Summer gets another day. Or maybe two, depending on the rain in the forecast.
Either way, the Cape League championship series is headed to game three.
Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State) sparked a resurgent offensive day with a three-run homer in the first inning and Ricky Thomas (Fresno State) stayed perfect in his Cape League career as the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox forced a decisive game of the league championship series with a 9-3 win yesterday at Red Wilson Field.
It’s the first time since 2012’s series between Wareham and Y-D that we’re headed to a game three. Cotuit in 2013 and Y-D last year both won in sweeps.
The way Sunday’s series opener went – and the way the entire playoffs have gone – another sweep seemed to be a strong possibility this year. Hyannis was a perfect 5-0 in the postseason after its 8-1 win Sunday.
But they say in baseball that momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher. And Thomas tends to win that battle.
The lefty allowed two earned runs in 7.2 innings, struck out 10 and walked one in improving to 9-0 this summer. His overall ERA is 1.07 and he finishes with 62 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched. Just a remarkable summer for him.
On Monday, though, it wasn’t all Thomas. He had plenty of help.
Facing Vance Tatum (Mississippi State), who had an ERA under two and clinched the Harbor Hawks’ first-round series, Y-D went to work immediately. A single and a walk with one out in the first set up the homer by Walton, and the Red Sox never looked back. They opened up a 6-0 lead before Hyannis cut the lead in half in the fourth. But Y-D would tack on three more insurance runs, and Thomas would settle right back in. He retired the last three batters in the fourth inning in order and would go on to retire 10 in a row.
Tommy Edman (Stanford) joined Walton in the home run column, while Dallas Carroll (Utah) had four hits, a run scored and an RBI. Mike Donadio (St. John’s), Joshua Vidales (Houston) and Chris Hudgins (Cal State Fullerton) had two hits each.
Despite their run to the finals, the Red Sox were hitting just .197 in the playoffs. With the 18 hits Monday, they’re now at .240.
And the season goes on.
Hyannis will have to bounce back if it wants to win its first Cape League title since 1991, and it hasn’t had to bounce back at all in these playoffs. Y-D has some momentum as it seeks its second consecutive championship, but again, momentum doesn’t mean everything.
It all comes down to one game.
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Of this year’s CCBL crop, who do you think will be first-round draft choices next year? I gotta think Ricky Thomas is a possibility.
Trying to answer my own question, I came across this: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/20162017-mlb-draft-rankings-ridiculously-early-edition/
No Ricky Thomas (or Mitchell Jordan), but check out how many of those players were Firebirds this summer! No wonder Orleans finished with one of the all-time best records.
The crazy thing about Orleans is they were also supposed to have A.J. Puk and Connor Jones (4 & 8 on that list). That team was loaded.
I think Kyle Lewis and Nick Senzel have generated a lot of buzz on the Cape this summer, and HR king Bobby Dalbec has to be in the mix, too.
Ricky Thomas was actually only a freshman this past season.