Reggie Crawford did a little bit of everything for the Bourne Braves on Monday night.
Just like his team has done.
A young two-way standout at UConn, Crawford went 3-for-5 at the plate and pitched a scoreless inning of relief in a 9-1 win over Brewster. Bourne’s nine runs and 14 hits are both league highs in the early going. The Braves have also allowed just one run on the year en route to a 2-0 start.
Crawford has been heralded as the next big star at a UConn program that has produced more than its fair share in recent years. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound first baseman and left-handed pitcher batted .291 and had a 2.35 ERA this season en route to second-team all-conference honors. He’ll spend part of the summer with Team USA but is with the Braves now and getting a chance to show what he can do. His 3-for-5 day at the plate included two doubles. He also had a hit in Sunday’s opener. On the mound, Crawford struck out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect inning.
Though they weren’t as busy as he was, Crawford wasn’t the only Brave delivering a big performance.
Braylen Wimmer (South Carolina) has been at the front of the line through two games. He homered for the second straight day on Monday, blasting a three-run shot in the third inning to break a scoreless tie. He hit it off Bryce Hubbart (Florida State), who has the potential to be one of the top arms in the league.
Tanner Schobel (Virginia Tech) also went deep as part of a huge night. Off a solid freshman season with the Hokies, Schobel made his debut and went 4-for-5 with the homer, four RBI and three runs scored.
In addition to Crawford, two other pitchers had scoreless outings. Jake Bennett (Oklahoma) struck out three in four scoreless frames. Austin Parsley (UNC Greensboro) was terrific across three innings, striking out six.
Chatham 6, Orleans 3
After a tie in the season opener, Chatham made its debut at Veterans Field and broke out with a rivalry win over Orleans. A four-run fifth inning put the Anglers in front, and they held off a late push by the Firebirds, who dropped to 1-1. Star freshman Caden Grice (Clemson) hit his first summer home run in the early going. The big inning featured a three-run double by Lyle Miller-Green (Chipola) and a run-scoring double by Jake DeLeo (Georgia Tech). Miller-Green, who will transfer from the JUCO ranks to Oklahoma State, is 4-for-8 with two extra-base hits through his first two games. The Anglers also got a home run from Johnny Castagnozzi (North Carolina). Five pitchers took the hill for Chatham, with the first and last pitching the best. Austin Vernon (NC Central) struck out four and didn’t allow a hit in three innings. Trevor Martin (Oklahoma State) struck out four of the sixt batters he faced en route to a save. For Orleans, Jace Jung (Texax Tech) had two hits and two RBI.
Yarmouth-Dennis 3, Harwich 0
Locked in a scoreless game for six innings, the Red Sox broke through with two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth, while keeping their own shutout going. Briley Knight (Portland) broke the seal with an RBI single in the seventh and Wyatt Hoffman (Pacific) added a sacrifice fly. An RBI single by Peyton Graham (Oklahoma) provided the final run. Both Knight and Graham finished the day with two hits. Drew Thorpe (Cal Poly), who fanned 104 in a great spring, struck out four and scattered six hits in five scoreless innings. Zach Franklin (Western Carolina), Reid McLaughlin (BYU) and Brandon Dufault (Northeastern) finished off the shutout. Harwich starter Evan Shawver (Cincinnati) delivered the best start of any pitcher in the league so far, striking out 10 in six shutout innings.
Falmouth 8, Wareham 4
Falmouth has scored 15 runs in two games and – after a tie on opening night – has a win to show for it thanks to an 8-4 triumph over Wareham. Michael Curriale (UCLA) continued a spectacular start to the season with a 3-for-3 night. He’s now 5-for-7 with three extra base hits in two games. Alec Sayre (Wright State) added two hits and two RBI. Jace Bohrofen (Oklahoma) had two hits and one RBI. Anthony DeFabbia (Stetson) was credited with the win in relief. For Wareham, which fell to 0-2, Jim Jarvis (Alabama) had two hits and an RBI.
Hyannis 7, Cotuit 4
Cotuit’s Blake Klassen (UC Santa Barbara) homered on the second pitch of the game, but Hyannis had the last laugh, taking the lead in the middle innings and holding on for its first win of the season. Dominic Johnson (Oklahoma State) went deep for the Harbor Hawks. Zane Harris (Wright State) chipped in two hits. Cotuit managed just one run against the Hyannis bullpen. Tommy McCollum (Wingate) got the win in relief. Trey Braithwaite (Navy) earned the save. For the Kettleers, Klassen went 3-for-5.
WHAT TO WATCH
Two standout pitchers from mid-major programs on opposite ends of the country square off as Chatham visits Y-D. Hawaii’s Aaron Davenport starts for the Anglers against Hartford’s Nick Dombkowski.
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