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New Beginnings

Tim Susnara's RBI single broke a scoreless tie in the 11th as Cotuit topped Harwich.
Tim Susnara’s RBI single broke a scoreless tie in the 11th as Cotuit topped Harwich.

 
Cotuit is the hottest team in the league and its win Friday over Harwich means another hot team has knocked the Mariners from their perch at the top of the league.

The Kettleers beat Harwich 2-0 in 11 innings for their fourth straight win. They’re now 9-3-1 since their 2-14 start.

Friday’s win was their second this week over Harwich. The Mariners – with the league’s best record since a hot start – are still playing pretty well, with a 5-3-2 mark in their last 10. But Y-D has won three in a row, and Friday’s 8-4 victory over Falmouth means the Red Sox now have the best record in the league at 18-11. Y-D and Harwich are still tied atop the East, thanks to two ties for the Mariners.

Cotuit and Harwich were locked in a scoreless tie for 10 innings before a somewhat unlikely rally for the Kettleers, given who they were facing. But Quinn Brodey (Stanford) greeted standout Harwich closer Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) with a single and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout. Tim Susnara (Oregon), who had come on as a pinch-hitter earlier in the game, lined a base hit up the middle to score Brodey with the first run of the game.

Jason Delay (Vanderbilt) followed with a double and Patrick Dorrian (Herkimer) knocked in a run with a single.

Cotuit reliever Ryan Rigby (Mississippi State) kept Harwich off the board for one more inning, sealing the shutout win. Taylor Lehman (Penn State) had gone 2.2 scoreless innings in relief of starter Colton Hock (Stanford), a power arm who had his best start of the summer with six shutout frames.

Hunter Williams (North Carolina) went seven scoreless innings for Harwich but didn’t factor in the decision.

Meanwhile, Y-D’s win in a 5 p.m. game was already in the books. The Red Sox pounded 14 hits and used a five-run sixth inning – with four of the runs unearned – to blow the game open. Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton) homered while Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s) had two hits and two RBI. Michael Baumann (Jacksonville) earned the win in relief and Sam Delaplane (Michigan State) tossed 2.2 scoreless innings for the save.

Y-D has won three straight and is 18-6 since opening the season 0-5.

 

Brewster 9, Hyannis 7

League home run leader Matt Davis (VCU) parlayed his time on the Cape into a pro contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. Without him, Brewster kept slugging, getting 15 hits to edge past Hyannis. Bryce Jordan (LSU) went 4-for-5 in the leadoff spot and is hitting .420. Ryan Gridley (Mississippi State) homered and drove in two while Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) had two hits and two RBI. Hunter Martin (Tennessee) allowed three runs in 6.1 innings for the win. Hyannis rallied for four runs in the ninth, but Jacob Wloczewski (Binghamton) and Max Herrmann (Rutgers) got out of trouble to seal the victory.

Wareham 6, Bourne 3

On a seven-game winless streak since a July 4 win over Bourne – a string that included two ties – the Gatemen beat Bourne again to snap the skid. Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-4 with three RBI, Robert Metz (George Washington) drove in two runs and Cole Freeman (LSU) had two hits and two runs scored. Nico Giarratano (San Francisco) added a home run. Hogan Harris (Louisiana-Lafayette) earned the win in relief before Ryan Wilson (Pepperdine) and Jake Matthys (Angelo State) combined for 2.2 scoreless innings to finish it off. Wareham improved to 13-13-3. Bourne, which got a home run from Connor Wong (Houston), fell to 13-15-1.

Orleans 5, Chatham 3

Orleans built a 5-0 lead and held off a late run by Chatham for a 5-3 win. Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) went 4-for-4 and scored two runs to lead the Firebirds offense, while Drew Lugbauer (Michigan) hit his second homer of the summer. Riley Adams (San Diego) added two hits and two RBI and now has 11 hits in his last eight games. Six different pitchers carried the load for the Firebirds, with Chandler Day (Vanderbilt) and Kevin Smith (Georgia) tossing three innings apiece of one-hit, shutout ball. Chatham rallied on a Stuart Fairchild (Wake Forest) two-run double in the ninth, but Brandon Bielak (Notre Dame) came on to get the final out with the tying run at the plate.

 

What to Watch

Good pitching matchup in Falmouth where Brady Singer (Florida) goes for the Commodores against Charlie Barnes (Clemson) of Hyannis. Singer has gone six and five scoreless innings in his two Cape League starts. Barnes went five scoreless in his last outing.
 

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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