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Finish Line

Caleb Bryson hit his fourth home run in three games as Cotuit played spoiler with a victory over Falmouth.

 
The marathon Western Division race that’s been close almost the entire summer ended on a stormy Sunday night with a walk, rather than a sprint, to the finish line.

When Cotuit shocked Falmouth with a 9-3 victory in the earliest start of the day, it meant there would be, at worst, a tie for first place. Hyannis then lost to Y-D 2-0 after a rain delay, creating just such a tie. Hyannis and Falmouth will share the division title, the first time two teams have shared a crown in the Cape League since 2003, when Brewster and Orleans finished tied atop the East standings. Hyannis will be the top seed by virtue of a 4-2 head-to-head record against Falmouth.

The one-point margin separating Hyannis, Falmouth and Cotuit makes it the tightest three-team race since at least 2000.

The funny thing about the way it all ended is that Cotuit, the team that was eliminated from first-place contention on Saturday, still had its say. The Kettleers were going to finish in third no matter what they did Sunday, and Falmouth came to Lowell Park riding a six-game winning streak.

But Cotuit cruised, scoring four runs in the first inning and opening up a 9-0 cushion before Falmouth tacked on some runs in the late innings. Caleb Bryson (Samford), a late pick-up by the Kettleers, hit two home runs and has now hit four in three games. Danny Diekroeger (Stanford) and Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) drove in two runs each and Jake Fincher (NC State) had three hits.

Vaughn Hayward (Bryant), whose brother Garrett played for Falmouth as a temp earlier in the summer, got a spot start for Cotuit and shined, going 4.2 innings without allowing a run. Josh Hochstatter (Stanford) finished the job.

The only bright spot for Falmouth was that Kevin Newman (Arizona) went 2-for-2 and coasted to the Cape League batting title. He went 10-for-12 in his last three games, shooting his average from .338 to a season-ending mark of .375.

Sunday’s results mean Cotuit and Falmouth will meet again in the playoffs, fresh off their two straight games to end the regular season.

 

Y-D 2, Hyannis 0

Three Y-D pitchers combined on a shutout to keep Hyannis from claiming an outright division title. Sam Lindquist (Stanford) allowed three hits in four innings, Graham Tebbit (Hofstra) struck out four in three innings in his Cape debut and Dan Altavilla (Mercyhurst) worked two hitless innings for the save. Brandon Downes (Virginia) went 3-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season and Matt Honchel (Miami) drove in the other run. The Red Sox finished fourth in the East.

 

Orleans 12, Chatham 3

The Firebirds held onto second place in the East with a 12-3 victory over Chatham that included a team effort to get the field in shape after a storm. Orleans scored eight runs in the first two innings and never looked back, winning for the 11th time in its last 12 games. Chris Marconcini (Duke) went 2-for-4 with four RBI, while Will Fulmer (Montevallo) had three hits and three runs scored. Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) had two hits and drove in two runs. Four pitchers combined on a solid performance, with Kyle Twomey (USC) getting the win. For Chatham, Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) hit his seventh home run to finish second in the league, but the loss was the fifth in a row. Chatham clinched the division title last Wednesday and then didn’t win again.

 

Harwich 5, Brewster 1

Scott Heineman (Oregon) finished his terrific summer by playing every position on the field for the Whitecaps. In the meantime, Harwich finished strong with a 5-1 victory. Heineman went 0-for-4 while he was busy moving around the diamond, starting at catcher then jumping around the infield and the outfield until taking the mound and recording a strikeout for the last out of the eighth. For Harwich, Tyler Burgess (Missouri State) went five scoreless innings for the win. A couple of position players took their turns on the mound too, with Ian Happ (Cincinnati) giving up two runs and Tanner English (South Carolina) striking out two in a scoreless ninth. Happ had a double, a triple and two RBI to lead the offense.

 

Bourne vs. Wareham, Canceled

The Braves and Gatemen played three innings before rain drenched Doran Park. With the game having no impact on the standings, it was canceled.

 

What to Watch

Teams have a day off today before the playoffs begin Tuesday. Check back here for some playoff preview thoughts.

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Fired Up

Will Fulmer and his mates at the top of the Orleans lineup have helped power a six-game winning streak.

 
Chatham has run away with the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Eastern Division, but outside of the Anglers, it’s been a wide open race.

There’s a new leader.

Orleans beat Wareham 5-2 last night for its sixth consecutive win. Coupled with a Harwich loss, the Firebirds – the same Firebirds who almost fell into the basement a few weeks ago – are now in second place behind Chatham with 38 points. It’s still a tight race, with Harwich a point out of second and Y-D two points back, but for the moment, the Firebirds are at the top of the non-Chatham heap.

The Orleans streak began with a much-needed victory over Brewster on July 20. At the time, it looked like a key win in the battle for fourth place. Since then, though, the Firebirds have left the Whitecaps – and everybody else – behind.

Last night, the streak continued with a comeback victory over a Wareham team that has been playing better of late. The Firebirds trailed 2-0 but tied the game in the sixth and scored three runs in the eighth to take the lead. Jeremy Rhoades (Illinois State) got the win and Trevor Kelley (North Carolina) picked up the save with two strikeouts in the ninth once his team got the lead.

Two of the biggest reasons for Orleans’ success were on full display in the victory – bullpen work and the ability of the top of the order to set the table.

The bullpen has pitched 21.2 innings in the six-game winning streak and has allowed just four earned runs. That means leads have been consistently maintained and deficits have been held in check, setting the stage for comebacks like the one Orleans delivered last night.

Offensively, the top third of the Orleans order is really getting it done, led by Ross Kivett (Kansas State). A 10th-round pick this June who opted not to sign, Kivett took over the leadoff spot after Greg Allen left the team due to an injury and has been terrific. After starting the year 0-for-15, he has reached base in 25 straight games, with hits in 22 of those games. He’s the league leader in hitting among active players with a .358 average, and he’s batting .444 in the six-game winning streak.

Will Fulmer, who hails from Division II Montevallo, has been a consistent performer for the Firebirds all summer and he too has heated up during the recent surge. Fulmer is batting .400 with six runs scored in the winning streak. The typical third batter, Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) had his best hot streak just before the Firebirds took off, but he’s been steady during the streak too, batting .318 with six runs scored.

Together, the top three have scored 21 of Orleans’ 39 runs in the win streak.

That’s an impressive number – and it has helped fuel an impressive run.

 

Chatham 8, Falmouth 0

Lukas Schiraldi (Navarro) dominated Falmouth again as the Anglers cruised to their 25th win of the season. Schiraldi had pitched six shutout innings against Falmouth in his last start. Matched up with the Commodores again, he did the exact same thing, striking out three and allowing just three hits in six scoreless innings. Schiraldi has allowed one earned run in his last four starts – all wins – and has lowered his ERA to 1.19. Beyond Schiraldi, the bullpen also shined, with three relievers combining for six strikeouts in three hitless innings. The offense gave the pitchers all the support they needed in the early going, scoring six runs in the first inning. Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) led the Anglers with a home run, a double and four RBI in the game.

 

Cotuit 4, Hyannis 1

In the final regular season match-up of the longtime rivals, Cotuit put together a four-run sixth inning and held on to clinch the Barnstable Patriot Cup. Cotuit finished with a 4-2 record against the Harbor Hawks. Hyannis starter Kyle Freeland (Evansville), the Cape League’s strikeout leader, was dominant for the first five innings but Cotuit got to him in the sixth. A Logan Ratledge (NC State) two-run double gave Cotuit the lead. After Freeland departed, Hunter Cole (Georgia) hit an RBI single and Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) smacked an RBI triple. That was enough for the one-man relief effort of Eric Karch (Pepperdine). After starter Jared Walsh (Georgia) went four innings, Karch went the final five and dominated. He allowed just one hit and struck out five. The win moved Cotuit to within one point of Hyannis for first place in the West.

 

Y-D 7, Harwich 4

Y-D further tightened the East race with a victory over Harwich. The teams are now just one point apart in the standings. The Red Sox took a 7-1 thanks to home runs by Jose Trevino (Oral Roberts) and Brandon Downes (Virginia), plus an RBI from D.J. Stewart (Florida State). Harwich scored three runs in the ninth but couldn’t get closer as Y-D closer Darrell Hunter (Oregon) came on to slam the door. Sam Lindquist (Stanford) got the win with five solid innings.

 

Bourne 8, Brewster 7

The Braves held off a late charge in dramatic fashion to top Brewster. With the Whitecaps trailing by two in the ninth and two men in scoring position, Cole Lankford (Texas A&M) lined a base hit into left. One run scored but left-fielder Jeff Gardner (Louisville) threw out Nick Lynch (UC Davis) at the plate to end the game. The defensive heroics made a winner out of reliever Jack English (Florida Gulf Coast). Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) turned in a solid start for the Braves, allowing two runs in five innings. Trent Gilbert (Arizona) and Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) led the offense with four hits apiece. Gilbert had two RBI, as did Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) and Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech). Lynch had four RBI for Brewster.

 

What to Watch

Orleans will try to stay hot against a Cotuit team that has won four of five. Cotuit’s only loss in that stretch came to Orleans. Evan Beal (South Carolina), who went seven scoreless in his last start, gets the ball for the Kettleers. Orleans sends Trent Szkutnik (Michigan) and his 1.98 ERA to the hill.