Niko Kavadas (Notre Dame) was selected for the Cape League’s All-Star Game Home Run Derby on Saturday morning.
Does he know the competition hasn’t started yet?
Kavadas smashed three home runs Saturday night as Harwich beat Wareham 5-1. The achievement matches a Cape League record, as Kavadas becomes the ninth player to hit three homers in a game. The most recent was last year’s opening night star, Peyton Burdick of Cotuit. Before that, it was Chris Dominguez. And before that, it was Frank Thomas. So, yeah, it’s a pretty good club.
Kavadas hit 12 home runs in the spring for Notre Dame. He was displaying plenty of pop for Harwich before Saturday’s explosion with four homers, hence the derby invite. Now, he leads the league with seven homers.
Saturday night’s performance had humble beginnings. Kavadas grounded into a double play in his first at-bat. He didn’t bat again until the fourth inning, when he smacked a two-run homer. In the fifth, daniel Cabrera (LSU) again got on ahead of him, and Kavadas again hit a three-run bomb. Finally, in the eighth, he hit a solo shot.
Kavadas finished 3-for-5 with five RBI, as Harwich beat Wareham 6-1. The blasts backed another strong effor by Jacob Palisch (Stanford), who allowed one run in five innings.
But the night belonged to Kavadas, and he’ll have a spot in the record books to remember it by.
Orleans 15, Y-D 3
Kelly Nicholson’s 350th Cape League win was an emphatic one. His Orleans Firebirds blasted their way to a 15-3 win over a Y-D squad that entered Saturday night in a tie for first place. The Firebirds smacked 18 hits, eight of which went for extra bases, including three home runs. Zach Britton (Louisville) led the onslaught with two homers, part of a 3-for-4, four run, six RBI night. Shay Whitcomb (UC San Diego), Eddie McCabe (Georgetown) and Tanner Murray (UC Davis) drove in two runs each, with Whitcomb also homering. Armed with the lead from the first inning on, seven pitchers took the mound for the Firebirds and limited Y-D to three runs on eight hits. Nick Garcia (Chapman) was credited with the win.
Cotuit 5, Bourne 0
Casey Schmitt (San Diego State) had three hits and scored a run, then took the mound and finished off a shutout. Not sure if he cooked the postgame meal. Schmitt went the final 3.2 innings, striking out five and allowing no runs on two hits. That followed a great start by Zachary McCambley (Coastal Carolina), who struck out seven in 5.1 scoreless innings. Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) and Adam Oviedo (TCU) drove in two runs each to back the strong pitching. Cotuit has one three straight and is one point back of first-place Wareham.
Brewster 4, Falmouth 3
C
Brewster broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the 10th and held off a Falmouth rally in the bottom half. A two-run single by Tyler Gentry (Alabama) plated the go-ahead runs for the Whitecaps. Austin Masel (Holy Cross) singled and later scored in the home half of the 10th, but Sean Fisher (Maryland) retired the league’s hottest hitter, Zach DeLoach (Texas A&M) to end the game. Fisher got the win for Brewster. Mason Dodd (Belmont Abbey), who was released by Cotuit earlier this year, added two hits in his fourth game since joining Brewster. Carmen Mlodzinski (South Carolina) struck out seven for Falmouth, moving one off the league lead. Steven Moretto (Cal State Sacramento) homered.
Chatham 6, Hyannis 3
Chatham snapped a 3-3 tie with three runs in the top of the ninth en route to a win over Hyannis. Kaden Polcovich (Northwest Florida) broke the deadlock with an RBI double, and an error allowed two more runs to score. Hugh Fisher (Vanderbilt) pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth to preserve the win. Before the late drama, Kolby Kubichek (Texas) was terrific for Chatham, striking out eight in five shutout innings. Left off the all-star roster, Kubicheck now owns a 1.08 ERA. Chatham snapped a four-game winless streak.
What to Watch
League strikeout leader Ian Seymour (Virginia Tech) was scheduled to start Saturday but didn’t. He’s now slated to get the ball today as Y-D hosts Falmouth.