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Vintage Performance

Ryne Birk's triple in the fifth inning helped break things open in Hyannis' win Sunday night.
Ryne Birk’s triple in the fifth inning helped break things open in Hyannis’ win Sunday night.

 
Hosting its first championship game since 1991, McKeon Park was bursting at the seams Sunday night. Mrs. Right Field Fog and I arrived around 5:40, which was far too late to get a great seat. An announced crowd of 5,154 was packed into every nook and cranny.

And the Harbor Hawks delivered a game worthy of that stage.

Riding a dominant performance by Dakota Hudson (Mississippi State) and an opportunistic offense, the Harbor Hawks stayed perfect in the postseason and moved within game of the league championship with an 8-1 win over Yarmouth-Dennis. Hyannis will try to clinch the franchise’s first Cape League title since 1991 today at Red Wilson Field.

Hudson opened the postseason for Hyannis with a strong showing in a win over Cotuit, and he was even better Sunday. The righty went eight innings – keeping the bullpen in prime position for the rest of the series – and struck out eight. He allowed just two hits and one run. Kevin Roy (Columbia) pitched a perfect ninth to finish off the win.

The one run Hudson surrendered sent the Harbor Hawks to a rare postseason deficit. With a runner on third and two outs in the second inning, Mike Donadio (St. John’s) beat out a ground ball for an infield hit and a 1-0 lead.

But Hyannis – which only trailed in one game of its first two playoff series – wasn’t down for long. A two-out RBI single in the bottom of the second by Tristan Hildebrandt (Cal State Fullerton) tied the game.

Y-D starter Mason Kukowski (Yale) followed with two more scoreless frames, but the persistent Hyannis offense and some shaky Y-D defense changed the game.

With two outs in the fifth, Bobby Melley (Connecticut) and Jake Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) singled. Blake Tiberi (Louisville) then hit a ground ball up the middle. Joshua Vidales (Houston) made a great diving stop but his throw to first from the ground was off-target, allowing Melley to score.

That chased Kukowski, but the trends continued. Alec Eisenberg (Hofstra) issued a walk to the first batter he faced, which loaded the bases. Jake Rogers (Tulane) hit a ground ball to third and another errant throw allowed two more runs to score. Ryne Birk (Texas A&M) then laced a sinking line drive into center. Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) made a diving attempt but couldn’t make the catch and the ball rolled past him. Birk raced into third with a bases-clearing triple.

It was 6-1.

Hyannis added insurance in the sixth and eighth innings but didn’t really need it. Hudson retired 15 of 16 batters from the end of the second inning into the seventh. The Red Sox didn’t have a hit after the second inning, getting their only base-runners on two walks and a Hyannis error.

On the other side, eight different Harbor Hawks had hits. Bird, who might be the Playoff MVP favorite right now, went 1-for-4 and now has a hit in every postseason game.

Hyannis is 5-0 in the playoffs and has out-scored opponents 41-14.

They’ll be looking to ride the wave to another sweep Tuesday, but the last hurdle will be tough. Y-D will send its ace, Ricky Thomas (Fresno State) to the hill for game two today. Thomas went 7-0 with a 1.01 ERA in the regular season and tossed six shutout innings for a win in his first playoff start. Y-D has not lost a game that he has started.

Hyannis counters with another Mississippi State Bulldog in Vance Tatum, who had a 1.92 ERA in the regular season and allowed two run in five innings in his first playoff start.
 

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A sweep and a Classic

Corey Bird, pictured earlier in the playoffs, knocked in the go-ahead runs as Hyannis punched its ticket to the championship.
Corey Bird, pictured earlier in the playoffs, knocked in the go-ahead runs as Hyannis punched its ticket to the championship.

 
Hyannis has had some very good teams in the last few years, winning or sharing the regular season division title in 2011, 2013 and this year. But for all that success, playoff runs proved elusive. In 2015, the Harbor Hawks have broken through. They’ll play for the Cape League title for the first time since 2000 thanks to a 4-2 victory last night that clinched a sweep of Bourne.

The Harbor Hawks’ berth means we’re halfway to another first in a while — two No. 1 seeds meeting in the finals. It hasn’t happened since 2005. But it didn’t happen last night, either. No. 1 Orleans and No. 3 Y-D staged a 13-inning thriller in game two of their East division finals, and the Red Sox prevailed 2-1 to force game three.
 

Hyannis 4, Bourne 2

The Harbor Hawks had barely been challenged in starting the playoffs 3-for-3. Friday, that changed. Behind a strong performance from starter Alex Robles (Austin Peay), the Braves carried a 2-1 lead into the top of the ninth inning at Doran Park, three outs from forcing a third game.

With Austin Conway (Indiana State) on the hill, that seemed a foregone conclusion. The Cape League’s co-relief pitcher of the year saved 10 games this summer and did not allow an earned run. The only unearned run he surrendered came in his first appearance of the summer. Conway has also saved three games against Hyannis.

Friday, Conway came on in the eighth to protect the slim lead. It was business as usual with a scoreless frame.

But in the ninth, Hyannis found some magic.

Blake Tiberi (Louisville) walked, Matt Thaiss (Virginia) singled and Ryne Birk (Texas A&M) continued his red-hot postseason with an RBI single that tied the game. Conway was on the verge of keeping things tied, getting Corey Bird (Marshall) down 0-2 with two outs, but Bird then ripped a triple to score two more runs.

It’s about as stunning a rally as I can remember in the Cape League playoffs.

Aaron Civale (Northeastern) made it stand up with a scoreless bottom of the ninth and the Harbor Hawks were on to the championship.

It’s their first appearance there since 2000, and they lost on that trip. Hyannis hasn’t won the Cape League title since 1991.

A rally like Friday’s makes you think something special might happen this year.
 

Y-D 2, Orleans 1

The Red Sox scored a run on an error in the fourth inning. Kyle Lewis (Mercer) tied it for Orleans with a solo home run in the seventh. The teams would play six more scoreless innings before a wild pitch brought in the winning run in the bottom of the 13th.

Orleans, with the league’s best record since 2007, is headed to a game three for the second straight series.

Y-D had lost 4-0 in game one and didn’t have a ton more offense Friday, but capitalized on Firebirds miscues. A double by Dallas Carroll (Utah) set up the run-scoring error in the fourth.

Orleans starter Tanner Tully (Ohio State) was otherwise dominant, giving up nothing else in six innings. Y-D starter Cory Malcolm (Arkansas Little Rock) was just as good, with Lewis’s home run is only blemish. Interestingly, Tully and Malcolm both attended Elkhart Central High School in Indiana.

Though the next two pitchers had no such connection, they matched each other, too. Chandler Blanchard (Pepperdine) pitched six innings of no-hit, shutout ball, with six strikeouts. Ben Bowden (Vanderbilt) allowed two hits in five shutout innings for Y-D.

It all came down to the 13th, when Y-D loaded the bases against reliever Jared Carkuff (Austin Peay) on two singles and a walk. After a force-out at home for the second out, the Red Sox had Mike Donadio (St. John’s) at the plate. He was down in the count 0-2, when the wild pitch allowed Gio Brusa (Pacific) to race home.

Just like that, the Red Sox were alive.

The teams will return to Eldredge Park tonight at 7 p.m. for game three.
 

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Going Three

Parker Dunshee tossed six shutout innings as Chatham edged Orleans.
Parker Dunshee tossed six shutout innings as Chatham edged Orleans.

 
Three of the four opening-round playoff series ended in sweeps Tuesday. The one that’s going to three games is not the one you’d expect.

The fourth-seeded Chatham Anglers, who lost seven of their final eight regular-season games and dropped Monday’s opener, knocked off top-seeded Orleans 1-0 Tuesday night to push their East Division semifinal series to a decisive third game.

The Firebirds, with the best record in the league, had been shut out only once all season, in a 5-0 loss to Y-D on July 10. But Chatham’s Parker Dunshee (Wake Forest) and two of his teammates made it two shutouts, right when it counted the most.

Dunshee was as dominant as anybody has been all year against the powerful Firebirds. He allowed two hits, both singles, and struck out eight in six shutout innings. The right-hander was working on an eight-inning scoreless streak heading into the game, but six innings of two-hit baseball against these Firebirds represented a jump to a whole new level. He took a no-hitter into the fifth before Orleans notched a pair of singles, one that didn’t leave the infield.

Brandon Miller (Millersville) and Aaron McGarity (Virginia Tech) picked up where Dunshee left off, combining on three perfect innings to finish off the win.

Orleans starter Eric Lauer (Kent State) was almost as good as Dunshee, striking out nine and giving up four hits in five innings. But Chatham’s fourth-inning tally proved to be enough. Dunshee’s Wake Forest teammate Joey Rodriguez, a mid-season addition who hit just .105 in nine regular-season games, delivered the run-scoring hit. Aaron Barnett (Pepperdine), who had led off the inning with a base hit, scored the run.

The Firebirds never really threatened. The fifth-inning singles were their only hits, and Dunshee had no trouble escaping the mini-jam.

Orleans had won five straight, looking the part of the favorite. Thanks to Chatham and Parker Dunshee, the favorite quickly finds itself in a must-win game.
 

Y-D 7, Brewster 3

Y-D’s come-from-behind win in game one put Brewster in a tough spot, and not just because the Whitecaps faced elimination. They would also be facing Red Sox ace Ricky Thomas (Fresno State), who has quite literally been unbeatable this year. It proved to be just as tough as expected. Thomas was right on script, tossing six shutout innings with seven strikeouts as the Red Sox eliminated Brewster with a 7-3 victory. Thomas is now 8-0 on the summer. Ryan Noda (Cincinnati) homered to lead the Y-D attack, while Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State) and Chris Hudgins (Cal State Fullerton) chipped in two hits each. Y-D and Brewster both had 11 hits, but the Whitecaps were shut-out for seven innings and could muster only three runs in the eighth as they attempted a comeback. Jack Meggs (Washington) went 3-for-4 to lead Brewster. MVP Nick Senzel – Brewster’s leading hitter and run producer – missed the game with a wrist injury. The loss brings to an end a terrific season for Brewster and first-year manager Jamie Shevchik. The defending champion Red Sox move on.
 

Hyannis 9, Cotuit 5

Hyannis is now 8-0 against Cotuit this season, and the Kettleers won’t get another chance to change that, as the Harbor Hawks’ victory Tuesday sent them home. The West’s top seed started fast for a second straight night, scoring seven runs in the first three innings after getting six Monday. Ryne Birk (Texas A&M), who had one home run in the regular season, hit his second of the playoffs to make it a 3-0 game in the second inning. No. 9 hitter Tristan Hildebrandt (Cal State Fullerton) went 4-for-5 and knocked in three runs. Corey Bird (Marshall) went 2-for-5 and scored twice. Armed with the early lead, Vance Tatum (Mississippi State) allowed two runs in five innings for the win. Cotuit made some headway against the bullpen but would get no closer than the final four-run margin. Michael Paez (Coastal Carolina) was a bright spot for Cotuit in the loss, going 4-for-5 with two RBI. The loss sent Cotuit to its first opening-round exit since 2012. The Kettleers were league champs in 2013 and West finalists last year.
 

Bourne 4, Wareham 0

After a 7-1 victory in game one, Bourne pitching was even better in game two, as the Braves shut-out Wareham and punched its ticket to the West finals. Keegan Akin (Western Michigan) went 4.2 innings and struck out four ahead of a dominant relief outing from Kyle Driscoll (Rutgers), who struck out six in 3.1 innings. Austin Conway (Indiana State) pitched a perfect ninth. The co-winner of the league’s top reliever award still hasn’t allowed an earned run this summer. The Bourne offense backed the strong mound work with three runs in the top of the first inning, all on a home run by C.J. Chatham (Florida Atlantic). Wareham starter Brett Hanewich (Stanford) settled in from there, but the damage was done. Chatham added an RBI single in the eighth as the Braves cruised to the victory.
 

What to Watch

With only one first-round series headed to a third game, everybody gets a day off Wednesday except for the Anglers and Firebirds. Game three of their set is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Eldredge Park. Corbin Burnes (St. Mary’s) was listed as the game three probable for Orleans after the series opener. Ty Damron (Texas Tech) was listed as the Chatham starter.
 

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More of the Same

Ryne Birk catches a throw as Cotuit's Jeren Kendall slides underneath him in Monday's playoff game.
Ryne Birk catches a throw as Cotuit’s Jeren Kendall slides underneath him in Monday’s playoff game.

 
Cotuit went 0-for-6 against Hyannis in the regular season. If ever the Kettleers were going to break through, game one of their playoff series Monday looked like a pretty good time. They had ace Jon Woodcock (Virginia Tech) on the hill and the regular-season slate was wiped clean.

But Hyannis simply rolled on.

The top-seeded Harbor Hawks touched up Woodcock for eight runs – five of them earned – and built an 8-0 lead en route to a 10-3 victory at McKeon Park.

Woodcock ranked fourth in the league in ERA, but Hyannis had done a little damage against him in his final regular-season start, scoring three runs in 3.2 innings.

This time, the Harbor Hawks scored three runs in the first, one in the second and two in the third in racing to the early lead. Dakota Hudson (Mississippi State) pitched six strong innings for the win, allowing just two unearned runs. Zach Girrens (St. Louis) picked up a three-inning save.

Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) and Ryne Birk (Texas A&M) both homered for the Harbor Hawks. Noll added a single and finished with four RBI. Colby Bortles (Ole Miss) and Jake Rogers (Tulane) drove in two runs each, while Bobby Melley (Connecticut) continued his triumphant return with a 3-for-3 night. He was coming off a 4-for-5 performance in the season finale, his first Cape game since June 14.

Cotuit showed some life late with two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh. Spencer Gaa (Bradley) had two hits and an RBI.

It was too little, too late, just as it has been all season for Cotuit against Hyannis. The Kettleers will have one more chance to change that.
 

Orleans 4, Chatham 1

East top seed Orleans also took care of business in its opener, rallying from an early 1-0 deficit to beat Chatham 4-1. The Anglers struck first and pushed a run across against Mitchell Jordan (Stetson), a pretty rare feat. But Jordan would go the next 5.2 innings without allowing another run. He struck out four. Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) and Kyle Serrano (Tennessee) – who apparently is sliding to the bullpen – finished the job. The Firebirds took the lead in the second against Chatham starter Zac Gallen (North Carolina) and added two more runs in the fifth. Kyle Lewis (Mercer), Willie Abreu (Miami) and Nick Zammarelli (Elon) knocked in one run each. Abreu, who went 2-for-3, has a five-game hit streak that includes two home runs, giving Orleans one more dangerous hitter.
 

Y-D 3, Brewster 2

The only upset of the day happened at Stony Brook Field, where No. 3 Y-D rallied against the Brewster bullpen for a 3-2 victory over the No. 2 Whitecaps. Pitching figured to be the key for the Whitecaps – who had the league’s best batting average but the second-worst ERA – and Hunter Martin (Tennessee) gave them exactly what they needed. He went 6.2 shutout innings, keeping Brewster in front 1-0. Anthony Arias (Fresno State) relieved him with two outs in the seventh and got a quick third out but Y-D started the eighth with a single and a walk. The Red Sox then greeted new pitcher Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s) with two straight run-scoring singles and a sacrifice fly. Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State) and Dallas Carroll (Utah) had the base hits while Mike Donadio (St. John’s) delivered the sac fly. The Whitecaps got one run back in the bottom of the eighth but nothing else. Chad Hockin (Cal State Fullerton) then struck out two in a scoreless ninth.
 

Bourne 7, Wareham 1

The Braves scoed five runs in the second inning and never looked back in a 7-1 victory over Wareham. Reid Humphreys (Mississippi State) went 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead Bourne’s 10-hit attack. C.J. Chatham (Florida Atlantic) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Pete Alonso (Florida) had two hits. Cody Sedlock (Illinois), who opened the season in the Bourne bullpen but transitioned to the rotation for three regular-season starts in July, showed why that was a good move. He went seven innings and gave up just one run, striking out five. Bryan Baker (North Florida) pitched the final two innings.
 

Award Winners

A number of Cape League awards were presented Monday, most notably the MVP and Pitcher of the Year honors.

The MVP went to Brewster’s Nick Senzel, and deservedly so. The Tennessee standout was solid early in the season then got hot and never cooled off. He ended up hitting .364 – second only to Andrew Calica – and led the league in RBI with 33. He is Brewster’s first MVP since J.C. Holt in 2003.

Senzel also took home Top Prospect honors.

Mitchell Jordan, another shoo-in, won Pitcher of the Year honors. Jordan tied a CCBL record with a 0.21 ERA, while going 6-0 for Orleans. He is the second straight Firebird hurler to take top honors. Kolton Mahoney won it last year.
 

What to Watch

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

Orleans will have its other ace, Eric Lauer, on the hill as it tries to finish off a sweep of Chatham at Veterans Field. Lauer finished the regular season as the league leader in strikeouts.
 

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Red Hot Return

Gio Brusa is riding an 11-game hit streak for Y-D, who has won four in a row.
Gio Brusa is riding an 11-game hit streak for Y-D, who has won four in a row.

 
Baseball America listed Gio Brusa (Pacific) as the Cape League’s fourth-best prospect last summer. The other players in the top five all were selected among the first 73 picks in the 2015 draft. Brusa was selected with pick number 701, in the 23rd round. The 6’3, 225-pound outfielder was coming off an injury-hampered junior season and he had reportedly indicated to teams before the draft that he was leaning toward a return to Pacific.

With another year of college ahead, Brusa headed for the Cape and hooked on with the Y-D Red Sox, after spending last summer in Brewster. He got off to a shaky start, going 3-for-23 out of the gates, but since then, he has looked the part of the guy who kept good prospect company last year.

Brusa is on an 11-game hitting streak and hit his fifth home run in that span last night as Y-D beat Harwich 5-3. Brusa is now hitting .277, is tied for the league lead in home runs with five and ranks sixth in the league in RBI with 14.

Again, he has done essentially all of this in 11 games.

Brusa’s hot streak has helped the Red Sox find their footing, too. Tuesday’s win was their fourth in a row. They’re 7-4 in the month of July and have moved one game over .500 at 15-14.

Tuesday, they were tied with Harwich 1-1 before Brusa’s three-run homer powered a four-run fifth inning.

Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State) and Tommy Edman (Stanford) added two hits and an RBI each. Edman is on a hot streak of his own, with hits in nine straight games.

Stater Brett Adcock (Michigan) allowed two runs in 4.2 innings before a strong showing by the Y-D bullpen. Dalton Lehnen (Cincinnati) got the win in relief and Ben Bowden (Vanderbilt) picked up his first save. Bowden, a late arrival after Vandy’s run in Omaha, has struck out 12 in 6.1 scoreless innings this summer.

Y-D is now tied with Brewster for third place in the East and only one game back of Chatham for second. With Brusa streaking toward a second straight all-star summer, the defending champion Red Sox may be primed for another run.
 

Brewster 6, Chatham 0

Alec Rash (Missouri) delivered perhaps the best performance of his college and Cape League career as Brewster shut out Chatham. Rash, a former second-round pick of the Phillies that has struggled at Missouri, tossed six innings of one-hit ball against the Anglers. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. Three relievers followed him to the hill and finished off the shutout, as Chatham managed just three hits. Toby Handley (Stony Brook) led the Brewster offense with two hits and two RBI. League batting and RBI leader Nick Senzel (Tennessee) went 1-for-5 and knocked in his 19th run. J.C. Escarra (Florida International) and Ryan Peurifoy (Georgia Tech) also had RBI. Brewster is now just one game back of Chatham for second place in the East.
 

Hyannis 5, Falmouth 2

The Harbor Hawks stopped Falmouth’s four-game winning streak and upped their West division lead to four games with a 5-2 victory. Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast) delivered his best start since his no-hitter last month, giving up one earned run and striking out five in 6.2 innings of work. Aaron Civale (Northeastern) notched his third save in relief of Smeltzer. Ryne Birk (Texas A&M) went 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Hyannis attack. Austin Hays (Jacksonville) homered, while Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) and Arden Pabst (Georgia Tech) had two hits each.
 

Orleans 8, Wareham 2

East-leading Orleans also gained a little more distance, pushing its lead to five games with a win over Wareham and a Chatham loss. Eric Lauer (Kent State), who’s doing his best to keep up with teammate Mitchell Jordan, struck out nine and gave up one run on two hits in five innings of work. Lauer is now second in the league in strikeouts to Jordan with 39 and fifth in ERA with a 1.45 mark. Catcher Sean Murphy (Wright State) went 3-for-5 for the second time in four games, raising his average to .235 and continuing his emergence as another big bat in the powerful Firebirds lineup. Bryson Brigman (San Diego) added two RBI.
 

Cotuit 3, Bourne 1

The Kettleers moved within two games of second-place Bourne in the tightly-packed West standings with a 3-1 win over the Braves. Jeren Kendall (Vanderbilt) had two hits, a home run and an RBI, giving him six hits in five games since his late arrival. Brett Stephens (UCLA) added two hits. Matthew Milburn (Wofford) allowed just an unearned run in 5.2 innings for the win. Justin Dunn (Boston College) tallied his fourth save.
 

What to Watch

Daulton Jefferies (California), who had a 2.57 ERA with Team USA, makes his return to Wareham as the Gatemen visit Chatham tonight.
 

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No Homers, No Problem

T.J. Nichting had the go-ahead RBI single in Thursday's win.
T.J. Nichting had the go-ahead RBI single in Thursday’s win.

 
On a night when their best hitter was swinging for the fences in Omaha, the Orleans Firebirds scored just one run in the first seven innings of Thursday’s game with Harwich.

But as has been the case all summer, no matter who the Firebirds are without, they’re pretty good. First-place Orleans scored four runs in the eighth to beat Harwich 5-2 at Eldredge Park.

Kyle Lewis – who could make a case to be the league MVP front-runner so far – was competing in the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby. Lewis hit four home runs and couldn’t get out of the first round. (Chatham’s Will Craig had the best showing among Cape Leaguers, finishing as the runner-up to champ Jeff Campbell of North Dakota).

Without Lewis, Orleans was held to four hits through seven innings. Harwich starter Williams Durruthy (Florida International) went four strong innings. Harwich scored two in the fourth and led most of the way.

But in the eighth, a single by Alex Call (Ball State), plus two walks and an error, brought in the tying run. T.J. Nichting (Charlotte) plated the go-ahead run with a single, and the Firebirds tacked on a pair of insurance runs.

Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) came out of the bullpen for the ninth and struck out the side to put the finishing touch on the comeback win. Parker Bean (Liberty) was credited with the victory.

The Firebirds are now 14-5 and have scored the most runs in the league while allowing the fewest.

 

Hyannis 5, Falmouth 1

Nick Deeg (Central Michigan) took over the league lead in strikeouts with another dominant start as first-place Hyannis eased past Falmouth. Deeg allowed just one hit and one unearned run in six innings of work while striking out six. The lefty now has a 0.32 ERA with 27 strikeouts – and just three walks – in 28 innings pitched. Marc Skinner (Troy) and Thomas Burrows (Alabama) followed Deeg to the hill and finished off the win. Ryne Birk (Texas A&M) had a three-run homer to lead the Hyannis attack, while Blake Tiberi (Louisville) had two hits. With Wareham idle, Hyannis moved back ahead by two games in the West standings.
 

Bourne 5, Y-D 3

Bourne rallied from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Red Sox at Red Wilson Field. The Braves touched up Y-D starter Shane Bieber (UC Santa Barbara) for eight hits and three earned runs in six innings. Bieber had tossed seven shutout innings in his last start. Josh Rogers (Louisville) gave up three runs in five innings for the Braves. Austin Conway (Indiana State) got the win in relief. Vince Fernandez (UC Riverside) and Reid Humphreys (Mississippi State) both homered for Bourne. Nick Solak (Louisville) added two hits and two RBI, raising his average to .356, good for second in the league. Y-D got a home run from Stephen Wrenn (Georgia).
 

Brewster 6, Chatham 3

Brewster got the best of Chatham ace T.J. Zeuch (Pittsburgh), who hadn’t allowed an earned run all summer, touching him up for three runs in four innings. The Whitecaps added three more against the Chatham bullpen, finishing with 14 hits. Robbie Tenerowicz (California) went 2-for-5 with a home run – his third – and three RBI. Nick Senzel (Tennessee) went 3-for-4 and scored two runs. The top four hitters in Brewster’s order – Colin Lyman (Louisville), Jack Meggs (Washington), Senzel and Tenerowicz – combined to go 9-for-19 with six runs scored. Brewster’s Hansen Butler (North Carolina) got the win with 2.2 scoreless innings of relief. Brewster evened its record at 9-9 and is just two points behind Chatham, who dropped to 10-10.
 

What to Watch

The Cape League kicks off the holiday weekend with the first of two days of home-and-home rivalry tilts. Orleans and Chatham will begin their set at Veterans Field tonight. Kyle Serrano (Tennessee) gets the ball for Orleans as he goes for his league-best fourth win. Zac Gallen (North Carolina), a budding ace for the Tar Heels who went five scoreless with eight strikeouts in his last Anglers start, goes for Chatham.
 

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Veteran hitters lead Harbor Hawks

Screen shot 2015-06-08 at 3.45.18 PM
 

Hyannis had the second-worst team batting average in the league last year but held its own and grabbed a playoff spot in the West. The offense looks ready to have a much better showing this year, with a host of sophomores coming off strong seasons. The Harbor Hawks should also be closer to a finished product in the early part of the season than many of their counterparts.

 

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Matt Thaiss
2. Nicholas Pappas
3. Nick Deeg
4. Ryne Birk
5. JaVon Shelby

 

NOTABLE

  • With only one player headed to Omaha, Hyannis should be ahead of the curve in the early part of the season, compared with a lot of Cape League clubs.

  • That one player is a big one, though. Virginia’s Matt Thaiss has been one of the ACC’s best hitters and leads the team with 60 RBI.

  • College relievers dominate the Hyannis staff and several have had big success. Nolan Blackwood of Memphis heads the list. He gave up two runs the whole season while closing 14 games.

  • Returning Harbor Hawk Nick Deeg looks like the top incoming starter. The sophomore lefty stand 6-foot-5 and had a solid summer last year. Look for him to build on it this season.

  • Catchers Arden Pabst and Jake Rogers have yet to put it all together at the plate, but both are strong defenders. Rogers, of Tulane, led the nation in runners caught stealing this season.

  • College of Charleston’s Nicholas Pappas was an extra-base machine this year, with 12 homers and 28 doubles.

  • Kentucky’s JaVon Shelby was near the SEC lead with nine home runs.

  • Two incoming Hawks – Ryne Birk of Texas A&M and David Martinelli of Dallas Baptist – both hit 10 home runs this spring.

  • Ben DeLuzio hit under .200 with Hyannis last year, but this is a guy who was a third-round pick out of high school. Set to return, he’ll be poised for improvement.

  • Ole Miss infielder Colby Bortles is the younger brother of Blake Bortles, the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

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    PITCHERS

    Nolan Blackwood – SO – Memphis – Dominant closer this season saved 14 games and allowed two runs all year
    Thomas Burrows – SO – Alabama – Standout reliever for two years running owns 18 career saves, had 3.22 ERA this year
    Nick Deeg – SO – Central Michigan – Had 3.89 ERA for Hyannis last summer, posted 3.11 ERA in sophomore season with Chippewas
    Zach Girrens – SO – Saint Louis – Bumped to weekend rotation this year and went 7-1 with 4.20 ERA, team-best 75 strikeouts
    Ryan Hendrix – SO – Texas A&M – 17th-round pick in 2013 saved five games this year and struck out 64 in 54.1 innings
    Dakota Hudson – SO – Mississippi State – Has had success in two seasons in Bulldog pen, posting 4.32 ERA in 17 appearances this year
    Chris McGrath – FR – Duke – Made 11 appearances as a freshman, put up 3.48 ERA with 20 Ks in 20.2 IP
    Logan Salow – SO – Kentucky – Lefty has pitched mostly in relief for Wildcats, delivered 27 strikeouts this year with 5.32 ERA
    Marc Skinner – SO – Troy – Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in 2014, had 4.46 ERA with two saves this year
    Devin Smeltzer – SO – Florida Gulf Coast – Struck out 41 while starting and relieving, with ERA of 6.19
    Vance Tatum – SO – Mississippi State – Struck out 42 in swing role but had ERA over five this spring
    James Teague – SO – Arkansas – After limited duty as freshman, went 6-4 with 3.36 ERA in swing role this season
     

    CATCHERS

    Arden Pabst – SO – Georgia Tech – Scuffled to .138 average in 28 games with Hyannis last year, batted .235 for Tech this year
    Jake Rogers – SO – Tulane – Standout defensive catcher led NCAA in runners caught stealing this season, while batting .227
    Matt Thaiss – SO – Virginia – Former late-round pick of Red Sox, having enormous year for Cavs, .332 AVG, 9 HR, 60 RBI
     

    INFIELDERS

    Ryne Birk – SO – Texas A&M – Started all but two games for Aggies and hit .280 with team-high 10 home runs
    Colby Bortles – SO – Ole Miss – Brother of NFL QB Blake, hit .281 with seven homers in solid sophomore season
    Nicholas Pappas – SO – College of Charleston – Freshman All-American in 2014 had no sophomore slump: .337, 12 HR, 42 XBH
    Errol Robinson – SO – Ole Miss – Opening day starter at shortstop last year, continued to hit well this year .297 average, 1 HR
    JaVon Shelby – SO – Kentucky – Emerged as UK’s most dangerous hitter, batting .312 with team-highs of 9 homers and 44 RBI
    Blake Tiberi – SO – Louisville – NECBL all-star last year hit .261 with four homers for Cardinals this season
     

    OUTFIELDERS

    Corey Bird – FR – Marshall – Led team in hitting as a freshman and was second this year with .309 average, 1 HR, 9 SB
    Ben DeLuzio – SO – Florida State – Former 3rd-rounder had freshman struggles on Cape last year, hit .241 this spring with 14 SB
    Austin Hays – SO – Jacksonville – JUCO transfer hit .271 with three homers in first year with Dolphins
    David Martinelli – SO – Dallas Baptist – Burst onto the scene for emerging powerhouse DBU with .267 average, 10 homers