The most powerful team in Cape Cod Baseball League history scored two runs in two playoff games and won’t play anymore. A team that has started to look just as powerful hit six home runs and scored 27 runs in two games against perhaps the best starting pitching rotation in the postseason.
What was that about an encore? If the first two days of the playoffs are an indication, the 2012 postseason may be just as wild as the 2012 season.
Orleans swept out No. 1 Harwich in the East with a second straight shut-down performance. And in the West, after winning 7-1 on Thursday, No. 2 Wareham pummeled No. 3 Falmouth 20-7 to sweep that series. In other action, Y-D also swept, beating Chatham 7-4. West No. 1 Cotuit was the lone team to force a game three, as the Kettleers beat Bourne 4-2.
I fully expected both top seeds — Cotuit and Harwich — to come back after game-one losses, but the defending champion Mariners saw their quest for a second straight title fall by the wayside quickly. The best home run hitting team in Cape League history won’t win the championship. Interestingly, the team Harwich passed in the record books — 1981 Orleans — didn’t win either, falling in the finals to Cotuit.
The 2012 Orleans squad made sure the Mariners didn’t even get that far. Losers of five straight to end the season, Orleans picked a good time to win two in a row. After winning 3-1 in game one, the Firebirds cruised to a 6-1 victory in game two. They took a 2-1 lead in the fourth and added to it late.
Not that it was easy. Orleans starter Jarrett Arakawa (Hawaii) left with an injury after an inning. It was fitting for this group, which has been decimated by injuries in recent weeks.
But the Firebirds responded. Philip Pfeifer (Vanderbilt), who had a 5.95 ERA in the regular season, relieved Arakawa and pitched six scoreless innings of one-hit baseball. He struck out three. Kyle Crockett (Virginia) then came on in the eighth and worked two more scoreless frames to finish it off.
Derek Toadvine (Kent State) and Angelo LaBruna (Duke) each had two hits and two RBI to lead the offense. Jake Hernandez (USC) and Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) also drove in runs.
For Harwich, there was just nothing doing. A.J. Reed (Kentucky) gave up two runs in six innings, but the run support wasn’t there. Harwich didn’t hit a home run in the postseason and managed just nine total hits.
Gatemen surge
I liked Falmouth to win its first-round series because of its pitching. The Commodores would trot out Trey Masek, who had some great moments this summer, and Sean Hagan, who almost pitched a no-hitter in late July.
Wareham greeted both of them with a lot of offense.
After the 7-1 win in game one, the Gatemen exploded for a 20-7 victory last night. They had 18 hits and six home runs, two of which were grand slams. The 20 runs is the most scored in the playoffs since Y-D tallied 23 in 2010.
Wareham scored three runs in the first inning and nothing in the next three before breaking the game wide open with 17 runs in the final five innings. Ethan Gross (Memphis) led the way with two home runs, including one of the grand slams, and six RBI. Tyler Ross (LSU) had the other grand slam. Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) hit a home run and drove in five, while Cole Sturgeon (Louisville) and Dustin DeMuth (Indiana) also homered.
Barrett Astin (Arkansas) got the win after giving up five runs in 5.1 innings.
Elsewhere
What to Watch
Bourne visits Cotuit at 4 p.m. for the deciding game of their first-round series.