Daily Fog: The Other Powerhouse

Bourne has the best team ERA and best team batting average in the league. It’s no wonder the Braves have been wire-to-wire at the top of the West Division. 

East Division leader Brewster has the second-best team ERA behind Bourne, but – amazingly for a first-place team – the worst team batting average. 

But the Whitecaps get on base a lot, having drawn the second-most walks in the league, and they seem to get hits when they need them. 

That was the recipe Friday night as Brewster won a matchup of first-place teams with Bourne 3-2 at Doran Park. The Whitecaps were out-hit 8-4 but used a two-run rally in the eighth to take control. 

Bourne has gone 5-5 in its last 10 games, coming back to earth a bit after its historic start. There have been some personnel losses, so it’s not surprising to see a little bit of a dip, but I’d still bet on the Braves most every night. 

The real story from this matchup, though, is that Brewster is making its approach work – really work. The Whitecaps are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and are suddenly just two games behind the Braves for the best record in the league. Friday’s win clinched a playoff spot. 

Bourne led 2-1 into the seventh but had been unable to add to its lead thanks to Brewster’s solid pitching efforts. Brewster’s eighth-inning comeback began with a single by Kurtis Byrne (TCU), then two walks. Tony Bullard (Arizona), who’s been a nice addition since arriving July 25, knocked a two-run single to give Brewster the lead. 

Dale Stanavich (Rutgers) took over in the eighth and rolled through a pair of scoreless frames with four strikeouts to preserve the win. 

Brewster is now 20-9-3, with a three-point lead on Harwich for first place. Bourne goes to 22-7-3. 

Cotuit 12, Wareham 5

Three straight wins for the Kettleers, who have a one-point edge on Falmouth for second place in the West division standings. It was a 5-5 game in the eighth inning when Cotuit scored seven runs and took so much time doing it, there was no no ninth inning due to darkness at Lowell Park. Matthew Donlan (UConn) was hit by a pitch and pinch-runner Eldridge Figueroa (Arkansas Little Rock) raced home with the go-ahead run on a bunt by Carter Trice (Old Dominion). Noah Bridges (UNC Wilmington) had a sac fly later in the inning, Brett Roberts (Florida State) had an RBI single and Nathan Martorella (California) cranked a two-run homer for the exclamation point. Zach Fruit (Eastern Michigan) got the win in relief. Before the late surge, Quinn Matthews (Stanford) went six strong innings, allowing one run with six strikeouts. Cotuit is 15-16-1, while Wareham drops to 11-17-5. 

Falmouth 13, Hyannis 7

The Commodores kept pace with Cotuit thanks to a victory over Hyannis. Four runs in the first inning set the course for Falmouth, though there was a long way to go. It was a 7-5 game until Falmouth scored three runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to pull away. Kris Armstrong (Florida) hit a three-run home run, his seventh of the summer, to start the barrage in the first inning. Anthony Hall (Oregon) went deep later. Casey Harford (Tennessee Martin) had three hits and two RBI. Michael Curialle (UCLA) and Luke Boyers (TCU) had two hits apiece. Daniel Garcia (Stetson) allowed two runs in four innins of relief for the win. Clark Elliott (Michigan) had two hits and a home run for Hyannis, maintaining his hold on the top spot in the race for the batting title. Falmouth is 14-15-2 and Hyannis is7-25. 

Harwich 8, Chatham 4

As hot as Brewster is, Harwich has been right there with the Whitecaps. The Mariners beat Chatham on Friday for their sixth win in their last 10 games. The Anglers led 4-1 after three innings, but Harwich responded. Chris Newell (Virginia) hit his fifth home run of the summer to lead a steady attack. Dylan Phillips (Kansas State), Carter Putz (Notre Dame), and Pres Cavenaugh (UNC Greensboro) had two hits each. Mariner relievers shut the Anglers out after they had taken the 4-1 lead. Beau Keathley (Cincinnati) pitched two scoreless frames and Dalton Smith (Georgia Tech) got a three-inning save. Harwich is 18-10-4 and Chatham falls to 13-18-3. 

Y-D 5, Orleans 1

Brooks Lee (Cal Poly) and Tanner Smith (Oregon) stayed hot and led the Red Sox past Orleans. Lee went 3-for-5 and scored a run. He’s had four multi-hit games since returning from Team USA on July 21. Smith went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI as he continued a hitting streak that’s now at five games. Making his third appearance of the summer, Jared Lyons (George Mason) was great on the mound, allowing one run in six innings for the win. Eli Morse (Portland) and Owen Stevenson (San Francisco) closed it out with shutout relief. Y-D is 13-13-7 and Orleans is 12-15-4. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Off his Y-D single game record 12 strikeouts, Adam Maier (British Columbia) gets the ball as the Red Sox host Hyannis. 

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