Month: June 2012

Harwich and Phillip Ervin have taken a lot of the headlines in the Cape Cod Baseball League this season. Chicks dig the long ball, and apparently so do Cape League fans.

But this is shaping up to be a very offensive summer, and it’s not all because of Ervin and his crew with the Mariners. We shouldn’t lose sight of the other stand-outs.

Robert Pehl and the Y-D Red Sox are at the top of that list.

Pehl went 2-for-3 last night and got on base to start two rallies as the Red Sox beat Orleans 11-10. Pehl is now hitting a league-best .447 with 13 RBI, and the Red Sox have a league-best .318 team batting average. The next closest teams are Harwich and Falmouth at .274.

The Red Sox haven’t quite hit their stride as a total unit yet. Despite having the fourth-best team ERA to go with the best batting average, they’re only one game over .500.

But they’re dangerous, and Pehl has been most dangerous of all.

Undrafted out of high school, Pehl just finished his freshman year at Washington, where he hit .293. He’s been on the Cape since the first day of the season, when he went 1-for-4, and he hasn’t slowed down. While everyone else’s averages have slowly trickled down into the reasonable range as we’ve gotten deeper into the season, Pehl’s has remained in the unreasonable range. He’s hit in five straight games, and four of those have been multi-hit performances.

When a player — and a team — hit that much, they’re not easy to put away, and the Firebirds found that out last night. Orleans, coming off the streak-busting loss to Harwich, seemed to be putting the Red Sox away when Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) hit a grand slam in the seventh to put the Firebirds on top 10-7.

But Pehl led off the bottom of the inning with a single and came around on a Sam Travis (Indiana) base hit. The Red Sox added another run in the eighth on a home run by Zak Blair (Mercyhurst).

Then in the ninth, with Orleans lights-out closer Trevor Gott (Kentucky) on the mound, the Red Sox kept swinging. Pehl walked, Alex Blandino (Stanford) singled and Travis brought pinch runner Tyler Sciacca (Villanova) home with a base hit. After a walk, Blandino raced home on a sacrifice fly by Blair to score the winning run.

The runs were the first ones Gott has allowed this season, and the blown save was just the second of his stellar two-year career. Interestingly, the only other blown save came in last year’s playoffs, in another 11-10 loss to Y-D.

The Red Sox finished with 14 hits, and six players had two each. Blair had four RBI, while Blandino and Travis had two apiece.

Elsewhere

Harwich had only three hits, but two were three-run homers and those were enough in a 7-2 victory over Cotuit, the team’s ninth in a row. Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) hit his fourth home run and Mike Connolly (Maine) hit his first. Both buried the Kettleers early. Jagielo’s blast was in the first inning and Connolly’s in the second. The Mariners now have 26 home runs, more than any team hit in 2010 and only two fewer than the league-leading total of 28 from last year. JaCoby Jones (LSU) had the only other hit for the Mariners, who benefited from seven Cotuit walks. On the mound, David Whitehead (Elon) allowed two runs in four innings. Eric Skoglund (Central Florida) pitched two perfect innings of relief for the win. Cotuit starter Kyle Finnegan (Texas State) struck out eight in four innings but four walks and the two home runs were his undoing.

Falmouth beat Chatham 2-1 for its third straight win. Sean Hagan (St. John’s), a 29th-round pick this year who had made only two relief appearances, got his first start and promptly went seven strong innings. He struck out five and allowed just one run on two hits. Johnny Magliozzi (Florida) delivered his second scoreless relief appearance since arriving from the College World Series, and John Simms (Rice) closed it out with his second save. Ryan Thompson (Franklin Pierce) matched Hagan for six innings, allowing a run and striking out five, but Falmouth scored the eventual game-winning run in the seventh on an RBI double by Coty Blanchard (Jacksonville State). Jon McGibbon (Clemson) had the other RBI for the Commodores, while Andrew Knapp (Cal) delivered Chatham’s only run with a homer.

Wareham rallied from a 6-2 deficit with two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth to beat Hyannis 7-6. Kyle Schwarber (Indiana) started the comeback with a home run, and Mott Hyde (Georgia Tech) had an RBI single to make it 6-4 in the eighth. In the ninth, Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) tied the game with a two-run single. With Schwarber on third, Horan broke for second on a stolen base attempt, and when Hyannis threw down, Schwarber raced home with the go-ahead run. Jonathan Holder (Mississippi State) slammed the door with a scoreless bottom of the ninth.

Bourne also won a close one, 8-7 over Brewster. Two runs in the bottom of the seventh were the difference, and both came on a two-run homer by Josh Dezse (Ohio State). Dezse then took the mound for the ninth and pitched a scoreless inning for his second save. Tyler King (Nebraska) got the win for the Braves. Chase McDonald (East Carolina) joined Dezse with two RBI and Colin Moran (North Carolina) to bring his average to .333. Jeff McNeil (Long Beach State) went 3-for-3 to lead the Whitecaps, while Trevor Mitsui (Washington) had two hits and two RBI. Tanner Nivins (Stony Brook) hit a home run in his second game of the summer.

What to Watch

Harwich and Hyannis are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of standings, but with Sean Manaea (Indiana State) on the mound for the Harbor Hawks, it should be a good match-up. Manaea has a 2.19 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 12.1 innings. Eddie Campbell (Virginia Tech) is scheduled to start for Harwich. The game is in Hyannis at 7 p.m.

If you’ve been following the Cape Cod Baseball League this season, you know the Harwich Mariners are just crushing the ball.

On the biggest stage yet, we shouldn’t have expected anything different.

Hosting first-place Orleans last night in the biggest marquee match-up of 2012, the Mariners hit four home runs in one inning on their way to a 5-3 victory over the Firebirds. It was their eighth straight win, it snapped the Firebirds’ eight-game winning streak and it moved Harwich into a first place tie.

In a season full of impressive showings, this one may have been the best for the Mariners.

I was watching the Harwich broadcast online and just shook my head when Philip Ervin (Samford) homered on a 1-2 pitch to lead off the fourth inning. He’s been ridiculous — seven home runs in 12 games. Seven is the number that won the Cape League home run title the last two years. And Ervin is there in about one-third of the season.

But that was only the beginning. After an out, Austin Wilson (Stanford) smacked a home run. Then Brian Ragira (Stanford) belted one on the very next pitch. Austen Smith (Alabama) followed with another home run.

A 2-0 deficit was now a 4-2 lead — and a season of long balls had its signature moment.

I don’t remember four home runs in an inning. I don’t remember one player hitting seven in the first two weeks of the season. I don’t remember a team averaging two home runs per game.

In short, Harwich may be the most powerful team we’ve seen on the Cape in a very long time.

And the Mariners are winning, too. Armed with the lead, the bullpen didn’t allow another earned run over the final five innings. Anthony Tzamtzis (North Carolina State) struck out the side in the seventh and C.K. Irby (Samford) did the same in the ninth to clinch the victory. That’s eight in a row, and Harwich’s only losses of the season have been to Orleans and Falmouth.

Wilson and Ragira each had two hits for the Mariners. Matt Reida (Kentucky) knocked in the only run that didn’t come via the home run.

For Orleans, Daniel Aldrich (College of Charleston) had a home run and a double.

In the midst of getting carried away with the Harwich love, we can’t forget that Orleans has the same record as Harwich, beat the Mariners in their first meeting and looks like a great team in its own right. It was a true showdown last night. I can’t wait for the next one.

Pitching In

Aaron Blair (Marshall) has won the first two Cape League Pitcher of the Week awards, in part because starters haven’t been turning in the best outings. But it’s also because Blair has been great.

And he may just win that honor again.

The Y-D righty struck out 10 and allowed one run on six hits in seven innings as the Red Sox beat Brewster 7-3 last night. Blair now leads the league in wins (3), strikeouts (25) and ERA among starters (0.50).

Blair was a late addition to the Y-D roster, but he has an impressive profile. He was a 21st-round pick out of high school in 2010 and he struck out nearly a batter an inning for Marshall this spring.

And now he’s turning into the best starting pitcher on the Cape.

Y-D’s victory snapped a three-game Brewster winning streak and got the Red Sox back to .500. Sam Travis (Indiana) went 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the offense.

Elsewhere

Chatham improved to 7-4 and kept pace with Orleans and Harwich thanks to a 5-3 victory over Bourne. Chad Pinder (Virginia Tech) had two RBI, bringing his season total to 14, while Mike Fransoso (Maine) had two hits. Mike Wagner (San Diego) made his second start and allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings. Three Chatham relievers didn’t allow a run. Jake Joyce (Virginia Tech) walked the bases loaded in the ninth but struck out Colin Moran (North Carolina) to end the game. That was the only time Chatham got Moran, as he went 3-for-4 with his first home run of the summer for the Braves.

Falmouth edged Wareham 5-4 to stay in first place in the West. The Commodores trailed 4-1 but scored four runs in the sixth and then held on for the win. Jared King (Kansas State) and Billy Ferriter (UConn) hit home runs for Falmouth, while Jon McGibbon (Clemson) drove in two runs. Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) went 3-for-4 after going 2-for-4 in his 2012 debut the night before. Craig Schlitter (Bryant) got the win in relief with two scoreless innings, and John Simms (Rice) had the save. Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) hit his third home run for Wareham.

What to Watch

Another good match-up in the East as Orleans visits Y-D at 5 p.m. Stony Brook star Brandon McNitt is scheduled to make his Cape League debut as he gets the ball for the Firebirds. Rick Knapp (Florida Gulf Coast), who has a 0.90 ERA in two starts, is slated to go for Y-D.

After rain washed out the full Cape Cod Baseball League slate on Tuesday, teams got back to action last night.

Orleans and Hyannis certainly made up for the lack of baseball.

The Firebirds and the Harbor Hawks played 14 innings at Eldredge Park, the longest game of the 2012 season so far. Orleans ultimately prevailed 6-5 to move to 10-1 on the year.

I wouldn’t have picked these two teams to stage a 14-inning classic. The Firebirds have the best record in the league, and the Harbor Hawks have the worst record — now 10-1 and 1-10.

But after Orleans tied the game in the fifth inning, nothing separated the teams for the next eight innings.

The Firebirds, who are no strangers to close games, finally broke through in the bottom of the 14th. Facing Jimmy Hodgskin (Troy), the eighth Hyannis pitcher of the night, Cody Kulp (Shippensburg) started the frame with a single. A bunt moved him to second before an error on a ball off the bat of Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) allowed Kulp to score the winning run.

It was the sixth one-run game the Firebirds, and their fifth win in those games. It was their first extra-inning game.

Hyannis actually took a 5-0 lead in the second inning. Brett Michael Doran (Stanford) hit a grand slam to power the burst. But Orleans quickly chipped away, getting two in the bottom of the second, one in the third and tying the game with two in the fifth.

From there, the bullpens dominated. Six Harbor Hawk pitchers combined to allow just three hits in nine scoreless innings, led by Carson Cross (UConn), who struck out five in three innings. That bullpen work is a bright spot for Hyannis, which had struggled in that department.

Seven Orleans relievers surrendered six hits in 10 shutout innings. Kyle Crockett (Virginia) carried a big load with six strikeouts in four innings. Dylan Covey (San Diego) picked up the win after getting the final out of the 14th.

Reed Gragnani (Virginia) and J.T. Riddle (Kentucky) each hit home runs to lead the Orleans offense. And as always, an extra-innings game delivered an odd line — Orleans leadoff man Jay Gonzalez (Auburn) went 0-for-2 with five walks, and he reached base six times. The sixth was on a dropped third strike.

Elsewhere

Another game, another win for Harwich — and two more home runs. The Mariners beat Y-D 4-3 and brought their league-leading home run total to 20. Philip Ervin (Samford) hit his league-best sixth and his college teammate C.K. Irby hit his first. Ervin is now one home run away from matching the end-of-season league-leading total from each of the last two years. Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) and Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) added two hits each for Harwich. Making his second start for the Mariners, Aaron Nola (LSU) struck out five and allowed one run on three hits in six innings. His LSU teammate Joey Bourgeois allowed two runs in two innings before Zane Evans (Georgia Tech) came on for his second save. Sean Dwyer (Florida Gulf Coast) hit a home run for Y-D.

Brewster has quietly gotten right back into the Eastern Division mix. The Whitecaps beat Chatham 6-4 for their third straight win. They’re now tied for fourth with Y-D and are just a game back of Chatham for third. On this night, Brewster took a 4-0 lead in the third and never trailed. Trevor Mitsui (Washington) went 2-for-3 with three RBI, while returning all-star Jason Monda (Washington State) broke out of a slump with a 3-for-4 day. Dan Olinger (Minnesota) went 3-for-3. On the mound for the Whitecaps, James Leckenby (Washington State) was impressive in his first start of the summer, striking out seven and allowing just two hits in four shutout innings. Chatham chipped away against the Brewster bullpen, but Jake Kalish (George Mason) slammed the door with a scoreless ninth.

Wareham finally put a good offensive showing together with strong pitching performances in a 9-1 victory over Bourne. The Gatemen had lost two straight games by big margins, and before that, they scored a lot of runs but had to win a slugfest over Falmouth. This time, it all clicked. Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-5 with a double and a home run while Mott Hyde (Georgia Tech) went 3-for-5. The Gatemen finished with 14 hits. On the mound, Brad Kuntz (Baylor) surrendered just a run on two hits while striking out six in five innings. Nick Rumbelow (LSU) and Joe Filomeno (Louisville) combined for four scoreless innings of relief. Wareham improved to 5-6.

It was also a lopsided affair in Cotuit, where Falmouth beat the Kettleers 9-2. The Commodores had 13 hits — and four home runs — on their way to their sixth win of the season, which gets them back over .500. Returning all-star Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) made his debut for the Commodores and gave them a big boost as he went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Jared King (Kansas State), Michael O’Neill (Michigan) and Brad Fieger (Miami) had the other home runs. Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) went 3-for-5 to bring his average to .341, and Jonathan McGibbon (Clemson) went 2-for-4. On the mound, Trey Masek (Texas Tech) scattered five hits and didn’t allow an earned run in five innings. Three relievers combined for four scoreless innings.

What to Watch

The big Orleans-Harwich match-up that was postponed on Tuesday is set for tonight, and with one more game in the books, the match-up looks just as exciting. Orleans is now 10-1 and has won eight straight games while Harwich is 9-2 and has won seven in a row. Rice standout Austin Kubitza is scheduled to get the ball for the Firebirds, while Kentucky freshman A.J. Reed will start for Harwich. The game is at 7 p.m. in Harwich.

Also, check back here later today for the second edition of the Right Field Fog Power Rankings.

Amid Orleans’s winning streak and Harwich’s early-season power explosion, you’ve got to do something pretty good to make headlines in the Cape Cod Baseball League these days.

This would qualify.

Hyannis picked up its first win of the season in dramatic style last night, walking off with a 7-6 victory over Bourne. Will Callaway (Appalachian State) singled to score Zac Zellers (Kentucky) with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, touching off a welcome celebration for the Harbor Hawks and the home crowd.

The Harbor Hawks came in with an 0-9 record, and they were the only winless team in the league. Struggling like that after last year’s run to the Western Division title I’m sure made it sting a little more for fans, coaches and the organization. It also didn’t help that six of nine games were decided by two runs or less. Hyannis was close, but just couldn’t get over the top.

This time, right when it looked like Hyannis might find more heartbreak, the win finally happened,

The Harbor Hawks led 6-1 after four innings, but as has been the case a few times this season, they let the lead slip. Bourne scored five runs in the eighth to tie the game.

It could have been a here-we-go-again kind of situation. Instead, Hyannis seized a chance to answer.

Zellers walked to start the bottom of the ninth. A sacrifice bunt by Brandon Trinkwon (UC Santa Barbara) moved him to second before Mitchell Garver (New Mexico) popped out for the second out. But Hyannis stayed alive when Brad Zebedis (Presbyterian) reached on an error. Callaway followed with a single to right field, Zellers raced home and the celebration was on.

Throughout the first week and a half of the season, I think most people have felt like Hyannis was better than their record. Now that the seal’s been broken, we’ll see if the Harbor Hawks can get it going.

For now, they’re just happy to be in the win column.

Elsewhere

Orleans ran its league-best record to 9-1 with a 7-0 victory over Wareham, its seventh win in a row. Jerad Grundy (Kentucky) struck out four and allowed just one hit in five shutout innings and he departed with his team already up 7-0. That lead was no trouble for the strong Orleans bullpen, as four relievers combined to finish off the shutout. As for the offense, Jake Hernandez (USC) and Austin La Bruna (Duke) had two hits each, while Reed Gragnani (Virginia) hit a home run. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) picked up his seventh RBI and Mike Montville (Maryland) grabbed his ninth. Orleans has won two straight shutouts and hasn’t allowed a run since the sixth inning of Friday’s game.

Harwich kept right on rolling, as well, winning its sixth in a row with another big offensive night. Facing Y-D — the other hottest-hitting team in the league — the Mariners trailed 3-1 in the fifth before scoring four unanswered on their way to a 7-3 victory. The Mariners hit three more home runs, bringing their league-leading total to 18. Philip Ervin (Samford) hit his fifth, whole Brian Ragira (Stanford) and Austin Smith (Alabama) each smacked their first. Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame), JaCoby Jones (LSU) and Zane Evans (Georgia Tech) added two hits apiece while Austin Wilson (Stanford) picked up his seventh RBI in just four games. On the mound, Corey Littrell (Kentucky) gave up three runs in 4.1 innings but the bullpen slammed the door. Clark Labitan (Virginia Tech) picked up the win with two scoreless innings.

Orleans and Harwich also picked up some distance on third-place Chatham, as Cotuit beat the Anglers 11-5. Raph Rhymes (LSU) paced the Kettleers with a 2-for-6, five RBI performance. Mike Ford (Princeton) went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Cael Brockmeyer (Cal State Bakersfield) and Derek Smith (Pittsburgh-Bradford) each had an RBI. The Kettleers also took advantage of four Chatham errors. On the mound, Kevin Ziomek (Vanderbilt) struck out eight and gave up two runs in four innings. Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) got the win in relief and Dan Slania (Notre Dame) got seven outs without giving up a hit for his second save. Cotuit is 5-5 and moved into a tie for first in the West.

Brewster is doing its best to keep pace in the East, and the Whitecaps moved to 4-6 with a 10-5 victory over Falmouth. Brewster was out-hit 12-7 but capitalized on five Falmouth errors and got some big hits when it needed them. Dylan Davis (Oregon State) went 2-for-5 with a home run and Matt Moynihan (Texas) went 3-for-4. Trevor Mitsui (Washington) had a hit and two RBI. On the mound, Tom Windle (Minnesota) allowed one run and struck out six in five innings. Michael Burchett (Sam Houston State) shut down any hopes of a Falmouth comeback with 1.1 innings of scoreless ball to end it.

What to Watch

The makeup of Friday’s rained-out game between Chatham and Bourne is the only thing on the schedule tonight. The teams will meet at 6 p.m.

At some point, you have to think it’ll even out a little bit.

But right now, teams from the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Eastern Division are doing a lot of winning. Even Mother Nature wants in on the act.

Last night, while Harwich and Orleans kept on winning, and while Y-D and Brewster picked up victories, Chatham trailed Bourne 3-0. Then a pop-up thunderstorm crossed over Doran Park and postponed the game before it could become official.

As a result, it was an undefeated night for the East, and that’s fast becoming the norm. Orleans is 8-1, Harwich is 7-2, Chatham is 6-2 and Y-D is 5-4. Fourth-place Y-D would be tied for first in the West, where Falmouth’s 5-4 mark is the best. Even Brewster, who’s 3-6 in the East, would be fourth in the West.

Last night featured an all East vs. West schedule, and it went like you’d expect based on those standings. Orleans won its sixth straight game in dominating fashion, rolling past Falmouth 14-0. Harwich blitzed Cotuit 9-2 for its fifth win in a row. Y-D slugged past Wareham 12-1. And Brewster slipped past winless Hyannis 4-3.

Those first two are the most impressive. Orleans and Harwich have looked like they’re a step ahead of everybody and the step is starting to get bigger.

Orleans was winning close ones early in the season and wasn’t swinging the bats all that well. Now, the Firebirds have scored eight, eight and 14 in their last three games. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) hit another home run last night after blasting two the night before, while Mike Montville (Maryland) and Austin LaBruna (Duke) also hit homers. The team’s leading hitter, Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .351. Nine players drove in runs for the Firebirds.

Jarrett Arakawa (Hawaii) allowed just two hits in five shutout innings, and four relievers combined to allow one hit.

As for Harwich, the Mariners scored nine runs for the second night in a row. Slugger Austin Wilson (Stanford) hit two home runs and brought his average to .556 in three games. Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) and Brett Austin (NC State) also hit home runs. The Mariners now have a league-best 15 home runs, six more than Y-D, who’s next closest.

Harwich also got two hits from newcomers Brian Ragira (Stanford) and JaCoby Jones (LSU), while Philip Ervin (Samford) went 1-for-5.

On the mound, Eddie Campbell (Virginia Tech) allowed two runs in five innings, and the bullpen pitched 3.2 scoreless innings.

And if you’re wondering, Harwich and Orleans play each other on Tuesday. I guess something will finally give that night.

Elsewhere

Y-D’s victory was pretty impressive too, as the Red Sox scored 12 runs after scoring 13 on Thursday. They pounded out 17 hits this time, with a big day from Robert Pehl (Washington) leading the way. Pehl went 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBI. He now leads the league with 12 RBI. Mason Katz (LSU) also hit a home run, while Carlos Asuaje (Nova Southeastern), Alex Blandino (Stanford), Zak Blair (Mercyhurst) and Tyler Sciacca (Villanova) had two hits each. Andrew Thurman (UC Irvine) struck out six and allowed one run on two hits in five innings for the win.

Brewster bounced back from two straight losses and kept Hyannis winless with a 4-3 victory. Hyannis led 2-1 going into the eighth and looked well on its way to finally getting a victory, but the Whitecaps took the lead on a two-run double by Derrick Thomas (Memphis) and added an insurance run on a Dylan Davis (Oregon State) triple. Davis then came out of the bullpen in the ninth and made the lead stand up. Hyannis got a run on a Jeff Schalk (UAB) RBI single, but Davis got a groundout to end the game.

What to Watch

The top two offensive teams in the league meet in Harwich at 4 p.m., as Y-D comes to town to take on the Mariners.

Samford’s Philip Ervin hit .327 this spring with 10 home runs. Notre Dame’s Eric Jagielo hit .310 with 13 homers.

It’s summer now, but they are not slowing down.

Ervin and Jagielo have been two of the most productive and hottest hitters in the league thus far, and they’re powering Harwich to a really quick start. In a 9-5 victory over Bourne last night — the team’s fourth in a row — Ervin went 4-for-4 and hit his league-leading fourth home run. He drove in two runs to bring his league-leading total to 11, and he’s now hitting .433, good for second in the league.

Jagielo hasn’t been quite as scorching as Ervin, but he’s not far behind. He went 1-for-4 last night with his third home run of the season. He ranks third in the league in RBI with eight and is sixth in batting average.

The Mariners improved to 6-2 with the win. While their lineup is getting stronger by the day with the addition of four high-profile players, it’s Ervin and Jagielo who are just carrying the team right now. Ervin has a hit in seven of eight games, with four multi-hit performances. Seven of his 13 hits have gone for extra-bases.

Batting behind Ervin, Jagielo has a hit in six of eight games and seven of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases.

In short, there isn’t a better duo in the league right now. They’re the biggest reason why the Mariners lead the league in home runs, extra-base hits, slugging percentage and OPS.

And those are pretty good signs of success, which the Mariners have had plenty of.

Elsewhere

Bourne’s Mike Ahmed (Holy Cross) has been pretty hot himself and he had another great game in the losing effort against Harwich last night. Ahmed went 2-for-5 with his third home run. He’s now hitting .387, good for third in the league.

For all of the Harwich love around here, the Orleans Firebirds are still sitting in first place in the East. The Firebirds improved to 7-1 last night with an 8-3 victory over Hyannis. And it looks like Orleans is actually heating up. The team banged out a season-high 13 hits last night, led by a two home run night for Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt). Cody Kulp (Shippensburg) added three hits, including a home run, and three RBI. Jimmy Reed (Maryland) got the win for Orleans with five strong innings, and the bullpen allowed just three hits over the final four innings. Hyannis dropped to 0-8 with the loss.

Chatham continues to keep pace in the East as well. The Anglers beat Y-D 9-2 last night to improve to 6-2. Aaron Brown (Pepperdine) and Dale Carey (Miami) had a home run and two RBI apiece, while Andrew Knapp (California) also had two RBI. Kurt Schluter (Stetson) allowed two runs in five innings for the win. Y-D actually out-hit Chatham 9-8 but didn’t score again after getting two runs in the first.

Wareham won a wild one with Falmouth, 12-10 in 11 innings. Facing John Simms (Rice), who didn’t allow an earned run all last summer, the Gatemen scored two in the top of the 11th and eventually came away with the win. Kyle Schwarber (Indiana) scored the go-ahead run on a suicide squeeze from Mott Hyde (Georgia Tech). Matthew Walsh (Franklin Pierce) knocked in the second run with an RBI groundout. Jonathan Holder (Mississippi State), who had come on in the ninth and given up a game-tying home run to Michael O’Neill (Michigan), stayed in the game after that and worked a scoreless 11th after his team got the lead. Wareham moved within a game of Falmouth for first place.

Cotuit had its best offensive night of the season in a 10-5 victory over Brewster. Making his second appearance of the summer, LSU star Raph Rhymes went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. The Kettleers also got home runs from Aramis Garcia (Florida International) and Jacob May (Coastal Carolina). Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt) added two RBI. Adam McCreery (Arizona State) struck out five and gave up four runs — two earned — in three innings after a dominant start in his first Cape appearance. In relief, Jordan Ramsey (UNC-Wilmington) pitched three scoreless innings for the win.

We’re still at an early point in the season where one game can have a big impact on a statistic. A team’s batting average could drop pretty significantly with a bad showing.

Or it could go up by 41 points.

That’s just what happened to the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox on Thursday night. Already the league leaders with a .280 team batting average, the Red Sox pushed that mark all the way to .321 with a mammoth 22-hit performance in a 13-2 victory over Brewster. Y-D improved to 4-3 with the blowout.

Looking at rosters around the league in the preseason, I probably wouldn’t have pegged Y-D as an offensive juggernaut. It looked like the Red Sox would have a lot of guys coming off solid springs, but maybe not that many who were primed for summer stardom.

But everybody on the roster — even some fill-ins — have done nothing but hit. Tyler Sciacca (Villanova), a late addition to the roster, leads the league with a .588 batting average. Ten players are hitting .300 or better.

And Thursday was the best day yet. The game was 1-1 after three, but the Red Sox exploded over the final six innings, getting 18 of their 22 hits in that span.

Sam Travis (Indiana), Wayne Taylor (Stanford) and Alex Blandino (Stanford) each hit home runs for the biggest blows. Robert Pehl (Washington), the team’s most productive hitter thus far, went 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI.

The hitting must have been contagious too. Blandino, who was making his first appearance of the summer, went 2-for-4 with four RBI, while Tanner Mathis (Ole Miss) went 3-for-6 in his season debut. Mason Katz, who’s back with the Red Sox after not getting drafted after his junior year at LSU, also made his season debut, and went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

With that kind of display, I’m guessing Y-D’s pitchers were smiling all night. Aaron Blair (Marshall), who struck out eight in five shutout innings in his first start, delivered another quality performance. He struck out seven and allowed four hits and an unearned run in six innings. Blair hasn’t an allowed an earned run yet this year.

Elsewhere

Falmouth had a big offensive day as well, breaking through in the late innings for a 10-4 victory over Hyannis. Jared King (Kansas State) and Billy Ferriter (UConn) each hit their first home runs of the year, Mike O’Neill (Michigan) went 3-for-4 and Alex Maldonado (Holy Cross) had two hits and and two RBI. The game shaped up as a pitchers’ duel in the early going, with Falmouth starter Craig Schlitter (Bryant) and Hyannis’ Sean Manaea (Indiana State) allowing a combined six hits in the first six innings. But Falmouth scored three unearned runs off Manaea then broke out against the Hyannis bullpen. Schlitter got the win for the Commodores with nine strikeouts and just two hits allowed in six innings. The Commodores are now 5-2 and are the only team in the West with a winning record.

Harwich stretched its win streak to three with a steady 7-1 victory over host Wareham. Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) hit his second home run of the year in the first inning, and Matt Reida (Kentucky) also hit a home run, giving Harwich a league-best nine home runs on the year. Reida went 4-for-5 overall and Jagielo was 3-for-5. Three newcomers made their much anticipated debuts, with Austin Wilson (Stanford) going 2-for-3, Brian Ragira (Stanford) going 1-for-5 and Brett Austin (North Carolina State) going 2-for-4. On the mound, David Whitehead (Elon) and three relievers limited the Gatemen to just four hits.

Chatham trailed 2-1 in the fifth but caught fire late and beat Bourne 9-3. Aaron Brown (Pepperdine), Chatham’s leading hitter, had two more hits to bring his average to .389. Chad Pinder (Virginia Tech) went 2-for-5 with two RBI and is now hitting .346. Leadoff man Adam Engel (Louisville) also had two hits. Scott Frazier (Pepperdine) pitched five solid innings for Chatham, while Tate Parrish (North Carolina) got the win in relief. For Bourne, Mike Ahmed (Holy Cross) hit his second home run of the summer.

Orleans ran its league-best record to 6-1 by outlasting Cotuit 8-6. The Firebirds led 7-1 before the Kettleers made a game of it late. As usual, though, Orleans closer Trevor Gott (Kentucky) took the wind out of the comeback sails, this time picking up a six-out save after coming in with two runners on and nobody out in the eighth. After getting out of the jam with only run allowed, Gott slammed the door in the ninth for his fourth save. He still hasn’t allowed a hit. Dylan Covey (San Diego) got the win for the Firebirds with two strong innings of relief. Trevor Williams (Arizona State) made what was expected to be his last start before heading to Team USA, and he went three shutout innings. The Orleans offense was led by Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii), who went 3-for-5 with two RBI.

What to Watch

A couple of pitchers to keep an eye on tonight. Adam McCreery (Arizona State), who struck out nine in 4.1 innings in his first start, will get the ball for Cotuit as it hosts Brewster at 5 p.m. And Gonzaga lefty Marco Gonzales will make his second start for Falmouth in a 6:30 p.m. home game against Wareham. It looks like Gonzales will be headed to Team USA after this so it may be your last chance to see him.

Side note: Daily Fog won’t be up until the afternoon tomorrow, in case you’re looking for it.