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Let’s Play Two

Brendan Hendriks had four hits and drove in five runs in Cotuit's doubleheader sweep.
Brendan Hendriks had four hits and drove in five runs in Cotuit’s doubleheader sweep.

 

Mike Roberts seems like the kind of guy who would have been right with Ernie Banks when the Cub legend famously said, “Let’s play two.” Roberts and his Cotuit Kettleers are making Ernie proud so far this summer.

The Kettleers have swept each of their Sunday doubleheaders this season. They beat Chatham on the first go-round then held off Brewster 7-4 and 4-3 yesterday. They’re only team that has swept both of its twin bills, and the doubleheader victories account for four of their six wins of the season.

They had lost four in a row heading into yesterday’s set, including a 9-1 thrashing at the hands of Y-D on Saturday. But against the Whitecaps, they got solid performances from their usual parade of pitchers and made the most of their offensive chances. They scored seven runs on only seven hits in the first game. In the second, they trailed 3-2 entering the seventh – the final inning because of the doubleheader – but scored two runs to win it.

Brendan Hendriks (San Francisco) was the offensive hero, going 4-for-8 with five RBI in the two games. He delivered a walk-off RBI double to win game two.

Hendriks, a college teammate of former Kettleer star and first-round pick Bradley Zimmer, has been doing his best impression of late. He ranks second in the league in hitting with a .394 batting average and is six for his last 12.

Jake Fincher (NC State) had two hits in the second game, including a single that started the seventh-inning rally. Ashton Perritt (Liberty) had a pinch-hit RBI single to tie the game.

The comeback made a winner out of Trey Wingenter (Auburn), who went two scoreless innings as the fifth Cotuit pitcher of the game.

In the first game, Hendriks knocked in three runs and Austin Byler (Nevada) homered to lead the offense. Adam Whitt (Nevada) picked up his league-best third win of the year with 3.1 scoreless innings of relief.

 

Harwich 3, Falmouth 1; Harwich 6, Falmouth 0

Like Cotuit, Harwich was sliding but snapped a two-game skid with a sweep of Falmouth. The Mariners 9-3, tied with Bourne for the best record in the league. In game one, Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) and Cavan Biggio (Notre Dame) knocked in all the runs Jared Poche (LSU) would need. He struck out six and gave up one run in five innings. Ronnie Glenn (Penn) pitched two innings for the save. In game two, the Mariners got even better pitching. Jon Harris (Missouri State) went six shutout innings, striking out six and scattering five hits. Robby Kalaf (Florida International) pitched the last inning to finish off the shutout. Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) homered to lead the offense.

 

Bourne 3, Y-D 1; Bourne 3, Y-D 1

The Braves posted a pair of 3-1 victories over the Red Sox and have now won four straight overall. In the first game, Andrew Sopko (Gonzaga) struck out seven in four innings of one-run ball before three relievers tossed a scoreless inning each. Joey Strain (Winthrop) pitched the final inning for a save. Harrison Bader (Florida) led the offense with two hits and two RBI. Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) had three hits for Y-D. In game two, the Red Sox led 1-0 into the fifth but the Braves scored three there and never looked back. Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) went 2-for-3 and Blake Davey (Connecticut) knocked in two runs. Dylan Nelson (Radford) allowed one run in five innings for the win and John Gorman (Boston College) notched his league-best fourth save.

 

Hyannis 5, Orleans 4; Hyannis 1, Orleans 0

The Harbor Hawks scored a late run in each game to grab a sweep of Orleans. The first game went to extra innings after Orleans had scored three runs in its final at-bat on back-to-back homers by Timmy Robinson (USC) and Mitchell Tolman (Oregon) to tie the game. But in the eighth, Hyannis pushed the winning run across on an Austin Slater (Stanford) RBI. In game two, the teams were scoreless until the sixth, when Slater struck again on an RBI single. His Stanford teammate Marcus Brakeman, who was dominant, finished it off from there. Brakeman struck out seven of the 10 batters he faced in three scoreless innings. Sarkis Ohanian (Duke) started the game and went four scoreless for the Harbor Hawks.

 

Chatham 4, Wareham 2; Wareham 7, Chatham 3

The only doubleheader split happened at Spillane Field, where Chatham took the first game before Wareham responded for a win in game two. The Anglers fell behind 2-0 in the first inning of game one but scored one in the third and three in the fifth. Jake Fraley (LSU), Landon Lassiter (North Carolina) and Patrick Mazeika (Stetson) knocked in a run each, while Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State) and Ty Moore (UCLA) had two hits each. Charlie Dant (Dayton) allowed just two unearned runs in four innings and Lou Distasio (Rhode Island) went one scoreless frame before giving way to standout reliever Kyle Davis (USC). Davis, who leads the league in appearances and strikeouts, went two scoreless for his second save. In the nightcap, Wareham got five good innings from recent Omaha arrival Drew Harrington (Louisville). Chatham managed three in the seventh but nothing more. The Gatemen offense got three hits from Willie Calhoun (Arizona) plus a home run from Blair Beck (Kansas).

 

What to Watch

With the doubleheaders in the books, it’s a league-wide day off on Monday.

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Sun Splashed

Ryan Kellogg, pictured last year, had a strong first start in 2014.
Ryan Kellogg, pictured last year, had a strong first start in 2014.

 

Wednesday was one of the hottest days of the summer so far, and two Sun Devils must have felt right at home.

Arizona State’s Ryan Kellogg went six strong innings for Bourne as the Braves topped Cotuit 5-4, while spring teammate Brett Lilek went four scoreless frames in a 5-0 shutout for Orleans over Brewster.

The perennial powerhouse Sun Devils didn’t have their best season this year, finishing 33-24 and losing in an NCAA Tournament Regional to Sacramento State. But the uncharacteristic early exit wasn’t for lack of success from their top two starting pitchers. Lilek emerged as an ace in his sophomore season, putting up a 2.68 ERA with 79 strikeouts on his way to first-team all-conference honors. Kellogg, who starred last year as well, had his ERA climb to 3.76 but still went 8-3 and was a workhorse with 103 innings pitched.

Both Kellogg and Lilek look poised for big summers, and they delivered in their first appearances.

Kellogg, making a return trip to Bourne, struck out seven and scattered seven hits in six innings. He gave up three runs, but only one was earned. Cotuit threatened against the Braves bullpen, but Lucas Laster (Mississippi State) and John Gorman (Boston College) slammed the door.

The Bourne offense scored four runs in the first inning and never trailed. Billy Fleming (West Virginia), Blake Davey (Connecticut), Ryan Howard (Missouri) and Kellogg’s ASU teammate Brian Serven all had one RBI. Logan Taylor (Texas A&M) had three hits for Cotuit. Bourne improved to 5-2 while Cotuit dropped to 4-3.

In Orleans, the Firebirds also staked their ASU starter to an early lead, scoring all five of the game’s runs in the bottom of the first. David Fletcher (Loyola Marymount), a defensive whiz who was off to a slow start with the bat, broke out with a 3-for-3 night. Timmy Robinson (USC) hit a home run and drove in three, adding to the Firebirds’ league-best total of eight.

Lilek went only four innings but was dominant, striking out six of the 14 batters he faced and giving up just two hits, both singles. Ryne Combs (Kentucky) and Kyle Wilcox (Bryant) followed with two scoreless innings apiece before a perfect ninth from Bobby Dalbec (Arizona).

Levi MaVorhis (Kansas State) rescued Brewster after the first inning and went six scoreless, striking out five.

Orleans improved to 3-4. Brewster is also 3-4.

 

Harwich 6, Hyannis 3 (11 innings)

In a battle of teams off to strong starts, Harwich continued the best start in the league with an extra-innings victory over Hyannis. The Mariners, now 6-1, had allowed Hyannis to tie the game with a run in the eighth, but they struck first in extras with three in the top of the 11th. Cavan Biggio (Notre Dame) had a sacrifice fly, Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) had an RBI single and Ian Happ (Cincinnati) had a sacrifice fly. Ray Castillo (Alabama) gave up two hits in the bottom of the 11th, but with the tying run at third, he struck out Dylan Bosheers (Tennessee Tech) to end it. The win went to Jacob Evans (Oklahoma), who went 2.1 strong innings. Starter James Mulry (Northeastern), dominant on opening night, gave up two runs in six innings in his second start. Happ had two hits and is hitting .500 for the summer. Gonzalez, Kyle Barrett (Kentucky), and Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) also had two hits. Bobby Melley (Connecticut) had two hits and Carl Wise (College of Charleston) homered for the Harbor Hawks.

 

Chatham 4, Y-D 1

The Anglers won their second straight and created a logjam of 3-4 teams in the East. Jordan Hillyer (Kennesaw State) allowed one hit and one unearned run in five strong innings for Chatham. Lou Distasio (Rhode Island) and Kyle Davis (USC) combined for four scoreless innings in relief. A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) led the Chatham offense with a home run and two RBI. Blake Butera (Boston College) and Ty Moore (UCLA) had two hits each.

 

Falmouth 5, Wareham 4

Wareham out-hit Falmouth 14-8 but the Commodores managed one more run on the scoreboard in the 5-4 victory. Tate Matheny (Missouri State) went 2-for-4 with a home run in his last game before Team USA training camp, while Kevin Newman (Arizona) also had two hits before he departs. Sam Gillikin (Auburn) added two hits and an RBI for Falmouth. Kevin McCanna (Rice) picked up his second win of the season with his second six-inning effort. He gave up three runs and struck out four. Wareham got three hits apiece from Willie Calhoun (Arizona), Keaton Aldridge (Memphis) and Chris Chinea (LSU) but left 12 runners on base.

 

What to Watch

Jason Inghram (William & Mary) makes his second start for Harwich after seven innings of two-hit baseball last week. The Mariners host Chatham at 7 p.m.