I was checking the Cape League scoreboard last night when I saw that Chatham and Cotuit were in the 14th inning of a 10-9 game. I thought, “Whoa, what a crazy game,” and also, “Isn’t there a 12-inning curfew?”
Turns out it was a Pointstreak glitch. The game actually was called after eight innings due to darkness.
But it was still crazy.
Chatham trailed 7-0 after two innings and 9-3 after three. The Anglers steadily worked their way back from there, ultimately taking the lead in the top of the eighth, quieting Cotuit in the bottom half and celebrating when the game was called at that point.
A night after a 17-3 blowout, the Anglers had their offense humming again and this time, really needed it. Cotuit got home runs from Michael Salvatore (Florida State) and Brady Smith (Florida) to highlight the fast start.
John Rave (Illinois State) started Chatham’s comeback efforts with a two-run home run in the third inning. Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) doubled home two runs in the fourth, Colin Simpson (Oklahoma State) hit a solo homer in the fifth and Blake Sabol (USC) hit a two-run double in the seventh that made it a one-run game.
Torkelson was at it again to lead the decisive rally. In his fourth game back since returning from Team USA, the slugger led off the top of the eighth with a solo home run that tied the game at 9-9.
Later in the inning, Greg Jones (UNC Wilmington) reached on an error and moved himself into scoring position with his league-best 15th stolen base. After Drew Mendoza (Florida State) was intentionally walked, Jorge Arenas (Stetson) came through with a base hit, and Jones raced around with the go-ahead run.
Greg Veliz (Miami) worked a perfect bottom of the eighth with a pair of strikeouts, and the darkness at Lowell Park ushered in the win for the Anglers.
Torkelson went 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. The home run was his sixth. Simpson added three hits and two RBI, Sabol and Rave drove in two and Arenas went 2-for-5 with the winning RBI.
Chatham is now 17-15-2 and sitting relatively comfortably in second place in the East.
Brewster 7, Y-D 3
A day after giving up 17 runs, Brewster shut down the league’s best offense for a win over first-place Y-D. Zach Linginfelter (Tennessee) did the heavy lifting with a dominant start, striking out three in five innings of no-hit baseball. Y-D touched up reliever Zach Schneider (Florida Atlantic) for three unearned runs but he kept his team in front. Brady Basso (Oklahoma State) and Jeff Criswell (Michigan) closed out the win. Jesse Franklin (Michigan) went 3-for-5 with a home run, while Ray Alejo (Central Florida) had three hits and two RBI.
Harwich 4, Falmouth 1
Falmouth had scored 26 runs in its last three games and had won four in a row, but Harwich stopped both those trends. Ricky DeVito (Seton Hall) struck out 10 in six scoreless innings for the win, allowing just four hits. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last two starts, with 18 strikeouts across 12 innings. Falmouth threatened in the ninth, but Andrew Misiaszek (Northeastern) stranded a pair of runners for his fifth save. Andre Lipcius (Tennessee) led the Harwich offense with two hits and two RBI.
Hyannis 4, Orleans 1
Hyannis remained a point ahead of Wareham for first place in the West with its third win in three tries against Orleans. Keegan James (Mississippi State) allowed one run in four innings and Nicholas MacDonald (Florida International) was dominant in relief, striking out five in four scoreless innings. Brett Schulze (Minnesota) picked up his third save. Seth Gray (Wright State) and Tommy Jew (UC Santa Barbara) each had two hits and an RBI to lead the offense. Matthew Barefoot (Campbell) saw his 22-game hitting streak come to an end, but miraculously, his season-long on-base streak lives. Barefoot reached on a dropped third strike in the fifth inning. He also had an RBI on a sacrifice fly. For Orleans, Nick Osborne (Tennessee Tech) took over the league lead in home runs with his eighth.
Wareham 8, Bourne 6
Wareham used a six-run third inning and tacked on some crucial insurance to hold off Bourne for its second straight win. Austin Shenton (Florida International) and Jeremy Ydens (UCLA) each had two RBI for the Gatemen, while Isaac Collins (Creighton), Jakob Goldfarb (Oregon) and Drew Millas (Missouri State) drove in one run apiece. Will Proctor (Georgia) allowed just an unearned run in four innings. Bourne put together a five-run seventh inning, highlighted by Jared Triolo’s (Houston) two-run double and a pair of costly Wareham errors. Joseph Baran (Lackawanna) and Pavin Parks (Kent State) shut it down from there.
What to Watch
A couple of big arms will be on mounds in Chatham and Orleans. Alek Manoah (West Virginia) returns to the hill for the Anglers against Y-D after striking out 11 in six innings in his last start. Mitchell Senger (Stetson) gets the ball for Orleans versus Harwich on the heels of his combined no-hitter last week.