Owen Diodati appears to be getting back on track this summer.
After an uneven second year at Alabama, Diodati is off to a great start with Wareham. On Friday, he hit his third home run in four games to lead the Gatemen over Orleans 4-2.
Highly touted out of high school in Canada, Diodati was in line for a huge freshman season when the 2020 college baseball season was cut short. He hit five home runs in just 17 games.
This year ended up being a bit of a detour. Diodati hit 11 home runs but encountered some rough patches and finished with a .230 batting average. He finished the season in an 11-game homerless drought.
In his first Cape League at-bat, Diodati reached on an error but hasn’t needed much help since. He homered in his second at-bat, a two-run shot against Cotuit. On Wednesday, he went 3-for-4 with a three-run bomb. And on Friday, he went 2-for-4 again, with his solo shot in the first inning help stake the Gatemen to the lead.
Diodati is hitting .375 with a league-best three home runs. He’s tied for the league lead in RBI with eight, having driven in almost half of Wareham’s total runs on the season.
Friday’s win was the second straight for the Gatemen, putting them at 2-2. Cade Fergus (George Washington) and Jimmy Crooks (Oklahoma) also went deep in the win. Kade Kern (Ohio State) went 2-for-4 and stole two bases.
Wareham’s pitching was solid as well. Jonathan Brand (Miami Ohio) didn’t allow a hit in four innings of work. Matt Svanson (Lehigh) struck out six in four scoreless innings and Devereaux Harrison (Long Beach) worked out of trouble in the ninth for the save.
Orleans is also 2-2 after the loss. Jordan Sprinkle stole two bases, but the Firebirds were held to just four hits.
Bourne 4, Harwich 1
The Braves stayed unbeaten with a 4-1 victory over Hawich, moving to 4-0 on the season. Hunter Omlid (Central Arizona) allowed one run in three innings, while three relievers combined for six shutout innings. Mike Sansone (Fairfield), who had a big hand in Fairfield’s historic spring, got the win with three Ks in four scoreless innings. Eric Adler (Wake Forest) recorded his second save. Joe Lampe (Arizona State) and Christian Knapczyk (Louisville) both went 2-for-4 to lead the Bourne offense. Harwich fell to 1-3 with the loss.
Cotuit 16, Y-D 5
Cotuit scored more runs Friday than it had scored all season in a blowout of Y-D. Luke Gold (Boston College) led the onslaught, hitting his second and third home runs as part of a 3-for-5, six RBI night. Brett Roberts (Florida State) wasn’t far behind Gold’s pace, going 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBI. Dylan Beavers (Cal), who has hit safely in every game this summer, had two htis and three RBI. Cole Cummings (UC Santa Barbara) chipped in three hits. Jake Brooks (UCLA) was the recipient of all the offense, earning the win with 3.2 scoreless innings of relief.
Brewster 5, Chatham 2
The Whitecaps are in the win column after a victory over Chatham. Brain Fitzpatrick (Rutgers) struck out seven and allowed two runs in 3.1 innings, before giving way to a dominant bullpen effort. Ryan Cardona (Marist), Dale Stanavich (Rutgers) and Hunter Patteson (Central Florida) combined on 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. Nick Biddison (Virginia Tech) had two hits and an RBI. Jake Thompson (OKklahoma State) and Zach Neto (Campbell) knocked in one run each. The Whitecaps stole four bases, led as always by Colin Davis (Wofford), who stole his fourth and fifth bases of the season. For Chatham, which fell to 2-2-1, Caden Grice (Clemson) stayed hot with two hits.
Falmouth 4, Hyannis 3
Falmouth broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the eighth and held off Hyannis in the ninth. Brayden Taylor (TCU) scored the go-ahead run before Alec Sayre (Wright State) drove in what proved to be a crucial insurance run. Taylor went 3-for-5 for his third multi-hit game of the summer. Jake Dukart (Oregon State) added three hits and Jonathan French (Clemson) homered in a two-hit night. Anthony DeFabbia (Stetson) struck out four in four scoreless innings. Michael Esposito (South Carolina) issued three walks in the ninth but escaped with Hyannis putting just one run on the board.
WHAT TO WATCH
The two hottest teams in the league square off at Doran Park. Bourne is unbeaten at 4-0 and Wareham has won two straight.
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