One of the Cape League’s top returning hitters blew up what was supposed to be a pitchers’ duel Thursday night.
Y-D’s Noah Campbell (South Carolina) smashed a three-run homer in the top of the first inning as the Red Sox blitzed Team USA invitee Cole Wilcox (Georgia) en route to a 9-5 win.
Campbell ranked second in the league in hitting last year with a .364 batting average, adding six home runs and 26 RBI. He found tougher sledding in his second year with the Gamecocks, batting .239 with six homers.
Three games into his Cape Cod return, it would appear Campbell is happy to be back. He’s 5-for-8 in his first three games with the homer, five RBI and, for good measure, three stolen bases.
Campbell’s blast was the big one, but Y-D also scored first-inning runs on a wild pitch that allowed Bradlee Beesley (Cal Poly) to race home and on a Jack-Thomas Wold (UNLV) RBI single. Y-D added a single run in the third and three in the fifth.
Orleans eventually got in on the act, too. Tanner Murray (UC Davis) homered for the Firebirds and Max Troiani (Bentley) went 2-for-5 en route to his fifth multi-hit game of the summer.
For Y-D, Trenton Denholm (UC Irvine), also a Team USA invitee, went three scoreless innings. Denholm didn’t allow an earned in 21.2 innings of relief for Y-D last summer, and that streak continued. For Orleans, Wilcox was charged with six runs in four innings of work.
Harwich 4, Wareham 1
Tyler Keenan (Ole Miss) homered and two pitchers combined on a strong performance as Harwich topped West-leading Wareham 4-1 in a weather-shortened affair. Keenan, in his second game on the Cape, broke a scoreless tie with the two-run blast in the fourth. Keenan also plated a run in the fifth with a single. Christian Fedko (UConn) also knocked in a run. Jacob Palisch (Stanford) allowed just an unearned run in four innings, striking out four. Tommy Vail (Notre Dame) was credited with a save when the fifth became the final frame.
Chatham 5, Brewster 5
Another weather-shortened game left Chatham and Brewster in a deadlock. The Anglers led 5-0 into the fourth before Brewster two in the fourth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh before the game was called. Alerick Soularie (Tennessee), coming off a spring in which he hit .357 with 11 home runs, hit his first Cape League bomb to lead the Whitecaps. Eric Foggo (Stetson) and each had two hits and an RBI. Tyler Follis (Louisiana Tech) struck out five in 3.1 scoreless innings of relief, which set the stage for the comeback. For Chatham, Cade Cabbiness (Oklahoma State) went deep, while Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) drove in two runs. Jamal O’Guinn (USC) delivered his fourth two-hit game of the summer and has now reached base in every game he’s played.
**Falmouth/Hyannis was wiped out after four innings, while Bourne/Cotuit was postponed.
What to Watch
The second rivalry matchup between Cotuit and Hyannis is set for Lowell Park. The Kettleers won the first meeting 11-0.