RIGHT FIELD FOG

The top two strikeout pitchers in the league squared off last night as Wareham visited Cotuit. They didn’t disappoint.

But I guess the end result kind of did disappoint.

Wareham’s Jed Bradley (Georgia Tech) and Cotuit’s Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook) both went deep into the game, but when they left the score was tied. And it stayed there as darkness fell before either team could take a lead. The result was a 1-1 tie in 11 innings, just the second tie of the Cape League season.

Wareham was looking to win its fourth game in a row and Bradley put them in position to do that. He face Cotuit in his last start and didn’t far great, but this time he went nine innings and allowed one run on seven hits. He struck out nine, which vaulted him into the league lead with 34.

Unfortunately for the Gatemen, Tropeano is right behind Bradley in strikeouts and he delivered his best start of the season this time out. He allowed one run on four hits in eight innings and struck out six.

Adam McClain (Memphis) drove in Wareham’s only run, while Curt Casali (Vanderbilt) scored Cotuit’s only run. Both runs came in the second inning and neither team did anything after that. Keith Bilodeau (Maine) pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Wareham, while Matt Murray (Georgia Southern) and Ryan Duke (Oklahoma) worked three shutout frames. Duke, Oklahoma’s closer this season, was making his Cape League debut.

Elsewhere

Anthony Ranaudo (LSU) was impressive again, but his performance wasn’t enough to get Brewster a win. Ranaudo pitched six innings of no-hit ball and struck out six, but Harwich rallied against the Brewster bullpen and won 3-1. Levi Michael (North Carolina) drove in two runs for Harwich, and John Wooten (East Carolina) knocked in the other.

Four Bourne pitchers combined to shut-out Chatham 2-0. Will Jolin (Connecticut) struck out nine in five scoreless frames. Logan Billbrough (William & Mary) and Bourne newcomer Tommy Kahnle (Lynn) pitched a scoreless inning each before Tony Zych (Louisville) picked up a two inning save.

Orleans knocked off Y-D 6-1 for its third win in a row. Steve Selsky (Arizona) hit a home run and drove in two and Jayce Boyd (Florida State) also drove in two. Starter Kyle Simon (Arizona) struck out four and allowed one run in eight strong innings. Danny Muno (Fresno State), who had been with Orleans, was released then picked up by Y-D. He started for the Red Sox and went 0-for-2.

Over on Martha’s Vineyard, Hyannis beat Falmouth 6-4. Cam Seitzer (Oklahoma) hit a key three-run homer, his first of the summer, to lead Hyannis. The Harbor Hawks and Commodores had been tied in the West standings.

What to Watch

Brewster visits streaking Orleans with Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State) on the mound. Gagnon has gone seven innings with at least eight strikeouts in his last two starts.

In his freshman season, his first summer on the Cape and his sophomore campaign, Grayson Garvin made 30 appearances and exactly three starts. He was impressive out of the bullpen, striking out 22 in 16 innings last summer and putting up a 1.25 ERA this spring with Vanderbilt. He just wasn’t getting the chance to start.

He is now, and he’s making the most of it.

Garvin delivered his second straight outstanding start last night as Bourne beat Hyannis 6-0. He struck out six, walked one and allowed just three hits in 6.2 innings of work. He got the win and improved to 3-0. He lowered his ERA to 1.15.

Last time out, Garvin struck out 10 in six shutout innings. Though the strikeout numbers weren’t quite as high this time, it was still a really strong start. Garvin, a 6’6 lefty, is poised to become one of the best pitchers in the league this summer.

Garvin’s performance paved the way for the Braves to get back over .500. They’re sitting at 11-10, in first place by three points. Garvin was backed by strong performances from the middle of the order. Travis Shaw (Kent State) went 3-for-4 with an RBI, Jason Coats (TCU) had two hits and two runs and Daniel Bowman (Coastal Carolina) had a hit and an RBI. Bowman ranks fourth in the league in RBI and is tied for the lead in home runs.

For Hyannis, Johnny Ruettiger (Arizona State) went 4-for-4. He’s been on the Cape for five games. He went hitless in his first two but has gone 9-for-13 since.

Elsewhere

In the only other game on the schedule, Wareham topped Falmouth 7-3 for its third win in a row. Jonathan Smith (Tennessee Wesleyan) went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI to lead the Gatemen. Lee Mazzilli (Connecticut) had two hits and Josh Ludy (Baylor) drove in two. Josh Urban (Texas) allowed three runs in six innings and picked up the win. The Gatemen are slowly climbing back into contention. They’re four points back of Hyannis and Falmouth, who are tied for third in the West.

What to Watch

Back to a full slate today, and there are some nice pitching match-ups on tap. At 1 p.m., Hyannis and Falmouth are playing on Martha’s Vineyard. Miguel Pena (San Jacinto JC) is slated to go for Falmouth. He struck out 11 in six shutout innings last time out. On the mainland, Anthony Ranaudo (LSU) is scheduled to make his fourth start as Brewster hosts Harwich at 5 p.m. Ranaudo still hasn’t allowed an earned run this summer.

Team USA trials started yesterday and with players from the College World Series finals arriving now, the dust is starting to settle on who’s here and who isn’t.

Kolten Wong is still here. And that’s good news for the league and for Orleans.

According to Codball, Wong turned down his invitation to Team USA trials and will spend the rest of his summer in Orleans. He’s been perhaps the best player on the Cape this summer, so his decision is pretty huge for the Firebirds. Their lineup has as much potential as any in the league; with Wong still sitting atop that lineup, I like Orleans’ chances to make a run in the rest of the summer.

So far, so good.

Orleans beat first-place Y-D 5-3 last night in 10 innings. It’s the team’s second win in a row and it moved them to 9-12.

Wong went 1-for-4 with two runs scored, and Jayce Boyd (Florida State) continued his hot start with a 2-for-5, two RBI performance. Boyd delivered what proved to be the game-winning hit in the top of the tenth. Also for Orleans, Shon Roe (Loyola Marymount) had two hits and an RBI. Preston Tucker (Florida), who’s off to a rough start, delivered his first RBI of the summer.

Matt Sisto (Hawaii) got the start for Orleans and allowed just two hits in five shutout innings. Mitch Lambson (Arizona State) pitched two innings of no-hit ball for the win.

Elsewhere

With Y-D’s loss, Brewster took over sole possession of first place in the East with a 3-1 victory over Chatham. Chris Ellison (Oklahoma), playing in his second game since arriving from the College World Series, hit his second home run and also added a double. Kirk Singer (Long Beach State) also had two hits. Austin Lubinsky (Minnesota) picked up the win with 6.2 strong innings. He didn’t record a strikeout but allowed only a run on two hits. Kyle Hendricks (Dartmouth), who’s been outstanding in a relief role and just earned himself a full contract, worked 2.1 scoreless innings to get the save. Hendricks has a 1.04 ERA to go with 17 strikeouts and just one walk in 17.1 innings. For Chatham, Mike Dennhardt (Boston College) was the hard-luck loser. He struck out seven and allowed one earned run in eight innings.

Harwich left 15 men on base but still managed to score nine runs in a 9-6 victory over Cotuit. The Mariners finished with 16 hits and steadily pulled away in the middle innings. Clint Moore (Army), Pratt Maynard (NC State) and Steven Proscia (Virginia) had three hits apiece, with Maynard driving in three and Proscia knocking in two. Joe Holtmeyer (Nebraska at Omaha) struck out six and allowed two runs in five innings. Cotuit came in with a five-game winning streak.

What to Watch

Two games tonight, both in the West. Bourne sends Grayson Garvin (Vanderbilt) to the hill against Hyannis and Tyler Ray (Troy). Garvin was dominant in his last start, while Ray has a 0.87 ERA this season.

In the last two days, Cape League teams have made 21 roster moves, way more than the average two-day span. Late arrivals are getting here and Team USA invitees are heading out.

Amid all the changes, though, one thing remained the same: Brewster and Y-D can’t seem to get away from each other.

The teams have been in a first-place tie for a while now and they stayed in it last night. Brewster topped Harwich 11-3 behind a 15-hit attack, and Y-D held up its end of the bargain a little later, edging Hyannis 5-4 in 12 innings.

For the Whitecaps, the win over Harwich was a solid performance all around. Drew Martinez, the league leader in hitting and a fixture in the leadoff spot, got the night off. In his stead, Cohl Walla (Texas) stepped into the leadoff spot and promptly went 5-for-5 with two doubles, three runs scored and an RBI. Walla, a talented freshman who will be draft-eligible next year, had been off to a slow start. He was hitting .182 before last night’s explosion. Now, he’s hitting .289. Maybe it’s something about the Brewster leadoff spot.

And Walla wasn’t the only one hitting. Tony Ard (Mt. Hood CC), who’s quietly become a force in the middle of the order, went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI. He’s now hitting .271 with six extra-base hits. Chris Ellison (Oklahoma), who just arrived, hit a home run in his debut. Andy Burns (Kentucky) and Nathan Melendres (Miami) also had two hits.

Matt Crouse (Ole Miss) got the win in relief for Brewster, allowing a run in 2.1 innings.

As for Y-D, Monday’s game was another thrill ride. On Sunday, Hyannis and Y-D met and the Harbor Hawks came away with an 8-7 victory in 10 innings. This time, they played 12 before the Red Sox prevailed 5-4. They scored two in the top of the 12th on a Hyannis error then held off a charge from the Harbor Hawks to win it. Caleb Ramsey (Houston), Joe Panik (St. John’s) and Matt Hamlet (Boston College) had two hits apiece for Y-D. Johnny Ruettiger (Arizona State) and Cam Seitzer (Oklahoma) had three hits each for Hyannis.

Y-D and Brewster now have matching 14-6 records, the best marks in the league. They won’t play each other again until July 16.

Elsewhere

Cotuit won its fifth straight game as it edged Falmouth 5-4. The Kettleers now have a 9-10-1 record, which in the rough-and-tumble West, is good for second place. Cotuit had released USA invitees Zach Cone and C.J. Cron earlier in the day, but they delivered a steady offensive performance without them. Jordan Leyland (Long Beach State) went 2-for-4, while Mike Yastzremski (Vanderbilt) and Curt Casali (Vanderbilt) each had a hit and two runs scored. Austin Wood (St. Petersburg JC) picked up the win with 5.2 strong innings. It was the third start for Wood, a fourth-round pick this June. He has a 0.49 ERA and 15 strikeouts.

Orleans took advantage of four errors to beat Chatham 2-1. The Firebirds got a solid start from Ryan Carpenter (Gonzaga), who allowed a run on four hits in 5.2 innings. Relievers Burny Mitchem (Dayton), John Brebbia (Elon), Mitch Lambson (Arizona State) and Marcus Stroman (Duke) allowed no runs on one hit in 3.2 innings of work. Kolten Wong (Hawaii) went 1-for-4 with a run scored and Will Piwnica-Worms (Duke) had two hits.

Wareham beat Bourne for the second straight night, this one an 8-6 victory. The Gatemen were trailing 5-1 before they got four in the sixth to tie the game. They fell behind again in the top of the seventh but answered with three runs in the bottom half. Zach Wilson (Arizona State), who’s apparently following the Alex Dickerson hot start track, went 3-for-5 with an RBI and is now hitting .563. Tyler Bream (Liberty) followed up his six RBI night with a 2-for-4 night that included a home run. Devin Burke (Duke) got the win out of the bullpen, allowing a run in two innings. For Bourne, Jason Coats (TCU) went 4-for-4 in his season debut. The Braves dropped to 10-10 but are still in first place by a nose.

What to Watch

Three games on the schedule tonight, with some interesting match-ups in the East. Orleans, who’s tied for last but still looks dangerous to me, visits Y-D. Chatham hosts Brewster.

The Bourne Braves scored 17 runs on Saturday in the biggest offensive performance of the season.

On Sunday, they gave up the second biggest — to a kind of unlikely juggernaut. Last-place Wareham, who had lost six straight and sat at 4-13 coming into Sunday, rolled past the first-place Braves 15-4 at Doran Park.

The Gatemen’s previous high in runs scored was five. But they got on the board early and often in this one, while doing most of the damage themselves. Bourne made just one error; the Gatemen had 21 hits.

Tyler Bream (Liberty) had the biggest day. He went 5-for-6 with six RBI, raising his average from .186 to .246 in the process. He also moved into the top four in the league in RBI.

Five other Gatemen had multi-hit games, with Tony Caldwell (Auburn), Zach Wilson (Arizona State) and Nico Rosthenhausler (Oklahoma State) getting three each. Max Muncy (Baylor) and Derek Dennis (Michigan) drove in two each.

Amazingly, the Gatemen did all this without George Springer (Connecticut) and Alex Dickerson (Indiana), who had been their most productive offensive players.

All the offense was more than enough for Max Perlman (Harvard), who allowed three earned runs in seven innings.

Elsewhere

A game went to extra innings for the third straight night as Hyannis edged Y-D 8-7, stopping a four-game Red Sox win streak. The Harbor Hawks won it in the 10th after almost letting Y-D come back. The Red Sox scored a run in the ninth and 10th innings, but in between, Hyannis got two in the top of the 10th to win it. Zach Osborne (Tennessee) and Tyler Thompson (Florida) drove in runs in the 10th. The Red Sox got both of their late runs against closer Dallas Gallant (Sam Houston State), but he kept the Harbor Hawks in front. Dane Phillips (Oklahoma State) hit his second home run in three days for Hyannis.

The last-place team beat the first-place team in the East, as well, where Harwich topped Brewster 5-2. Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern) got the start for Harwich and allowed two runs in 6.2 innings. The offense was led by Pratt Maynard (NC State) and Mikie Mahtook (LSU), who each hit their first home run of the year. Daniel Renken (Cal State Fullerton) started for Brewster and allowed five runs in 3.1 innings. Freshman standout Jake Barrett (Arizona State) made his season debut and pitched a scoreless inning of relief. With the win and an Orleans loss, Harwich moved out of last place.

With Y-D and Brewster losing, Chatham made up a little ground thanks to a 5-1 victory over Orleans. Philip Pohl (Clemson) went 2-for-4 and drove in three in his season debut and Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt) went 3-for-4. Mark Zecchino (Virginia Tech) pitched five shutout innings. For Orleans, Kolten Wong (Hawaii) went 2-for-4.

C.J. Cron (Utah) hit a home run and drove in three as Cotuit beat Falmouth 5-2. Matt Murray (Georgia Southern) got the win, allowing one run on four hits in six innings of work. The win put Cotuit just one point back of Falmouth, who’s tied for second with Hyannis.

What to Watch

All the match-ups from yesterday are the same today, with the home teams switched.

With today being the Fourth of July, I fully expected to write an entry titled Fireworks. Whatever happened, I was going to make it work one way or another.

I didn’t know it would be quite this fitting.

Bourne visited Falmouth last night and delivered the biggest offensive performance of the 2010 season, rolling to a 17-3 victory. The win moves the Braves into sole possession of first place ahead of Falmouth.

The Braves came into the game hitting .218 as a team with 54 runs scored, numbers that ranked them in the middle of the pack, or a little below. It was strange, because their offense looked very good on paper. After this one game, the numbers are matching up. Bourne is now hitting .230, good for fourth in the league. Their 71 runs are the second-most in the league. Amazing how much difference one game can make.

I guess it happens when the game is as big as this one.

Bourne had 15 hits and blew the game open with eight runs in the fourth inning. Five Braves had multi-hit games led by Daniel Bowman (Coastal Carolina), who went 2-for-6 with a grand slam and five RBI. Newcomer Zack MacPhee (Arizona State) had two hits and two RBI, as did Ryan Wright (Louisville). Scott Woodward (Coastal Carolina) and Nick Ahmed (Connecticut) scored three runs each. Creede Simpson (Auburn) had a home run, one of six extra-base hits for the Braves.

The Braves started doing their damage against Mark Pope (Georgia Tech), who’s been one of the top starters in the league in the early going. He allowed two runs in the first three innings and got two quick outs in the second until an Ahmed double started the fireworks show. A two-run double by MacPhee drove in two and chased Pope, and the Braves scored six more in the inning.

Three Bourne pitchers had no trouble making the lead stand up. Anthony Meo (Coastal Carolina) allowed one earned run on one hit in five innings. Michael Dimock (Wake Forest) pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and Logan Billbrough (William & Mary) finished things off.

Elsewhere

For the second straight night, a team won an extra-innings game by a 1-0 score. This time it was Harwich over Chatham in 11 innings. Pratt Maynard (NC State) broke the scoreless tie in the top of the 11th when he singled home Ronnie Richardson (Central Florida). Matty Ott (LSU) picked up the win for the Mariners with two scoreless innings. Lex Rutledge (Samford) started for Harwich and allowed three hits in six innings. Derek Self (Louisville) went eight shutout innings for Chatham.

Brewster and Y-D both posted victories to stay locked in a first-place tie. Brewster beat Orleans 6-0 behind another dominant start by Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State). Gagnon allowed one run in seven innings and struck out eight. That’s three straight starts in which Gagnon has gone seven innings, allowed one run or fewer and struck out at least eight. He was backed last night by a nine-hit attack. Andy Burns (Kentucky) went 2-for-2 with three RBI. Drew Martinez (Memphis) went 2-for-4, raising his average back above .400.

Y-D delivered two late runs to beat Wareham 3-1. Bobby Crocker (Cal Poly) scored on an error in the eighth to break a 1-1 tie, and Jordan Ribera (Fresno State) drove an insurance run home in the ninth. Tanner Poppe (Kansas) picked up the win in relief with 2.1 scoreless innings. D.J. Baxendale (Arkansas) got the save. Brett Mooneyham (Stanford) started the game and allowed one run in 5.2 innings. Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt) pitched well for Wareham, striking out seven and allowing just one earned run in 7.2 innings. The loss was the sixth in a row for the Gatemen, who dropped to 4-13.

Cotuit beat Hyannis 3-1 as Josh Spence (Arizona State) picked up his first win. Spence went five innings, his longest outing so far, and allowed no runs on one hit. A.J. Achter (Michigan State) relieved him and allowed one run en route to the four-inning save. Zach Cone (Georgia) had two RBI for the Kettleers and Deven Marrero (Arizona State) knocked in one. Cam Seitzer (Oklahoma) made his debut for Hyannis and went 1-for-4.

What to Watch

Y-D shoots for its fifth win in a row when is hosts Hyannis. Michael Goodnight (Houston) is slated to start for the Red Sox.

I was thinking about making a trip to a Cape League game last night but decided not to. When I heard on the radio that there was a seven-mile backup at the Bourne Bridge, I figured I’d made the right call.

Although, even if I had gotten caught in the backup, I probably still would seen some baseball in Falmouth.

Falmouth and Harwich went 12 innings in a pretty incredible pitchers’ duel last night before the Commodores came away with a 1-0 victory.

The game actually wasn’t all that long — just under three hours — considering they went 12 innings. That happens when nobody allows a run until the end. Matt Skole (Georgia Tech) scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

It must have felt like an anti-climactic ending, but considering the pitching, it probably wasn’t going to happen any other way. Four Falmouth pitchers allowed a total of five hits and struck out 15. Three Mariners allowed six hits and struck out 18.

The brightest stars were the starters.

Miguel Pena (San Jacinto CC) is a pretty recent addition to the Falmouth roster. The lefty was a fifth-round pick out of high school and he was taken in the 13th round after this his first year at San Jacinto. He allowed three runs in 4.2 innings his first time out, but he was lights out this time. Pena struck out 11 and didn’t walk anybody in six innings of work. He allowed three hits.

On the other side, Pierce Johnson (Missouri State), who had delivered two solid starts in previous outings, delivered an outstanding start this time. He struck out 10 and also didn’t walk anybody in seven innings. He surrendered four hits.

The way the other guy was pitching, neither starter had a chance at a decision. The trend continued when the game went to the bullpens. Mike Wright (East Carolina) had the best outing of any reliever, striking out seven and allowing just one hit in 3.2 innings.

In the end, the Falmouth offense found a way. Skole worked a leadoff walk off Daniel Burawa (St. John’s) in the 12th. A single by Chris O’Brien (Wichita State) moved Skole to third and he scampered home on Burawa’s wild pitch.

The victory got Falmouth over .500 at 9-8. Harwich dropped to 6-11.

Elsewhere

Anthony Ranaudo (LSU) made his third start for Y-D and was brilliant again. The Cape Cod Times reported that Theo Epstein was on hand to watch Ranaudo, who was a supplemental first-round pick of the Red Sox. This time, Ranaudo went seven shutout innings, striking out five and allowing five hits. In 17.2 innings, he hasn’t allowed an earned run.

Ranaudo got the win as Brewster topped Bourne 2-0. The Whitecaps only had one hit — to seven for Bourne — but Drew Martinez knocked in a run and the Whitecaps got some help from four Bourne errors. Daniel Renken (Cal State Fullerton) picked up the save in his first outing for Brewster. Renken was the ace of Fullerton’s staff last year as a sophomore. He was drafted in the 23rd round this year. For Bourne, Zack MacPhee (Arizona State) made his first appearance and went 1-for-3.

Chatham’s Logan Verrett (Baylor) was on a pitch count last night, but if he hadn’t been, we might have had the second no-hitter in three days. As it was, Verrett pitched seven innings of no-hit ball before giving way to the bullpen. He struck out four and got the win as Chatham topped Hyannis 5-1. Brian Humphries (Pepperdine) went 2-for-3 with an RBI for Chatham, while Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State) went 2-for-2 with a home run.

Cotuit beat Wareham 4-3 thanks in part to some newcomers. Brady Rodgers (Arizona State), who’s coming off a fantastic freshman season, came out of the bullpen for his Cape League debut and pitched 3.2 shutout innings. He struck out three and allowed just one hit, while picking up the win. Rodgers’ ASU teammate Deven Marrero made his second appearance of the summer and went 1-for-4 with two runs scored. Curt Casali (Vanderbilt) drove in two. Wareham had a Sun Devil of its own in the lineup as Zach Wilson made his debut and went 3-for-3. George Springer (Connecticut) went 2-for-4 for the Gateman, as did Alex Dickerson (Indiana), who is still hitting .500.

Orleans broke a tie in the top of the seventh, but Y-D answered with two runs in the bottom half to win 3-2 and stay in a first-place tie. Ben McMahan (Florida) hit two doubles and drove in two for Y-D. Caleb Ramsay (Houston) also drove in a run. John Leonard (Boston College) picked up the win with seven strong innings. For Orleans, Kolten Wong (Hawaii) went 3-for-4 and Jayce Boyd (Florida State) hit a home run in his first Cape League at-bat.

What to Watch

Looks like a really good pitching match-up in Falmouth tonight. The Commodores will send Mark Pope (Georgia Tech) to the hill against Bourne’s Anthony Meo (Coastal Carolina). Pope has a 0.95 ERA and 21 strikeouts. Meo, the Big South Pitcher of the Year, allowed just an unearned run in his first start of the summer. Also, there should be a good match-up in Wareham, where Y-D’s Brett Mooneyham (Stanford) goes against Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt). Both are power arms with first-round potential next year.

When I read after the draft that Dallas Gallant was planning a return trip to Hyannis, I didn’t think it was a huge deal. He had a big summer as a reliever on the Cape but struggled as a starter with Sam Houston State. He was drafted in the 23rd round in June and opted to see what he could do this summer.

It’s looking like a bigger deal than I anticipated.

Gallant has moved into the closer’s role for the Harbor Hawks and he’s been dominant. Hyannis has won eight games, and Gallant has saved five of them, which leads the league.

In 9.1 innings, Gallant hasn’t allowed a run. He’s struck out 15 and walked only three.

On Thursday night, he teamed up with Tyler Mizenko (Winthrop) to keep a slim lead for Hyannis. The Harbor Hawks were in front of Bourne 2-1 when Mizenko came on in the seventh. He hasn’t allowed a run either this year, and he kept that streak alive with two innings of no-hit ball. He struck out four.

In the ninth, Mizenko gave way to Gallant. He allowed a hit but struck out two to finish things off.

The Hyannis offense was led by Casey McElroy (Auburn), who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Justin Wright (Virginia Tech) picked up the win, allowing a run in five innings.

Hyannis moved to 8-8 with the win, just a game back of first-place Bourne.

Elsewhere

In the only other game on the schedule, Harwich shut out Chatham 6-0. Adam Morgan (Alabama), who had an ERA over five in his freshman season, went seven shutout innings for the Mariners, striking out six and walking two. Will Locante (Tennessee) and Braden Kapteyn (Kentucky) worked a scoreless inning each to preserve the victory. Clint Moore (Army) hit a three-run homer, his first of the summer, and Levi Michael (North Carolina) drove in two.

What to Watch

Logan Verrett (Baylor) didn’t start last night but is scheduled to go tonight as Chatham hosts Hyannis. In Bourne, Anthony Ranaudo (LSU) will make his third start as Brewster visits the Braves at 6 p.m.

If I had to pick a Y-D pitcher from Stanford to throw a no-hitter, it would probably be Brett Mooneyham. He’s the lefty with the big fastball and the big credentials, and he leads the league in wins.

But he wasn’t the one that did it.

Stanford sophomore Jordan Pries tossed the first no-hitter of the season last night as Y-D beat Orleans 2-0.

Pries had made three appearances so far this summer. In one start, he allowed two runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. The next time out, he pitched in relief and worked a scoreless inning.

Everything was different on this night.

Pries struck out four and walked three and faced just two over the minimum. He did it against a talented Orleans lineup. The Firebirds are only hitting .229 as a team — seventh in the league — but their order features Danny Muno, Kolten Wong, Steve Selsky, Jason Esposito and Preston Tucker, a pretty fearsome group.

Pries mowed them down, taking a perfect game into the seventh. He walked two in that inning, but got out of the jam. In the ninth, he walked the leadoff batter but then induced a double play. He recorded the last out on a fly ball to center field.

Pries now has a 2-0 record, a 1.23 ERA and the best pitching performance of the season to his name.

Elsewhere

Pries wasn’t the only pitcher firing on all cylinders last night. Bourne’s Grayson Garvin (Vanderbilt) struck out 10 and allowed two hits in six shutout innings as the Braves beat Falmouth 3-2. Garvin pitched for Falmouth last summer. He was making his second start for Bourne, and this one went better than the first, when he walked five in three innings. Garvin was backed by a home run and two RBI from Daniel Bowman (Coastal Carolina).

The pitching was not quite so good in Wareham, where Cotuit and Wareham combined for 13 runs and 24 hits. The Kettleers won 8-5. C.J. Cron (Utah) went 3-for-5 to lead Cotuit. Alex Dickerson (Indiana) went 3-for-3 with two RBI for Wareham, raising his average to .500. He’s played in eight games now, so a .500 average at this point is pretty ridiculous.

Hyannis beat Brewster 4-2, sending the Whitecaps into a first-place tie with Y-D. Cody Stubbs (Tennessee) had two RBI for the Harbor Hawks and Tyler Ray (Troy) went 6.2 solid innings to pick up his third win of the year.

What to Watch

Just two games on the schedule tonight. Logan Verrett (Baylor) is slated to toe the rubber for Chatham in Harwich. Verrett struck out nine in seven innings in his first start of the summer.

Brewster had won four straight since a 9-4 loss to Y-D last Thursday.

The Whitecaps played Y-D again on Tuesday, and they’ll have to hope for another win streak to start on Wednesday. The Red Sox moved within one game of the first-place Whitecaps with a 7-1 victory.

Brewster had allowed a total of six runs in its previous four games, but the Red Sox broke through early and often in this one. They scored two in the first, two in the second and two more in the fourth, staying in control the whole way. Joe Panik (St. John’s), Stewart Ijames (Louisville) and Ronnie Shaban (Virginia Tech) had two hits each for the Red Sox. Ijames has been a key contributor since joining Y-D after getting released by Harwich. He’s hitting .333 in six games and picked up his first Red Sox RBI last night.

Also for Y-D, Matt Jensen (Cal Poly) and Matt Vinson (Arkansas) drove in runs. Ben McMahan (Florida), playing in his fifth game since arriving from the College World Series, also drove in a run.

Y-D did most of its damage against Brewster starter Mike Palazzone (Georgia). He allowed six runs but only two of them were earned. On the other side, three pitchers combined to shut down Brewster. Randy Fontanez (South Florida), a 23rd-round pick this year, made his first start and allowed just an unearned run in four innings of work. Matt Ianazzo (Pittsburgh) struck out five in 3.2 innings of relief and picked up the win. Scott Snodgress (Stanford) pitched 1.1 hitless innings to finish it off.

Elsewhere

Three pitchers combined on a shutout as Orleans topped Wareham 3-0. Matt Sisto (Hawaii) got the start and only struck out one in 5.1 innings. But he also gave up just two hits and didn’t walk anybody. Will Clinard (Vanderbilt) worked a scoreless frame and Marcus Stroman (Duke) pitched 2.2 innings of no-hit ball for the save. Five of the eight outs Stroman recorded came via the strikeout. Steve Selsky (Arizona), Jason Esposito (Vanderbilt) and Danny Muno (Fresno State) led the Firebirds with two hits each. Florida star Preston Tucker took an 0-for-4 in his debut.

Chatham has had a knack for late-inning heroics this season, and Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State) provided a few more last night. Ginther hit a walk-off RBI double as the Anglers beat Cotuit 3-2. It was the second hit of the day for Ginther, who made a winner out of Zach Jones (San Jose State). Jones came on in relief with the game tied and worked two scoreless innings. Chatham is now three points back of Brewster.

Falmouth beat Harwich 5-3 and that’s about all I’ve got on that one. The Pointstreak site has that game still in the sixth inning. A long one.

In College World Series action, former Chatham Angler and Right Field Fog’s official right fielder Whit Merrifield delivered the game-winning hit as South Carolina walked off with the national championship.

What to Watch

Austin Lubinsky (Minnesota), who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his last start, gets the ball tonight as Brewster visits Hyannis.