fresno State – Breakout star in CCBL last year dominant for Bulldogs with 2.16 ERA, 108 Ks
    Erich Uelmen – SO – Cal Poly – Solid weekend starter posted 3.76 ERA, 66Ks

    CATCHERS

    JJ Schwarz – SO – Florida – Frosh star has had a bit of a sophomore slump but still hitting .290 with six homers
    Deon Stafford – SO – Saint Joseph’s – A-10 Player of the Year batted .400 with 17 homers this spring
    Matt Whatley – SO – Oral Roberts – Reigning Summit League Newcomer of Year stayed hot at .354, 7 HRs

    INFIELDERS

    Wade Bailey – SO – Georgia Tech – After solid debut last year, hitting .314 with four HRs this season
    Mikey Diekroeger – SO – Stanford – Hitting only .216 but second on team in extra-base hits
    Dalton Guthrie – SO – Florida – Leadoff man and SS for preseason favorite Gators, hitting .323
    Coco Montes – FR – South Florida – Full-time starter as frosh, hitting .221 with two home runs
    Kevin Smith – SO – Maryland – Starting SS since day one hitting .267 with eight homers this season
    Will Toffey – SO – Vanderbilt – Barnstable native hitting .234 with 19 RBI in sophomore season

    OUTFIELDERS

    Nolan Brown – SR – TCU – Poised to be Frogs’ leadoff hitter but injury sent him to redshirt year
    Ryan Johnson – FR – TCU – Hitting .214 in limited action off Horned Frogs’ bench
    Luke Miller – FR – Indiana – Indiana HS star off to strong start with Hoosiers, hitting .283 with 13 XBH
    Connor Wanhanen – SO – TCU – Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2015 hitting .247 this season