Posted on by Will Geoghegan

Playoffs: Finals Bound

And then there were two.

The hottest teams in the Cape League playoffs didn’t cool down at all last night, and now they’ll meet each other for the 2012 Cape Cod Baseball League championship. Y-D and Wareham, both No. 2 seeds, finished off their second sweeps of the playoffs last night. Y-D rolled over Orleans 9-0 while Wareham won a back-and-forth game over Bourne 8-6.

The teams will now jump right into the championship series, with Y-D hosting Wareham today at 4 p.m.

Something will have to give because both of these teams are clicking.

After a 10-3 victory in game one, the Red Sox kept the pedal down and never let Orleans breathe in the 9-0 victory last night. They scored four runs in the second inning, delivered their fourth straight double-digit hit total and cruised to the win. Andrew Bowen (Oral Roberts), who had started only one game all year, came up big on the mound. He went six shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing just four hits. Brian Gilbert (Seton Hall) and Preston Hatcher (Western Carolina) didn’t allow a hit over the final three innings to finish it off.

Offensively, Alex Blandino (Stanford) hit two home runs and drove in four while Justin Shafer (Florida) had two RBI.

Over in Bourne, Wareham had a bit more trouble with the upset-minded Braves but found a way to win. Wareham led 6-4 going into the eighth when Bourne tied it on an L.J. Mazzilli (UConn) two-run single. But in the top of the ninth, Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) worked a walk and Mott Hyde (Georgia Tech) belted a two-run home run off Hawtin Buchanan (Ole Miss), who had allowed just one home run in the regular season.

Now pitching with the lead, Colby Suggs (Arkansas) gave up a leadoff double to Trent Gilbert (Arizona) but struck out the next two batters and got a groundout to end the game.

Offensively, Wareham was led by Hyde, who went 3-for-4 with the home run, a triple and four RBI. Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) also homered, while Dustin DeMuth (Georgia Tech) and Palka drove in runs.

Championship Notes

  • The championship series will be a rematch of the 2006 title series between Y-D and Wareham. Y-D won that match-up for the first of its two consecutive crowns. That was also Wareham’s last appearance in the championship. Y-D has been back twice since then.

  • Andrew Thurman is scheduled to get the ball for Y-D against Kendall Graveman. Both those guys started the first playoff games for their teams, with Thurman giving up four runs in five innings but getting the win against Chatham. Graveman gave up just one run in 6.2 innings against Falmouth.

  • Y-D and Wareham have been the top two hitting teams in the playoffs. The Red Sox have a .324 average while Wareham is at .322. Wareham has scored the most runs with 40, while Y-D has totaled 33. Interestingly, they also have the best ERAs, with Y-D at 2.25 and Wareham at 2.50.

  • Y-D swept the season series 4-0, and three of the wins were lopsided. The 8-5 game on August 2 was the closest.

  • It’ll be a little bit of a youth vs. experience match-up. Y-D’s lineup typically features five freshmen, including mainstays Sam Travis and Robert Pehl. Wareham usually has just one freshman starting and its lineup has three two-year Cape Leaguers, as well as veteran Tyler Horan.

  • Prediction: Y-D was very impressive in its East finals sweep, but Wareham just has that hot playoff team feel. I’ll go with the Gatemen in three.

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    One Reply to “Playoffs: Finals Bound”

    1. Results from the Cape Cod Dice Baseball League:

      Eric Beattie (Tampa) gave up only one run over six innings but Cotuit rallied for four runs in the eight inning off of Logan Billbrough (William & Mary) en route to a 5-2 win over Bourne. Erik Nielsen (UNLV), Logan Vick (Baylor), and Eric Farris (Loyola Marymount) each had two hits for the Kettleers. Dusty Isaacs (Georgia Tech) picked up the win in relief of Chad Bell (Walters State), and Dan Slania (Notre Dame) recorded his second save.

      Elsewhere

      Kyle Simon (Arizona), Mitchell Lambson (Arizona State), and Marcus Stroman (Duke) combined to shutout Brewster, 5-0, in a game that was scoreless until a pinch-hit three-run homer by Matt Wieters (Georgia Tech) in the top of the eighth inning. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) also homered for the Firebirds, while Will Rhymes (William & Mary) had two of the Whitecaps’ three hits.

      Cole Sturgeon (Louisville) hit a three-run homer and Warner Jones (Vanderbilt) added a two-run shot to lead Wareham to a 6-4 victory over Falmouth. John Lalor (Mississippi State) earned the win, giving up two runs over 6.1 innings, and Kevin Whelan (Texas A&M) picked up his first save. Shelby Ford (Texas Christian) and Daniel Carte (Winthrop) homered for the Commodores.

      An unearned run in the bottom of the eight gave Harwich a 2-1 victory over winless Hyannis. Braden Kapteyn (Kentucky) got the win and Craig Hansen (St. Johns) notched his first save. Andrew Carraway (Virginia) pitched six shutout innings for the Harbor Hawks. There were no Canada geese in the outfield, but only because the game was played at Whitehouse Field.

      In the most exciting game of the season thus far, Todd Frazier (Rutgers) hit a walk-off three-run homer and Chatham remained undefeated with a 6-5 victory over YD. Tyler Burgoon (Michigan) blew his second save in as many chances. Allan Dykstra (Wake Forest) had two doubles and a homer for the Anglers, while Tony Sanchez (Boston College) homered twice for the Red Sox. Chatham starter Ryan Mullins (Vanderbilt) struck out eleven in 7.2 innings.

      What to Watch

      Honestly, watching a guy playing solitaire dice baseball wouldn’t be much fun, but if you’re desperate for kicks, Aaron Crow (Missouri) is pitching for Falmouth against YD’s Daniel McCutchen (Oklahoma) in what should be a pretty good matchup.

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