Four-for-Four

Nick Solak and Bourne improved to 4-0 against Hyannis this summer with a win Wednesday.

For most of the summer, the West Division standings have had Hyannis at the top and nobody else particularly close. The Harbor Hawks are 17-13 right now and no other team is even above .500.

But in that landscape, a funny thing has happened: Bourne has consistently gotten the better of the first-place Harbor Hawks.

With a 3-2 victory Wednesday night at Doran Park, the Braves moved to 4-0 against Hyannis this summer. That’s nearly a third of their 13 total wins on the season. Hyannis still owns a six-point lead on the second-place Braves but it would be a whole lot bigger if not for their head-to-head series.

Wednesday, the Harbor Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning and made it 2-0 in the sixth. Starter Vance Tatum (Mississippi State) was cruising with the lead and took a no-hitter into the fifth.

Even from that beginning, Bourne still found a way.

The Braves scored three runs in the sixth inning, with a double by Jacob Robson (Mississippi State) and a single by Camden Duzenack (Dallas Baptist) setting up RBI for Pete Alonso (Florida), Corey Julks (Houston) and Reid Humphreys (Mississippi State).

Bourne’s Indiana State bullpen tandem then took over. Ryan Keaffaber, who had served up a home run in the top of the sixth, worked a scoreless seventh and college teammate Austin Conway followed with two perfect innings en route to his seventh save.

The Harbor Hawks got two hits from Blake Tiberi (Louisville), who now qualifies for the batting average leaderboard – and vaulted to the top spot with his .380 average. They also got the first home run of the summer from recent arrival Matt Thaiss, who won a national championship with Virginia.

But against Bourne, nothing the Harbor Hawks do has mattered much.

The Braves have their number.

Orleans 12, Harwich 3

Orleans is on its third streak of at least four wins this summer thanks to a 12-3 drubbing of Harwich last night. The Firebirds scored five runs in each of the first two innings as they put the game away quickly. Nick Zammarelli (Elon), who’s quietly been one of the team’s steadiest performers, had a loud night, hitting a three-run homer in the first and knocking in two with a single in the second. He finished 2-for-4 with five RBI. Willie Abreu (Miami) and Alex Call (Ball State) drove in two runs each. Leadoff man Bryan Reynolds (Vanderbilt) scored three runs. Starting pitcher Kyle Serrano (Tennessee) allowed two runs in four innings. Carmen Benedetti (Michigan) got the win in relief.

Y-D 4, Falmouth 3

The Firebirds aren’t the only hot team in the East, as Y-D pushed its win streak to five in dramatic fashion with a 4-3 walk-off victory over Falmouth. With the game tied 3-3 in the ninth, the Red Sox strung together four straight singles, with the fourth one winning the game. Tommy Edman (Stanford) delivered it, plating Joshua Vidales (Houston) with the winning run. Earlier in the at-bat, Edman had failed to get down a squeeze bunt, which caused the runner from third to get tagged out in a rundown. Edman then came through and now has a hit in 10 straight games and ranks fourth in the league in hitting at .341. Vidales and Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) each had three hits. Chad Hockin (Cal State Fullerton) made his first appearance of the summer and got the win with three innings of relief. Y-D improved to 16-14, tied with Brewster for third place in the East.

Brewster 2, Cotuit 1

The Whitecaps stayed hot with a little late drama as well, edging Cotuit for their third straight win. Trailing 1-0 in the ninth, the Whitecaps tied it on a J.C. Escarra (Florida International) RBI single and won it later in the inning when Escarra raced in from third on a wild pitch. Brewster had been shut-out by Jon Woodcock (Virginia Tech) but had managed to stay within a run thanks to a strong pitching performance of its own. Alex Schick (California) gave up one run in 6.1 innings Four relievers teamed up for the final 2.2 innings and allowed just one hit.

Chatham 2, Wareham 1

The Anglers rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to slip past Wareham at Veterans Field. Daulton Jefferies (California) made his return from Team USA for the Gatemen and allowed one run in four innings, but Chatham pushed through against the Gatemen bullpen, plating the go-ahead run in the seventh on an RBI single by Todd Czinege (Villanova). Brandon Miller (Millersville) earned the win with three scoreless innings of relief. Cameron Stone (Stony Brook) and Aaron McGarity (Virginia Tech) finished off the victory. Aaron Barnett (Peppedine) added two hits and an RBI for the Anglers.

What to Watch

Nothing on the schedule today. When games get going again Friday, Orleans will host Brewster in a battle of streaking East teams.

July 6, 2015July 6, 2015

Raising the Cup

JaVon Shelby had a big day as Hyannis rolled past Cotuit.

I saw news last night that Hyannis had won the Barnstable Patriot Cup and didn’t believe it. The season isn’t even halfway over, I told myself. There’s no way they could have done it that quickly.

Well, the season is halfway over, exactly halfway in fact. And Hyannis won the rivalry trophy as quickly as possible.

The Harbor Hawks beat the Kettleers 11-5 at McKeon Park for their fourth win in four games against the Kettleers. That clinches the six-game season series between the teams and brings the cup to Hyannis.

Hyannis has had a lot of people’s number on its wire-to-wire run in the West, but Cotuit has had a particularly tough time. The Harbor Hawks won the first meeting 5-0 and the second 7-3. Cotuit made a push in the third match-up, losing 2-1.

Sunday, Hyannis grabbed the cup with a flourish, racing to an 11-0 lead in the first six innings of the game. Errol Robinson (Ole Miss) went 3-for-4 with three RBI while JaVon Shelby (Kentucky) went 3-for-5 with an RBI. The league’s leading hitter Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) smacked his ninth double as part of a 2-for-4 night. Ben DeLuzio (Florida State), Blake Tiberi (Louisville) and Corey Bird (Marshall) all chipped in two hits.

Blake Quinn (Cal State Fullerton), making his fourth start, was at his best after getting staked to the early lead. He tossed five shutout innings, striking out two and allowing three hits. Cotuit scored five runs off the Hyannis bullpen, but the hole was too deep.

The cup belongs to Hyannis.

Orleans 5, Wareham 0

Mitchell Jordan (Stetson) dominated for the fifth time and sent Orleans on its way to a shutout of Wareham. Jordan tossed six shutout innings and moved to 4-0, while keeping his season ERA at 0.00. The one unearned run he allowed in his last start remains the only run he’s given up. Jordan also struck out six on Sunday and didn’t walk a batter. He leads the league in strikeouts with 31 in 27 innings. He has given up just nine hits all summer. The Orleans offense was also up to its usual tricks Sunday, with Kyle Lewis (Mercer) hitting his leagie-best fifth home run. Alex Call (Ball State) also homered. The Firebirds have won two in a row and have an eight-point cushion on second-place Chatham.

Y-D 10, Brewster 2

Y-D has won two straight and six of its last 10 to move into third place in the East. The Red Sox topped Brewster 10-2 on Sunday to move to 11-12. They were coming off a 7-0 shutout of Hyannis on the Fourth of July. In their last two games, the Red Sox have pounded 27 hits. Gio Brusa (Washington), the late pick-up who starred for Brewster last summer, has now delivered a hit in five straight games. He homered Sunday, scored three runs and drove in two. Ryan Noda (Cincinnati) also homered and had four RBI. Connor Wong (Houston) went 3-for-3 and Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) went 3-for-4. Leading hitter Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State), the one guy who’s been hot since day one, went 1-for-4, giving him eight hits in his last five games. Four different Red Sox took the hill for short stints, with Cory Malcolm (Arkansas-Little Rock) picking up the win.

Chatham 12, Harwich 4

The Anglers scored a season-high 12 runs in breezing past Harwich and moving one game over .500. Luke Persico (UCLA) led the charge with a third-inning grand slam. He added an RBI single in the seventh to finish 2-for-5 with five RBI. Kyle Brooks (North Florida) and Nate Mondou (Wake Forest) chipped in two hits apiece, with Zack Short (Sacred Heart) knocking in a pair of runs. Short is now tied for third in the league in RBI with 12, despite batting just .191. Parker Dunshee (Wake Forest) was the beneficiary of the big day at the plate. He struck out nine and gave up three earned runs in six innings for the win.

Bourne 4, Falmouth 2

Both teams had 12 hits but Bourne made a few more of them count in a 4-2 victory over Falmouth. Vince Fernandez (UC Riverside) and Brian Serven (Arizona State) had two hits and an RBI each, while Ryan Boldt (Nebraska) also knocked in a run. Nick Solak (Louisville) scored two runs and Jacob Robson (Mississippi State) went 3-for-4. Ryan Keaffaber (Indiana State) allowed one run in five innings before a four-inning save by Cody Sedlock (Illinois). Sedlock gave up seven hits and one earned run, but also struck out eight in just four innings. Bourne moved to 10-10-2 and continued to gain separation from Falmouth and Cotuit, who have fallen off the pace in the West.

What to Watch

Three make-up games on the docket today. With Hyannis idle, Wareham will try to make up a little ground in the West as it visits Harwich.

June 8, 2015June 8, 2015

Braves primed for the top again

With Falmouth getting hot in the playoffs, it’s easy to forget that Bourne owned the West Division last year and finished with the best record in the league. A couple of guys will be back from that team, and they’ll be joined by a strong influx of talent that has the Braves looking like a top on-paper contender.

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Brendan McKay
2. Boomer Biegalski
3. Ryan Boldt
4. Nick Banks
5. Pete Alonso

NOTABLE

C.J. Chatham ends up in Bourne? We need to be better than that, people.

Florida State’s Boomer Biegalski will be among the most proven incoming CCBL starting pitchers after settling into ace duties for Florida State this year. He struck out 120, good for ninth in the country.

With Biegalski leading the way, the Braves have as impressive a collection of starters as any in the league. Keegan Akin, Matt Crohan, Ryan Keaffaber, Brendan McKay, Josh Rogers, Ryan SMoyer and Dominic Taccolini were all weekend rotation guys this year.

McKay has earned a Team USA camp invite, but if he comes to Bourne, he could be the league’s top freshman. The two-way star has a 1.77 ERA and a .314 average.

Bourne has a couple of guys with strong bullpen experience, but it will be hard for any of them to push Miami’s Bryan Garcia from the closer’s role, once he arrives from Omaha. Garcia has saved 25 career games in just two seasons with the Hurricanes.

Veteran catchers are not a bad place to start building a roster, and Bourne has a pair of returning Cape Leaguers in Jason Delay and Brian Serven.

Lots of big-time hitters on the roster, but from a purely statistical standpoint, no one was better than Lehigh’s Mike Garzillo, who hit .359 with 13 homers this spring.

Ryan Smoyer, Pete Alonso and Ryan Boldt were all Northwoods League stars last year and will be primed to follow the familiar path to Cape League stardom this year.

PITCHERS

Keegan Akin – SO – Western Michigan – Starter for most of his career, had 4.33 ERA with 75 Ks in sophomore season
Boomer Biegalski – SO – Florida State – JUCO transfer emerged as ace this year, striking out 120 in 108 IP, with 3.17 ERA
Matt Crohan – SO – Winthrop – Lefty had big sophomore season, going 7-4 with 3.05 ERA, 87 Ks on way to Big South second team nod
Bryan Garcia – SO – Miami – Set Miami freshman record for saves last year with 15, has 10 more this year with Miami off to CWS
Cooper Hammond – SO – Miami – Another key in Miami bullpen, leads team in appearances and owns 1.85 ERA
Ryan Keaffaber – SO – Indiana State – MVC Freshman of the Year after closing in 2014 had 2.73 ERA in move to rotation this year
Brendan McKay – FR – Louisville – Two-way star may be nation’s top freshman, but has also earned Team USA invite
Andy Ravel – SO – Kent State – 21st-round pick out of high school had 3.13 ERA with 55 Ks in second season at Kent State
Alex Robles – SO – Austin Peay – Two-way player had 3.31 ERA and batted .328 with three homers
Josh Rogers – SO – Louisville – Solid starter for Cards is 8-1 with 3.53 ERA after posting 3.96 ERA with Braves last summer
Cody Sedlock – SO – Illinois – Has 4.02 ERA in 21 appearances this year, mostly out of bullpen
Ryan Smoyer – SO – Notre Dame – Top prospect award winner in Northwoods League last year went 9-1 with 2.27 ERA this spring
Kirby Snead – SO – Florida – Followed busy freshman year with strong summer in Northwoods, has 3.19 ERA as reliever this year
Jacob Sparger – SO – Louisville – Solid bullpen arm has 2.08 ERA in 14 appearances for Louisville
Dominic Taccolini – SO – Arkansas – Moved to weekend rotation after strong freshman year and went 6-4 with 4.32 ERA
Robert Tyler – SO – Georgia – Freshman All-American missed most of sophomore season after an injury, returning in May

CATCHERS

Jason Delay – SO – Vanderbilt – Hit .226 for Bourne last summer and batting .301 for Commodores this season
Brian Serven – SO – Arizona State – Had some struggles in Bourne last year but returned to Tempe and hit .294 with 6 HRs this spring

INFIELDERS

Pete Alonso – SO – Florida – One of Northwoods League’s best last summer hitting .304 with three homers for Omaha-bound Gators
C.J. Chatham – SO – Florida Atlantic – Followed strong debut with breakout sophomore season, hitting .344 with 28 XBH, 43 RBI
Camden Duzenack – SO – Dallas Baptist – Helped lead DBU’s continued emergence with .286, 4 HR season
Mike Garzillo – JR – Lehigh – Second baseman had huge junior year, batting .359 with 13 HR, 54 RBI and 15 SB
Casey Golden – SO – UNC Wilmington – Freshman All-American last year hit .283 with 6 HR in second season
Reid Humphreys – SO – Mississippi State – After part-time duty last year, hit .247 and was second on team in HR with 5
Corey Julks – FR – Houston – Grabbed full-time job as season went on and hit .302 with 5 HR, 38 RBI
Nick Solak – SO – Louisville – One of top hitters for dynamic Louisville offense, batting .326 with three homers, 18 SB

OUTFIELDERS

Nick Banks – SO – Texas A&M – Led SEC in hitting for much of the year, now batting .366 with 7 HR, 47 RBI
Ryan Boldt – SO – Nebraska – Baseball America’s top prospect in the Northwoods League hit .344 in second season in Lincoln
Vince Fernandez – SO – UC Riverside – West Coast League all star last summer had breakout sophomore year with .316 average, 7 HR