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Still Battling

Eddie Muhl pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief in Monday's win.
Eddie Muhl pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief in Monday’s win.

 
Brewster and Hyannis are on the verge of the playoffs, but they’ve been there for a while now and haven’t been able to take the leap. That’s due to their own struggles and late pushes by the teams behind them.

With a win and a Brewster loss, Chatham moved within one point of the Whitecaps for the final playoff spots in the East. Meanwhile, Cotuit topped Hyannis – the sixth straight loss for the Harbor Hawks – to get within three points of the last spot in the West. With two games remaining for everybody, any of those four teams could still make the postseason.

Chatham knocked off West-leading Falmouth for its key win Monday. Caleb Gilbert (LSU), who hadn’t gone more than four innings in any outing, went seven strong, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out seven. Falmouth used four pitchers as it preps for the playoffs and Chatham did damage against all of them, even ace Brady Puckett (Lipscomb). Jeremy Vasquez (Florida) went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. D.J. Artis (Liberty) continued his late-season surge with three hits, two runs and an RBI. Kyle Adams (Richmond) and Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) drove in one run each.

Chatham improved to 16-25-1. Both of its remaining games are against Orleans. Brewster takes on first-place Harwich in its last two.

In Hyannis, Cotuiti made up ground in the fastest way possible for the second time in the last four games, topping the Harbor Hawks. Hyannis hasn’t won since the day after the All-Star Game.

Jason Bilous (Coastal Carolina), who struggled in his first start July 18, delivered a second consecutive strong performance, going five innings and allowing one run. Eddie Muhl (George Washington) followed with 2.2 scoreless frames and Alec Byrd (Florida State) finished the job for the save.

A two-run single by A.J. Balta (Oregon) powered a three-run third inning that put the Kettleers in control. Balta finished 2-for-5 with three RBI. Ryan Hagan (Mercer) added two hits and two RBI. Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) also had two hits and Jordan Pearce (Nevada) scored two runs.

Despite the six straight losses, Hyannis still has a leg up on the Kettleers and can clinch a playoff spot with a victory. Cotuit needs to win out and have Hyannis lose both of its last two. Hyannis has Falmouth and Y-D to finish up and Cotuit gets Y-D and Wareham.

 

Bourne 3, Harwich 2

Bourne walked off on Harwich, with David MacKinnon (Hartford) coming around on a wild pitch and a throwing error in the bottom of the ninth. The big finish capped a rally from a 2-0 hole by the Braves, who tied the game in the seventh on a two-run single by Jeremy Eierman (Missouri State). Zach Spangler (Kent State) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) struck out four of the seven batters he faced but was tagged with the loss on the unearned run in the ninth. MacKinnon scored two runs for the Braves. Johnny Adams (Boston College) had an RBI for Harwich. The Mariners remain three points in front of Y-D in the East and can clinch the division title and the top seed with one victory.

Wareham 5, Orleans 4

The Gatemen scored two in the eighth and held off a Firebird rally in the ninth for a 5-4 win. A two-run double by Adrian Tovalin (Azusa Pacific) broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth. Orleans got an RBI fielder’s choice from Brian Miller (North Carolina) in the ninth, but Christian Taugner (Brown) came on and stranded Miller at first to end the game. Dalton Horton (TCU) got the win in relief for the Gatemen. Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Cole Freeman (LSU) had two hits and scored two runs, pushing his average to .378 as he remains in position for the batting title.

Y-D, Brewster 4

A run in the eighth and two in the ninth pushed Y-D past Brewster. Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) scored in the eighth on a dribbler by Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton). In the ninth, Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton) plated the tying run with an RBI double and Toffey gave the Red Sox the lead with a run-scoring base hit. Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine) then worked around a walk and an error in the bottom of the ninth to seal the win for Y-D. J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara) had two hits and scored two runs for the Red Sox. Persinger added two hits. For Brewster, Kekai Rios (Hawaii) had two hits and two runs scored.

 

What to Watch

The playoff chase continues for Cotuit and Chatham. The Kettleers visit Y-D at 4:30 p.m. Chatham hosts Orleans at 7.
 

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Braves looking to stay in contention

boourne
 
Bourne is riding a nine-year playoff streak and has the makings of a club that can make it 10 – and contend from there.
 

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Brendan McKay
2. Joe Davis
3. Corey Julks
4. Jake Mangum
5. Drew Carlton
 

NOTABLE

  • Louisville’s Brendan McKay made a good impression in his time with Bourne last summer. He’s on the roster for this year, but has a Team USA spot and could be headed to Omaha with the Cardinals in the meantime. Whatever happens, he’s perhaps the best two-way player in the country.

  • If McKay doesn’t make it to Bourne, fellow Card Devin Hairston will be a pretty good representative of the national No. 2 seed. Hairston is hitting .360 with three homers. He’s been a key to Louisville’s offense, along with 2015 Brave Nick Solak.

  • Patrick Raby had a strong debut for Vanderbilt and can lean on a couple of high school teammates for some Cape League advice. He played with Tennessee’s Nick Senzel and Kyle Serrano, who starred on the Cape last summer.

  • Connor Wong was a contributor for Y-D last summer. He’ll make the move to Bourne this year, where he’ll join Houston teammates Corey Julks and Joe Davis. Wong is listed as a catcher by the Braves, but didn’t play there much this spring.

  • The Cougars lost in the AAC conference championship, just missing out on the NCAA Tournament. That means the trio of Wong, Julks and Davis should be good to go from day one for the Braves, and they’ll provide a big boost. Julks, set for his second year with the Braves, had a great sophomore season. Davis was one of the top freshman sluggers in the nation, finishing with 14 home runs and AAC Freshman of the Year honors.

  • Drew Carlton hasn’t put up fantastic numbers, but when you’re the Friday starter for Florida State, you’re doing something right.

  • Washington made some noise in the Nashville regional and Noah Bremer had a hand in it. In the opener – which ended up as a 14-inning loss to eventual regional champ UC Santa Barbara, Bremer allowed just one run on four hits in nine innings of work.

  • Mississippi State catcher Elih Marrero is the son of former Major Leaguer Eli, who played with the Cardinals and several other clubs in a 10-year career. The younger Marrero was mentioned as a potential early-round pick last year but had a strong commitment to the Bulldogs.

  • Marrero’s teammate Jake Mangum wasn’t a regular starter for Mississippi State until April. Given a full-time spot, he never stopped hitting and finished ranked third in the nation with a .429 batting average.

  • East Carolina closer Joe Ingle struck out 69 in 47.2 innings. He pitched 1.2 scoreless innings as the Pirates upset Virginia on their way to the Super Regionals.

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    PITCHERS

    Noah Bremer – SO – Washington – Standout weekend starter for Huskies has 2.98 ERA, team-best 66 strikeouts
    Drew Carlton – SO – Florida State – Friday starter for powerhouse Noles is 7-3, 4.36 ERA with 71 strikeouts
    Chris Holba – FR – East Carolina – ERA over five but a busy reliever for Pirates with 23 appearances
    Joe Ingle – SO – East Carolina – Star reliever for Super Regional-bound club has 12 saves, 69 Ks in 47.2 innings
    Sean Leland – SO – Louisville – Has 3.24 ERA in limited relief innings for Cards’ deep pitching staff
    Brendon Little – FR – North Carolina – Top 100 player nationally out of high school made only four appearances this spring
    Brendan McKay – SO – Louisville – Two-way star avoided sophomore slump, hitting .336 with 5HR and 12-3, 2.12 ERA, 119 Ks
    Chris Morris – SO – Seton Hall – Posted 3.76 ERA in Pirates’ bullpen, notched two saves and struck out better than a batter per inning
    Doug Norman – SO – LSU – Solid reliever for Tigers has 3.26 ERA in 21 appearances
    Patrick Raby – FR – Vanderbilt – Started third-most games on team and went 7-1 with 2.61 ERA, 63 Ks in 58.2 innings
    Ronnie Rosoomando – FR – Connecticut – A 28th-round pick last year, saw action as a starter and reliever and finished with 3.93 ERA
    Zach Spangler – SO – Kent State – Picked up one save in 17 appearances out of pen, with 3.18 ERA
    Keith Weisenberg – SO – Stanford – Posted 3.45 ERA in nine appearances for Cardinal
     

    CATCHERS

    Elih Marrero – FR – Mississippi State – Son of former Major League catcher Eli hit .238 in debut season with Bulldogs
    Garrett Wolforth – FR – Dallas Baptist – Hitting .259 in part-time duty behind the plate for DBU
    Connor Wong – SO – Houston – Hit .232 and won title with Y-D last summer then batted .304 with 5 HR as a sophomore
     

    INFIELDERS

    Joe Davis – FR – Houston – 16th-round pick last year burst onto scene and won AAC Rookie of the Year with .331 AVG, 14 HR, 58 RBI
    Devin Hairston – SO – Louisville – Hit .212 as frosh but now having breakout sophomore season – .360, 3 HR, 19 XBH
    Isaiah Pasteur – SO – Indiana – Big 10 all-freshman last year but struggled this year, finishing with average below .200
    L.T. Tolbert – FR – South Carolina – South Carolina high school star hitting .229 with three homers, 27 RBI in debut season
    Willy Yahn – SO – Connecticut – Followed big freshman year with continued success, hitting .319 with 27 extra-base hits
    Justin Yurchak – SO – Binghamton – Wake Forest transfer sat out this season per NCAA rules after hitting .312 with Deacons
     

    OUTFIELDERS

    Luis Alvarado – SO – Nebraska – Batted .251 with seven extra-base hits for Huskers
    Brennan Breaux – FR – LSU – Hitting .152 in limited action as a Tiger freshman
    Corey Julks – SO – Houston – Returning Brave had breakout sophomore year, hitting .333 with 3 HR, 10 SBs
    Jake Mangum – SO – Mississippi State – True freshman forced his way into lineup and is scorching with .424 batting average, third in nation
    Danny Reyes – FR – Florida – Making most of limited opportunities with .282 average and a home run in 20 games