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Surprise, surprise

Cotuit celebrates its victory in game two. The Kettleers celebrated again last night.

 
The Cape League’s Western Division was tightly-packed all year, and it held true to form in the first round of the playoffs. No. 3 seed Cotuit upset No. 2 Falmouth in game three last night, while No. 4 Bourne knocked off No. 1 Hyannis in their game three. Both Cotuit and Bourne lost the first game of the series before winning the next two. It’s the second time in the four years of this playoff format that a No. 3 and No. 4 team from the same division have both advanced. Cotuit and Wareham did it in 2010, with Cotuit going on to the league title.

In the East, Orleans held off Harwich for a spot in the division championship opposite Chatham.

Cotuit 5, Falmouth 2

The Cotuit-Falmouth was back-and-forth series between two really good teams, and game three was more of the same. Falmouth jumped ahead 2-0 in the first, but Cotuit came back to take the lead in the fourth and held off every Commodore charge to win it.

The 2-0 Falmouth lead was built in loud fashion, when Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) launched a home run to the street beyond left field at Guv Fuller Field, which is a pretty serious shot.

But Cotuit was undeterred.

Starter Christian Cecilio (San Francisco) went six innings and the homer was his only blemish. He retired seven straight after the home run and allowed just two more hits the rest of the way. Facing Gillaspie in the fourth with runners on first and third, Cecilio induced an inning-ending double play.

That performance set the stage for the Kettleers to break through, and they did. Hunter Cole (Georgia) had an RBI double in the second to cut the lead in half. In the fourth, Cole drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game and Austin Byler (Nevada) knocked in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly. Cotuit added a run in the eighth on a squeeze bunt by Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) and another in the ninth on a Garrett Stubbs (USC) RBI single.

Cotuit reliever Wesley Cox (Texas San Antonio) stranded two in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth when he had to go through Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) and Gillaspie. He struck out Hoskins and got Gillaspie to fly out. Cox gave up one more single in the ninth but induced a pair of fly-outs to end it.

The Kettleers are into the West finals for the first time since their championship season in 2010.

For Falmouth, the loss ended a terrific year that included a share of the regular-season title and a whole lot of offense. The Commodores were a fun team to watch, and I imagine we’ll hear a lot of these names again when the draft rolls around next year.

 

Bourne 9, Hyannis 2

Rocky McCord (Auburn) struck out nine in five innings for Hyannis, but Bourne broke the game open against the Harbor Hawks bullpen and cruised to the upset victory.

The Braves trailed 2-1 going into the sixth, but scored three runs to take the lead then blew the doors off with five in the eighth.

Trent Gilbert (Arizona), who scored the only run in Bourne’s 1-0 victory the night before, went 3-for-5 on Thursday with three RBI. He was part of a huge effort from the bottom of the Bourne order. Eight hitter Tyler Kuresa (UC Santa Barbara) went 2-for-5 with two RBI and nine hitter Richard Gonzalez (Alabama State) went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) added two hits and an RBI.

Cody Livingston (Southern Miss) was dominant out of the Bourne bullpen, which kept the Braves within striking distance. Livingston struck out six and allowed just one hit in 3.2 innings. Sam Dodge (Harvard), making his first appearance, struck out two in a scoreless ninth.

Landon Curry (Indiana State) and Steve Wilkerson (Clemson) had three hits each for Hyannis, but it wasn’t enough.

The Braves are into the West finals for the second straight year. They also did it as the No. 4 seed last year.

Hyannis bids farewell to a talented group that gave the franchise its second division title in three years.

 

Orleans 2, Harwich 0

Jared Miller (Vanderbilt) and Aaron Bummer (Nebraska) matched each other pitch-for-pitch for six innings before the Firebirds scratched runs across in the seventh and eighth to get the victory.

Miller struck out eight and allowed just three hits in seven scoreless innings. He took a no-hitter into the fifth. Bummer struck out seven and took a shutout into the seventh, before Orleans found a way – a weird way – to get to him. With runners on second and third in the seventh, Bummer threw a wild pitch as he was trying to issue an intentional wall, and Austin Davidson (Pepperdine) raced home.

Orleans added another run in the eighth on a Davidson RBI single, and reliever Brian Clark (Kent State) made the lead stand up. Clark, who tied for the league lead in appearances, had yet to pitch in the playoffs but made it worth the wait. He allowed just a walk while keeping Harwich off the board for the final two innings.

Davidson and Will Fulmer (Montevallo) had two hits to lead the Orleans offense.

The Firebirds will face Chatham in the East finals, the first time the two have met in a finals series since 2005. That Orleans team featured Manny Burriss and it beat an Evan Longoria-led Chatham team on its way to the championship. That was the last league championship for Orleans.

Harwich closed out a memorable campaign and playoff run. The two teams were separated by one point in the regular-season standings and by a total of two runs in the three playoff games.

 

What to Watch

If the weather cooperates, it’ll be Bourne visiting Cotuit at 4 p.m. and Orleans traveling to Chatham at 7 p.m.

The Bourne starter is likely Kris Gardner (Wichita State), who had some ups and downs but went seven strong innings in his last start. Cotuit’s starter is TBA. Also keep an eye on the status of Max Pentecost. The Cape League MVP was not in the lineup for Bourne last night, and Jen McCaffrey of the Cape Cod Times reported it was because of a bum knee.

Orleans’ probable starter is listed as Corey Miller (Pepperdine), who’s been solid all summer and went five scoreless in his last start. Chatham will send all-star Matt Gage (Siena) to the hill.
 

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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.

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A Falmouth Fourth

Leon Byrd Jr. had a double and a triple as Falmouth ran past Cotuit in a Fourth of July victory.

 
No team in the Cape Cod Baseball League celebrated America’s independence quite like the Falmouth Commodores.

While one other team swept its holiday series, and the others all played to splits, Falmouth surged to a pair of victories over Cotuit, the team that came into the holiday week with the most wins in the league.

With a 5-3 victory Wednesday and a 13-6 win on the Fourth of July, the Commodores have now matched that win total with an 11-7 record. Hyannis also has 11 wins, creating a logjam at the top of the West.

Falmouth picked up No. 11 – and the holiday sweep – thanks to one of its best offensive nights of the season. The Commodores finished with seven extra-base hits and two home runs. Dylan Davis (Oregon State), who hit two home runs on Wednesday, added another last night, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and four RBI. He is tied for the league lead in homers with all of three games under his belt and he’s hitting a cool .538.

Conner Hale (State College of Florida) also homered and went 2-for-4 with four RBI. Leon Byrd Jr. (Rice) had a double and a triple, Kevin Cron (TCU) stayed hot with a 3-for-4 night and two RBI, and Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) went 2-for-4.

On the mound, Daniel Koger (Auburn) struck out six in four scoreless innings in his first appearance since week one. Kevin Mooney got the win in relief.

The Kettleers had 12 hits of their own – including four from Mike Ford (Princeton) and two home runs by Yale Rosen (Washington State), who also joined the tie for the league lead – but it wasn’t enough.

Falmouth, who’s been poised for a breakout all year with its productive offense and strikeout-happy pitching staff, started to do it in style.

 

Hyannis 9, Y-D 6

Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) made his 2013 Cape League debut and didn’t disappoint. The rising junior lefty flashed the stuff that made him Baseball America’s seventh-best prospect in the Cape last year, striking out eight and giving up two runs on five hits in six innings of work. Frankie Piliere of Perfect Game tweeted that Hoffman’s fastball touched 97 and that “the title of best pitcher on the Cape is his to lose.” Hoffman’s debut set Hyannis (11-5) on the course to a victory as they led most of the way and then held off a late run by the Red Sox (8-9-1). Eric Eck (Wofford) picked up his fourth save, which is tied for the league lead. Austin Slater (Stanford) homered for the Harbor Hawks while Jay Baum (Clemson) had three hits and two RBI. Alex Blandino (Stanford) had three hits for the Red Sox.

 

Chatham 7, Orleans 2

After getting shut out on Wednesday, the Anglers (11-6-1) got right back on the horse with a 12-hit showing and a series split with the Firebirds (9-8). Dante Flores (USC), who has had more multi-hit games this summer (5) than single-hit games (3), delivered another one, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Five other Anglers had an RBI each as well, including Connor Joe (San Diego), who had two hits to go with it. On the mound, early-season star Andrew McGee (Monmouth) had his shortest outing of the summer but was still solid. He gave up two runs in four innings while striking out three. Tommy Lawrence (Maine) relieved him and got his second win in five days with two perfect innings. J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton), a two-way player in the college season, made his first pitching appearance of the summer and struck out two for the save.

 

Bourne 6, Wareham 1

Bourne (9-9) had lost its only game with Wareham (3-15) before the holiday, but the series went to the Braves. After a 4-2 victory on Wednesday, they cruised to a 6-1 win on Thursday. Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) went 2-for-5 to finish the holiday series going 6-for-9. Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) and Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) each had three hits while Tyler Kuresa (UC Santa Barbara) homered, his first. Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) had two hits and drove in two runs. On the mound, Jaron Long (Ohio State) turned in his third impressive start, striking out two in five innings and giving up his first earned run of the season. Cody Livingston (Southern Miss) had a dominant relief outing, striking out six of the nine men he faced in three perfect innings. Nigel Nootbaar (USC) finished the job with a scoreless frame. For Wareham Fred Shepard (Amherst) struck out eight in 4.2 innings but was touched up for six runs.

 

Brewster 10, Harwich 5

The teams combined for 34 hits but the Whitecaps (4-13) had a little more production and knocked off the Mariners (10-8). Jose Brizuela (Florida State) went 2-for-4 with four RBI to lead the parade, Trevor Mitsui (Washington State) had three hits and two RBI and Scott Heineman (Oregon) continued a hot streak with a 4-for-5 night in the leadoff spot. Heineman was hitting .143 on June 25. He is now hitting .321. Nicholas Vazquez (Pittsburgh) added two hits and an RBI. On the mound, Jake Stinnett (Maryland) gave up 10 hits in six innings but limited the Mariners to two runs on his way to the win. He struck out six. Corey Taylor (Texas Tech) pitched three strong innings to close it out. Harwich got a hit from every spot in the lineup, including three from Derek Fisher (Virginia), who has a six-game hitting streak and is batting .359.

 

What to Watch

Falmouth will try to stay hot as it heads to Harwich for a 7 p.m. match-up with the Mariners, who have been one of the top teams in the East. Brandon Magallones (Northwestern), who has a 1.86 ERA, goes for Falmouth against A.J. Reed (Kentucky), Harwich’s two-way standout who’s just back from Team USA.

And a quick site note – Daily Fog will take a brief hiatus Saturday but will be back on Sunday.

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Small Ball, Big Play

Y-D's Cole Peragine makes a play at second earlier this summer.

 
The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox are the league’s best hitting team, and for a while there, they were playing like a squad that was exclusively the league’s best hitting team – either turning in blowout wins or finding themselves in slugfests.

On Saturday night, they were laying down squeeze bunts and flashing the leather so well that they ended up on ESPN.

The Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat Brewster 4-3. The tying and go-ahead runs both came home on safety squeeze bunts by Andrew Daniel. In the ninth, Trevor Mitsui (Washington) hit what looked like the game-tying home run for the Whitecaps, but Y-D center-fielder Brandon Downes (Virginia) made a leaping catch to pull it back and keep the Red Sox in front. (You can watch the catch here.)

The play by Downes was so good that ESPN picked it up for SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. That’s the first time I can remember that a Cape League play has ended up on the Top 10. Kudos to Downes for making the play and to the Y-D broadcast crew for capturing it.

The squeeze bunts won’t be making ESPN, but they were key plays too. After the Red Sox got their first two runs on an RBI double by Taylor White (UNLV) and an RBI single by Taylor Smart (Tennessee), they went to small ball. Alex Blandino (Stanford) scored on Daniel’s bunt single in the sixth. In the eighth, with D.J. Stewart (Florida State) on third, Daniel dropped down another bunt, beat it out and watches Stewart scamper home with the go-ahead run.

The small-ball success made a winner out of reliever Darrell Hunter (Oregon), who struck out four in three spotless innings. Y-D is now 6-7-1.

 

Bourne 4, Cotuit 3

The hyped-up pitching match-up between Alex Haines and Ryan Kellogg ended up as a footnote when Bourne (7-7) rallied from a two-run deficit with three in the ninth and walked off with a 4-3 win. Mason Robbins (Southern Miss), who had a flair for the dramatic last summer, started the ninth with a double and came home on an error. A sac fly by Tyler Kuresa (UC Santa Barbara) brought home the tying run before Pat Kelly (Nebraska) singled home Bobby Boyd (West Virginia) with the winning run. Clint Freeman (East Tennessee State) went 2-for-3 to lead the Braves offense. Kellogg (Arizona State) struck out three and gave up one earned in five innings. Haines (Seton Hill) struck out three in four scoreless frames and still hasn’t given up a run this summer.

 

Chatham 8, Harwich 4

The Anglers (8-5-1) stopped Harwich’s three-game winning streak with an 8-4 victory. Matthew Gage (Siena) struck out four and gave up two runs in five innings to pick up his first win and Jacob Dorris (Texas A&M Corpus Christ) worked two scoreless innings for the save. Dante Flores (USC) led the offense, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Cal State Fullerton standout J.D. Davis, who was 1-for-9 since arriving on the Cape, broke out with a 2-for-4 night. Connor Joe (San Diego) and Blake Butera (Boston College) also drove in runs. Harwich (9-5) got three hits from Branden Cogswell (Virginia) but couldn’t get back into the game after falling behind early.

 

Falmouth 9, Wareham 1

The Commodores (9-5) stretched their win streak to three and matched Cotuit and Harwich for the league’s best record with a blowout win over the Gatemen (2-12). Falmouth has won six of seven overall. Craig Schlitter (Bryant) was dominant on the mound, striking out three and giving up just a run on three hits in seven innings. Sam Gillikin (Auburn) went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI to lead a 13-hit attack. Joseph Maggi (Arizona) also had three hits, Kevin Newman (Arizona) had two and Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) drove in two runs.

 

What to Watch

Two good match-ups on tap in the West. Bourne and Cotuit will meet for the second straight night. Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic), who was part of a combined no-hitter the last time he faced Cotuit, gets the ball again for the Braves, while Christian Cecilio (San Francisco) is slated to start for Cotuit. In Falmouth, the Commodores host 8-4 Hyannis at 5:30 p.m. John Means (West Virginia), who has a 1.86 ERA in two games, goes for Falmouth. Andrew Thome (North Dakota), who’s 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA, gets the ball for Hyannis.