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Better Late Than Never

Falmouth players celebrate during their series with Cotuit.
Falmouth players celebrate during their series with Cotuit.

 

Falmouth’s Conner Hale went 0-for-11 in a playoff series loss to Cotuit last summer. It was the abrupt end of a great summer in Falmouth.

For Hale and his 2014 teammates, what a difference a year makes.

Hale went 4-for-5 with four RBI and the Commodores continued to play great baseball as they finished off a sweep of Cotuit to punch their ticket to the Cape Cod Baseball League championship series. The Commodores are now 4-0 in the playoffs and will get a day of rest while they await the winner of the East finals between Yarmouth-Dennis and Harwich.

This season, Falmouth may not be the loud, must-see-at-batting-practice offensive juggernaut that it was last year – when Hale, the 2014 league RBI leader, batted eighth – but quietly, Falmouth led the league in hitting, ranked third in team ERA and matched last season’s win total. And players like Hale, back in the fold, are tearing it up.

Going back to the end of the regular season, Falmouth has won six games in a row and eight of nine. Yesterday, there was a little less starting pitching but more bullpen dominance and plenty more offense.

Making only his second start of the summer, Matt Hollenbeck (Georgetown) held his own, allowing two runs in four innings. The bullpen, which had needed to pitch only five innings in the team’s first three playoff games, picked up the slack. Travis Stout (Jacksonville State), Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech), Kevin Mooney (Maryland) and Garrett Cleavinger (Oregon) combined on five scoreless innings. That’s now 10 scoreless innings for the Falmouth ‘pen in the postseason.

The offense did the rest. Trailing 2-1, Falmouth scored two runs in the fifth and two in the seventh then blew the doors off with a seven-run eighth inning.

Hale’s big day led the charge, as he knocked in the go-ahead run in the fifth, another run in the seventh and two in the eight-inning burst. Hale is now hitting .375 with seven RBI in the playoffs.

Steven Duggar (Clemson) added three hits and two RBI, while Matt Eureste (San Jacinto) and Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) had two hits and an RBI apiece. League MVP Kevin Newman (Arizona) went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Every player in the Falmouth lineup had at least one hit.

Kyle Holder (San Diego) homered for the Kettleers but that was all the offense they would get. The loss marked the official end of Cotuit’s title defense, but just making it this far was an impressive feat for a team that had its ups and downs.

With a measure of revenge over the Kettleers, Falmouth moves into the finals for the first time since 2011. Falmouth has not won the Cape League championship since 1980, the longest drought in the league.

 

Harwich 9, Y-D 2

After a 7-2 loss to Y-D on Sunday, Harwich answered in resounding fashion with a 9-2 victory on Monday, forcing a decisive game three today. The Mariners greeted Y-D starter Gregory Ostner (Binghamton), who had made only one appearance this summer, with four runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back, adding five runs off the Y-D bullpen. C.J. Hinojosa (Texas) and Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) both homered, while Brendon Sanger (Florida Atlantic) and Anthony Hermelyn (Virginia Tech) knocked in a run apiece. James Mulry (Northeastern) – almost the opposite of Ostner as one of the league leaders in innings pitched – gave up one earned in four innings before Ronnie Glenn (Penn) finished with a bang. Glenn pitched five scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing just four hits, thwarting any hopes of a Y-D comeback.

 

What to Watch

Y-D at Harwich, 7 p.m.

Y-D’s probable starter is Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara), so I wouldn’t expect another four-run first inning from Harwich. Jacome hasn’t given up more than two earned runs in any start this year. Harwich’s starter is TBA.

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The Beat Goes On

Michael Murray went seven strong innings for Y-D in Sunday's win.
Michael Murray went seven strong innings for Y-D in Sunday’s win.

 

The 2014 Cape League playoffs have been defined by starting pitching, and the beat went on as the division finals got underway Sunday evening.

In Harwich, Y-D’s Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast) allowed two runs in seven innings as the Red Sox knocked off top-seeded Harwich 7-2. And in Falmouth, Alex Young (TCU) gave the Commodores a series lead with eight innings of one-run ball in a 3-1 victory over Cotuit.

Y-D starting pitchers have now gone at least seven innings and allowed no more than two runs in the Red Sox’ four playoff games. It’s amazing that they lost a game in that stretch, but it was only because Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara) was out-dueled by CCBL outstanding pitcher honoree Kolton Mahoney in game one of the East semis. After that, Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt) and Kevin Duchene (Illinois) both went seven-plus shutout innings.

On Sunday, Murray gave up a first-inning run on a Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) sacrifice fly, ending the shutout streak but not Y-D’s chances. He retired 11 in a row before a Kenny Towns (Virginia) double led to a run in the fifth, but he righted the ship for two more scoreless frames. Dimitri Kourtis (Mercer) relieved him and gave up just one hit in two scoreless innings.

Harwich pitching had been pretty good in its own right in a series sweep of Brewster, but Y-D scored three runs in the third inning and four in the fourth to take control.

Andrew Stevenson (LSU) started it all with one swing of the bat. He smacked a three-run homer in the third to put Y-D in front for good. Stevenson, A.J. Simcox (Tennessee) and Michael Donadio (St. John’s) added RBI in a four-run fourth inning, and that was all Y-D needed.

Mrs. Right Field Fog and I were on hand in Harwich, relegated to the edge of the woods thanks to a huge crowd. The Y-D faithful was out in full force and had a lot to cheer about it. That team is having some fun, too, and is clearly riding some momentum. Harwich will need a big effort today to stay alive.

Over in the West, Falmouth scored all its run on a Matt Eureste (San Jacinto) home run in the second inning and had no trouble making the lead stand up.

Young might have been in the running for CCBL Outstanding Pitcher honors if his Horned Frogs hadn’t made it to Omaha, and he pitched like it Sunday. He gave up one run on four hits and struck out eight in eight innings. Young, whose first CCBL start was on July 5, has not allowed more than two runs in any outing. He has now struck out 36 and walked four, to go with a 1.41 ERA.

Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) pitched the ninth for the save.

As for the Falmouth offense, Eureste delivered. While Kevin Newman (Arizona) was the league MVP and Conner Hale (LSU) the league RBI leaded, Eureste has been a huge key to success. He finished the regular season hitting .292. Sunday’s home run was all the offense Falmouth needed.

 

What to Watch

Harwich at Y-D, 4 p.m.
Falmouth at Cotuit, 4 p.m.

Starting pitchers are TBA for three of the four teams, with James Mulry (Northeastern) slotted in for Harwich. It’ll be interesting to see if Y-D can go back to the top of its rotation, or if everyone will need another day.

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Another Sox Shutout

Kevin Duchene struck out 12 in Y-D's victory.
Kevin Duchene struck out 12 in Y-D’s victory.

 

In a series absolutely dominated by starting pitching, the Y-D Red Sox had a pair of aces up their sleeve.

After second-seeded Orleans won the first game of the East semis behind a 13-strikeout shutout from Kolton Mahoney, Y-D starting pitchers Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt) and Kevin Duchene (Illinois) allowed a total of three hits in more than 14 innings of scoreless baseball as the Red Sox rallied to win the series. Duchene struck out 12 last night, and Y-D made a second inning squeeze play stand up in a 1-0 victory.

That’s pretty remarkable stuff. In the entirety of last year’s Cape Cod Baseball League postseason, there were three shutouts. Y-D and Orleans authored three in three games, all by themselves. (Falmouth and Harwich have gotten in on the act, too, bringing the total so far this summer to five shutouts).

Last night’s performance was perhaps the best of all.

Duchene was a big part of Y-D’s late-season surge, a surge marked by tremendous starting pitching. But he also blinked in his last regular-season start, giving up five runs in five innings.

Last night, he allowed a single to David Thompson (Miami) with two outs in the first inning and didn’t give up another hit. He walked only two.

His team gave him the lead in the second. Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) reached on a fielder’s choice and took third on a Joey Armstrong (UNLV) single. Josh Lester (Missouri), one of the team’s top RBI men who you’d expect to swing away, put down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Tarsovich.

Armed with the lead, Duchene struck out the side in the bottom of the second inning before getting into a little trouble in the third when he loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batsman. But he escaped with a strikeout.

That K was the beginning as Duchene retired the next 14 batters he faced, seven of them via the strikeout.

After getting the first out in the eighth, with his pitch count at 103, Duchene was lifted for standout closer Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton), who picked up where his starter left off. Bickford struck out two and gave up one hit in 1.2 innings. Fittingly, he struck out the last batter he faced to clinch the series win.

Y-D will move on to face top-seeded Harwich in the East finals. The two last met in the finals in 2011, when Harwich won on its way to the Cape League championship.

 

Here Come the Kettles

The defending champs are on another run.

Cotuit scored early and got some of its best pitching of the season last night as it edged top-seeded Bourne 4-2 for a spot in the West finals.

Last year, the Kettleers got hot in the playoffs, but there was at least some sign that it was coming. They were the third seed but they went 25-18-1 and finished just one point out of a first-place tie between Hyannis and Falmouth.

This year? Try the opposite: 18-25-1. They were 18 points out of first place.

But here they go.

Jake Harper of Division II St. Joseph’s College in Indiana played the familiar role of conquering Cotuit hero who spent most of his summer somewhere else. Harper won the Pitcher of the Year award in the Valley League this summer, and when your season ends after you win an award like that, you’re usually ready to call it a summer. Harper came to the Cape and pitched in one regular season game, then made an appearance out of the bullpen in game one against Bourne.

Last night, he started and allowed just one earned run in 6.1 innings. He didn’t strike out a batter but scattered six hits.

The Kettleers built a lead with one run in the first, two in the second and one in the fourth. Kyle Holder (San Diego) had two RBI, and Cotuit scored three unearned runs thanks to four Bourne errors.

Harper gave way to Austin Sexton (Mississippi State), who walked the first batter he faced. Immediately, Cotuit went to Adam Whitt (Nevada), the Cape League’s most outstanding reliever, and he did the job. Whitt struck out four and didn’t allow a hit in closing out the game with 2.2 scoreless innings. Whitt had gone two innings for the save in Friday’s win and, at this point, may be Cotuit’s single most valuable player.

The loss ended a terrific summer for the Braves, who set a franchise record for wins in the regular season and had a really good, consistent group.

Like so many teams the past two years, they just ran into the streaking Kettleers. Cotuit beat Bourne in the West finals last year.

Cotuit advances to play Falmouth, which is another rematch of last year. Cotuit beat Falmouth in the West semis a year ago.

 

What to Watch

Y-D at Harwich, 5:30 p.m.
Cotuit at Falmouth, 5:30 p.m.

Pitching has been fantastic so far and there might be more of it tonight. Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast) and Robby Kalaf (Florida International) square off in Harwich. Alex Young (TCU), who’s been terrific after a late arrival, will go for Falmouth. Cotuit’s starter is TBA.

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Still Alive

Brendan Hendriks is greeted in the dugout after his go-ahead home run Friday.
Brendan Hendriks is greeted in the dugout after his go-ahead home run Friday.

 

Higher-seeded teams owned the first games of their opening-round playoff series, and two of them held serve in game two.

We shouldn’t be surprised at the two teams that avoided sweeps. Cotuit and Y-D, winners of five of the last 10 Cape League championships, don’t go down easy.

Cotuit rallied from an early 5-0 deficit to beat top-seeded Bourne 10-7, while Y-D got a dominant performance from Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt) and broke out the bats in a 9-0 shutout of East No. 2 Orleans. Both series will conclude with game threes today.

For Cotuit, it’s been an up-and-down season, dominated by the fact that the Kettleers just don’t have much starting pitching. They have made it work by cobbling things together, and of course, with their backs against the wall yesterday, they made it work by doing it very well. Seven pitchers took the mound, and once Cotuit made its comeback, the final three pitchers combined on five scoreless innings.

The pitching contingent has been led all summer by Adam Whitt (Nevada), who was presented with the league’s outstanding relief pitcher award before Friday’s game. Whitt, unlike most recipients of that award, was not strictly a closer, often pitching two or three innings, whether his team was winning or losing. Yesterday, he went the final two innings, giving up no runs on one hit. Austin Sexton (Mississippi State) and Jackson McClelland (Pepperdine) had scoreless outings before Whitt took the hill.

The comeback made the strong relief work count. Bourne’s Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) led off the game with a home run, and Cotuit trailed 5-0 after three but quickly got back into the game with two runs in the third and one in the fourth. Bourne pulled back away at 7-3, but Cotuit got within 7-6 then scored three in the seventh and one in the eighth to take control.

Logan Taylor (Texas A&M), Jackson Glines (Michigan) and Brendan Hendriks (San Francisco) all homered for the Kettleers, with Hendriks’s two-run blast in the seventh giving them the lead for good. Kyle Holder (San Diego) added three hits.

Martin and Blake Davey (Connecticut) both homered for Bourne, but it wasn’t enough. The Braves had only two hits after the fifth inning.

Over in Yarmouth, the Red Sox cruised past Orleans 9-0 after they were shut-out 3-0 in game one. Buehler, who pitched briefly with Team USA but found his way back to the Cape, allowed just a pair of singles in 7.1 innings. He struck out five and walked only one.

Y-D’s starting rotation, even with the loss of Cody Poteet, still looks like it could be the best in the playoffs. Justin Jacome was the hard-luck loser against Orleans ace Kolton Mahoney, but Buehler got the Red Sox back on track. Drake Owenby (Tennessee) retired all five batters he faced to finish off the win.

The Y-D offense made sure no one would be a hard-luck loser this time. Jesse Jenner (San Diego) and Michael Donadio (St. John’s) had three hits each to pace a 13-hit attack. Donadio homered. Nico Giarratano (San Francisco) and Timothy Wharton (Catawba) drove in two runs each.

 

Harwich 5, Brewster 0

Top-seeded Harwich punched its ticket into the East finals with a shutout of Brewster. Michael Boyle (Radford) went six innings with eight strikeouts before Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State) and Jacob Evans (Oklahoma) finished off the shutout. For much of the game, Harwich needed that kind of effort, with Brewster pitchers limiting the Mariner offense to one run through the first seven innings. But Harwich scored three in the eighth and one in the ninth for a little extra breathing room. Joe McCarthy (Virginia) went 4-for-5 – and is now 7-for-10 in the playoffs – while Ian Happ (Cincinnati) had two hits and two RBI. For Brewster, Cody Ponce (Cal Poly Pomona) allowed one run in three innings and Levi MaVorhis (Kansas State) – who played a lot more outfield than he ever expected in this series – pitched three scoreless frames. The Whitecaps, who made a strong late-season run, were short-handed in the playoffs and didn’t stand much of a chance. Harwich now gets a day off before beginning play in the East finals.

 

Falmouth 5, Hyannis 1

Falmouth also rode strong pitching to a sweep of Hyannis. Kevin McCanna (Rice) allowed one run in eight innings, needing just 100 pitches to get that far. He struck out six and scattered five hits. The Commodore offense did the rest. Conner Hale (LSU) and Boomer White (TCU) knocked in two runs each while Kevin Newman (Arizona) and Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts) had two hits. Falmouth scored three in the first, meaning it never trailed in the series. Donnie Dewees (North Florida) scored the lone run for Hyannis in the seventh inning. The Harbor Hawks, who overcame a mid-season slump to grab the third seed, had beaten Falmouth three straight times in the regular season, including a 10-0 win on August 1.

 

What to Watch

Cotuit at Bourne, 6 p.m.
Y-D at Orleans, 7 p.m.

I’ll be interested to see how the pitching match-up turns out in Orleans. The Red Sox have a solid starter going in Kevin Duchene, while Orleans is turning to Kyle Twomey, who’s been very good but has also pitched mostly out of the bullpen. His longest outing is five innings.

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Joining the Club

Richard Martin Jr. had a triple as Bourne beat Cotuit in the playoff opener.
Richard Martin Jr. had a triple as Bourne beat Cotuit in the playoff opener.

 

Bourne and Cotuit did not play Wednesday, rained out when everybody else took the field. Thursday, they did play, when everybody else was washed out.

But the West rivals didn’t buck the other trend.

Just like all the action on day one of the Cape League playoffs, it the higher-seeded Braves took a 1-0 lead in their series. They rode a good pitching performance and their always steady offense to a 5-3 victory over Cotuit.

Bourne starter Travis Bergen (Kent State) was touched up for 10 hits in five innings, but he consistently worked out of trouble, stranding at least one runner in every inning and eight total. He ended up allowing three runs while striking out four and walking only one. Newcomer Gabe Friese (Kennesaw State) followed with a scoreless sixth before the tandem of John Gorman (Boston College) and Joey Strain (Winthrop) finished the job.

Gorman and Strain represent perhaps the best back end of a bullpen in the playoffs, and if they’re pitching against you, it’s probably not going well. Bourne has won 11 of 13 games Gorman has appeared in and 13 of 15 that Strain has pitched in.

On the offensive side, that steady Braves offense scored exactly five runs for the fourth consecutive game. Mark Laird (LSU) went 3-for-4 while Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) had a triple and two RBI. Blake Allemand (Texas A&M), Brian Serven (Arizona State) and Gavin Collins (Mississippi State) knocked in a run each. Zander Wiel (Vanderbilt) had two hits.

The Kettleers got two hits and an RBI each from Logan Taylor (Texas A&M) and Jackson Glines (Michigan) but it wasn’t enough.

Cotuit and Bourne split their six meetings in the regular season, so don’t count the defending champion Kettleers out yet, but they’ll need to win today to stay alive. Jeff Kinley (Michigan State), who has a 1.40 ERA but has only started two games, will go for Cotuit against Bourne’s Jimmy Herget, who went six shutout innings in his last start.

 

What to Watch

Harwich at Brewster, 4 p.m.
Bourne at Cotuit, 4 p.m.
Orleans at Y-D, 4 p.m.
Falmouth at Hyannis, 6 p.m.

And maybe the Cape won’t get thunderstorms that roll in exactly at scheduled first pitch time.
 

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The K-Man

Kolton Mahoney's 13 strikeouts were the most in a CCBL playoff game since 2006.
Kolton Mahoney’s 13 strikeouts were the most in a CCBL playoff game since 2006.

 

Three pitchers tied for the league lead in strikeouts this season, and all three took the ball for their teams in game one of the playoffs Wednesday night.

The strikeout king emerged.

Kolton Mahoney (BYU) struck out 13 in seven scoreless innings as Orleans blanked Y-D 3-0 to take a 1-0 lead in its East semifinal series. The 13 K’s are the most in a Cape League playoff game since 2006, when Riley Boening fanned 14 for Wareham. There have been double-digit performances since, but never more than a dozen. (The list of double-digit guys includes Chris Sale, J.J .Hoover, Mark Appel and Kyle Freeland. Good company.)

Mahoney, who was presented with the league’s Outstanding Pitcher Award before the game, was tagged for four unearned runs in his final regular-season start, but he wasn’t tagged for much of anything on Wednesday. He allowed four hits – all singles – and struck out the side twice.

In the regular season, the Red Sox finished with the second fewest strikeouts in the league, but they had faced Mahoney twice and struck out 19 times total, including his previous season-high of 11.

When Mahoney gave way to the bullpen, the onslaught continued. Bobby Poyner (Florida) struck out the side in the eighth and Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) punched out two in the ninth. That’s 18 strikeouts, of 27 outs recorded.

For much of the game, Mahoney was locked in a pitcher’s duel with Y-D ace Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara). The game was scoreless until the seventh, when Jerry McClanahan (UC Irvine) cracked a two-run single to give Orleans the lead. An error in the eighth allowed the third run to score.

The win was Orleans’ first playoff victory over Y-D since 2002. They haven’t matched up a ton since then, but Y-D had swept the last two series with the Firebirds.

 

Falmouth 3, Hyannis 0

The other two strikeout leaders squared off, and Falmouth’s pitching was a little better in a shutout of Hyannis. Matt Hall (Missouri State) went six scoreless innings, scattering five hits while striking out one. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech) and Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) finished off the shutout. Marc Brakeman (Stanford), who hadn’t allowed a run in his last two starts, was touched up for just an unearned run in six innings, as Falmouth took a 1-0 lead on an error in the second. Falmouth added a run on a Conner Hale (LSU) home run and a Jake Madsen (Ohio) RBI single in the eighth. Madsen finished with three hits, while Steven Duggar (Clemson) and Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) had two each.

 

Harwich 7, Brewster 2

In a game that didn’t begin until 9 p.m. thanks to field work after a storm, Harwich busted out quickly with three runs in the first and never looked back. Skye Bolt (North Carolina) went 2-for-4 with a home run and Ian Happ (Cincinnati) went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI to lead a 10-hit attack. Joe McCarthy (Virginia) added three hits. Zack Erwin (Clemson) struck out seven and gave up just two runs in six innings for the win. Seth McGarry (Florida Atlantic) was terrific in relief, striking out every batter he faced in two innings. Ronnie Glenn (Penn) struck out two more in a scoreless ninth. Brewster, which was again playing short-handed, got a home run from Luke Lowery (East Carolina) but not much else.

 

Cotuit at Bourne, PPD

The rain that threatened the other games completely washed out the match-up at Doran Park. The series is now set to get underway tonight at 6 p.m., back at Doran Park.

 

Newman takes MVP honor

In a bit of non-playoff news, Falmouth’s Kevin Newman was presented with his batting title trophy on Wednesday – and then with the MVP award. The only two-time batting champ in Cape League history also now becomes the first player to win the batting title and the MVP honor in the same season since Falmouth’s Conor Gillaspie in 2007. I was a little surprised that Newman won the MVP, since he wasn’t a big power guy (eight extra-base hits), but he was second in the league in OBP, near the top in OPS and top 15 in RBI. Plus, without a completely obvious choice behind him, I don’t have a problem with giving it to the guy who made history.

 

What to Watch

Orleans at Y-D, 4 p.m.
Harwich at Brewster, 4 p.m.
Falmouth at Hyannis, 6 p.m.
Cotuit at Bourne, 6 p.m.

Orleans will try for the sweep of Y-D but will have to go through a very good pitcher as Y-D is slated to give the ball to Walker Buehler. The Vanderbilt righty has had quite a summer, starting with a College World Series title. He then pitched two very good games for Y-D before a brief stint with Team USA. Back on the Cape now, he carries a 1.35 ERA into today’s game. Orleans will counter with Eric Hanhold (Florida). He has a 3.42 ERA and gave up five runs in his last start – against Y-D.

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The King

Kevin Newman, pictured with the batting title trophy last year, will get it again in 2014.
Kevin Newman, pictured with the batting title trophy last year, will get it again in 2014.

 

Kevin Newman (Arizona) went 0-for-4 for just the third time this season on August 1. His batting average slipped to .357, hitting a mark below .360 for the first time since June 18. Had it stayed there and had everything else proceeded as it did, Newman would not have made history.

But come on, you didn’t really expect him to go 0-for-4 again, did you?

The reigning Cape League batting champ became the first player in league history to win two batting titles in a row when he followed up his 0-for-4 night with a 3-for-4 game on Monday and a 2-for-2 performance in Tuesday’s season finale.

As we wrote last week, Newman has gone three games without a hit just once in his two-year Cape League career. Now was not the time to do it again. Bourne’s Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) was suddenly hot on his heels, going 4-for-4 and 2-for-3 in his final two games to raise his average to .364.

But thanks to Newman’s surge, it remained second-best.

The 3-for-4 night on Monday set the table as Newman pushed his average up .013 points. With his team’s playoff spot already clinched, he could have left it right there and celebrated the title, but Newman started Monday’s game anyway. He singled in the first inning and singled in the third before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fourth.

After the game Newman tweeted his thoughts: “People truly underestimate the fact that the hitters around me set the table and as much of an individual award this batting title is…my teammates are just as responsible. I’m very excited and honored to be apart of the @FalCommodores.”

A batting title is pretty far on the individual side, but Newman has played alongside a lot of very good hitters in his two seasons, and you have to admire a guy who recognizes that.

Congrats to Kevin.

 

Falmouth 10, Cotuit 9

In addition to Newman’s feat, the Commodores had a walk-off win to celebrate on the final night of the regular season. After Cotuit had taken a 9-7 lead in the top of the 10th, Falmouth scored three runs to win it in the bottom half. Shaun Chase (Oregon) knocked in a run with a single, and the tying run came home on a fielder’s choice by Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts). Boomer White (TCU) then smacked a walk-off RBI single to give Falmouth the win. Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) led the Commodore offense with a homer and three RBI, while Afenir had two RBI. Both teams used seven pitchers as they keep everybody fresh for the playoffs.

 

Bourne 5, Wareham 1

Bourne continued adding on to its franchise record for wins, with victory No. 28 in the season finale. Five pitchers combined to limit the Gatemen to just a run, while Mark Laird (LSU) and Blake Allemand (Texas A&M) had two hits and an RBI each. Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) went 2-for-3. Bourne will hit the playoffs on a four-game winning streak. The game marked the end of the line for Wareham, which finished 14-28-2.

 

What to Watch

Yesterday’s make-up games means no full off day for the league as the playoffs begin immediately, with all four opening-round series starting tonight. The schedule:

Cotuit at Bourne, 6 p.m.
Hyannis at Falmouth, 6:30 p.m.
Y-D at Orleans, 7 p.m.
Brewster at Harwich, 7 p.m.

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Finishing Touch

Levi MaVorhis, pictured earlier this summer, was part of a cobbled-together for playoff-bound Brewster.
Levi MaVorhis, pictured earlier this summer, was part of a cobbled-together for playoff-bound Brewster.

 

They had pitchers in the outfield and lost their finale 12-2. But I guess that’s what happens when you make a run this surprising.

For the Brewster Whitecaps, the run continues.

Harwich beat Brewster 12-2 in the last game of the season for both teams last night, but Chatham lost to Orleans, meaning the Whitecaps have grabbed the fourth and final playoff spot in the East.

As detailed yesterday , the Whitecaps were eight points back of Chatham with seven games to play but delivered their best baseball of the summer in a late surge. Chatham lost six of its last seven, so this is what we’re left with.

We’ll see if Brewster can put anything together in the playoffs. Pitchers Levi MaVorhis (Kansas State) and Cody Ponce (Cal Poly Pomona) were on the outfield corners last night, so the Whitecaps will hopefully get some reinforcements. Harwich pounded out 15 hits in finishing the season with a bang. The Mariners ended up with a 26-16-2 record.

The Brewster game was over well before the Chatham-Orleans game, meaning the door was open for the Anglers, but they couldn’t step through. Starting pitcher Max Tishman (Wake Forest) was touched up for five unearned runs as Chatham made four errors. Orleans then scored six runs off Kyle Davis (USC), who’s been Chatham’s best pitcher all summer. Chris Shaw (Boston College) hit his eighth home run and will likely finish as the league leader, but it wasn’t enough. David Thompson (Miami) had four hits and David Fletcher (Loyola Marymount) had three to lead the Firebirds. With the win, Orleans grabbed the No. 2 seed by a point over Y-D.

Brewster will be making its first playoff appearance since 2011, which is also the last time Chatham didn’t make it.

 

Bourne 5, Wareham 0

The Braves still have one game to play but have already secured the best record in the league thanks to their third straight victory, and their second straight shutout. Six pitchers combined on the shutout, with the win going to reliever Max Knutson (Nebraska). John Gorman (Boston College) and Joey Strain (Winthrop), the last two pitchers to the mound, both struck out the side in an inning each. Richard Martin Jr. (Florida) went 4-for-4 with a home run to bring his batting average to .358, which is second best in the league. Mark Laird (LSU) added three hits and Gavin Collins (Mississippi State) homered. The teams will meet again in the season finale tonight.

 

Falmouth 4, Cotuit 2

Falmouth beat Cotuit 4-2, which means the seedings in the West are now set. Behind Bourne and Falmouth, Hyannis will be the No. 3 seed and Cotuit will be the No. 4. With the right combination of results, Cotuit could have jumped Hyannis but is now two points back with one to play and can do no better than a tie, with Hyannis getting the tiebreaker. Five Falmouth pitchers limited Cotuit to just four hits. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech) was credited with the win and Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) got the save. The Commodore offense was led by Kevin Newman (Arizona), who was in danger of losing his grip on the batting title and responded with a 3-for-4 night. He now has a .370 average and is in line to win his second straight crown. Conner Hale (LSU) added two hits and two RBI and he’ll likely finish as the league leader in RBI.

 

Y-D 3, Hyannis 2

Y-D scored a run in the eighth to finish the season with a 3-2 victory over Hyannis. Josh Lester (Missouri) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to plate what proved to be the winning run. Andrew Stevenson (LSU) and Nico Giarratano (San Francisco) had two hits each to lead the Y-D attack, while Brennon Lund (BYU) and newcomer Marcus Mastrobuoni (Cal State Stanislaus) had an RBI each. Both teams used a lot of pitchers, with Y-D’s Josh Staumont (Azusa Pacific) picking up the win and Dimitri Kourtis (Mercer) grabbing the save.

 

What to Watch

Two makeup games on the docket tonight to conclude the 2014 regular season. Neither game will have any bearing on playoff seedings, but keep an eye on Falmouth as Kevin Newman tries to clinch the batting title. He’s at .370. Second-place Richard Martin Jr. of Bourne is at .358 and will also likely be in action.

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Riding the Wave

Gio Brusa homered in Brewster's victory over Harwich.
Gio Brusa homered in Brewster’s victory over Harwich.

 

The Cape Cod Baseball League has used an eight-team playoff structure since 2010, and in all those years, we haven’t seen anything like what the Brewster Whitecaps are doing these days.

Brewster, well off the pace for much of the summer, has won five of six. Combined with a skid by Chatham, the Whitecaps put themselves into the thick of the playoff race. And last night, they took a full leap, beating Harwich 2-0 while Chatham lost to Orleans. That means Brewster is in fourth place by a point over Chatham, with one game to play.

It’s a rare feat.

When the Cape had a four-team playoff bracket, battles for those spots were pretty frequent. But with eight of 10 teams making it, there are bound to be two teams that aren’t even close. In five of the eight races since 2010, the fourth and fifth-place teams were separated by nine points or more.

And in the only close races, it wasn’t a come-from-behind situation, at least not one that happened so late. In 2010, Harwich held off Chatham by three points and had been ahead of the Anglers well before the stretch run. In 2011, Falmouth edged Cotuit by three points after going 3-7 in its last 10, allowing Cotuit to get close. In 2012, Bourne and Hyannis finished tied for the last playoff spot when the Braves lost their last two and the Harbor Hawks won their last two, but the team that came from behind lost out on the tiebreaker, as Bourne ended up with the spot.

Brewster’s comeback – if it’s completed – would stand alone. On July 25, the Whitecaps lost to Chatham 8-3. They fell to 12-24-1, while Chatham improved to 16-20-1. The Anglers had an eight-point cushion, with seven games to play.

Since then, Brewster hasn’t lost, and Chatham has gone 1-5. That’s the recipe for a takeover.

The Whitecaps knocked off East champ Harwich Sunday to take their biggest step yet. They managed only three hits but scored two runs. Gio Brusa (Pacific) homered and Zach Gibbons (Arizona) had an RBI. Four pitchers made the two-run lead seem plenty big enough. Joe McCarthy (Southern New Hampshire) allowed four hits in five innings. Ryan Mason (California) pitched two scoreless frames, Doug Willey (Franklin Pierce) tossed a scoreless eighth and Pat Ruotolo (Connecticut) pitched a perfect ninth for the save.

Meanwhile, Orleans beat Chatham 4-0 in a game that was called after five innings due to some classic Veterans Field fog. The Anglers would have loved to keep playing, because now the playoff race comes down to one game.

If the Whitecaps beat Harwich tonight, they’re in. If they don’t, and Chatham loses, they’re still in. But if Chatham wins, then the comeback will have been for naught.

It’s a sprint to the finish now.

 

Orleans 4, Chatham 0

Orleans scored all its runs in the fifth inning of the five-inning fog game. Geoff DeGroot (Rutgers) had a two-run single to key the rally and David Thompson (Miami) had a sacrifice fly. Kyle Twomey (USC) pitched four scoreless innings for the Firebirds, before Hayden Stone (Vanderbilt) pitched around a single for a scoreless fifth. The win allowed Orleans to move one point ahead of Y-D for second place in the East.

 

Hyannis 3, Y-D 3

The Harbor Hawks scored two runs in what proved to be the final inning, as the teams played to a tie in eight innings after the game was called due to darkness at Red Wilson Field. Sam Haggerty (New Mexico) had an RBI double in the eighth for Hyannis and Arden Pabst (Georgia Tech) knocked in the tying run with a sacrifice fly. Ryan Perez (Judson) then pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Haggerty led the Harbor Hawks with three hits and two RBI. For Y-D, Andrew Stevenson (LSU) went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Rob Fonseca (Northeastern) drove in a run. Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton) and Zac Favre (Central Florida) each struck out four in short relief stints before the late Hyannis rally.

 

Postponements

Games between Falmouth and Cotuit and Bourne and Wareham were washed out.

 

What to Watch

One more full day of games in the regular season, with one makeup game currently scheduled for Tuesday. Tonight, eyes are on the same teams in the East as Brewster visits Harwich and Chatham visits Orleans.
 

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Complete Dominance

Ryan Kellogg nearly tossed the Cape's first nine-inning, solo no-hitter since 2010.
Ryan Kellogg nearly tossed the Cape’s first nine-inning, solo no-hitter since 2010.

 

Before last night, there had not been a single nine-inning complete game pitching performance in the 2014 Cape Cod Baseball League season.

And now there have been two, including the best performance of the summer.

Bourne’s Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) came within one out of a no-hitter in a 5-0 win at Chatham, settling for the aforementioned best performance of the summer – a one-hit shutout, with 11 strikeouts. In Wareham, Sean Adler (USC), who had started only one other game this summer, tossed a complete-game shutout with eight strikeouts in a 5-0 win over Cotuit.

Sometimes, teams start running out of pitching and cobbling things together as the season winds down. Clearly, not these two.

Kellogg has been a terrific Cape League pitcher, posting a 1.36 ERA last year and a 2.63 mark this season, but last night – fittingly, his final start as a Brave – was his master work. The lefty was perfect through five innings, with seven strikeouts. He issued a leadoff walk in the sixth but the runner was erased on a double play, and Kellogg kept cruising. He struck out two in the seventh and worked a one-two-three ninth. After a fly-out and a swinging strikeout, he was one out away, but Landon Cray (Seattle) reached on a slow roller to third base to break up the no-hit bid at the last possible moment.

Kellogg was bidding to become the first solo pitcher to toss a nine-inning no-hitter since Y-D’s Jordan Pries in 2010 (three of his Bourne teammates combined on one last summer and Bourne’s Jeff Thompson tossed a six-inning no-no in 2012).

Though he didn’t get it, it was still an incredible performance and Kellogg finished it – of course – with a strikeout.

Zander Wiel (Vanderbilt) hit a grand slam to lead the offense, while Brett Sullivan (Pacific) had three hits. Kellogg’s gem and the solid offensive day allowed the Braves to set a franchise record for regular-season victories with 26. With the win and a Falmouth loss, Bourne has a two-game cushion in first place, with two games to play.

Adler gives Wareham a gem

Sean Adler gave up a hit to the third batter he faced, so there was no talk of no-hitters in Wareham. But his performance was almost as good. He scattered six hits and went the distance in an efficient 104 pitches.

Adler only made his debut for Wareham in mid-July and has made just four appearances. His longest previous outing was six innings.

But as the scoreless frames piled up, Adler got better and better. He gave up two hits in an inning just once. After giving up a two-out double to Kyle Holder (San Diego) in the sixth, he struck out the next batter and didn’t allow another hit. He retired nine of 10, with the only exception coming on an error. That runner was erased on a double play.

Adler’s performance gave the Gatemen something to celebrate a night after they were eliminated from playoff contention. Kyri Washington (Longwood) and Adler’s USC teammate Blake Lacey each had a hit and two RBI to lead the Gatemen offense.

 

Harwich 3, Y-D 1

How good were the pitching performances? A division title plays second fiddle. Harwich clinched the regular season Eastern Division crown with a 3-1 victory over the Red Sox, coupled with an Orleans loss. The Mariners have been at the top since the very beginning of the season, when they won their first three games. Y-D and Orleans have made charges, but Harwich never faltered and is in the midst of a surge to the finish, thanks to three straight victories. Last night, James Mulry (Northeastern) – who put Harwich in first place way back on opening night – tossed 6.2 innings for the win, giving up one run and striking out five. Seth McGarry (Florida Atlantic) pitched 1.1 scoreless frames and Jacob Evans (Oklahoma) pitched a scoreless ninth for his ninth outing of zero earned runs in 10 games this season. The offense got an RBI each from Anthony Hermelyn (Virginia Tech), C.J. Hinojosa (Texas) and Angelo Amendolare (Jacksonville). Y-D, who is tied with Orleans for second place, has lost three in a row.

 

Brewster 7, Orleans 2

Don’t look now, but Brewster is making a push to the playoffs that would go down as one of the most improbable in recent memory. The Whitecaps have won four of five games – and tied the other – and with Chatham’s loss last night, they’re just one point back of the Anglers for the fourth and final playoff spot, with two games to play. Tyger Talley (Arizona), making just his third start, allowed two runs in five innings and Levi MaVorhis (Kansas State) pitched four hitless innings to seal the win. Andrew Lee (Tennessee), who has eight hits in the five-game stretch, homered and drove in two to lead the offense. Scott Kingery (Arizona) had two hits and three RBI. Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) homered for the Firebirds, who have lost four in a row. Brewster will finish the season with two games against Harwich. Chatham, as it tries to hold off the Whitecaps, has two against Orleans.

 

Hyannis 10, Falmouth 0

Hyannis leap-frogged Cotuit back into third place, while putting Falmouth into an uphill battle on its quest for first. Four Harbor Hawks combined on the shutout. Shaefer Shepard (Catawba) went five innings, Matt LaRocca (Akron) struck out four in two innings while Chris Mourelle (Florida International) and Lance Thonvold (Minnesota) pitched one inning each. Carl Wise (College of Charleston) hit his sixth home run to pace the offense, while Dylan Bosheers (Tennessee Tech) also homered. Daniel Kihle (Wichita State) had two hits and two RBI. For Falmouth, Kevin Newman (Arizona) went 0-for-4, putting him into a tie with Bourne’s Billy Fleming for the batting title. Newman is trying to become the first-ever two time Cape League batting champ.

 

What to Watch

Bourne will try to clinch the West title outright when it hosts Wareham at 6 p.m. In the suddenly interesting race for the last East playoff spot, Brewster visits Harwich at 5:30 p.m. and Chatham heads to Orleans at 7.