On each day of the young Cape League season, at least one game has been decided by one run.
Wareham and Falmouth delivered the most dramatic of those games Saturday. The Gatemen trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the ninth but won the game 4-3 with a three-run rally. Willie MacIver (Washington) singled home Garrett Zech (South Florida) for the walk-off hit.
It was the league’s first wak-off of the season.
Falmouth has been involved in two of the one-run games and falls to 0-3 on the summer. Wareham is 2-1.
The Commodores had the game’s first late rally, scoring three runs in the top of the eighth after falling behind 1-0. A hit by pitch with the bases loaded tied the game, Clayton Daniel (Jacksonville State) gave Falmouth the lead and Logan Davidson (Clemson) singled home an insurance run.
Wareham had been limited to three hits through eight innings when it found the decisive comeback. John Toppa (UConn) started it with a single and Ben Baird (Washington) also had a base hit. Zech then bunted for a hit and an error on the throw allowed Toppa to score. An infield single by Brandon Lockridge (Troy) plated the tying run. MacIver – perhaps showing a bit of the resourcefulness of his slightly differently spelled namesake – squibbed an infield single that allowed Zech to score the winning run.
MacIver finished with three hits and Toppa had two to lead Wareham. Joshua Breaux (McLennan CC) had two hits for Falmouth.
Bourne 2, Orleans 1
There was also a one-run game in Orleans, though it was pretty much the opposite of walk-off as Bourne made two first inning runs stand up all night. Grant Williams (Kennesaw State) had an RBI single and Zac Susi (UConn) drew a bases-loaded walk for all the offense the Braves would need. Orleans got one run back in the fifth but nothing else against five Braves pitchers. Eli Kraus (Kent State) allowed one run in 5.2 innings for the win. Ryan Feltner (Ohio State) notched the save. For Orleans, Kevin Strohschein (Tennessee Tech), Brandon Riley (North Carolina) and Austin Hale (Stetson) had two hits each. Bourne is 2-1 while Orleans fell to 0-3.
Harwich 5, Y-D 2
Harwich picked up its first win while handing Y-D its first loss of the season. Matthew Frisbee (UNC Greensboro) allowed two runs in 4.1 innings and three relievers closed the door with shutout frames. Teddy Rodliff (Stony Brook), who had a 1.35 ERA out of the Harwich bullpen last year, picked up the save. Harwich broke open a tie game with four runs in the fifth, with a two-run double by Ryne Ogren (Elon) highlighting the burst. Connor Simmons (Virginia) and Bradley Debo (NC State) finished with two hits and an RBI. For Y-D, Carlos Cortes (South Carolina) stayed red-hot, going 3-for-5 for his third multi-hit game in as many tries.
** The other two games were postponed due to wet field conditions
What to Watch
The first of two scheduled Sunday doubleheader slates this month gets going at 2 p.m. as Cotuit hosts Brewster. Orleans is at Falmouth, Hyannis at Harwich, Y-D at Bourne and Wareham at Chatham.