Posted on

Quality Time

Gunnar Heidt makes a play for Harwich in a game earlier this summer. The Mariners rallied Sunday, making a winner out of Aaron Bummer.

 
Fifty-six pitchers in the Cape Cod Baseball League have more strikeouts than Harwich’s Aaron Bummer (Nebraska).

One starting pitcher has a better ERA, and nobody has more wins.

Who needs strikeouts?

Bummer improved to 4-1 on Sunday with his fifth quality start of the summer, giving up just a run in six innings as Harwich shut down Falmouth’s powerful lineup for an 8-3 victory. A late Mariner rally made a winner out of Bummer.

It was another terrific performance from Bummer, who’s been the league’s most consistent pitcher. He opened the season with six shutout innings and then went seven scoreless in his next start. He gave up two earned runs in his next start and took the loss, but has gotten right back on track. He went six shutout innings in his last start before picking up the victory Sunday. Bummer is now 4-1 with a 0.84 ERA.

I’ve often wondered if the Quality Start statistic – at least six innings, no more than three runs – should be adapted for the Cape League, where even the best pitchers often don’t work deep into games. It doesn’t need to be changed for Bummer. He’s had five real quality starts in five tries.

On Sunday, Bummer didn’t strike out a batter but didn’t need to. He scattered five hits and gave up just the one earned run (Falmouth did score two unearned runs). Bummer needed only 88 pitches to get through six innings.

Even with all that, Bummer was on the verge of taking a hard-luck loss. Harwich trailed 3-0 but scored seven runs in the seventh inning to turn the game completely around. Branden Cogswell (Virginia) and Aaron Barbosa (Northeastern) each drove in two runs for the Mariners, while Ian Happ (Cincinnati) and Ben Moore (Alabama) had three hits apiece.

Sean Fitzgerald (Notre Dame) and Mason McCullough (North Carolina) finished off the victory for Harwich.

And Bummer put another win in the books.

 

Chatham 8, Y-D 5

The Anglers won for the third straight time, running their league-best record to 18-8-1, and it was yet another different route to a victory. Starter Andrew Chin (Boston College) gave up five runs in two innings, but in the meantime, Chatham scored seven runs of its own in the first two innings. After that, the bullpen dominated and kept Chatham in control. Dominic Moreno (Texas Tech), Jacob Dorris (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) and Kyle Funkhouser (Louisville) surrendered just three hits over the final seven innings. J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton) led the offense with two hits and four RBI. Connor Joe (San Diego) went 3-for-5 with two RBI.

 

Cotuit 5, Wareham 3

The Kettleers (17-10) also won their third straight and now have a four-point cushion atop the West. Cotuit scored four runs in the first inning and held off a late push by the Gatemen for the victory. Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) had a double, a triple and two RBI, while Yale Rosen (Washington State) and Drew Jackson (Stanford) knocked in one run apiece. Patrick Corbett (Coastal Carolina) got the win in relief of Ben Smith (Coastal Carolina). Corbett struck out four in 3.1 innings. For Wareham, Brett Pirtle (Mississippi State) had three hits.

 

Bourne 5, Hyannis 2

Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) pitched six strong innings as the Braves won a rain-shortened game that lasted six innings. Kellogg struck out six, didn’t walk a batter and gave up one earned run on four hits. Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) drove in two runs, while Mason Robbins (Southern Miss), Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) and Tyler Kuresa (UC Santa Barbara) brought in one each. Hyannis (15-9), which has lost two in a row, got two hits from Steve Wilkerson (Clemson).

 

Brewster 11, Orleans 3

On the strength of a blowout win, the Whitecaps (10-16) are suddenly two points back of Orleans (11-15) for fourth place in the East. Brewster pounded out 17 hits. Scott Heineman (Oregon) went 5-for-5 with three runs scored at the top of the Brewster lineup. Nick Lynch (UC Davis) hit a home run, while Austin Bailey (San Diego), Chris Mariscal (Fresno State), and Trevor Mitsui (Washington State) knocked in two runs each. Orleans finished with 12 hits but managed just the three runs. Brewster starter Aaron Brown (Pepperdine) gave up two earned runs in five innings to pick up the win.

 

What to Watch

A couple of strong-armed Austins will square off in Bourne. Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic) gets the ball for the Braves, with Austin Pettibone (UC Santa Barbara) starting for Hyannis.

Posted on

Armed and Ready

Chris Ellis turned in his third strong start of the summer for Cotuit on Thursday.

This is the time of year when hitters in the Cape Cod Baseball League usually start to settle in, but at least for a few teams, last night belonged to the pitchers. The five winning teams on the Cape slate combined to allow just three runs. Nobody allowed more than one run.

Two of the victories were shutouts that continued hot starts for the guys who helped author them.

In Bourne, Jaron Long (Ohio State) made his second start and was just as dominant as he was the first time. After going five shutout innings in his first start, he went six scoreless this time as the Braves rolled over Hyannis 9-0. Long gave up three hits and struck out six. For the season, Long has now allowed just eight hits in two starts – and amazingly, all the hits have been singles.

Long is back for his second summer on the Cape. He was solid last year, but this year he’s taken it to a new level.

Josh Laxer (Ole Miss) followed Long to the hill and didn’t let the shutout slip. He struck out four and didn’t give up a hit in three innings. The Bourne offense did the rest, with all nine starters getting a hit. Jeff Gardner (Louisville) and Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) each had two hits and an RBI.

In Cotuit, the Kettleers didn’t have quite as much offense as Bourne – but they didn’t need it. Chris Ellis (Ole Miss) turned in his third great outing in as many tries as Cotuit eased past Wareham 3-0. Ellis went six scoreless, striking out one and scattering four hits. He’s now given up one earned run on eight hits in 14 innings.

Joel Seddon (South Carolina) finished the job for Ellis, going three innings for the save. He gave up two hits and stretched his season-long scoreless innings streak to 8.2

Wareham starter Fred Shepard (Amherst) was solid for the third time this season, giving up three earned and striking out five in seven innings, but the Kettleers got to him just enough to grab control. Will Remillard (Coastal Carolina) and Tim Kiene (Maryland) both hit their first home runs of the year and that was all the offense Cotuit needed.

 

Harwich 2, Chatham 1

The best individual pitching performance of the night belonged to Harwich’s Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State), who went five no-hit innings against the Anglers. It looked like Harwich might waste it when Chatham tied the game in the sixth off reliever Gunner Carroll (Army), but Carroll avoided further damage and Sean Fitzgerald (Notre Dame) kept the game tied with four scoreless innings of work. That set the stage for Tanner English (South Carolina), who came up with one out in the 10th, fell behind 0-2, worked it full and then cracked a walk-off home run to give Harwich (9-4) its third straight win. English was 1 for his last 16 coming into that at-bat but he picked a good time to break out of the slump. Fitzgerald got the win for the Mariners. Ian Happ (Cincinnati) had the other RBI while Derek Fisher (Virginia) went 2-for-3. Aaron Barbosa (Northeastern) went 1-for-4 and stayed atop the batting average leaderboard with a .405 mark. He also stole three bases to take over the league lead with 10. Chatham (7-5-1) got five strong innings from Lukas Schiraldi (Navarro College).

 

Y-D 8, Orleans 1

The Red Sox (5-7-1) were finally on the right side of a lopsided score as they cruised past Orleans (6-7). Alex Blandino (Stanford), Brandon Downes (Virginia) and Auston Bousfield (Ole Miss) each drove in two runs to pace the offense while Andrew Daniel (San Diego) and Taylor White (UNLV) had two hits each. The pitching staff, which was struggling mightily this time last week, got a quality start from Kyle Wood (Purdue), who struck out two and gave up just a run on four hits in 5.2 innings. In its five victories, Y-D has out-scored the opposition 32-8.

 

Falmouth 4, Brewster 1

The Commodores (8-5) got solid performances from three pitchers and broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the seventh to beat Brewster (3-9). Brandon Magallones (Northwestern) gave up just an unearned run in 5.2 innings, while Jared Price (Maryland) got the win with 1.1 scoreless innings. Donny Murray (Holy Cross) also pitched a scoreless frame, as did Zech Lemond (Rice), who was making his Cape League debut after a big spring as the Owls’ closer. Kevin Cron (TCU) led the Falmouth offense, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and his league-leading seventh double. He’s now carrying an eight-game hitting streak. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) added two hits and an RBI.

 

What to Watch

The top two teams in the league are set to meet in Cotuit at 5 p.m. as the Kettleers host the Harwich Mariners. The clubs have matching 9-4 records. Alex Haines (Seton Hill), who has struck out 14 and hasn’t allowed a run in two starts, is scheduled to start for Cotuit. Keaton Haack (Alabama), who went 5.1 strong innings in a Harwich win over Cotuit, is slated to get the ball again for the Mariners.

Posted on

Five Wins and No Hits

Austin Gomber tossed five no-hit innings, part of a combined no-hitter for the Braves.

 
With an 8-0 victory over Cotuit yesterday, Bourne became the third team already this season to put together a five-game winning streak.

The Braves’ No. 5 was best of all.

Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic), Josh Laxer (Ole Miss) and Ryan Harris (Florida) combined on a no-hitter as the Braves cruised past Cotuit, who came in as one of the league’s best offensive teams. The Braves’ Jeff Thompson threw a no-hitter last year in a game that went only six innings. Last night’s effort was the league’s first nine-inning no-hitter since June 30, 2010, when Jordan Pries did it for Y-D.

This one wasn’t celebrated right away. When Mike Ford (Princeton) reached base on a mis-played ground ball in the seventh, it was ruled a double. After the game, the official scorer changed it to an error, giving the Braves the no-no.

Gomber, who had as good a spring as any pitcher on the Cape, was terrific in his first start. He struck out five in five innings and walked two. Laxer picked up where he left off, striking out one in three innings. Harris finished it off, working around a walk to pitch a hitless ninth.

Not only was it a no-hitter, Bourne pitchers have now turned in three consecutive shutouts. And in the game prior, they gave up one run. The scoreless streak is at 33 innings. Not surprisingly, the Braves now lead the league in team ERA.

The Braves’ offense also got it done last night, which was no small feat. Alex Haines (Seton Hill) turned in his second dominant start in as many outings, striking out seven in five scoreless innings. But the Braves bided their time and broke out against the Kettleer bullpen, scoring two runs in the eighth and six in the ninth.

Eric Fisher (Arkansas) went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Tim Caputo (Rhode Island), Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) and Bobby Boyd (West Virginia) drove in one run apiece, while Pat Kelly (Nebraska), Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) and Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) all had two hits.

 

Hyannis 3, Orleans 2

The Harbor Hawks (6-2) took over first place in the West with Cotuit’s loss and their win over the Firebirds (4-4). Andrew Thome (North Dakota) worked six strong innings, giving up one run and striking out three in six innings. Andrew Istler (Duke) picked up his first save. The offense was led by Jake Hernandez (USC), a former Firebird, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Skyler Ewing (Rice) also knocked in a run. In eight games, the Harbor Hawks have now won three in a row, lost two in a row and won three in a row. The wins are coming despite a league-worst .188 team batting average.

 

Falmouth 6, Chatham 1

Chatham has hit the skids since its 6-0 start, with Falmouth (5-4) as the latest conqueror. The Commodores handed the Anglers (6-3) their third straight loss. Craig Schlitter (Bryant) got the win with five strong innings and three relievers allowed just one hit over the final four innings. Oregon standout Garrett Cleavinger had an adventure in his first outing, walking three but striking out three in the ninth. Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) led the offensive charge with two RBI and he is now tied for the league lead with eight RBI. Kevin Cron (TCU) added two hits, including his fourth double. Chatham has scored one total run in its last three games.

 

Harwich 2, Wareham 1

The Mariners (5-3) are the hottest team in the East thanks to their third straight win, a 2-1 triumph over the Gatemen, who dropped to 1-8. Aaron Bummer (Nebraska) pitched seven shutout innings and now hasn’t allowed a run in 13 innings this season. Sean Fitzgerald (Notre Dame) picked up the save. Josh Anderson (Florida International) drove in both Harwich runs. The Gatemen got a quality start from Tucker Simpson (Florida) but the offense continued to struggle. The Gatemen are hitting just .216.

 

Brewster 14, Y-D 8

The Red Sox (3-6) found themselves in a slugfest for the second straight day and lost this one too, as Brewster improved to 3-6 with its best offensive day of the season. Trent Woodward (Fresno State) went 3-for-4 with four RBI and Cole Lankford (Texas A&M) went 3-for-5 with three RBI. Jose Brizuela (Florida State) knocked two triples and drove in three. Ford Stainback (Rice) added three hits and Keaton Aldridge (Memphis) drove in two runs. Corey Taylor (Texas Tech) picked up the win in relief. Y-D got a home run from Taylor Smart (Tennessee) and two RBI from Auston Bousfield (Ole Miss).

 

What to Watch

A couple of rivalry games on tap tonight as Cotuit visits Hyannis and Orleans heads to Chatham. Eric Karch (Pepperdine), who’s 2-0, goes for Cotuit against Hyannis’ Jordan Foley (Central Michigan), who had a great spring. Chatham sends Andrew Chin (Boston College) after he went five shutout innings in his last start. Orleans counters with Bobby Poyner (Florida), who has pitched just two innings thus far.

Posted on

A New Streak

Jaron Long, pictured last year, tossed five strong innings as the Braves knocked off Chatham on Wednesday.

 
On Sunday, the Bourne Braves were 0-4.

On Wednesday, they improved to 3-4 and celebrated an impressive victory. The Braves knocked off Chatham 1-0, ending the Anglers’ run of six straight wins to open the season.

Four pitchers combined to shut-out the Anglers, who lead the league in hitting and hadn’t scored fewer than four runs in any game this year. Jaron Long (Ohio State), who had a 3.46 ERA for the Braves last year, made his return and tossed five shutout innings, scattering five hits and striking out seven. Ryan Harris (Florida) allowed one hit in two innings, before Nigel Nootbaar (USC) and Trace Dempsey (Ohio State) finished it off with a hitless inning each.

Aaron Garza (Houston) pitched well for Chatham, allowing one run in five innings, but that one run was the difference. The Braves scored it in the third, when Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) – who finished 3-for-3 – singled, stole second and raced home on a two-out RBI single by Mason Robbins (Southern Miss). Pentecost is now hitting .389.

Just like that, the Cape League has no more undefeated teams. I’m sure Chatham will be fine – no shame in ending a six-game winning streak with a 1-0 loss.

The real takeaway is that Bourne is in a surge of its own – and could be primed for more. In their three straight wins, the Braves have pounded 39 hits. Their pitching staff, which already ranks second in ERA, is about to get better, with Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic) and Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) scheduled to make their first starts in the next two games. Gomber went 8-4 with a 2.97 ERA and 103 strikeouts for Florida Atlantic this spring. Kellogg, a freshman, was 11-1 with a 3.15 ERA for the Sun Devils.

Look out for the Braves.

 

Cotuit 6, Orleans 3

While Chatham saw its streak end, Cotuit kept winning. The Kettleers have won five in a row and now own the same 6-1 record as the Anglers. Ben Smith (Coastal Carolina) went five strong innings for the win and Brian Miller, the Vanderbilt closer this spring, picked up his first save of the summer. At the plate, Mike Ford (Princeton) continued his tremendous start with a 3-for-5 day. He’s now hitting .412. Elliott Caldwell (Spartanburg Methodist), who’s headed to South Carolina next year, made his second start of the year and blasted a home run. Hunter Cole (Georgia) and Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) each had two hits. Cole has four multi-hit games this summer, most in the league. In a losing effort, Orleans (3-3) actually hit three home runs, the first time this summer that a team has hit more than one homer in a game. Will Fulmer (Montevallo), Jordan Luplow (Fresno State) and Jordan Betts (Duke) hit the homers.

 

Brewster 7, Hyannis 0

The Whitecaps (1-5) broke into the win column with a shutout of the Harbor Hawks, who have been shut-out twice in a row after their 3-0 start. Justin Kamplain (Alabama) was dominant for the Whitecaps, striking out eight and giving up just two hits in six innings. His Alabama teammate Jonathan Keller added two scoreless frames and Brad Schreiber (Purdue) finished it off with a scoreless ninth. The seven runs were a season-high. Trevor Mitsui (Washington), Joe Chavez (UC Riverside) and Chris Mariscal (Fresno State) had a hit and an RBI each. Austin Bailey (San Diego) went 2-for-3.

 

Harwich 5, Wareham 1

Harwich (3-3) scored three in the first and never looked back en route to a win over the Gatemen (1-5). Making his final start before returning to South Bend, Notre Dame two-sport star Pat Connaughton struck out seven and gave up just one run in five innings for the win. Sean Fitzgerald (Notre Dame) and Ian Tompkins (Western Kentucky) finished it off. C.J. Hinojosa (Texas), who now has a four-game hitting streak, went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Tanner English (South Carolina) and Ben Moore (Alabama) drove in one run each. Derek Fisher (Virginia), the Northwoods League top prospect last summer, made his Cape debut and drove in a run.

 

Y-D 8, Falmouth 4

In a battle of teams that have been up-and-down, the Red Sox (3-4) broke out with all eight of their runs over the final four innings to beat the Commodores (3-4). Wayne Taylor (Stanford), who had only one hit in his first three games, led the charge by going 4-for-4 with an RBI. Cole Peragine (Stony Brook) went 2-for-3 and also knocked in a run. Matt Honchel (Miami of Ohio), Brandon Downes (Virginia) and Kyle Wood (Purdue) all had two hits each, while Florida State standout D.J. Stewart had a hit and a run scored in his Cape League debut. On the mound, Dan Altavilla (Mercyhurst) got the win in relief. Max Murphy (Bradley) knocked in two runs for the Commodores. Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) saw his season-long hitting streak come to an end with an 0-for-5.

 

What to Watch

Just one game on the schedule tonight as Hyannis hosts Wareham at 6 p.m. The Harbor Hawks will send UC Santa Barbara standout Austin Pettibone to the hill. He ranked 12th in the nation in innings pitched this spring and had a 2.98 ERA. The Wareham starter is TBA.