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.