One week into the season, the Bourne Braves still haven’t lost a game.
Sunday’s 9-2 win over Cotuit was the sixth in a row for Bourne. It’s the best start in the Cape League since Chatham also went 6-0 in 2013. Before that, it was the 2007 Y-D Red Sox who won six in a row out of the gates.
The latest victory was a pretty good representation of what has worked for the Braves, who rank first in the league in team batting average and first in team ERA. It was more of the same against the Kettleers, with the Bourne offense pounding out 12 hits and the pitching staff allowing just one earned run.
Four different Braves delivered two-hit games. Cayden Wallace (Arkansas) led the charge, going 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. Joe Lampe (Arizona State) came through with his third two-hit game of the season, Christian Knapczyk (Louisville) had two hits and an RBI and Reggie Crawford (UConn) went 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Crawford also finished out the game with a scoreless inning of relief. Before him, it was Nick Zwack (Xavier) going five strong innings for the win, striking out three and allowing just two hits. Benjamin Ethridge (Kennesaw State) shook off a tough first outing of the summer to allow one run in two innings. Xavier Lovett (Mississippi State) pitched a perfect eighth.
Bourne has outscored opponents 44-17 this season. Next up is a home game on Monday night against – coincidentally – the Chatham Anglers, whose 2013 start is the gold standard of the last decade. The Anglers lost their seventh game – also coincidentally, to Bourne. These Braves have a shot to surpass that start.
Brewster 3, Wareham 0
Brewster pitched a shutout for the second straight game. Dating back to a 3-2 win before the shutouts, the Whitecaps are working on a 23-inning scoreless streak. Harry Rutkowski (Rutgers) set the tone in this one, striking out nine and allowing just two hits over six innings. Griffin Green (Virginia Tech) kept it going with two scoreless frames. Hunter Patteson (Central Florida) struck out the side in the ninth for his second save. On the offensive side, Brewster got a home run from Gavin Cross (Virginia Tech), who had gone hitless in his first five games of the season before busting out with the long ball. Will Simpson (Washington) added an RBI, as did Colin Davis (Wofford). Davis also stole ANOTHER base, giving him eight in six games. Brewster is 3-2-1 and Wareham is 2-4.
Harwich 11, Chatham 6
Andrew Benefield (Dallas Baptist) hit a grand slam in a five-run first inning for Chatham, but it was Harwich who was grand from there. Brock Wilken (Wake Forest) hit a grand slam of his own for the Mariners, who regrouped from the tough first inning and pulled away for an 11-6 victory. Wilken finished with five RBI. Nick Lucky (Coastal Carolina) also homered and had two RBI. Ben Malgeri (Northeastern) went 2-for-5 for his second straight multi-hit game. Hal Hughes (Rice) also had two hits. Harwich starter Nick Sinacola (Maine) was charged with six runs due to the rough first inning but actually went five and allowed just one more, while striking out nine. Dalton Smith (Georgia Tech) was credited with the win thanks to three strong innings of relief. Harwich is 3-3 and Chatham dropped to 3-3-1.
Falmouth 8, Hyannis 5
Like Chatham, Falmouth powered its way to a five-run first inning, but this one held up. Jake Dukart (Oregon State) had a three-run double to lead the fast start and Jonathan French (Clemson) hit a two-run homer. Kodie Kolden (Washington State) and Walter Ahuna (Kansas) drove in one run each. Tyler Tuthill (Appalachian State) struck out four in two innings and got the win. Andrew Yancik (McKendree) earned the save. Falmouth improves to 3-2-1. The struggles continue for Hyannis, which dropped to 1-5.
Y-D 0, Orleans 0
The third tie of the season was the least eventful as Y-D and Orleans played to a scoreless draw. Luis Ramirez (Long Beach State) struck out seven and surrendered only two hits in five innings for Y-D. Reid McLaughlin (BYU) and Christian Culpepper (California Baptist) finished the job. On the other side, Jonathan Cannon (Georgia) delivered his second strong start for Orleans, going five scoreless with three strikeouts. He hasn’t allowed a run in nine innings this summer. Nick Wallerstedt (Arizona State) pitched two-thirds of an inning and Jakw Saum (UCLA) allowed just two hits in 3.1 innings. Scoring chances were limited. Jace Jung (Texas Tech) tripled to lead off the second for Orleans but was stranded at third. Brooks Lee (Cal Poly) stayed hot for Y-D with a 2-for-4 night. He has a hit in all but one game this summer and is batting .407.
WHAT TO WATCH
Week two gets started with a full slate of games. Harwich sends Evan Shawver (Cincinnati) to the hill against Orleans after his 10 K debut.
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