Brendan King went five scoreless innings in Falmouth’s game three win.
Well this looks familiar.
For the second time in three years, Yarmouth-Dennis and Falmouth will meet in the Cape League championship series, after the latter punched its ticket with a game three win over Bourne Wednesday night.
The Commodores, with the best record in the league, were down 1-0 in their series with the Braves, but stayed alive with a 5-4 win in game two and moved on with a 6-2 victory Wednesday.
Brendan King (Holy Cross) went five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out five. Holy Cross teammate and Cape newcomer George Capen followed with two scoreless frames and Brett Gilchrist (Dallas Baptist) fanned two in a perfect eighth. Bourne – no stranger to late playoff rallies – touched up Seth Elledge (Dallas Baptist) for two runs in the ninth on a Jeremy Eierman (Missouri State) home run but that was all the Braves would get.
J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) went 2-for-4 with two RBI and his second home run of the postseason to lead the Falmouth offense. Deacon Liput (Florida) and Michael Cantu (Texas) added two hits each and Joshua Watson (TCU) and Tristan Gray (Rice) knocked in one run apiece.
What to Watch
The Cape League championship series begins tonight in Falmouth at 6 p.m.
Y-D is making its fifth finals appearance in the last seven years and is looking for its third consecutive league championship. Falmouth is in the finals for the third time in six years, having come up empty in the last two. The Commodores have not won the Cape League title since 1980.
The teams split their four-game regular-season series, with Falmouth winning 8-5 in the most recent meeting July 27.
Y-D swept Falmouth in the 2014 Cape League championship series. Future first-round pick Walker Buehler went eight shutout innings in a 5-0 win in the opener. The Red Sox then used a six-run sixth inning on their way to a 10-4 win in game two, with another future first-rounder, Phil Bickford, closing out the win in dominant fashion.
For the third consecutive year and the fifth time in seven years, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox will play for the Cape Cod Baseball League championship.
Y-D swept Chatham and improved to 4-0 in the playoffs with a 4-1 win at Veterans Field Tuesday night.
Amazement is allowed at this point, but surprise probably shouldn’t be. The Red Sox have done this before, winning the last two titles as the East’s No. 3 seed. And this year, they were actually better than their No. 2 seed would indicate. They started the year 0-5, then went 26-12-1. Had they won at that clip from the very beginning, they would have matched Falmouth for the best record in the league. Chatham’s victory over top-seeded Harwich in the semis made the path smoother for the Red Sox, but they would have been a formidable foe for the Mariners anyway.
Tuesday, the Red Sox built an early lead with two runs in the first and one in the third. They wasted little time in the opening frame, getting a leadoff single by J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara) to start the game and a single by Kevin Smith (Maryland) to score him. Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s) added an RBI single later in the inning.
Corey Dempster (USC) doubled in the second and came around on a bunt by Muno for the 3-0 lead.
Starter William Montgomerie (Connecticut), who was tagged for five unearned runs in a game against Chatham last week, had error-less defense behind him this time and allowed one run on two hits. He struck out four. Both hits were singles.
Jake Palomaki (Boston College) had an RBI groundout for Chatham in the fifth, but that was the only offense the Anglers would get. Sean Barry (San Diego) – a playoff reinforcement – struck out three in 1.1 scoreless frames and Sam Delaplane (Eastern Michigan) went the final 1.2 innings for the save.
Chatham’s Lincoln Henzman (Louisville) took the loss after allowing three runs in six innings. The defeat brought an end to a wild week for Chatham, which fought its way into the playoffs and knocked off Harwich.
But the Red Sox – as they’ve been for everybody in the last few postseasons – were a little too much.
Falmouth 5, Bourne 4
Falmouth gave Bourne a taste of its own medicine with a late rally and evened its West finals series at one game apiece. The top-seeded Commodores rallied from a 4-3 deficit with two runs in the eighth. Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) and Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) powered the comeback with RBI doubles. Stephen Villines (Kansas) then pitched a scoreless bottom half and Corbin Martin (Texas A&M) struck out two in the ninth, quieting a Bourne offense that had relied on late-inning heroics in both games of its semifinal sweep. Gigliotti – the Cape’s top prop prospect award winner – finished 2-for-3 and is now hitting a scorching .611 in the playoffs. Grenier drove in two runs, as did J.J. Matijevic (Arizona). Starter Jake Bird (UCLA) didn’t factor in the decision but was solid, allowing two runs in five innings.
What to Watch
Game three of the West finals is set for 6 p.m. tonight in Falmouth. Michael Adams – the ace of the staff for junior college powerhouse Harford and a Towson commitment – will make just his second appearance for Bourne. Interestingly enough, his only other outing came against Falmouth August 3, when he went four scoreless innings. Falmouth counters with Brendan King (Holy Cross), who’s 4-0 with a 2.91 ERA.
Seedings were already set but perhaps Bourne’s two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth of a season finale win over Falmouth was a sign of things to come.
The Braves had more late-inning magic in a sweep of their first-round series with Wareham, and the momentum seems to be rolling now. The Braves didn’t need to wait for a comeback in Monday’s game one of the West finals.
Bourne broke through in the middle innings and handed top-seeded Falmouth its first postseason defeat with a 7-4 victory.
Much of the damage was done against standout Brady Puckett (Lipscomb), who probably challenged his teammate Jeffrey Passantino in conversations about the Cape League’s Pitcher of the Year honor. Puckett hadn’t given up more than three runs in any start this year, but was touched up for 10 hits and five runs – four earned – in 4.2 innings.
Puckett opened the game with two scoreless frames and his team gave him a lead in the top of the first, but business as usual faded in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Evan Mendoza (NC State) had an RBI single to tie the game in the third. John Jones (South Carolina) continued to shine in the postseason, hitting a two-run homer in the fourth inning. And in the fifth, Jake Mangum (Mississippi State) delivered a two-run single that chased Puckett.
Falmouth got a home run from Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) – who went 3-for-5 – as it tried to mount a comeback, but Bourne added insurance runs in the seventh and ninth innings.
Mendoza, Connor Wong (Houston) and Brennan Breaux (LSU) all finished with three hits for Bourne and Mangum had three RBI.
Chris Holba (East Carolina), who made three starts and four relief appearances in the regular season, allowed one run in five innings for the win. Jon Escobar (Holy Cross) recorded the save.
Y-D 9, Chatham 8
Y-D’s semifinal series win last year was powered by dominant pitching. The 2016 semifinal series opener was a slugfest, but the Red Sox prevailed anyway, holding off a late push from Chatham to win 9-8. Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton) and Kevin Smith (Maryland) homered as Y-D rallied from an early 2-0 deficit and eventually carried a 9-4 lead into the ninth. Will Toffey (Vanderbilt), Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) and Nolan Brown (TCU) added three hits each for Y-D. The Red Sox weren’t as good in the field, with four errors allowing Chatham to score six unearned runs. The Anglers got four runs in the ninth and had the bases loaded with two outs when Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine) induced a ground ball for a force at second that ended the game.
What to Watch
Falmouth heads to Bourne at 6 p.m. Jake Bird (UCLA), who pitched five shutout innings against Bourne July 31 in his last start, will get the ball for Falmouth against Doug Norman, who had a 1.61 ERA in the regular season.
Chatham will host Y-D at 7 with Lincoln Henzman (Louisville) on the mound. Henzman had an ERA over five in the regular season but allowed only one run in five innings in his most recent start. Y-D counters with William Montgomerie (UConn), who had a 1.70 ERA while pitching in the rotation and out of the bullpen.
Harwich’s 13-1 win in game two of the East semis Saturday was easy to peg as a return to normalcy. One day later, that game – not Chatham’s series-opening win – proved to be the outlier.
The Anglers pushed the top-seeded Mariners out of the playoffs with a 3-1 win Sunday at Whitehouse Field, their second 3-1 win of the series.
Parker Rigler (Kansas State) wasn’t quite as good as Simon Matthews in game two, but his performance yielded the same result – an out-dueling of the best pitching staff in the league. Rigler, who had a 4.03 ERA and was 0-4 in the regular season, picked a good time for his first win, allowing one run in six innings and striking out five.
Isaac Mattson (Pittsburgh) was terrific in relief, striking out four of the six batters he faced. Connor Moore (Seattle) retired the final batter of the eighth inning and Moises Ceja (UCLA) worked around a pair of singles for a scoreless ninth to clinch the win.
Chatham played with the lead thanks to two runs in the first inning and another in the third. Jeremy Vasquez (Florida) had an RBI double and Stuart Fairchild (Wake Forest) an RBI single in the first. John Aiello (Wake Forest) hit a solo home run in the second.
Harwich got a home run from Austin Filiere (MIT) – who wrapped up a great summer with eight long balls – but it was the only run the Mariners would get.
The best pitching staff in the league allowed seven runs in the three-game series, just a little above their average for the season. I think the Mariners would have signed up for that number heading into the series, but they didn’t know what Chatham had in store.
The Anglers will move into the East finals for the first time since 2013, when they lost to Orleans. They’re looking for their first finals appearance since 2001.
What to Watch
It’s Chatham vs. Y-D at Red Wilson Field at 4 p.m. to kick off the first day of the division finals. Bourne visits Falmouth at 6 p.m.
Bourne had a flair for the dramatic in an extra-inning win over Wareham in its playoff opener. The Braves are full-on movie stars at this point.
With six runs in the bottom of the ninth Saturday, they rallied to stun Wareham and sweep the Gatemen out of the playoffs. Not only was it a stunning ending, it was the climax of a crazy sequence of plot points — Bourne hadn’t beaten Wareham all season and the Gatemen hadn’t lost two in a row since July 12 and 13.
Going into the ninth Saturday, Bourne trailed 7-2. Christian Taugner (Brown), who had delivered five straight scoreless outings for the Gatemen, was on the hill, but things got wild quickly. Singles by John Jones (South Carolina) and Grant Williams (Kennesaw State) put two on for Andrew Shaps (Arizona State). A late addition who hit .103 in nine regular-season games, Shaps took Taugner deep and it was suddenly a 7-5 game.
Closer Jake Matthys (Angelo State) came on but had no more luck. Willy Yahn (Connecticut) greeted him with a double and scored on a Brennan Breaux (LSU) single. After another pitching change, Jones hit a two-out, walk-off double to give the Braves the 8-7 win.
Yahn and David MacKinnon (Hartford) had three hits each to lead the Braves. Adrian Tovalin (Azusa Pacific) and Dominic Miroglio (San Francisco) homered for Wareham.
The third-seeded Braves will face No. 1 Falmouth in the West finals.
Falmouth 8, Hyannis 2
Hyannis’ dreams of a playoff turnaround fell flat again in the face of dominant Falmouth pitching. Brady Singer (Florida) followed Jeffrey Passantino’s lead with six shutout innings, striking out five and allowing three hits. Cole Sands (Florida State) was touched up for two runs, but Stephen Villines (Kansas) and Corbin Martin (Texas A&M) kept the Harbor Hawks from getting any closer. Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) shined at the top of the lineup for the second day in a row, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Michael Cantu (Texas) drove in three runs. Hyannis’ season ended on with 10 consecutive losses.
Y-D 2, Orleans 1
The Red Sox also swept through the semis, breaking a 1-1 tie with a run in the eighth on their way to a 2-1 win. Nolan Brown (TCU) reached on an error with two outs in the eighth, took second and third on wild pitches and came around on a base hit by Joey Thomas (Cincinnati), who had an RBI for the second straight game. Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) homered for the other Y-D run. Jared Janczak (TCU) allowed one run in five innings for the Red Sox before a big finish by the bullpen. Dillon Bray (Western Carolina), Sam Delaplane (Eastern Michigan) and Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine) combined for four scoreless innings of relief. John O’Reilly (Rutgers) went 7.1 strong innings in the loss for Orleans.
Harwich 13, Chatham 1
The top-seeded Mariners responded to Chatham’s game one upset win in emphatic fashion. B.J. Myers (West Virginia) pitched eight innings of one-run ball and pitched with a lead almost throughout. The Mariners pounded 13 hits and raced to a 6-0 lead before adding to the cushion in the late innings. Nick Dalesandro (Purdue) hit a grand slam to power a five-run second inning and Johnny Adams (Boston College) went 2-for-4 with five RBI. Joe Dunand (NC State) scored three runs and Pavin Smith (Virginia) added two hits. The 13 runs matched a season-high by the Mariners, a mark they hit only once before.
What to Watch
Chatham and Harwich will play game three at Whitehouse Field at 5:30 p.m., and that will be the only game of the day. Packy Naughton (Virginia Tech), one of the league leaders in strikeouts, goes for Harwich against Parker Rigler (Kansas State), who had a 4.03 ERA in the regular season.
There was a dominant pitching performance in Harwich’s playoff opener, but in a surprise twist, it didn’t belong to a Mariner.
Chatham’s Simon Matthews (Georgetown) struck out 11 in eight shutout innings as Chatham upset the top-seeded Mariners 3-1 in the first game of their best-of-three East semifinal series.
Harwich came in with the best pitching staff in the league – and one of the best of the last decade – but Matthews upstaged his counterpart Hunter Williams (North Carolina). A righthander with a 4.30 ERA, was stunningly dominant. He struck out the side around a walk and a single in the first inning, a sign of things to come. He recorded 24 outs, nearly half by strikeout. Harwich got five hits against him but all were singles.
Making the performance all the more surprising was the fact that Harwich saw Matthews less than a week ago and touched him up for 11 hits and six runs in 5.1 innings. Matthews hadn’t gone more than six innings in a start this summer and hadn’t struck out more than six.
Garrett Whitlock (UAB) hit a little trouble in the ninth but allowed only one run in finishing off Matthews’ gem.
The Chatham offense scored two unearned runs off Williams – the Harwich ace – going up 1-0 when Jake Palomaki (Boston College) scored on a passed ball in the first inning and making it 2-0 on an error in the fifth. Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) had an RBI single in the eighth.
Harwich now finds itself one loss from elimination against a team that snuck into the playoffs. The good news for the Mariners is that Williams isn’t the only ace they can trot out. B.J. Myers (West Virginia), who started the all-star game, is scheduled to go in game two against recent Chatham addition Bo Burrup (BYU), who spent most of his summer in the Cal Ripken League with the D.C. Grays.
Bourne 5, Wareham 4
There was an upset in the West, too, as Bourne handed Wareham just its second loss in 10 games with a rally from a 4-1 deficit in the final four innings. The Braves scored single runs in each inning from the sixth to the 10th, with Jake Mangum’s (Mississippi State) RBI single in the 10th capping the comeback and giving the Braves their first lead. Jon Escobar (Holy Cross) finished off the win in emphatic fashion, striking out the side in the bottom of the 10th. He was the last of five relievers who delivered scoreless outings to set the stage for the rally. Willy Yahn (Connecticut), Justin Yurchak (Binghamton) and David MacKinnon (Hartford) also drove in runs for the Braves. Remarkably, the win was Bourne’s first over Wareham this season.
Falmouth 6, Hyannis 0
There was no sign of upset at Arnie Allen Diamond where Falmouth rolled on and Hyannis dropped its ninth straight game. League ERA leader Jeffrey Passantino (Lipscomb) was as good as ever, striking out seven in six scoreless innings. Three relievers pitched an inning each to finish the shutout. Hyannis managed only three hits. J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) led the Falmouth offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb), Deacon Liput (Florida) and Matt McLaughlin (Kansas) also had two hits apiece, with Gigliotti scoring three runs.
Y-D 4, Orleans 2
The Red Sox played from ahead with two runs in the first inning and never trailed in taking the series lead over Orleans. Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton) scored on an error and Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) had an RBI single in the two-run first inning. Kevin Smith (Maryland) homered in the third – in a battle with Orleans pitcher Kevin Smith – and Joey Thomas (Cincinnati) had an RBI single in the fourth for all the offense Y-D would need. Oliver Jaskie (Michigan) allowed just an unearned run on two hits in 6.2 innings. Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine) earned the save.
What to Watch
Chatham and Bourne get their chance to spring upsets with game twos on their home field. Bourne hosts Wareham at 6, while Chatham gets Harwich at 7.
Notes as the Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs get underway. It’s Harwich vs. Chatham and Y-D vs. Orleans in the East; Falmouth vs. Hyannis and Wareham vs. Bourne in the West.
Falmouth and Harwich were the two teams that missed the playoffs last year. This year, they enter as the top seeds and the two best teams essentially all year long. Falmouth will be looking for its second finals appearance in three years, having come up short against Y-D in 2014. Harwich last made the finals in 2011, when it beat Falmouth.
Can the No. 2 seed be a favorite? Until Y-D packs its bags and heads home, no one else in the league will be able to rest easy. The Red Sox have won two straight league championships and five since 2004. Each of the last two years, they won as the No. 3 seed.
Harwich heads into the playoffs with the league’s best pitching staff. As mentioned here a few days ago, the Mariners were on pace to hit a 15-year low for runs allowed and they did it with room to spare, allowing 103 runs on the season. The previous low was 117.
The Mariners are also home to the league MVP. Infielder Ernie Clement, who hit .353 and stole 19 bases, took top honors in a year in which there wasn’t a shoo-in power-hitting type like usual.
Y-D and Wareham, with three straight wins apiece, are the hottest teams entering the playoffs. Wareham is probably a little hotter overall, with only one loss in its final 10 games. Batting champ Cole Freeman leads the offense.
Brewster had the league’s top offensive attack for much of the season but it’s Orleans that enters the playoffs with the best team batting average. The Firebirds’ Garrett Benge, who was hitting .194 two weeks ago, is the league’s hottest hitter over the last seven days, with an even .500 batting average.
Can Hyannis right the ship? I don’t know if a Cape League team has ever backed into the playoffs as emphatically as Hyannis did. Usually, eight straight losses will hurt a little too much. But the Harbor Hawks had enough of a cushion on Cotuit to stay in the fourth spot despite limping to the finish.
Donovan Casey’s walk-off home run pushed Chatham to the brink of the playoffs.
Quick one today — Chatham still alive, Cotuit out, Harwich clinches East crown.
Chatham 2, Orleans 1
The only way this one could have been more dramatic was if it had clinched a playoff spot outright. As it was, Donovan Casey’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th gave the Anglers a 2-1 win over Orleans and pushed them to the brink of the postseason. Chatham now has a one point lead on Brewster for the final playoff spot, with one game to play. Casey had struck out four times in the game before his game-winning blast. The heroics made a winner out of Moises Ceja (UCLA), who pitched three scoreless innings of relief. Jeremy Vasquez (Florida) and Kyle Adams (Richmond) added three hits each for Chatham.
Y-D 6, Cotuit 1
The Red Sox scored all their runs after the sixth inning and knocked Cotuit out of the playoff race with a 6-1 win. The loss stung a bit more for the Kettleers with results later in the day, as Hyannis lost again, which meant Cotuit would have stayed alive with a win. Ross Achter (Toledo) gave Cotuit six strong innings, allowing one run and leaving with the game tied 1-1. Y-D scored three runs in the seventh – aided by a one-out error that kept the inning alive – with a Joey Thomas (Cincinnati) double plating all three runs. Kevin Smith (Maryland) and Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) knocked in runs in the eighth, and Sean Barry (San Diego) pitched two scoreless innings of relief to seal the win.
Harwich 3, Brewster 2
A run in the top of the 10th sent Harwich to the regular-season division title. The go-ahead run came home on an RBI fielder’s choice by Joe Dunand (NC State), and Nick Brown followed with a one-two-three bottom half of the inning to give the Mariners the victory. Tommy DeJuneas (NC State) and Peter Solomon (Notre Dame) were also strong in relief for Harwich. Nick Dalesandro (Purdue) had two hits. Brewster has lost four in a row and must win and hope for a Chatham loss today to grab a playoff spot.
Falmouth 9, Hyannis 2
The Commodores just keep winning – 8-2 in their last 10 – and will enter the playoffs with the best record in the league. J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) had three hits and Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) had three RBI to lead the big offensive day. Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) added two RBI, while Tyler Lawrence (Murray State) and Tristan Gray (Rice) had one each. Brendan King (Holy Cross) struck out five and allowed two runs in six innings for the win. Seth Elledge (Dallas Baptist) was electric in relief, striking out six of the eight batters he saw in two innings of work. With Cotuit’s loss, Hyannis will make the playoffs, but the Harbor Hawks have dropped seven games in a row.
Wareham 3, Bourne 1
Wareham rallied from an early 1-0 deficit and won for the 11th time in its last 13 games. Recent addition Noah Zavolas (Harvard) – making his second appearance – went 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the win and Jake Matthys (Angelo State) recorded his seventh save. Jonathan Pryor (Wake Forest) scored the tying run on a wild pitch in the fifth. Colton Shaver (BYU) gave Wareham the lead with a two-run single in the sixth. Cole Freeman (LSU) went 1-for-4 and is hitting .374 as he chases the league batting title. Harwich’s Ernie Clement is the next closest at .353.
What to Watch
All eyes on Eldredge Park, where Chatham will try to complete its late playoff surge against Orleans. Andrew Karp (Florida State) and his 3.75 ERA go for Chatham against Orleans’ Chandler Day (Vanderbilt), who has a 3.37 ERA while pitching mostly out of the bullpen.
Eddie Muhl pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief in Monday’s win.
Brewster and Hyannis are on the verge of the playoffs, but they’ve been there for a while now and haven’t been able to take the leap. That’s due to their own struggles and late pushes by the teams behind them.
With a win and a Brewster loss, Chatham moved within one point of the Whitecaps for the final playoff spots in the East. Meanwhile, Cotuit topped Hyannis – the sixth straight loss for the Harbor Hawks – to get within three points of the last spot in the West. With two games remaining for everybody, any of those four teams could still make the postseason.
Chatham knocked off West-leading Falmouth for its key win Monday. Caleb Gilbert (LSU), who hadn’t gone more than four innings in any outing, went seven strong, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out seven. Falmouth used four pitchers as it preps for the playoffs and Chatham did damage against all of them, even ace Brady Puckett (Lipscomb). Jeremy Vasquez (Florida) went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. D.J. Artis (Liberty) continued his late-season surge with three hits, two runs and an RBI. Kyle Adams (Richmond) and Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) drove in one run each.
Chatham improved to 16-25-1. Both of its remaining games are against Orleans. Brewster takes on first-place Harwich in its last two.
In Hyannis, Cotuiti made up ground in the fastest way possible for the second time in the last four games, topping the Harbor Hawks. Hyannis hasn’t won since the day after the All-Star Game.
Jason Bilous (Coastal Carolina), who struggled in his first start July 18, delivered a second consecutive strong performance, going five innings and allowing one run. Eddie Muhl (George Washington) followed with 2.2 scoreless frames and Alec Byrd (Florida State) finished the job for the save.
A two-run single by A.J. Balta (Oregon) powered a three-run third inning that put the Kettleers in control. Balta finished 2-for-5 with three RBI. Ryan Hagan (Mercer) added two hits and two RBI. Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) also had two hits and Jordan Pearce (Nevada) scored two runs.
Despite the six straight losses, Hyannis still has a leg up on the Kettleers and can clinch a playoff spot with a victory. Cotuit needs to win out and have Hyannis lose both of its last two. Hyannis has Falmouth and Y-D to finish up and Cotuit gets Y-D and Wareham.
Bourne 3, Harwich 2
Bourne walked off on Harwich, with David MacKinnon (Hartford) coming around on a wild pitch and a throwing error in the bottom of the ninth. The big finish capped a rally from a 2-0 hole by the Braves, who tied the game in the seventh on a two-run single by Jeremy Eierman (Missouri State). Zach Spangler (Kent State) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) struck out four of the seven batters he faced but was tagged with the loss on the unearned run in the ninth. MacKinnon scored two runs for the Braves. Johnny Adams (Boston College) had an RBI for Harwich. The Mariners remain three points in front of Y-D in the East and can clinch the division title and the top seed with one victory.
Wareham 5, Orleans 4
The Gatemen scored two in the eighth and held off a Firebird rally in the ninth for a 5-4 win. A two-run double by Adrian Tovalin (Azusa Pacific) broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth. Orleans got an RBI fielder’s choice from Brian Miller (North Carolina) in the ninth, but Christian Taugner (Brown) came on and stranded Miller at first to end the game. Dalton Horton (TCU) got the win in relief for the Gatemen. Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Cole Freeman (LSU) had two hits and scored two runs, pushing his average to .378 as he remains in position for the batting title.
Y-D, Brewster 4
A run in the eighth and two in the ninth pushed Y-D past Brewster. Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) scored in the eighth on a dribbler by Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton). In the ninth, Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton) plated the tying run with an RBI double and Toffey gave the Red Sox the lead with a run-scoring base hit. Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine) then worked around a walk and an error in the bottom of the ninth to seal the win for Y-D. J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara) had two hits and scored two runs for the Red Sox. Persinger added two hits. For Brewster, Kekai Rios (Hawaii) had two hits and two runs scored.
What to Watch
The playoff chase continues for Cotuit and Chatham. The Kettleers visit Y-D at 4:30 p.m. Chatham hosts Orleans at 7.
Peter Solomon pitched the first five innings of Wednesday’s no-hitter.
The best pitching staff on the Cape hit its highest note yet Wednesday night – and it may have been just the beginning of a run to history.
Four Harwich pitchers combined on the first no-hitter of the Cape League season in a 10-0 win at Chatham. It was fitting – and not surprising – that the Mariners were the team to do it. They own nine shutouts this season and lead the league in ERA by a wide margin.
The staff is also on a stunning pace. With 83 runs allowed in 38 games, the Mariners are on track to allow just 96 runs in the 44-game season. That would be the fewest allowed by any team since at least 2000, which is as far back as the league’s online records go (and the Cape League online record book for some reason lists the runs allowed mark as a record for the most, rather than the least).
Regardless, you’re looking at one of the best pitching staffs on the Cape in decades. The previous low in runs was 116 by Orleans in 2002, so even if the Mariners fall off their ridiculous pace a bit over the final six games, they’ve got a cushion for beating that number.
And on the road to the potential big finish, the Mariners got their signature moment Wednesday.
Power arm Peter Solomon (Notre Dame) wasn’t at his absolute best – walking five and striking out three – but when he departed after five innings, there was a zero in the hit column for Chatham.
Exactly two weeks before, Solomon had pitched four no-hit innings against Chatham, but the innings came in relief, when the Anglers had already notched two hits.
This time, Chatham remained hitless through the sixth and seventh innings, with Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) righting the ship after a tough outing in the All-Star Game by striking out five in his two innings. Tommy DeJuneas (NC State) walked two in the eighth but didn’t allow a hit. Nick Brown (William & Mary) then struck out two in the ninth and when he got Donovan Casey (Boston College) to ground in to the final out, the Mariners had themselves a combined no-hitter.
It’s the league’s first no-hitter since last June, when the Mariners themselves were shut down by Hyannis’ Devin Smeltzer.
The Mariners also had plenty of offense, with Austin Filiere (MIT) leading the way. Coming in, his average had dipped to .211 but he went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. He’s now tied for the league lead in home runs with seven and is one back of the league lead in RBI.
Pavin Smith (Virginia) added a home run and Nick Dalesandro (Purdue) drove in two runs, but the story of this night – and most nights for Harwich – was the pitching.
With Y-D losing, it led the Mariners back to first place in the East. It authored the league’s top performance of the summer.
And it kept up the pace for a historic season.
Wareham 5, Hyannis 0
The Gatemen won their eighth consecutive game with a 5-0 shutout of Hyannis. Gunner Leger (Louisiana-Lafayette) – who hasn’t pitched as much as some fellow stars but has had kind of an incredible summer – started the shutout with four scoreless innings and six strikeouts. Leger now has a 0.42 ERA and 29 strikeouts against just one walk in 21 innings of work as a starter and reliever. Nick Sprengel (San Diego) finished the shutout with five strong innings. He fanned four. Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) led the Wareham offense with a triple and three RBI. Joey Bartosic (George Washington) added three hits, Nico Giarratano (San Francisco) had two and Cole Freeman (LSU) scored two runs. Wareham is now 21-14-3.
Brewster 3, Bourne 0
The Whitecaps made it three shutouts on the day and gained a bit of breathing room on Chatham for the final playoff spot in the East. The Whitecaps now have a three-point edge. Hunter Martin (Tennessee) set the table for the win with eight shutout innings. He allowed three hits and struck out three while improving to 4-1 on the year. Wyatt Burns (Samford) allowed one hit in the ninth but finished out the win. Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) homered and drove in two for the Whitecaps, while Zack Gahagan (North Carolina) and Julian Infante (Vanderbilt) chipped in two hits each.
Orleans 5, Cotuit 4
Cotuit rallied from 2-0 and 4-2 deficits to force extra innings but Orleans walked off in the bottom of the 11th for a dramatic win. Brian Miller (North Carolina) walked and stole second to create a threat in the 11th and Payton Squier (UNLV) brought him in with a base hit. The heroics made a winner out of Will Stokes (Ole Miss), who had pitched a scoreless top of the 11th. Before that, Brandon Bielak (Notre Dame) went 3.1 scoreless frames. And long before that, Orleans starter Kevin Smith (Georgia) struck out eight in five innings. Cotuit’s Alec Byrd (Florida State) also shined as the game headed to extras, pitching four scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Riley Adams (San Diego) had a huge day to lead the Orleans offense, going 4-for-5 with his first home run of the summer. The standout catcher is on a seven-game hitting streak in which his average has risen from .316 to .372. Squier added two hits. A.J. Balta (Oregon) added two hits for the Kettleers.
Falmouth 8, Y-D 5
If Wareham weren’t on an eight-game streak, the team the Gatemen are chasing in the West would be the league’s hottest. The Commodores won their third straight and their eighth in the last 10 games, improving to a league-best 25-13. Deacon Liput (Florida) hit his second homer of the summer and drove in three runs to pace a solid offensive showing. Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) added two hits and two runs scored, while J.J. Matijevic (Arizona), Joshua Watson (TCU) and Tyler Lawrence (Murray State) drove in one run apiece. Starting pitcher Brendan King (Holy Cross) was touched up for three runs in four innings – the first runs he had allowed since June 24 – but the Falmouth bullpen kept Y-D at bay. Thomas Ponticelli (San Francisco) earned the win in relief and Seth Elledge (Dallas Baptist) picked up the save. Y-D got a home run from Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s), his fourth.
What to Watch
One last league-wide off-day today before a sprint to the finish line. When action resumes Friday, there will be a couple of intriguing games in the West. Cotuit, still not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, gets a chance to make up some ground as it hosts fourth-place Hyannis in the penultimate Barnstable Patriot Cup game. In Falmouth, the first-place Commodores will try to stop second-place Wareham’s eight-game winning streak.
