Month: June 2018

Zack Hess (LSU) and Kyle Brnovich (Elon) were listed as the probable starters for Harwich in Sunday’s doubleheader against Falmouth.

Instead, they pitched in the same game and formed a pretty ridiculous one-two punch.

Hess was bursting onto the scene this time last year as one of the stories of the NCAA postseason, with his high-energy, high-velocity relief appearances helping lead the Tigers to Omaha. He pitched briefly for Bourne over the summer, striking out 10 batters in 10 innings. After some ups and downs in a move to the rotation this year, Hess – a draft-eligible sophomore – was rated 87th in Baseball America’s draft rankings, but slipped to the 34th round and has since made his way back to the Cape.

Brnovich led the nation in strikeouts in the regular season, fanning 147 in 105 innings and emerging as one of the top sophomore arms in the country. He had a 1.71 ERA and opponents hit just .156 against him. Baseball America tabbed him as a second-team All-American.

And those two guys shared the mound Sunday.

Hess went four innings and allowed one hit, striking out four. Brnovich went the last three innings – doubleheader games are seven innings – and allowed no hits, while also striking out four. The combined one-hit shutout lifted Falmouth to an 8-0 win. Hess earned the victory and Brnovich was credited with the save.

Hess’ LSU teammate Zach Watson went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI to lead the offensive attack.

The performance by Hess and Brnovich was the most emphatic in a string of strong showings by Harwich pitching, which now leads the Cape League in team ERA. Saturday night, four pitchers combined to shut-out Wareham. And in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader, a staff effort led to a 5-1 win over Falmouth.

Tom Sutera (Siena) went 2.2 innings, Nick Rand (UMass Lowell) went 2.1 and Cal Krueger (Indiana) and Andrew Misiaszek (Northeastern) each tossed a scoreless inning to finish it off.

At the plate, Watson had another big day, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Danny Casals (Maine) added three RBI.

Harwich improved to 4-3 on the season.

 

Chatham 7, Bourne 2; Chatham 4, Bourne 1

The Anglers won their second and third games in a row to take over first place in the East Division. Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) hit his third home run, while going 2-for-2 with three RBI in the opener. Branden Fryman (Samford) chipped in two hits and two runs scored. Jack Conlon (Texas A&M) allowed two runs in four innings for the win. In game two, Blake Sabol (Southern California) homered and drove in two runs, while Greg Jones (UNC Wilmington) had two hits and a run scored. Alek Manoah (West Virginia) struck out eight and allowed a run on two hits in five innings for the win. Manoah had struck out three when he started the season opener and now leads the league in strikeouts with 11.

 

Cotuit 5, Y-D 4; Cotuit 11, Y-D 3

Zachary Biermann (Coastal Carolina) hit a walk-off single in game one before the Kettleers quickly took the drama out of game two to finish off the sweep. Biermann’s base hit came after a pair of walks to start the inning. Y-D got the next two outs, and Biermann was down in the count 0-2, but he came through to win it for Cotuit. Biermann finished with two RBI. Garrett Gayle earned the win in relief. In game two, the Kettleers rallied from a 3-2 deficit with a six-run fifth inning and cruised from there. Biermann again delivered two RBI, as did Beau Brundage (Portland) and Adam Oviedo (TCU). Rey Pastrana (Marshall) went 2-for-4 with three RBI, and Jonathan Robertson (Creighton) had three hits. Ryan Lefner (St. Louis) went the final 2.2 innings and didn’t allow a run.

 

Hyannis 4, Brewster 3; Hyannis 6, Brewster 5

The Harbor Hawks won a pair of one-run thrillers for a doubleheader sweep of the defending champs. Eric Rivera (Florida Atlantic) hit a walk-off RBI single in the eighth to win the opener, part of a two-hit, two-RBI day. Hyannis had trailed 3-0 before tying the game in the sixth on RBI by Rivera, Matthew Barefoot (Campbell) and Trevor Hauver (Arizona State). In the second game, the Harbor Hawks built a 6-2 lead then held off a final-inning push by the Whitecaps. Brandon Wulff (Stanford) hit a two-run double to make it 6-5, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. Brett Schulze (Minnesota) came out of the bullpen to record the final out.

 

Wareham 4, Orleans 3; Orleans 10, Wareham

In the only doubleheader split of the day, Wareham rallied for a game-one win before Orleans blasted its way to a victory in game two. The Gatemen trailed 4-1 in the final inning of the opener, but Austin Shenton (Florida International) hit a walk-off three-run homer to give the Gatemen the victory. Shenton finished 2-for-3 with the three RBI. The heroics made a winner out of Thomas Miller (Siena), who logged a scoreless inning of relief. In game two, the Firebirds built enough of a lead to short-circuit any late magic by the Gatemen. Logan Wyatt (Louisville) went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and three RBI to lead a 16-hit onslaught. Pat DeMarco (Vanderbilt) also had three hits, while Brandon White (West Virginia) and Ricky Martinez (Tennessee) scored three runs each. Josh Hendrickson (San Diego) got the win with four solid innings. For Wareham, Andrew Vaughn (California) hit his third home run.

 

What to Watch

Just a make-up game on the schedule today as Cotuit hosts Bourne. John Baker, who’s coming off a good spring at Ball State and who struck out eight in five scoreless innings in his first start for Cotuit, will get the ball again for the Kettleers.

Red Wilson Field has long been an unfriendly place for Cape Cod Baseball League pitchers. The fences are close, the baseballs fly and the home team takes full advantage. The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox are hard to beat there and even harder to shut down. Just once in their last 44 home games – dating back to 2016 – had the Red Sox been shut-out.

Matt Canterino (Rice) and his teammates in the Falmouth bullpen were up to the challenge Saturday. The Rice ace delivered the league’s best start of the young season and three relievers teamed up to finish off the shutout as the Commodores rolled past the Red Sox 8-0.

As unlikely as a Red Wilson shutout is, Canterino was a likely candidate to deliver it. He struck out 116 and walked just 22 in 94 innings this spring, to go with a 3.06 ERA. Opponents hit just .188 against him as he emerged as one of the top sophomore arms in the nation.

A trials spot with Team USA awaits, but Canterino is on the Cape now, and his performance Saturday was the best start of the summer so far. Only one other pitcher – Harwich’s Gage Stallings – had gone six innings in a start. As the summer just gets going and arms warm up, a few pitchers have gone five. Most have gone four. Canterino went six complete, allowing two hits and striking out five.

After the Red Sox threatened a few times early with the hits and a few walks, Canterino retired 12 in a row, a streak he carried into the sixth inning. Jim Govern (Eastern Illinois) stopped it with a double, but he was stranded at third.

Relievers Declan Cronin (Holy Cross), Taylor Wilkes (Kennesaw State) and Nick Mikolajchak (Sam Houston State) tossed an inning each to close out the win.

And by then, they had a comfortable lead to work with. The Commodores broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning and finished with 12 hits. Davis Sims (Murray State) went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Logan Foster (Texas A&M) added two hits and two RBI and Cameron Cannon (Arizona) had two hits and one RBI.

Falmouth ran its record to 2-2 with the win, while Y-D fell to 2-2-1.

 

Harwich 2, Wareham 0

Wareham’s season-opening win streak ended at the hands of strong pitching by the Mariners. Ty Buckner (Missouri State) struck out three and allowed one hit in four innings. Danny Poidomani (Stevens) tossed two innings of no-hit relief, Christian Santana (Florida International) allowed two hits in two scoreless innings and Andrew Misiaszek (Northeastern) worked the ninth for the save. All of Wareham’s four hits were singles. Gatemen pitching was nearly as good, but Harwich pushed across a run in the first and another in the sixth. Tanner Morris (Virginia) had both RBI.

 

Chatham 10, Hyannis 1

Fresh off an 8-0 loss in which they struck out 17 times, the Anglers racked up 10 runs in the first four innings and coasted to a win over Hyannis. National home run king Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) hit his second blast for the Anglers, a solo shot that got Chatham started in the first. Blake Sabol (USC) also homered and went 3-for-4, while Kyle McCann (Georgia Tech) hit a three-run homer. John Rave (Illinois State) added two hits and Ben Ramirez (USC) had an RBI. The Anglers also pitched well, with Troy Miller (Michigan) allowing just an unearned run in four innings with six strikeouts and Dan Hammer (Pittsburgh) surrendering only one hit and striking out five in five scoreless innings of relief.

 

Brewster 6, Bourne 1

Brewster won its second straight, taking a lead in the first inning and holding it throughout. Conor Grammes (Xavier) homered for the second straight day, part of a 3-for-4, three RBI night. Michael Massey (Illinois) homered in his Brewster debut and went 2-for-4. Hunter Bishop (Arizona State) and Joe Donovan (Michigan) drove in one run apiece. Jacob Hennessy (Clemson) earned the win with five strong innings, allowing one run. James Acuna (Oregon) didn’t allow a hit in three innings of relief and Owen Griffith (Clemson) pitched a scoreless ninth. Jared Triolo (Houston) homered for Bourne.

 

Cotuit 6, Orleans 2

The Kettleers got all their offense from home runs and held down Orleans after the second inning. Jonathan Robertson (Creighton) hit a two-run homer that tied the game in the third and Adam Oviedo (TCU) blasted a grand slam the next inning to break the deadlock. Luke Chevalier (Northern State) – a native of Cotuit – allowed two runs in 5.2 innings for the win. Deacon Medders (Alabama) was dominant out of the bullpen, going 3.1 innings without allowing a hit. For Orleans, Spencer Steer (Oregon) homered.

 

What to Watch

It’s a doubleheader Sunday around the league. Were I picking one set of games to attend, I would head to Falmouth for two big pitching attractions. Harwich will send LSU flamethrower Zack Hess to the mound in game one and Kyle Brnovich (Elon)- the national strikeout leader this spring – to the hill in game two.

 

The reigning Cape Cod Baseball League playoff MVP was back in the starting lineup Friday night, and he got the defending champions back on the right path.

After a pinch-hit appearance the night before, Hunter Bishop (Arizona State) batted fifth for Brewster against Chatham and helped set the tone in a five-run second inning. The Whitecaps went on to a 10-1 victory, their first win of the season.

Brewster had lost its first two games 10-1 and 8-0. Bishop’s arrival didn’t single-handedly turn things around, of course, but it can’t hurt to welcome back a guy who was part of something so special last summer. Bishop had two home runs and four RBI in the championship series, and like most of last year’s Whitecaps, he seemed to embrace what he was a part of. Thursday, he was Tweeting about former Brewster teammates who were reunited at the College World Series.

Thats the Brew crew love right there boys @ajgraffanino @K_DAT3 @demersbaseball https://t.co/OpzSayskPd

— Hunter Bishop (@HunterBishop9) June 15, 2018

The new Brew Crew got an early lift from Bishop in Friday’s game. After Jared Melone (Westchester) reached on a dropped third strike to start the second, Bishop singled to right field, and an ensuing error allowed Melone to score. Bishop then raced in on a wild pitch, and the Whitecaps were off and running. Jeremy Houston (Indiana), Gage Workman (Arizona State) and Jesse Franklin (Michigan) drove in one run each as the lead grew to 5-0.

The Whitecaps added a run in the seventh on a Conor Grammes (Xavier) home run and piled on with four in the ninth, keyed by a two-run double from Franklin and a two-run single by Brett Centracchio (Davidson).

On the mound, another returning Whitecap helped the cause. Zach Lingenfelter (Tennessee), who pitched only early in the season for the Whitecaps last year, struck out eight in four strong innings. Three relievers combined on a shutout the rest of the way.

The Whitecaps made some intriguing additions to their roster recently. Grammes hit 10 home runs for Xavier in the spring, Centracchio did the same for Davidson and Melone was the nation’s top hitter in Division II with a .469 average, plus 10 homers for Westchester.

With their former MVP back to lead the way, things are coming together in Brewster.

Wareham 7, Falmouth 4

Wareham put together a five-run seventh inning to beat Falmouth and stay perfect on the young season. Skyler Hunter (Purdue) hit a two-run single to start the big inning and Andrew Vaughn (California) blasted a three-run homer to give the Gatemen the lead. Vaughn is making his time before a Team USA departure count with seven hits, two homers and seven RBI. Will Proctor (Georgia) got the win in relief and Dominic Savino (Albany) came on for the save. Isaac Collins (Creighton) added two hits for Wareham and Bryson Stott (UNLV) had an RBI. The Gatemen have scored more runs than any team in the league and have allowed the second-fewest. For Falmouth, which dropped to 1-2, Clemson standout Logan Davidson made his debut and went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

 

Hyannis 4, Cotuit 1

The Kettleers really missed an opportunity when they didn’t get Hayden Kettler (Baylor) on their roster, and he made them pay Friday night. The reliever struck out six in four shutout innings to earn the win for Hyannis, the first in the Barnstable Patriot Cup rivalry series. Trevor Hauver (Arizona State) and Todd Lott (Louisiana-Lafayette) each homered to lead the Harbor Hawk offense, and Vinnie Pasquantino (Old Dominion) drove in a run. Gavin Hollowell (St. John’s) earned the save.

 

Bourne 7, Orleans 1

The Braves lead the league in team batting average by a wide margin so far and turned another good offensive night into their second straight win Friday. Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI to lead the attack. He’s now 6-for-12 on the season with a homer and five RBI. Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville) added three hits and two RBI, Ashton Bardzell (Hartford) drove in two runs and Chase Murray (Georgia Tech) homered. Starter Austin Pope (Fairfield) went four hitless innings and Bryan Hoeing (Louisville) struck out seven in four scoreless innings of relief.

 

Y-D 4, Harwich 1

The Red Sox are the only team in the East with a winning record so far, improving to 2-1-1 with a win over Harwich. Charlie Concannon (St. Joe’s) drove in two runs and Zach Ashford (Fresno State) knocked in one to lead the offense, while Micah Pries (Point Loma Nazarene) had three hits. Pries might be the first player from Point Loma Nazarene – in San Diego – to ever play in the Cape League but he’s a good representative after hitting .386 with 11 homers this year for the D-II program. Armed with the lead, Y-D pitching surrendered just two hits. Karl Kauffmann (Michigan) struck out five and allowed an unearned run on two hits in five innings. Tristan Baker (Western Carolina) struck out six in four shutout innings of relief. For Harwich, starter Xzavion Curry (Georgia Tech) allowed just an unearned run in four strong innings.

 

What to Watch

Rice ace Matthew Canterino, who was recently added to Team USA’s roster, makes his first start for Falmouth as the Commodores visit Y-D. Jensen Elliott (Oklahoma State) gets the start for Y-D after seeing limited innings this spring.

Offense defined opening night in the Cape League – four teams scoring double-digit runs, Peyton Burdick mashing three homers, a grand slam at Veterans Field.

Back to a full slate of games Thursday after postponements the day before, there was still a lot of offense to go around, but at least a few pitchers exacted some revenge. Three Chatham hurlers combined on the first shutout of the season as the Anglers rolled over Brewster 8-0.

Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Cody Bradford (Baylor) started the proceedings. Fresh off a spring season in which he struck out 87 in 96.2 innings, the 6-foot-3 lefty fanned six in four innings in his first Cape League start. He walked one and allowed two hits, both singles.

Out of the bullpen came Hunter Gaddis (Georgia State), a scary sight in relief. The 6-foot-5 righty struck out 98 in 100.2 innings this spring and matched Bradford on this night with four scoreless innings. He struck out three and also allowed only two hits.

Gregory Veliz (Miami) came on to finish it out. A member of the Hurricanes’ weekend rotation as a freshman, Veliz missed much of this past season with an injury, pitching just once since March. Back on the mound Thursday, he struck out the side around a double in the ninth to cap off the shut-down performance.

The trio was pitching with a lead throughout thanks to two runs in the top of the first inning, and the advantage only grew from there. National home run leader Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) hit his first Cape League blast and drove in three runs. John Rave (Illinois State) added two hits and two RBI.

The win was the first of the season for the Anglers. Brewster fell to 0-2.

 

Wareham 4, Cotuit 2

The Gatemen are the only undefeated team in the league, moving to 3-0 with a victory over the Kettleers. Making a cameo before heading to Team USA, Mason Feole (UConn) struck out six in four innings of no-hit ball. Connor Lunn (USC) followed him to the hill and allowed one run in four innings. The run he gave up was the first of the game, but Wareham responded with two in the bottom of the sixth and two more in the eighth. Parker Phillips (Austin Peay) had two RBI and Michael Amditis (Miami) had one. Andrew Vaughn (California) had two hits and scored two runs. Wareham’s late burst made moot a strong performance by Cotuit starter Zane Collins (Wright State). Back this summer after posting a 2.25 ERA with Cotuit last year, Collins allowed two hits in five shutout innings. Peyton Burdick (Wright State) proved to be human with a 1-for-4, 0 HR day. He’s now hitting just .625.

 

Bourne 5, Falmouth 2

Three teams picked up their first wins of the season, starting with Bourne. The Braves scored two runs in the first and led throughout. Alika Williams (Arizona State) drove in two runs, while Anthony Prato (UConn), Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) and Oscar Serratos (Georgia Tech) knocked in one apiece. All four of those guys are hitting .375 on the young season, as are two of their teammates, so six of nine in Thursday’s lineup. Weird. On the mound for Bourne, Justin Lasko (UMass) allowed two runs in four innings and Trey Van Der Weide (SC Upstate) went three scoreless innings of relief.

 

Hyannis 5, Harwich 3

The Harbor Hawks rallied from a 2-0 deficit with a four-run fifth and went on to their first victory of the summer. Braden Comeaux (Rice), Matthew Barefoot (Campbell), Colin Hall (Georgia Tech) and Taylor Garris (Samford) each had an RBI in the big inning. Mike Mokma (Michigan State) got the win with five strong innings, allowing two runs. Dylan Thomas (Hawaii), who finished top-15 nationally in saves in the spring, picked up his first in Cape League action with a scoreless ninth.

 

Orleans 5, Y-D 4

The Firebirds scored two runs in the first and two more in the third, then held off a push by the Red Sox for their first win. Logan Wyatt (Louisville) led the early offense with a two-run home run. Carter Aldrete (Arizona State) knocked a two-run double in the third. Jaxx Groshans (Kansas) hit his second home run in as many games for what came to be an important fifth run. Groshans hit four homers for the Firebirds last summer and four for Kansas this spring. Y-D came back with runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings, but Aaron Ochsenbein (Eastern Kentucky) came into the game with two runners on in the ninth and escaped the jam to preserve the win.

 

What to Watch

Wareham puts its perfect mark on the line at Falmouth. Two pitchers who didn’t see a lot of innings this spring will get the ball – Justin Glover (Georgia) for Wareham and towering righty Mitchell Stone (Oklahoma State) for Falmouth.

With three games postponed on day two of the Cape League season and another ending in a tie, one team stands alone with a 2-0 record. Wareham followed up a blowout win over Chatham with a 3-2 victory over Harwich Wednesday night.

The Gatemen looked like the league’s most talented team on paper in the preseason, and it’s been on display so far. Bryant Packard (East Carolina) – who hit over .400 this spring – delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in the ninth to break a 2-2 tie. Andrew Vaughn (California) – on the same day he was named a first-team All-American by D1Baseball.com – went 3-for-5. Off his .344, 9 HR season, Austin Shenton (Florida International) also had three hits.

Wareham led 2-1 for much of the game before Harwich tied it in the eighth on an RBI double by Andre Lipcius (Tennessee). But a walk to Isaac Collins (Creighton) and a double by Vaughn set up the game-winning sac fly by Packard.

Anthony Romanelli (Marist) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Zach Hart (Franklin Pierce) also had a scoreless outing, while Ken Waldichuk (St. Mary’s) – a potential ace for the Gatemen – struck out six and allowed one run in four innings.

Chatham 1, Y-D 1

The Red Sox scored a run in the second, Chatham scored one in the third and nobody scored again before darkness set in at Red Wilson Field. Charlie Concannon (St. Joe’s) had two hits and scored Y-D lone tally on a wild pitch. Greg Jones (Wilmington). Greg Jones (UNC Wilmington) provided the offense for Chatham with a solo home run. Pitching dominated the rest of the game. Brant Hurter (Georgia Tech) allowed one run in five innings for Y-D before Sam Kessler (West Virginia) and Alec Marsh (Arizona) state) worked two frames each. Five of the six outs recorded by Marsh were strikeouts. For Chatham, Kyle Hurt (USC) and Jeff Belge (St. John’s) each went four innings. R.J. Freuer (Pittsburgh) walked three in the ninth but escaped to keep the game tied.

What to Watch

Wareham sends another of its sophomore stars to the mound as UConn’s Mason Feole gets the ball against Cotuit.