After two days of rainouts, the Cape League finally got back to baseball last night.
Chatham and Bourne made up for lost time.
The Anglers and Braves played a 15-inning marathon, the longest game this year and I believe the longest since another 15-inning game in 2009. After each team scored a run early, the played 12 scoreless innings before Bourne broke through for two in the top of the 15th.
The pitching stands out as the biggest story. Thirteen of them took the mound and they pitched so well, they left a lot of hitters with ugly lines.
Chatham’s Keith Bilodeau (Maine) struck out nine and allowed just an unearned run in 7.2 innings before giving way to the bullpen. Four relievers ate up the next 6.2 innings without allowing a single hit.
For Bourne, starter Josh Conway (Coastal Carolina) only lasted four innings, but the bullpen was up to the task. Six relievers combined to allow four hits and no runs in 11 innings of work. Among the stand-outs were Kevin Brady (Clemson), a 17th-round pick this year who struck out the side in the seventh in his summer debut, and Mason Melotakis (Northwestern State), who struck out five in three innings.
The Braves then got the lead in the 15th when Zach Alvord (Auburn) drew a leadoff walk, took second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a base hit by Garrett Cannizaro (Tulane). A squeeze bunt by Travis Jankowski (Stony Brook) brought Cannizaro home.
Chatham still had one last chance and got a two-out single by Joe Sever (Pepperdine) in the bottom of the 15th. But John Farrell (William & Mary) struck out Stephen Perez (Miami) to end it. Farrell ended up striking out four in two innings.
It’ll be interesting to see if a game like this can be a jumpstart for the Braves. They’ve had their struggles but they’re only a game out of second place at 4-6-1. Chatham is now 4-7-1.
Elsewhere
What to Watch
Game: Orleans hosts Brewster at 7 p.m. in a battle of East teams who are just two points apart in the standings.
Player: That game was highlighted in large part because of who’s pitching for Orleans. Arizona’s Kurt Heyer is scheduled to make his season debut. Heyer was among the best pitchers in the country this year — and probably the best sophomore. He had a 2.41 ERA with 128 strikeouts and just 25 walks in 130.7 innings. He ranked fifth in the nation in strikeouts.
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