The Brewster Whitecaps will have a chance to defend their title after all.
Last year’s champs spent much of this summer in the basement of the East Division but managed to hang around. The door opened further when fourth-place Orleans hit a serious slide, losing seven in a row and nine of 10.
Wednesday, on the second-to-last day of the season, the Whitecaps stepped through that door. They beat Harwich 11-8. And when Orleans lost 6-5 to Chatham later in the night, the Whitecaps punched their ticket. Brewster will be the No. 4 seed from the East and, the way things often go in the Cape League playoffs, you never know. They’ll face Y-D, whom they beat in two of their last three meetings.
Conor Grammes (Xavier) and Jesse Franklin (Michigan) led the offense in Wednesday’s win, powering an eight-run first inning. Grammes went 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple, three runs scored and three RBI. Franklin homered in a 2-for-4 effort. Gage Workman (Arizona State) also had two hits and two RBI.
Grammes also shined on the mound, pitching the final three innings and allowing just one run to stop a comeback effort by the Mariners.
Wareham 6, Bourne 1
The West Division regular-season title still isn’t decided, but Wareham remained at the head of the pack with a win over Bourne. The Gatemen hold a one-point edge on Hyannis heading into the final day of the season. Jeremy Ydens (UCLA) and Lael Lockhart (Houston) homered for the Gatemen in the win over Bourne. Jakob Golfarb (Oregon) added two hits and Austin Shenton (Florida International) scored two runs. Four different pitchers delivered scoreless outings, led by three innings from Nathan Florence (Hartford).
Hyannis 6, Y-D 2
After a momentary wobble a few days ago, Hyannis has won three straight, including last night’s victory over East leader Y-D. Matthew Barefoot (Campbell) went 3-for-5 and regained the lead in the race for the batting title over Noah Campbell (South Carolina), who took an 0-for-4. Eric Rivera (Florida Atlantic) added three hits and two RBI, and Tommy Jew (UC Santa Barbara) had two hits and scored two runs. Making his second appearance and first start, Joseph Quintal (Fordham) allowed two runs in 5.2 innings for the win.
Falmouth 8, Cotuit 3
Falmouth won its fourth straight and remained two points back of Hyannis for second place, though first place is now out of reach for the Commodores. Davis Sims (Western Kentucky) hit two home runs, moving into a tie for the league lead. Cameron Cannon (Arizona) and Logan Davidson (Clemson) also went deep, while Edouard Julien (Auburn) had three hits. Scott Politz (Yale) allowed two runs in 5.1 innings to earn the win.
Chatham 6, Orleans 5
Chatham broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth for a win over Orleans, which knocked the Firebirds out of the playoff chase. An RBI fielder’s choice by Ashton McGee (North Carolina) brought home Blake Sabol (USC) with the go-ahead run. Reeves Martin (New Orleans), making his third appearance, tossed a scoreless ninth to finish off the win. Michael Busch (North Carolina) homered and drove in two for the Anglers, while Greg Jones (UNC Wilmington) went 3-for-4 and stole four (!) bases, giving him a league-best 20 on the year.
What to Watch
The season concludes with all the same matchups that we saw Thursday. Wareham-Bourne and Hyannis-Y-D are again the games to watch for playoff seeding.