Four Hundred

Andrew Calica went 1-for-3 Sunday, finishing with a .425 batting average.

Andrew Calica made his Cape Cod Baseball League debut on June 23 at Spillane Field. He batted ninth for Wareham and went 0-for-3 in a 4-0 loss.

It was not a sign of things to come.

From that beginning, Calica authored one of the best seasons at the plate in Cape League history. With a 1-for-3 night in Sunday’s regular season finale, Calica finished with a .425 batting average. Forty-eight hits in 113 at-bats. And a long list of achievements:

Calica’s average is the highest in the league since Terry Steinbach hit .431 for Cotuit in 1982 — with a metal bat.

Calica’s mark is the highest since the league switched to wood bats in 1985.

His average cracks the top five in Cape League history, ranking fifth.

Calica becomes the first player to finish with an average above .400 in 25 years, since Mark Smith hit .408 for Wareham in 1990.

In this day and age, batting average is not one of the cool stats. There are better ways to measure value. And as was the case when Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown took a back-seat to an MVP debate, value-driven stats tend to bury other numbers.

They shouldn’t. Hitting .400 is a big deal.

A Cape League season may be a small sample – and Calica arrived two weeks late – but if hitting .400 was easy, then it wouldn’t have taken 25 years to do it. It was reasonable to wonder if it would ever happen again.

Calica was the guy to break through. The 6’1, 190-pound outfielder hit .329 in his redshirt sophomore season at UC Santa Barbara this spring. He had hit .310 in his first full season with the Gauchos.

Following his 0-for-3 debut for Wareham, he went 3-for-4 the next night. That was a sign of a things to come.

Calica would go on to 16 multi-hit games out of 31 games played. Most of the hits were singles – 45 out of 48, to be exact, with two doubles and a homer mixed in – but Calica just kept knocking base hits.

He kept his average above .400 into mid-July, though he was off the qualifying pace for the batting title.

On July 15, Calica went 0-for-4 against Chatham. He went 0-for-4 again the next night, then 0-for-3. His average was at .371. He was human.

In his next five games, he went 15-for-23. That stretch included a 5-for-5 night against Hyannis on July 23. It was the moment when .400 became a true possibility.

Calica would stay well above the mark the rest of the way. When he finally reached the qualifying number for plate appearances – naturally, with a 3-for-4 night – his average was at .439 with four games to go.

He played in all four of those games and had a hit in all four. Sunday, with .400 all but secure – he would have had to go 0-for-8 to fall under .400 – Calica delivered a third-inning single for hit number 48, the finishing touch on a remarkable season.

The Cape League’s 400 club finally has a new member.

End of the Road

After pushing the teams above them to the limit, Falmouth and Harwich both bowed out of the playoff race with one-run losses Sunday.

The Commodores would have been in with a win, but lost a 10-inning heartbreaker 6-5 to Bourne. Trailing 5-4 in the ninth, Falmouth kept its season alive on a sacrifice fly by Tristan Gray (Rice), but Bourne pushed a run across in the top of the 10th. J.B. Woodman (Ole Miss) doubled with one out in the bottom half but was stranded at second by Braves reliever Nick Jensen-Clagg (Kent State).

Heading into Sunday, Harwich needed a little more help than Falmouth and got it when both Chatham and Y-D lost their finales. But Brewster scored early and often and held off a late charge for an 8-7 win over the Mariners.

Nick Senzel (Tennessee) homered, while J.C. Escarra (Florida International) and Ryan Peurifoy (Georgia Tech) delivered two hits each for the Whitecaps. The Mariners started down the comeback trail with three in the sixth but would get no closer than one run. Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s) struck out the side in the ninth to finish it off.

Thanks to those losses, playoff seedings are as follows:

East
1. Orleans
2. Brewster
3. Y-D
4. Chatham

West
1. Hyannis
2. Bourne
3. Wareham
4. Cotuit

Wareham 7, Cotuit 4

While three teams lost their finales but still clinched playoff spots, Wareham got in with a win. The Gatemen used a five-run sixth inning to break open a close game and held on from there. Kramer Robertson (LSU) and Connor Beck (TCU) had two hits and two RBI each to lead the charge. Ian Hamilton (Washington State) struck out nine in 5.1 innings for the win. Evan Hill (Michigan) went the final 3.2 innings for the save.

Orleans 8, Chatham 4

Orleans won its fourth straight to close the season and matched the 31-12-1 record of the 2007 Y-D Red Sox, the best mark of the last 15 years. Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) finished off his home run crown with his 12th (in 27 games). Tres Barrera (Texas) also homered, Willie Abreu (Miami) had three hits, and Kyle Lewis (Mercer), Alex Call (Ball State) and Bryan Reynolds (Vanderbilt) chipped in two hits each. Parker Bean (Liberty) was credited with the win in relief. Chatham finished the season on a four-game losing streak, including two in a row to Orleans. The two will meet again in the opening round of the playoffs.

Hyannis 5, Y-D 4

Hyannis completed its wire-to-wire run atop the West with a 5-4 win over Y-D. Bobby Melley (Connecticut), who had played only three games this summer and none since June 14, returned with a bang, going 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) homered as part of a three-hit night. Blake Quinn (Cal State Fullerton) went six strong innings for the win.

What to Watch

Teams will jump right into the playoffs tonight. The schedule:

Y-D at Brewster, 4 p.m.
Cotuit at Hyannis, 6 p.m.
Wareham at Bourne, 6 p.m.
Chatham at Orleans, 7 p.m.

July 2, 2015July 2, 2015

All it Takes is One

Last Friday, Wareham beat Cotuit by a run with two runs in the top of the ninth inning. The go-ahead run scored on a passed ball. Wednesday, Wareham won by a run again, and this one might have been even more frustrating for the Kettleers.

A solo home run by Andrew Calica (UC Santa Barbara) in the sixth inning was the game’s only run – and Wareham’s only hit. Four Gatemen pitchers combined on a shutout as the Gatemen won 1-0.

Wareham improved to 10-9 and is one game back of Hyannis for first place in the West. Cotuit dropped to 6-13.

The Gatemen were 0-5 in one-run games before the 4-3 victory over Cotuit Friday. Their luck turned around in that game and apparently didn’t run out, either. Cotuit’s Jon Woodcock (Virginia Tech) obviously took a no-hitter into the sixth Wednesday, but the one hit sent him to the hardest of hard-luck losses.

Calica, the No. 9 hitter in the order, came up with two outs in the sixth and smacked a 2-1 pitch for his first home run of the summer. Calica, who hit .329 for UC Santa Barbara, only had one home run this spring, too. He’s now hitting .438 in six games on the Cape.

Woodcock didn’t allow anything else – his season ERA is now 1.50 – and Mitch Stallings (Duke) tossed two hitless innings. But Wareham’s pitchers remained in control.

Matt Krook (Oregon) started and went two innings. He walked four and struck out two but didn’t give up a run or a hit. Blake Fox (Rice) followed with 4.2 innings, Ian Hamilton (Washington State) tossed two-thirds of an inning and Shea Spitzbarth (Molloy) went the final 1.2 without surrendering a hit.

Cotuit threatened with a little luck of its own when Will Haynie (Alabama) led off the ninth by reaching on a dropped third strike. He made it to second on a bunt and third on a groundout, but Spitzbarth stranded him there. Kort Peterson (UCLA) lined out to end the inning.

The Kettleers finished with four hits but none went for extra bases. Wareham’s one hit did a little more damage.

Harwich 6, Bourne 2

Harwich scored four runs in the fifth to break away for a 6-2 win over Bourne. Johnny Adams (Boston College) and Connor Justus (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-3 with three RBI for the Mariners. Adam Pate (North Carolina) went 2-for-3 and now has 10 hits in eight games since Harwich picked him up after he was released by Orleans. Pate has three straight two-hit games and ranks third in the league with a .356 batting average. Pate’s UNC teammate Hunter Williams struck out seven in four innings and Ross Vance (West Virginia) got the win in relief after Harwich’s big inning. Joe DiBenedetto (Seton Hall) went three scoreless innings for his first save. Harwich did much of its damage at the plate against Bourne starter Nick Jensen-Clagg (Kent State), who hadn’t allowed a hit in his first two starts. He gave up six Wednesday, walked five and was charged with three earned runs.

Y-D 9, Chatham 2

The Red Sox built an early lead then pulled away with a six-run seventh inning in a win over Chatham. It was Y-D’s second win this week over Chatham, and the Red Sox sit just one game back of the second-place Anglers in the East standings. Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State) led the Y-D offense with three hits, a home run and two RBI. It was the fourth three-hit game of the summer for Walton, who’s batting .318. The homer was his first. Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) added two hits while Gio Brusa (Washington) – a 2014 CCBL All-Star – shook off his slow start to 2015 with a two-hit night. Barnstable native Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) made his Cape League debut and drew three walks. On the mound for Y-D, Brett Adcock (Michigan) walked five but surrendered only one run in five innings. Chatham got home runs from Luke Persico (UCLA) and Todd Czinege (Villanova).

Falmouth at Hyannis, PPD; Brewster at Orleans, PPD

What to Watch

Four games on tap today, including what should be a good pitching match-up at Red Wilson Field. Josh Rogers (Louisville), who was drafted in the 11th round this year but is planning to return to school, goes for Bourne against Y-D’s Shane Bieber (UC Santa Barbara), who went 7.2 shutout innings last time out. Also on the hill tonight is Chatham’s T.J. Zeuch (Pittsburgh), who will go against Brewster at Veterans Field. Zeuch has not allowed an earned run in his three starts.

June 23, 2015June 23, 2015

Streak No. 4

Parker Dunshee went six strong innings to help Chatham take game one of a doubleheader with Hyannis.

Chatham’s eight wins this season have all come in two-win bursts. They won two in a row to start the summer, lost their next game, won two in a row, lost three straight, then won two in a row and lost their next game.

Their latest burst was their most impressive. The Anglers visited West-leading Hyannis Monday at McKeon Park and swept a doubleheader with the Harbor Hawks, winning 3-2 and 3-1.

The victories give Chatham an 8-5 record, which matches Hyannis and is good for second-best in the league to Orleans’ 10-3 mark.

Chatham started the twin bill with a bang Monday night, scoring all three of its runs in the top of the first inning. Will Craig (Wake Forest), Aaron Barnett (Pepperdine) and Zack Short (Sacred Heart) knocked in the runs in consecutive at-bats.

The early lead proved just enough for a pair of Chatham pitchers. Starter Parker Dunshee (Wake Forest) allowed two runs in six-plus innings and struck out three. In the seventh – the final inning in scheduled doubleheader games – Hyannis scored a run off reliever Andre Scrubb (High Point), which was charged to Dunshee, and had the winning run on base before Scrubb retired the final two batters for his third save.

In the second game, it was Hyannis that jumped in front with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Chatham immediately took the lead with two in the second and tacked on insurance in the seventh. Short homered for the Anglers, while Trenton Brooks (Nevada) and Cory Raley (Texas Tech) knocked in one run each.

Ty Damron (Texas Tech) allowed one run in five innings of work for the win. C.J. Burdick (San Diego) and Aaron McGarity (Virginia Tech) pitched a scoreless inning each to finish it off.

The Anglers had two in a row again. They’ll try to stretch a streak to three for the first time all year when they host Brewster tonight.

Harwich 5, Cotuit 3; Harwich 6, Cotuit 1

Harwich also swept its doubleheader, making things interesting at the top of the East standings, where there hasn’t been much of a race to this point. The Mariners are now 7-5-1, just a point back of Chatham for second place. Starting pitching set the course for the Mariners Monday, with each of their starters going five innings and giving up no earned runs. Joe O’Donnell (NC State) did it in the first game before Cotuit took a late lead against the bullpen. Harwich rallied for three runs in the seventh to win it. Saige Jenco (Virginia Tech) had an RBI single to power the rally. Luke Scherzer (Virginia Tech) grabbed his league-best fourth save. Hunter Williams (North Carolina) allowed one unearned run in five innings for the win in game two. Michael Hernandez (Nova Southeastern) powered a 10-hit attack with a three-run homer. Adam Pate (North Carolina) had three hits, while Cavan Biggio (Notre Dame) had two hits and two RBI, bumping his average to .371. Cotuit’s Michael Paez (Coastal Carolina) in the sweep, going 2-for-3 to take over the league batting lead at .400. He’s also second in stolen bases with six.

Y-D 7, Falmouth 6; Y-D 5, Falmouth 1

The defending champs have struggled this season, but they know how to win a doubleheader. The Red Sox topped Falmouth for their second twin bill sweep of the summer, which accounts for four of their five wins on the season. Y-D scored four runs in the top of the seventh to take the opener, with Mike Donadio (St. John’s), Gio Brusa (Washington), Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) and Connor Wong (Houston) driving in the runs. Wrenn finished 2-for-4 with three RBI. Brusa, a standout with Brewster last year, went 1-for-4 in his 2015 debut. Christopher Viall (Stanford) pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh to finish off the game-one win. The Red Sox stayed hot in game two, smacking nine hits on their way to the sweep. Tommy Edman (Stanford) drove in two runs. Ricky Thomas (Fresno State) turned in his second strong start of the summer, giving up one run in 5.2 innings with seven strikeouts.

Bourne 6, Orleans 3; Orleans 3, Bourne 0

The Braves snapped Orleans’ six-game winning streak in the opener but Orleans got right back on track with a shutout in the second game. Jacob Robson (Mississippi State) had two hits and two RBI to pace a 10-hit Bourne attack in the first game. Mike Garzillo (Lehigh), Corey Julks (Houston) and Ryan Boldt (Nebraska) also had two hits. Bryan Baker (North Florida) turned in his third straight scoreless relief outing, going 3.1 innings and striking out five for the win. Austin Conway (Indiana State) picked up the save. In the second game, Bourne was no match for Mitchell Jordan (Stetson), who dominated again. He went five scoreless innings, just as he did in his first two starts of the summer. He also struck out seven to take over the league lead in that category with 17. Joe Ryan (Cal State Northridge) pitched the final two innings for the save. An error and a two-run single by Austin Miller (Loyola Marymount) in the sixth gave Orleans all the offense it would need. Nick Jensen-Clagg (Kent State) was a bright spot for Bourne in the loss, striking out eight in four scoreless innings. He has 16 strikeouts in 8.1 innings this summer.

Brewster 5, Wareham 4; Wareham 5, Brewster 0

Brewster used a four-run fourth inning to pull away in game one, while two Gatemen pitchers combined on a shutout in game two. The Whitecaps took a 1-0 lead in the first game on a third-inning home run by Toby Handley (Stony Brook). They added four hits in the fourth innings, and three runs came home on passed balls or wild pitches, ahead of an RBI double by Eli White (Clemson). Wareham chipped away but was held scoreless over the final two innings. Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s) went the final 1.1 for the save. Highly-touted lefty Matt Krook (Oregon) started for Wareham, making his first appearance since the 2014 college season, and struck out two in two scoreless innings. In game two, Wareham righted the ship thanks to Evan Hill (Michigan) who allowed three hits in six shutout innings. He had plenty of support, with Logan Sowers (Indiana) and Andrew Knizner (NC State) driving in two runs each.

What to Watch

Orleans has had just one game against its closest competition in the East, but that changes this week. Harwich visits Eldredge Field tonight and Chatham comes to town Thursday.

June 17, 2015June 17, 2015

Lending a hand

Corey Julks and his Bourne teammates got a little help Tuesday night.

The Bourne Braves would have broken the spell at some point, but I’m sure they didn’t mind welcoming a few reinforcements to help the cause Tuesday night. Two players making their season debut knocked in both runs and a pitcher making his first appearance slammed the door in relief as the Braves picked up their first win of the season 4-2 over Brewster.

Bourne had played the first week of the season with only about half of the position players on its initial roster, and with four pitchers in Omaha plus a handful of others who were late arriving from Super Regional play. Combine all that with some slow starts by the hitters who were in town – the Braves are last in the league in team batting average – and it adds up to an 0-6-1 start.

Tuesday, the Braves got a lift. Nick Solak (Louisville) and Vince Fernandez (UC Riverside) were just activated Monday and jumped right into the starting lineup.

Solak was the second-leading hitter for a Louisville team that nearly made Omaha while Fernandez hit .316 with seven homers for Riverside. Tuesday, they picked up where they left off. Solak went 2-for-3 and drove in a run with a single and another on a double. Fernandez went 2-for-5 and drove in the other two runs with an eighth inning base hit.

Corey Julks (Houston), who was a bright spot in the rough opening week, went 2-for-3 and scored a run.

Bourne trailed 2-1 after five but scored one in the seventh and two in the eighth.

And another newcomer made the comeback count. Nick Jensen-Clagg (Kent State), a solid starter for the Golden Flashes who was activated Sunday, made his debut out of the bullpen in the fifth inning. Brewster had just scored its two runs, but Jensen-Clagg got out of the inning with a groundout then proceeded to dominate. He didn’t allow a run or a hit over the final 4.1 innings and struck out eight of the 13 batters he faced, without issuing a walk.

With the Braves in front, he struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth then induced a fly-out to end it.

Bourne is in the win column.

Hyannis 7, Cotuit 3

The beat goes on for the red-hot Harbor Hawks, who won their fifth straight and pushed their league-best record to 7-1. They scored two in the first Tuesday at Lowell Park then pulled away late for their second win over the Kettleers this summer. Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) went 3-for-5 with three RBI, giving him eight RBI in just four games. JaVon Shelby (Kentucky), Colby Bortles (Ole Miss) and Ben DeLuzio (Florida State) knocked in one run apiece. On the mound, Mike King (Boston College) tossed five scoreless innings and struck out five for the win.

Orleans 5, Y-D 1

East-leading Orleans also stayed hot, topping the Red Sox for its third straight win and moving to 6-2. Bobby Dalbec – who told the league’s official site that he’ll return after his Team USA stint – continued his torrid start with his league-best fourth home run. He also leads the league in RBI with nine. Bryson Brigman (San Diego), who is also heading to Team USA, added a hit and an RBI. Joe Ravert (La Salle) started and gave up one run in four innings. Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) claimed the win in relief with two scoreless innings. For Y-D, Donovan Walton (Oklahoma State) went 3-for-5.

Falmouth 1, Wareham 0

Three pitchers combined on a shutout and Falmouth scored a run in the seventh to get to .500 with a 1-0 victory over the Gatemen. Alex Phillips (San Jacinto) gave up two hits in five innings, Seth Gustin (Holy Cross) worked two hitless frames and Wyatt Short (Ole Miss) pitched the eighth and ninth for the save. The lone run came in the seventh, when J.B. Woodman (Ole Miss) doubled and raced home on an RBI single by Heath Quinn (Samford). Those were the only two hits of the day for Falmouth. Zac Houston (Mississippi State) tossed five innings of no-hit ball for the Gatemen with nine strikeouts.

Harwich 4, Chatham 3

The Mariners trailed 3-0 but scored four in a row for a victory over the Anglers. Harwich moved to 4-3-1 while Chatham dropped to 4-3. Cavan Biggio (Notre Dame) went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Preston Palmeiro (NC State) and Sheldon Neuse (Oklahoma) also drove in one run apiece. Starter Scott Tully (Notre Dame) and four relievers combined to shut-out Chatham for the final five innings. Joe DiBenedetto (Seton Hall) was credited with the win and Luke Scherzer (Virginia Tech) the save. Scherzer came on with a runner on first in the ninth, walked two, but then escaped the bases-loaded jam with a strikeout.

What to Watch

Harwich takes on Chatham for a second straight night, this time at Veterans Field. Geoff Bramblett (Alabama) and Dan Castano (Baylor) will be on the hill after solid first starts last week.