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Filling In

The biggest hitters of the Cape League’s first two weeks were batting third and fourth for Team USA Friday night in a win over Chinese Taipei.

Their Cape League teams still have some pop in their absence.

Without Andrew Vaughn, Wareham jumped back into first place with a 4-3 win over Hyannis, thanks to big contributions from Jeremy Ydens (UCLA), Austin Shenton (Florida International) and Bryant Packard (East Carolina).

In Chatham, where Spencer Torkelson’s departure left a big hole, Tristin English (Georgia Tech) and Drew Mendoza (Florida State) homered as the Anglers beat Y-D 5-2.

Vaughn, recently honored as the Golden Spikes Award winner for his season at California, was hitting .308 with five homers, but he was far from alone in Wareham’s lineup. Shenton still leads the league in batting average, while Ydens and Packard have heated up lately.

Friday, Packard went 2-for-3, pushing his hitting streak to four and his season average to .314. Ydens went 2-for-3 with his first home run and three RBI. He’s now batting .333. Shenton wen 1-for-3 with a run scored and has hit safely in five straight games.

Wareham did most of its scoring early then held off the Harbor Hawks, who had been red-hot coming in. Hyannis had won six in a row to take over first place. The Gatemen – who own a 2-1 edge in the season series – are back on top of the division by a point thanks to the win.

As for Chatham, the Anglers had lost three in a row, a streak that began in the last game for Torkelson, who was hitting .389 with five home runs.

English and Mendoza snapped the Anglers out of their funk in a flash, with home runs a batter apart in the fourth inning. The blast was the third of the year for English, who has been one of the league’s best hitters so far this season. He’s slashing .415/.468/.707 and has delivered three consecutive two-hit games.

Mendoza, who hit .313 with seven homers for Florida State this season, hasn’t gotten off to a good Cape start like English. He was 1-for-12 on the year entering Friday’s game. If the home run gets him going, he’ll be a big presence for the Anglers.

The Anglers also got a good showing on the mound from Jack Conlon (Texas A&M), who allowed just an unearned run in five innings for the win.

 

Bourne 14, Brewster 0

Brewster is really struggling, and Bourne took full advantage with a 14-hit, 14-run explosion. Four different players had two hits for the Braves: Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville), Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina), Cooper Johnson (Ole Miss) and Alika Williams (Arizona State). Fitzgerald, Jared Triolo (Houston) and Spencer Horwitz (Radford) each had two RBI. The offense was way more than enough for two Bourne pitchers. Justin Lasko (UMass) allowed four hits and struck out five in six shutout innings and Kyle Martin (Fordham) was dominant in a three-inning save, striking out seven of the 10 batters he faced and not allowing a hit. Bourne improved to 8-7-1. Brewster, which lost its seventh straight, is 3-11-1.

 

Harwich 10, Orleans 8

Harwich has generally won with pitching, but prevailed over Orleans in an extra-inning slugfest Friday to return to the top spot in the East standings. The Mariners trailed 8-2 but tied the game with two runs in the seventh and four in the eighth. Danny Casals (Maine) hit a two-run homer to break the tie in the 11th and Joe La Sorsa (St. John’s) pitched a scoreless bottom half to preserve the win. Casals finished 2-for-5 with three RBI, while Aaron Schunk (Georgia), Nate Eikhoff (Virginia) and Gabe Rivera (Miami) each had three hits. Andre Lipcius (Tennessee) homered and drove in two. Orleans lost despite three home runs and 14 hits. Spencer Steer (Oregon), Pat DeMarco (Vanderbilt) and Nicholas Osborne (Tennessee Tech) went deep for the Firebirds and J.J. Bleday (Vanderbilt) had three hits.

 

Falmouth 7, Cotuit 6

Falmouth walked off on Cotuit for its fifth consecutive win. Cameron Cannon (Arizona) was the hero with an RBI single to score Kyle Stowers (Stanford) in the bottom of the 10th inning. The game-winner capped a furious comeback for the Commodores, who trailed 6-1 in the sixth inning. A two-run double by Edouard Julien (Auburn) keyed a five-run rally that tied the game. Brent Killam (Georgetown) pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to keep it deadlocked and Logan Rinehart (California Baptist) tossed 1.2 hitless frames for the win.

 

What to Watch

One of the top starters in the league so far, John Baker (Ball State), makes his fourth start as Cotuit visits Y-D.

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Falmouth Far and Wide

Trevor Larnach, pictured last summer, was one of the heroes for Oregon State in Omaha.

 

From Arnie Allen Diamond to TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, it was a good night to be a Commodore.

Falmouth beat Orleans 1-0 as two pitchers combined on a dominant performance. And the game was over in an hour and 53 minutes, plenty of time for Falmouth players, coaches and fans to turn on the TV and watch a couple of former Commodores play heroes in Omaha. Cadyn Grenier (Falmouth ’16) hit the game-tying single in the bottom of the ninth inning and Trevor Larnach (Falmouth ’16 & ’17) hit a two-run homer to send Oregon State to an improbable win in game two of the College World Series championship.

I’m not sure there’s a stronger connection between a Cape team and a college program than what Falmouth and Oregon State have going. As the Beavers made their rise to national prominence, Falmouth was in on the ground floor, serving as the summer home for stars like Jacoby Ellsbury, Joey Wong, Mitch Canham and Dallas Buck. I don’t remember many Oregon State players who have played somewhere on the Cape other than Falmouth.

Before Commodore fans could turn into Beavers fans Wednesday, they watched their summer squad pick up its fourth straight win, a streak that started after a six-game slide.

Pitching powered win number four, as Scott Politz (Yale) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before settling for seven shutout frames. Ian Koch (Western Illinois) allowed one hit in the final two innings to close out the win.

Politz was the ace of Yale’s staff in the spring, putting up a 3.07 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 88 innings pitched. After pitching in four games for Falmouth last summer, he returned this year and pitched fairly well in his first two starts of the summer. Wednesday was a whole new level. Politz struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. Only two errors and a hit-by-pitch kept him from being perfect through six.

Justin Lavey (Louisville) broke up the no-hit bid on a two-out single in the seventh. Matt Fraizer (Arizona) followed with a base hit, but Politz escaped further trouble.

Koch took over as a good person to trust with a shutout. After a solid summer in Falmouth last year and a good showing in the Western Illinois rotation this spring, Koch has returned to the Commodore bullpen with a bang. He has yet to allow a run, a streak he stretched to 13.2 innings with Wednesday’s performance.

Orleans got strong pitching of its own, but an RBI single by Logan Davidson (Clemson) in the third inning gave Falmouth all the offense it needed.

The Commodores will be home again tonight to take on Hyannis. The former Commdores in orange and black will play for a title in Omaha at 6:30.

 

Y-D 3, Harwich 2

A battle for first place in the East turned into a marathon, with Y-D prevailing in 11 innings to take over the top spot from Harwich. Adam Kerner (San Diego) hit the go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 11th, part of a 2-for-5, two RBI night. Noah Campbell (South Carolina) – who’s 9 for his last 21 – homered in a 2-for-5 showing. Ryne Nelson (Oregon) earned the win, holding off Harwich in the bottom of the 11th with his third consecutive scoreless frame. Y-D has won three in a row and six of its last seven.

 

Hyannis 7, Brewster 5

The Harbor Hawks won their sixth in a row, the longest streak for any team so far this summer. Brewster led 3-0 for much of the game, but Hyannis scored four runs in the fifth to take the lead then added to it down the stretch. Pedro Pages (Florida Atlantic) went 2-for-3 with three RBI and Matthew Barefoot (Campbell) went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI. Barefoot has been almost as hot as his team, with hits in five straight games. Brady Lindsly (Oklahoma) added two RBI. Brett Schulze (Minnesota) earned the win in relief and Dylan Thomas (Hawaii) tallied his second save. For Brewster, Dominic Canzone (Ohio State) homered and drove in three. The Whitecaps have lost six in a row and fell to 3-12-1.

 

Wareham 7, Chatham 3

The Gatemen have had Chatham’s number this season, winning for the third time over the Anglers Wednesday night. A run in the first and four in the second staked the Gatemen to the lead. Bryant Packard (East Carolina) hit his second home run of the summer and drove in three, while Sahid Valenzuela (Cal State Fullerton) went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Lael Lockhart (Houston) and Jeremy Ydens (UCLA) knocked in one run each. Joey Matulovich (California) allowed just an unearned run in five innings, striking out six, and now owns a 0.50 ERA in four games this summer. Chatham got home runs from Greg Jones (UNC Wilmington) and Tristin English (Georgia Tech), who have been two of their hottest hitters. Jones is batting .295 with three homers. English is at .405 with two homers.

 

Cotuit 6, Bourne 5

Cotuit broke a 5-5 tie with a run in the eighth and held off Bourne the rest of the way. Jakob Goldfarb (Oregon) plated the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly. Joseph Walsh (Boston College), Stephen Schoch (UMBC) and Garrett Gayle (Rice) finished off the win on the mound. Michael Salvatore (Florida State) went 3-for-3 with two RBI to pace the Cotuit offense. Eric Jones (Davidson) also had two RBI. For Bourne, Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville) went 3-for-4 with a home run.

 

What to Watch

The hottest teams in the league meet in Falmouth as the Commodores put their four-game streak on the line against Hyannis’ six-game heater.

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Full Circle

What a difference a week made for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.

On June 20, they lost to Wareham 9-0. They haven’t lost since, a stretch that came full circle Tuesday night with a 9-1 victory over those same Gatemen.

Hyannis now leads the West Division with a 9-4-1 record, knocking Wareham from the top spot for the first time all year.

The day after the lopsided loss, Hyannis tied Chatham. Then the win streak began, five in a row over Falmouth, Orleans twice, Harwich and now Wareham.

The latest victory figured to be a tough one to get as the Gatemen sent Ken Waldichuk (St. Mary’s) to the mound. After a great sophomore season, Waldichuk had allowed one run in his first two Cape League outings, but Hyannis got to him early and often.

Matthew Barefoot (Campbell) had a sac fly in the first inning and a two-run homer in the third. A two-run single by Eric Rivera (Florida International) in the fourth chased Waldichuk, and the Harbor Hawks kept piling on against the bullpen, getting three more runs in the fourth and one in the fifth.

Barefoot finished with three RBI, as did Pedro Pages (Florida International), who went 2-for-5 with a home run. Rivera had two RBI and Davis Wendzel (Baylor) had one. Five of Hyannis’ 12 hits went for extra bases.

Oddly enough, the Gatemen also finished with 12 hits but only two were of the extra-base variety and they left 10 runners on base. Nicholas MacDonald (Florida International) allowed one run in five innings for the win and three relievers combined on four scoreless innings.

 

Harwich 10, Cotuit 3

Garrett Stallings (Tennessee) continued to be the young season’s most consistent starter, and he had plenty of offense behind him as Harwich rolled past Cotuit. Stallings delivered his third six-inning start in three tries, this time allowing one earned run and striking out six with no walks. He has a 2.50 ERA and a league-best 21 strikeouts. The Mariner offense backed Stallings with a 14-hit attack. Chris Galland (Boston College) went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a triple and four RBI. Aaron Schunk (Georgia) had three hits, while Tanner Morris (Virginia) and Logan Driscoll (George Mason) drove in two runs each. Harwich leads the East with an 8-6-1 record.

 

Falmouth 4, Chatham 2

Falmouth scored two runs in the top of the 11th inning to beat Chatham in the longest game of the season so far. Maverick Handley (Stanford) played hero with a two-run homer that broke the deadlock. Chatham put two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the 11th, but Carson Spiers (Clemson) escaped the jam to preserve the win. Cameron Cannon (Arizona) added an RBI for Falmouth, which scored two runs in the top of the ninth after being shut-out for eight innings. Chatham tied the game in the bottom of the ninth on a home run by Kyle McCann (Georgia Tech). Georgia Tech teammate Tristin English also homered for Chatham. Greg Jones (UNC Wilmington) also had a big night, going 4-for-6.

 

Y-D 10, Orleans 4

The Red Sox raced out of the gate with six runs in the first inning and three more in the second and never looked back in a win over Orleans. Andrew Daschbach (Stanford) homered and drove in two, Nicholas Quintana (Arizona) had three hits and two RBI, and Noah Campbell (South Carolina) had three hits and one RBI. Alec Marsh (Arizona State) went four solid innings and Trenton Denholm (UC Irvine) earned the win with three scoreless innings of relief.

 

Bourne 10, Brewster 9

Bourne smashed four home runs and out-slugged Brewster. Jared Triolo (Houston), Ashton Bardzell (Hartford), Thaddeus Phillips (UConn) and Alika Williams (Arizona State) did the home run honors for the Braves, with Williams’ blast in the ninth proving to be the game-winning run. Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville) added four hits and two runs scored and Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) had three RBI. Brewster got three hits from Conor Grammes (Xavier), including a home run in the bottom of the ninth that made it 10-9, but Trey Benton (East Carolina) stranded the tying run on second to preserve the win.

 

What to Watch

A night after a battle for first place in the West, the top two teams in the East will square off as Harwich hosts Y-D. The Mariners have a one-point edge on the Red Sox.

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Team Efforts

Kevin Kelly was one of four Orleans pitchers to have a hand in the shutout win.

 
Seven pitchers. Two shutouts.

It was a good night to take the mound for Hyannis and Orleans.

Three pitchers combined on a shutout for the Harbor Hawks in a 2-0 win over Harwich and four did the honors for Orleans in a 5-0 win over Brewster.

The win for Hyannis was its fourth in a row. Making his first start after two relief appearances, Jeremy Randolph (Wright State) started the scoreless streak with 4.2 innings. He allowed five hits and two walks but managed to escape a couple of jams, thanks in part to catcher Kyle Wilkie (Clemson), who caught a pair of runners stealing.

Reliever Ryan Pepiot (Butler) entered one of the tough spots in the fifth but wiggled out of a bases-loaded situation with a ground ball. Pepiot would go on to toss 2.1 innings without allowed a hit.

Adam Elliott (Louisville) came on for the eighth and worked two scoreless frames to finish off the shutout. By then, Hyannis had a lead, thanks to an RBI by Trevor Hauver (Arizona State) and an error that allowed another run to score.

In Orleans, the Firebirds followed a similar pitching script. Kade Mechals (Skagit Valley College), a junior college transfer who’s bound for Grand Canyon, allowed three hits and struck out three in five innings for the win. Kevin Kelly (James Madison) followed with two innings of one-hit ball, and Nicholas Osborne (Tennessee Tech) pitched a one-hit eighth. Shay Smiddy (Louisville) struck out two in a perfect ninth to finish out the win.

Spencer Steer (Oregon) hit his second home run of the summer to lead the Orleans offense, while James Free II (Pacific) had two RBI.

League batting average leader Michael Massey (Illinois) continued his season-long hitting streak for Brewster with a 1-for-4 day. He has at least one hit in all 11 games he’s played.

 

What to Watch

The top two teams in the West square off at McKeon Park as Hyannis hosts Wareham.

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Double the Fun

Todd Lott hit two homers to clinch the sweep for Hyannis.

Sunday’s doubleheaders were the second and final round of scheduled twin bills this season.

Perhaps the Hyannis Harbor Hawks can find a way to get a few more on the slate.

Hyannis swept Orleans 7-3 and 3-2 Sunday, a week after taking a pair from Brewster. The Harbor Hawks are 7-4, with four of those wins coming as part of doubleheaders.

A four-run second inning set the course for the game one win against Orleans, keyed by a Kyle Wilkie (Clemson) two-run single. Hyannis added two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. Matthew Barefoot (Campbell) chipped in two RBI and Braden Comeaux (Rice) had two hits and one RBI.

Jordan Fowler (Ole Miss) allowed three runs in five innings of work for the win. Brett Schulze (Minnesota) struck out three in two scoreless innings to finish it off.

Game two was a tight game throughout, but the right button was pushed by Hyannis when Todd Lott (Louisiana Lafayette) came on as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning. His homer in that spot tied the game at two. Then in the eighth inning, Lott homered again to give Hyannis the lead. Dylan Thomas (Hawaii) worked a scoreless bottom of the eighth to make the run stand up.

Lott, a former 20th-round pick out of high school, came into the game hitting .208 with one home run. He’s now at .269 and his three long balls have him tied for third in the league.

The doubleheader sweep moves Hyannis into second place in the West.

 

Falmouth 7, Brewster 2; Falmouth 5, Brewster 3

A week after the wrong side of a doubleheader sweep started a six-game losing streak, Falmouth came out on the right side of a sweep to end that skid. Steven Williams (Auburn) went 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead the game one effort. Davis Sims (Murray State), Kyle Stowers (Stanford) and Maverick Handley (Stanford) drove in one run each. Adam Laskey’s 2.1 innings of scoreless relief earned him the win. All-American closer Jack Little (Stanford) struck out two in the final frame to seal the win. Stowers had two hits and an RBI to lead the offense in game two, with Cameron Cannon (Arizona), C.J. Schaeffer (Western Illinois) and Hayden Cantrelle (Louisiana Lafayette) adding one RBI each. T.J. Sikkema (Missouri) pitched six shutout innings with four strikeouts for the victory.

 

Harwich 1, Bourne 0; Harwich 1, Bourne 1

Three pitchers combined for a no-hitter in game one, while the Mariners and Braves played to a doubleheader innings limit tie in game two. Zack Hess (LSU) dominated again in his second start for Harwich, striking out four over three hitless innings before heading out for Team USA. Teaming up again with Hess, Kyle Brnovich (Elon) struck out two over two innings to keep the no-hit bid alive, and Joe LaSorsa (St. John’s) finished it off. Casey Legumina (Gonzaga) went five scoreless innings for Bourne, but Tanner Morris (Virginia) provided all the offense Harwich needed with an RBI single in the sixth. In game two, Harwich scored a run in the first inning on a Zach Watson (LSU) RBI. Ty Buckner (Missouri State) took a shutout into the fifth to keep Harwich in front, but Bourne tied the game when Chase Murray (Georgia Tech) scored on a wild pitch.

 

Wareham 10, Y-D 4; Y-D 4, Wareham 3

Wareham’s big bats were up to their usual tricks in game one, while Y-D rallied past them in game two as the teams split their doubleheader. On his last day in town before departing for Team USA, Andrew Vaughn (California) went 3-for-4 with his fifth home run and three RBI. Jeremy Ydens (UCLA) added two hits and two RBI and Lael Lockhart (Houston) had three RBI. Cade Cavalli (Oklahoma) pitched three scoreless innings. In game two, the Gatemen led 2-0 in the fifth, but Y-D scored four runs in the sixth and held on from there. Quin Cotton (Grand Canyon) drove in the first run for Y-D before Reese Albert (Florida State) blasted a three-run home run for the lead. Reliever Tristan Baker (Western Carolina) held off Wareham in the seventh, giving up one run but stranding two more runners on base. For the Gatemen, Bryant Packard (East Carolina) and Parker Phillips (Austin Peay) homered in game two.

 

Cotuit 6, Chatham 1; Cotuit vs. Chatham, PPD

The Kettleers won the first game before the Veterans Field fog won the second, forcing a postponement. Zachary Biermann (Coastal Carolina) homered and drove in two to lead the Kettleers in the opener. Beau Brundage () also had two RBI for Cotuit and Michael Toglia (UCLA) drove in one. John Baker (Ball State) continued his outstanding start to the season with six shutout innings and five strikeouts. He now owns a 1.05 ERA in three starts with 18 strikeouts and just one walk in 17 innings pitched. For Chatham, Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) hit his fifth home run.

 

What to Watch

Just two makeup games on the schedule today as Harwich visits Hyannis and Brewster heads to Orleans.

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Walking off Wareham


 

The team with the best record in the league also has a flair for the dramatic.

Wareham won on a walk-off for the third time this season Saturday night, beating Brewster 3-2 in 10 innings at Spillane Field. Three of the Gatemen’s seven home games have ended with the home team celebrating.

Last night’s game was the only one in the league not postponed by weather. The Gatemen led throughout, but Brewster pulled into a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth.

That only set the stage for more heroics.

Sahid Valenzuela (Cal State Fullerton) drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the 10th, and Andrew Vaughn (California) was hit by a pitch. Bryant Packard (East Carolina) stepped in with the chance to be the hero, something he’d already done once when he delivered the first of Wareham’s three walk-offs with a sacrifice fly against Harwich on the second day of the season. This time, Packard came through again, singling to plate Valenzuela with the winning run.

The rally made a winner out Ryan Stoudemire (Charleston Southern), who came into a tricky situation and gave up the hit that tied the game, before shutting the Whitecaps down the rest of the way.

Packard went 1-for-2 and drew three walks. Valenzuela went 2-for-3 with a home run and scored all three of Wareham’s runs. Michael Massey (Illinois) had two more hits for Brewster to put his league-leading average at .452.

The Gatemen improved to 8-4, while Brewster is 3-7-1.

 

What to Watch

Another set of Sunday doubleheaders is on tap. Cotuit and Chatham, who have the top two run differentials in the league, will meet at Veterans Field.

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The Chatham Fog

The Chatham fog made its first appearance of the 2018 season Thursday night. It’s a Veterans Field tradition, tinged with just enough magic to make it more cool than annoying.

And it didn’t do too much damage this round. Chatham and Hyannis played to a 3-3 draw in a game that was called after five innings due to the fog.

The Anglers raced to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, a start keyed by a John Rave (Illinois State) solo home run. Hyannis came back with two runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth, with a Seth Gray (Wright State) sacrifice fly bringing in the equalizing run.

Chatham put the leadoff man on in the bottom of the fifth, but reliever Adam Elliott (Louisville) induced a double play. Then, after a Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) double, Elliott struck out Blake Sabol (USC) to end the inning, and, as it turned out, the game.

Chatham goes to 5-3-2 on the year while Hyannis is 4-4-1.

 

Bourne 4, Wareham 3

Bourne broke a tie in the eighth inning and went on to its fourth win in a row. The Spencers delivered the heroics, with Spencer Horwitz (Radford) driving in Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) to give the aBraves the lead. Trey Benton (East Carolina) pitched around two hits in the ninth to finish off the win. Bourne also got two RBI from Jared Triolo (Houston) and a home run by Chase Murray (Georgia Tech).

 

Y-D 6, Cotuit 1

Karl Kaufmann (Michigan) logged his second dominant start in as many tries, allowing just an unearned run in five innings as Y-D beat Cotuit. Kaufmann owns a 0.00 ERA in 10 innings. As good as he was, the bullpen was even better, with Braidyn Fink (Oklahoma) going three innings without allowing a hit and Ryne Nelson (Oregon) also not allowing a hit in one inning of work. Christian Koss (UC Irvine) went 3-for-4 with three RBI to lead the offense and Andrew Daschbach (Stanford) homered.

 

Harwich 4, Falmouth 1

Jake Agnos (East Carolina) had a 6.17 ERA for Harwich last summer, but it was so high in large part because of one eight-run relief outing. Otherwise he was pretty good, and in his 2018 return, he was great. Agnos struck out 10, walked two and gave up three hits as Harwich beat Falmouth. Tom Sutera (Siena) followed with two scoreless frames and Andrew Misiaszek (Northeastern) picked up his third save. Gabe Rivera (Miami), Matt Gorski (Indiana) and Ben Norman (Iowa) each had an RBI to pace the offense.

 

Orleans 3, Brewster 0

Orleans is getting the most of its Team USA-bound pitchers. A night after Graeme Stinson (Duke) dominated, Kenyon Yovan (Oregon) didn’t allow a hit in five innings and the team went on to a shutout of Brewster. Yovan struck out four and walked one. Noah Song (Navy) then struck out six in three scoreless innings and Aaron Ochsenbein (Eastern Kentucky) picked up the save. Carter Aldrete (Arizona State) homered to lead the Orleans offense.

 

What to Watch

Fresh off six shutout innings in his first Cape start, Matthew Canterino (Rice) gets the ball again as Falmouth visits Hyannis.

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Striking Debut

Wednesday was a night of dominant pitching in the Cape League, with five games yielding a total of 102 strikeouts and three teams notching shutouts.

That makes it tough to spotlight one performance, especially one that didn’t produce a win, but it’s also hard to look past what Graeme Stinson did for Orleans.

The big lefty from Duke made his return to the Firebirds and struck out 12 in five shutout innings. If you’re doing the math, that means all but three of the outs he recorded came via punch-out.

It’s nothing new for Stinson, who struck out 32 in 18.1 innings mostly out of the bullpen for the Firebirds last summer. This spring, he pushed the ratio even higher, striking out 98 in 62 innings. He was second on the team in strikeouts, just behind a starter who threw 32 more innings than him.

Stinson pitched mostly in relief for the Blue Devils this spring but shined in a key postseason spot, drawing the start and pitching six shutout innings against a powerful Texas Tech team in the super regional.

Stinson is likely ticketed for the weekend rotation next year. He’s also headed to Team USA trials this summer, but if he spends any significant time in Orleans, it’ll be a bonus for the Firebirds. He announced himself by striking out two in the first inning and maintained that pace throughout. He walked one and allowed three hits. With just this one, five-inning outing in the books, Stinson is tied for sixth in the league in strikeouts, with everyone else around him having pitched at least twice.

Unfortunately for Stinson and Orleans, Cotuit scored five runs in the seventh after he had departed. A two-run single by Matt McCourt (Mt. Aloysius) started the big frame, and an RBI single by Beau Brundage (Portland) gave Cotuit the lead.

It was an impressive comeback for the Kettleers, who improved to 6-3 on the summer. It gave them what might be a rare win by a Graeme Stinson opponent this summer.

 

Wareham 9, Hyannis 0

The first place Gatemen had everything working in a blowout of Hyannis. Connor Lunn (USC) struck out eight and allowed two hits in five innings, and three relievers finished off the shutout. On the other side, the Gatemen sprinted to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning and never looked back. The UCLA duo of Jeremy Ydens and Ryan Kreidler both had three hits and three RBI to lead the charge. The league’s leading hitter Austin Shenton (Florida International) added one RBI.

 

Y-D 1, Falmouth 0

The Red Sox scored the game’s lone run in the top of the first inning, and three pitchers made the lead stand up. Brant Hurter (Georgia Tech) struck out seven and surrendered one hit in five innings. Chandler Fidel (Arkansas Little Rock) worked a third of an inning and Sam Kessler (West Virginia) struck out four in a 10-out save. The one run for Y-D came off an Andrew Daschbach (Stanford) RBI.

 

Chatham 7, Brewster 0

Davis Daniel (Auburn) and Hunter Gaddis (Georgia State) each pitched four dominant innings as the Anglers raced past Brewster. Making his debut, Daniel struck out six and allowed one hit in his stint. Gaddis, who went four scoreless innings in another shutout of Brewster June 14, went four strong again, giving up one hit and striking out five. Michael Kirian (Louisville) struck out two in the ninth to close out the win. Brewster held Chatham scoreless for three innings, but Chatham steadily built a lead from there. Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) hit his fourth home run of the summer and John Rave (Illinois State) drove in two runs.

 

Bourne 4, Harwich 3

There was no shutout at Doran Park, but the Braves had some pretty good pitching anyway. Bryan Hoeing (Louisville) struck out six and gave up one earned run in five innings. Nick Morreale (Georgetown) delivered his third scoreless outing of the summer, and Jacob Wallace (UConn) notched his league-best third save. Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) homered and drove in three to lead the Bourne offense while Spencer Horwitz (Radford) went 3-for-3.

 

What to Watch

Mason Feole (UConn) makes his second start – and I would guess his last before Team USA – for Wareham as the Gatemen visit West rival Bourne. Feole pitched four perfect innings in his 2018 debut.

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No Surprise, Surprise

Unsurprising strong pitching and a surprising home run led the Harwich Mariners into first place Tuesday night.

After four pitchers kept the league’s best ERA on target again, Chris Galland (Boston College) hit his first home run of 2018 in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Mariners walked off with a 4-3 victory over Orleans.

It was the fourth win in a row for Harwich, who jumps to the top of the East with a 5-3 record.

Pitching has set the course for the streak. In the four wins, the Mariners have allowed a total of six runs. The latest strong showing was spearheaded by Garrett Stallings (Tennessee). Making his second start, he struck out 10 and allowed two runs over six innings of work. So far in the Cape League season, there have been only four outings of at least six innings by starters, and Stallings can claim two of them.

Stallings departed in a 2-2 game. Danny Poidomani (Stevens), Michael Bienlien (NC State) and Andrew Misiaszek (Northeastern) took the torch and pitched well in relief.

It was a 3-3 game when Galland stepped to the plate in the ninth. Aaron Ochsenbein (Eastern Kentucky), who had nine saves this spring and a 12.5 K/9 ratio, had struck out the first two batters of the inning. And Galland, who hit .316 as a freshman at Boston College but with zero home runs, didn’t seem like a one-man rally. But on a 1-0 pitch, he crushed a ball to deep left and watched it sail out of the ballpark.

Galland finished the night 2-for-4 with two RBI and is hitting .296 on the summer. Zach Watson (LSU) pushed his hitting streak to six with a 2-for-3 night and is batting .455.

Misiaszek was credited with the win in relief.

 

Cotuit 10, Hyannis 4

The Kettleers evened the Barnstable Patriot Cup series at one game apiece with a late surge, turning a 3-3 game into a blowout with seven runs in the final two innings. Thomas Dillard (Ole Miss) and Zachary Biermann (Coastal Carolina) hit back-to-back home runs to highlight the late push. Dillard finished 2-for-4 with four RBI. Beau Brundage (Portland) also had a good night, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Deacon Medders (Alabama) earned the win out of the bullpen with his third impressive outing of the summer. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in 10 innings pitched, while striking out seven. Cotuit is 5-3 on the year and has scored the most runs in the league. Hyannis fell to 4-3.

 

Wareham 6, Chatham 3

Wareham stayed a game ahead of the pack for the best record in the league with a win over Chatham. Andrew Vaughn (California) continued his scorching start with a two-run homer in the first inning. He leads the league with four long balls and 10 RBI in eight games. Wareham’s other red-hot hitter, Austin Shenton (Florida International), also had a big game, going 3-for-4 and raising his league-best average to .522. Luke Roskam (Nebraska) added two hits and two RBI, while UCLA standout Jeremy Ydens went 2-for-4 in his Cape debut. On the mound, Ken Waldichuk (St. Mary’s) struck out six in five shutout innings. He has 12 strikeouts in nine innings of work this summer, to go with a 1.00 ERA. Tyler Yeh (Seattle) picked up the save.

 

Bourne 4, Falmouth 2

The Braves moved back to even in a couple of ways, pushing their record to 4-4 and putting their season runs and runs allowed totals both at 33. Chase Murray (Georgia Tech) had two hits and two RBI, Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville) went 2-for-4 and Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) drove in his team-best seventh RBI. Zach Peek (Winthrop) – who was coming off a great spring but struggled in his first Cape start – got back in business with six strikeouts in four shutout innings. Mike Ruff (Florida Atlantic) was credited with the win in relief and Kyle Martin (Fordham) pitched three scoreless innings for the save. For Falmouth, Hayden Cantrelle (Louisiana Lafayette) went 0-for-2 but drew three walks and now has a .571 on-base percentage, tied for the best mark in the league.

 

Y-D 4, Brewster 4

Brewster had just enough time to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth before darkness crept into Stony Brook Field and the game was called. Michael Massey (Illinois) came through with the game-tying hit on an RBI single in the ninth, scoring Allbry Major (Xavier). Cameron Eden (California) and Joseph Donovan (Michigan) also had RBI for the Whitecaps. Quin Cotton (Grand Canyon) had two hits and an RBI to lead the Red Sox.

 

What to Watch

Graeme Stinson put up some ridiculous numbers for Duke this year, striking out 98 in 62 innings pitched, and he’ll make his return to Orleans tonight as he draws the start when the Firebirds take on Cotuit.

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Brick by Brick

Spencer Brickhouse

 
In the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader against Chatham, Bourne’s Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) went 0-for-3. It was the first time he had gone without a hit in six Cape League games this season.

His response in game seven? Two more hits.

Brickhouse went 2-for-4 with an RBI as the Braves topped Cotuit 4-1 in a makeup game Monday, the only game on the schedule.

Brickhouse is now batting .423 with a .444 on-base percentage and a .615 slugging percentage as one of the league’s early stars this summer. He’s had four multi-hit games to go with a home run, a triple and six RBI.

The success doesn’t come as a big surprise. The 6-foot-4, 223-pounder looks the part and has made good on that profile since day one. He batted .316 with 10 homers as a freshman for the Pirates last year. In 16 games with Bourne last summer, he batted .276. And this spring, he hit .298 with another 10 home runs, while tying All-American Bryant Packard for the team lead with 50 RBI.

Brickhouse started this summer with a home run on opening night and has kept rolling.

Monday, his RBI single in the eighth gave Bourne a 3-1 lead, part of a solid day at the plate for the Braves. They finished with 10 hits. Alika Williams (Arizona State) and Chase Murray (Georgia Tech) also drove in runs.

On the mound, Jared DiCesare (George Mason) made his first start after pitching well in relief on opening night and found success again. He allowed one run on three hits and struck out six in 5.2 innings. Jacob Wallace (UConn) earned the save for Bourne.

 

What to Watch

Chatham and Wareham will square off at Spillane Field in a matchup of division leaders. The Anglers are 4-2-1 in the East while the Gatemen are 5-2 in the West.