Posted on

Up in the Air

Harwich kept Chatham from clinching a playoff spot while keeping its own hopes alive.
Harwich kept Chatham from clinching a playoff spot while keeping its own hopes alive.

A quick Daily Fog today. The biggest news? Nobody else clinched a playoff spot last night. Still four berths up for grabs.

Harwich 5, Chatham 2

Chatham scored two in the first as it tried to clinch a playoff bid but Harwich rallied for the 5-2 win. Coupled with a Y-D win, Chatham and the Red Sox are now tied for third place. Harwich is four points back of them and still in the mix. The Mariners got RBI from Sheldon Neuse (Oklahoma), Adam Pate (North Carolina) and Connor Justus (Georgia Tech) on the comeback trail. Cam Vieaux (Michigan State) settled in after giving up the two first-inning runs and went four innings. Hunter Newman (LSU) and Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) shut-out the Anglers over the final five innings.
 

Falmouth 10, Wareham 3

The Commodores have won two straight and now find themselves just a point out of fourth place and three points out of third in the West. Five different players had two hits in a 13-hit barrage that included eight runs over the first two innings. Logan Ice (Oregon State), Evan Skoug (TCU) and Boomer White (Texas A&M) all scored twice in addition to their two hits. Joseph Camacho (Alabama State), making just his second start, gave up three runs in 6.2 innings for the win.
 

Y-D 4, Brewster 3

Y-D scored three in the sixth and held off a late push by Brewster to move into a third-place tie with Chatham. Gio Brusa (Pacific) led the Red Sox with his eighth home run, to go with two RBI. Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) and Tommy Edman (Stanford) added two hits each. Dustin Hunt (Northeastern) started for Y-D and pitched four scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Mason Kukowski (Yale) got the win in relief and Chad Hockin (Cal State Fullerton) picked up the save.
 

Hyannis 6, Cotuit 2

Hyannis finished off a six-game season sweep of Cotuit with a 6-2 victory at Lowell Park. That means more than a quarter of the first-place Harbor Hawks’ 23 victories have come against the rival Kettleers. Thomas Burrows (Alabama) gave up one run in five innings for the win. He struck out five. Marc Skinner (Troy) and Aaron Civale (Northeastern) kept Cotuit from rallying. Jake Rogers (Tulane) led the Hyannis offense with three hits and two RBI. Austin Hays (Jacksonville) added two hits. For Cotuit, Will Haynie (Alabama) hit his eighth home run.
 

Orleans 4, Bourne 1

Fresh off their division-clinching win Thursday, the Firebirds made it two wins in a row with a victory over Bourne. John Kilichowski (Vanderbilt) served notice that he might provide a major boost to a playoff rotation with 5.1 scoreless innings in his third appearance since his late arrival. He struck out seven and gave up three hits. Willie Abreu (Miami) led the Orleans offense with his second home run of the summer. Ronnie Dawson (Ohio State) added two hits and an RBI.
 

What to Watch

It’s the second-to-last day of the regular season, and literally every game features at least one team fighting for a playoff spot.
 

Posted on

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.
 

Posted on

Knocking on the Door

Parker Dunshee, pictured on the mound earlier this season, didn't pitch Thursday but scored the go-ahead run as a pinch-runner in the 10th.
Parker Dunshee, pictured on the mound earlier this season, didn’t pitch Thursday but scored the go-ahead run as a pinch-runner in the 10th.

 
Coming into Thursday’s game with Chatham, Orleans had won five straight games over its East Division brethren, but most of those wins came against the last-place Y-D Red Sox. In 14 games, the Firebirds had played the Red Sox four times..

Chatham finally got a crack at the Firebirds Thursday – the first meeting of the year between the rivals – and the Anglers served notice that the East may yet put up a fight. The Anglers won a terrific pitchers duel 2-1 in 10 innings for its third straight win, and moved within two points of first-place Orleans in the East standings. The Firebirds are 10-4 while Chatham is now 9-5.

Chatham’s T.J. Zeuch (Pittsburgh) and Orleans’ Eric Lauer (Kent State) were as good as advertised in their part of the duel. Each allowed just one hit in six innings of work, though Chatham did manage an unearned run off Lauer. Zeuch struck out five and kept his season ERA at 0.00. Lauer fanned six, with the only run scoring in the third on an error.

Neither starter factored in the decision, after Chatham’s lead was erased in the seventh when Kyle Lewis (Tennessee) tripled and scored on a groundout by Jeremy Martinez (USC).

After two scoreless innings, Chatham manufactured a run in the top of the 10th. Will Craig (Wake Forest) walked and his college teammate Parker Dunshee (Wake Forest) – a pitcher – pinch-ran for him at first. A sac bunt moved him to second and he tagged up on a fly ball to get to third. He then raced home on a wild pitch with the go-ahead run. Not bad for a pitcher.

Andre Scrubb (High Point) came on for the bottom of the 10th and worked around a two-out walk for his fifth consecutive scoreless outing and his fourth save.

 

Hyannis 2, Cotuit 1

Hyannis bounced back from three straight losses in dramatic fashion, walking off with a 2-1 win over Cotuit to move to 3-0 against the Kettleers this season. The Harbor Hawks led 1-0 from the second inning on and got a dominant start from Nick Deeg (Central Michigan), who struck out six in eight innings and now leads the league in Ks. But Cotuit touched him up for a run in the seventh to tie the game, which set up the Harbor Hawks’ late heroics. In the bottom of the ninth, Ben DeLuzio (Florida) singled on a 1-2 pitch with two outs, and Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) scampered in from third with the winning run. Thomas Burrows (Alabama) got the win in relief. Noll had two hits, including a single to start the ninth and pushed his league-best batting average to .400. For Cotuit, Jon Woodcock (Virginia Tech) struck out five and allowed just a run in 5.2 innings. Cotuit fell to 4-11 while Hyannis upped its record to 9-6.

 

  • What to Watch

    • Orleans may find itself in another pitchers duel as it visits Falmouth tonight. Kyle Serrano (Tennessee), who struck out eight in five innings in his last start, goes for the Firebirds against Falmouth’s Bryce Montes de Oca (Missouri), who has struck out 13 in 11.1 innings.
     

    Posted on

    Heating up

    Bobby Dalbec, pictured last summer, hit a grand slam in Friday's win.
    Bobby Dalbec, pictured last summer, hit a grand slam in Friday’s win.

     
    The defending Cape League champion Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox have struggled with the bats early on in 2015, hitting .156 through four games and scoring just six runs. The Red Sox offense had a young offense anyway, and five hitters are currently in Omaha.

    Friday, Y-D played a team that’s had no such trouble.

    Orleans has 11 players at the College World Series, but most of them are pitchers – and the offensive standouts who are already in town have more than made up for any gaps. The Firebirds, hitting .310 as a team on they year, pounded 15 hits and three home runs in a 12-3 victory over Y-D last night at Red Wilson Field.

    A quick glance at the Firebirds lineup and accompanying college statistics reveals a big-time lineup, and it hasn’t disappointed.

    Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) led the Pac 12 with 15 home runs this spring and is slated to join Team USA shortly, but in the meantime, the returning Firebird blasted a grand slam as part of a 2-for-5 night Friday.

    Kyle Lewis (Mercer), the Southern Conference Player of the Year, hit his second home run in four games, and is one of only two players in the league with two. He’s also tied for the league lead in hits and is hitting .412.

    Ronnie Dawson (Ohio State), who had a big year for the Buckeyes, also homered Friday and is batting .333.

    Throw in Adam Pate (North Carolina), who’s hitting .400 at the top of the lineup, Colby Woodmansee (Arizona State) and Bryson Brigman (San Diego), and it’s easy to see why the Firebirds are producing. The team is now 3-1 on the year and is averaging six runs per game.

    The pitching staff – even with a potential ace in Connor Jones starting for Virginia in Omaha today – has also been very good. The Firebirds have allowed only six earned runs. Friday, starter Kyle Serrano (Tennessee) gave up two in five innings of work for the win.

    It has all added up to a hot start. And the way this lineup looks, it may continue.
     

    Cotuit 3, Falmouth 0

    The Kettleers had some success in many games last year using four of five relievers for a few innings each, a kind of bullpen day almost every day. Friday, they were at it again, with four pitchers combining on a shutout of Falmouth. Austin Solecitto (ASA College) started and went 2.1 innings, Mitch Stallings (Duke) was credited with the win in 2.2 innings of relief, Cal Becker (Riverside) chipped in an inning and Matthew Kinney (Florida State) pitched the final three innings for the save, as Cotuit moved to 3-1. Will Haynie (Alabama) hit his second home run of the summer to lead the offense, while Matt Albanese (Bryant) had two hits. Falmouth, which dropped to 1-3, had eight hits but stranded 10 runners.
     

    Wareham 4, Bourne 2

    The Gatemen won their third straight since an opening night loss while Bourne remained winless. Jay Jabs (Franklin Pierce) stretched his hitting streak to four games with a 2-for-3 night and an RBI. Darryn Shepard (Baylor) added two hits. David MacKinnon (Hartford) had two hits for the second straight game. Ian Hamilton (Washington State) started on the hill and went five shutout innings. A pair of players on temporary contracts finished it off, with Stephen Woods Jr. (Albany) tossing three quiet innings of relief and Shea Spitzbarth (Molloy College) picking up the save. For Bourne, Cameron Duzenack (Dallas Baptist) had three hits.
     

    Hyannis 3, Harwich 1

    It’s a three-way tie atop the West with Hyannis joining Wareham and Cotuit at 3-1. The Harbor Hawks got three hits from Errol Robinson (Ole Miss) the early league batting leader, plus RBI from JaVon Shelby (Kentucky) and a familiar name in Bobby Melley (Connecticut). Melley is a Centerville native who’s now back with Hyannis. On the mound, Vance Tatum (Mississippi State) allowed one run in five innings. Marc Skinner (Troy) picked up the win in relief and Thomas Burrows (Alabama) had the save. Sheldon Nuese (Oklahoma) homered for Harwich, who fell to 1-3.
     

    Brewster at Chatham, PPD

    Chatham and Brewster played just over two innings Friday before the fog made its first appearance of the season and forced a postponement.
     

    What to Watch

    It’s a battle of 3-1 teams at McKeon Park as Orleans visits Hyannis. Corbin Burnes (St. Mary’s) who has already made his Cape debut in relief, is slated to start for the Firebirds. Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast) goes for Hyannis.
     

    Posted on

    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.

    •  

    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