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Home Run Hitter

Matt Davis hit his league-best seventh home run Saturday.
Matt Davis hit his league-best seventh home run Saturday.

 
Six current Cape Leaguers hit 14 home runs or more for their college teams this spring. Harwich’s Nick Feight (UNC Wilmington) finished tied for second in the nation with 21. Two more had 18, two had 17 and one had 14. Three players took a break from their time on the Cape to head to Omaha for the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby, and Chatham’s Hagen Owenby (East Tennessee State) came back with the crown.

That’s all to say that there is no shortage of sluggers in Cape League uniforms this summer.

But the guy leading the pack isn’t among that group.

Brewster’s Matt Davis (VCU) hit his league-best seventh home run in Saturday’s win over Cotuit. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound infielder — coming off a spring in which he hit six home runs — now has two more blasts than any of his Cape League mates.

A rising senior at VCU who’s been the anchor of the Rams’ offense the last two seasons, Davis is also hitting .314 this summer, leads the league in slugging percentage and ranks second in RBI with 18. He’s been the top performer for the top-performing offensive team on the Cape and has done it all while playing out of position. An infielder at VCU, he’s been slotting in mostly in left field for the Whitecaps.

His homer Saturday was a solo shot in a 5-0 burst for the Whitecaps over the first four innings. Davis finished 2-for-3. Nick Dunn (Maryland), Kel Johnson (Georgia Tech) and Kekai Rios (Hawaii) added hits.

The offense was more than enough for starter Konnor Pilkington (Mississippi State), who struck out five in seven shutout innings. Hanson Butler (North Carolina) and Tyler Zuber (Arkansas State) finished off the win.

 

Falmouth 4, Chatham 2

Falmouth is the hottest team in the league, topping Chatham for its fifth straight win. Brady Singer (Florida) made his second start and delivered another scoreless outing, allowing three hits in five innings after six shutout innings in his debut. Three relievers kept Falmouth in front before Seth Elledge (Dallas Baptist) worked a scoreless ninth for his second save. Singer’s Florida teammate Deacon Liput went 1-for-4 with an RBI in his second Cape game. Ryan Chandler (Rice) also knocked in a run. With the win, Falmouth improved to 15-10 and has a three-point lead on Wareham for first place in the West. Chatham fell to 11-14, which leaves them in a fourth-place tie with Brewster.

Wareham 3, Harwich 3

Wareham played to a tie for the second night in a row after 12 innings failed to yield a winner against Harwich at Whitehouse Field. The Gatemen were likely happier with the tie than the Mariners. Harwich led 3-0 into the eighth inning before Wareham rallied. The Gatemen got an RBI single by Austen Wade (TCU) in the eighth and tied it in the ninth on a Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) RBI triple and a Robert Metz (George Washington) bunt single. Both runs were unearned due to a one-out error. The runs came off Harwich closer Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall), who had yet to blow a save chance. Wareham kept Harwich off the board the rest of the way thanks to four scoreless innings from Jake Matthys (Angelo State). Brad Bass (Notre Dame) and Teddy Rodliff (Notre Dame) were also lights out for Harwich. Both teams left two runners on base in the 11th. Bart and Metz led the Wareham offense with three hits each. Ernie Clement (Virginia) had four hits for Harwich and leads the league with a .394 batting average. Before the Harwich bullpen lost the lead, Packy Naughton (Virginia Tech) went seven shutout innings, striking out four and allowing just two hits.

Y-D 3, Bourne 1

The Red Sox won their fourth straight and handed Bourne its sixth loss in a row. Oliver Jaskie (Michigan) allowed just an unearned run in six innings for the Red Sox, Nathan Kuchta (San Diego) tossed two scoreless frames and Bryan Pall (Michigan) picked up his sixth save, which is tied for the league lead. Pall has saved three games in Y-D’s four-game streak. J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara) paced the offense with two hits, a run scored and an RBI. Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s) had a hit and a run scored and Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) had two hits. Y-D moved to 15-10 while Bourne fell to 11-13-1.

Orleans 7, Hyannis 1

Orleans stopped a four-game losing streak with a home win over Hyannis. Joe Ryan (Cal State Northridge) struck out seven and gave up just two hits in five scoreless innings, his second straight scoreless start. Kevin Smith (Maryland) gave up one run in three innings of relief and Calvin LeBrun (Gonzaga) worked the ninth to finish off the win. Leadoff man Brian Miller (North Carolina) had three hits, an RBI and a run scored, while Will Golsan (Ole Miss) and Zach Kirtley (St. Mary’s) had two hits each. Seven different Firebirds drove in a run. Hyannis got two hits from Cody Henry (Alabama).

 

What to Watch

The top two teams in the West, Falmouth and Wareham, square off a Spillane Field at 7 p.m. Brendan King (Holy Cross), who has pitched as a starter and reliever with a 3.70 ERA, goes for the Commodores against Zachary Pop (Kentucky), who allowed one run in five innings his last time out.
 

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Matching shutouts

Brady Puckett tossed six shutout innings in Falmouth's win.
Brady Puckett tossed six shutout innings in Falmouth’s win.

 
At the Cape League’s annual workout at Fenway Park, hitters are on center stage, taking batting practice and running timed sprints. The pitchers don’t get to do as much.

Back on the Cape, a few pitchers put the spotlight back on themselves.

Led by Brady Puckett (Lipscomb), three Falmouth Commodores one-hit Bourne in a 1-0 win. Charlie Barnes (Clemson) set the stage for a similar result in Hyannis, as he and two teammates shut-out Harwich 1-0.

Puckett delivered another in a string of terrific starts for Falmouth. The 6-foot-8 rising junior right-hander had a great spring at Lipscomb. He allowed three runs in four innings in his first Cape League start but has been lights out since — 23 innings, one earned run, 10 hits. Take away the first start, and his ERA would be 0.39. As it is, it’s still at 1.33.

Friday, Puckett allowed one hit in six shutout innings for the second time in his last three starts. He doesn’t strike out a lot of guys — his five Friday were a season-high — but it’s clearly working. The only hit he allowed was a single.

Relievers Brac Warren (Oregon) and Corbin Martin (Texas A&M) didn’t allow a hit after Puckett departed.

Bourne got strong pitching of its own from A.J. Moore (Kennesaw State) but Falmouth broke through in the seventh on a J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) double and a Joshua Watson (TCU) triple.

Falmouth improved to 14-10 and remained in first place in the West.

As for Hyannis, the Harbor Hawks out-pitched Harwich, no easy task. Barnes came in with a 5.30 ERA thanks to two starts in which he gave up four runs in less than five innings. He had also turned in two strong outings and was even better this time. Barnes allowed three hits and struck out five in five shutout innings.

James Harrington (New Mexico) followed with three perfect innings and Garrett Cave (Florida International) closed the door in the ninth to take over the league lead in saves with six.

Harwich got seven strong innings from Hunter Williams (North Carolina), but just like Falmouth, Hyannis got a run in the seventh to make the difference. An RBI groundout by Cody Henry (Alabama) did the trick.

Hyannis ran its record to 11-13.
 

Y-D 8, Orleans 6

After Tuesday’s games, Yarmouth-Dennis and Orleans were tied for second place in the East. With back-to-back matchups between the teams going to Y-D, the Red Sox now have a four-point edge on the Firebirds for second place. A rally from a 6-5 deficit in the eighth sent the Red Sox to the latest win. Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) had a two-run double to power the rally. Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine) and Bryan Pall (Michigan) pitched a scoreless inning each once Y-D grabbed the lead, with Pall earning his fifth save. The win went to Collin Snider (Vanderbilt), who tossed 2.2 shutout frames after starter Erich Uelmen (Cal Poly) was touched up for six runs – the first runs he had allowed all year. Nolan Brown (TCU) had a home run for the Y-D offense and Corey Dempster (USC) had three hits and two RBI. Orleans got a home run and four RBI from Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) and four hits from Adam Hasely (Virginia).

  • Brewster 2, Chatham 1

    • The Whitecaps snapped a six-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over Chatham. After a string of slugfests, Hunter Martin (Tennessee) gave Brewster a strong start, going six innings and allowing one run. Zac Lowther (Xavier) then rescued the Whitecaps from some trouble in the seventh and went strong to the finish line, going 2.1 hitless innings for the save. Lowther – who has pitched entirely in relief – now leads the league with 28 strikeouts. Brewster got all the offense it needed in the third inning, with Bryce Jordan (LSU) and Nick Dunn (Maryland) coming through with RBI singles. Chatham fell to 11-13, one game ahead of Brewster at 10-14.

    Cotuit 3, Wareham 3

    Wareham took a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth, Cotuit tied it in the bottom half and the teams played one more scoreless frame before darkness set in at Lowell Park. Alex Destino (South Carolina) had an RBI single to give Wareham the lead in the ninth before Quinn Brodey (Stanford) came back with an RBI single in the bottom half. Josh Roberson (UNC Wilmington) followed with a scoreless tenth for the Kettleers and Ryan Wilson (Pepperdine) did the same for Wareham, leaving the winning run at first base. Brodey had two hits to lead Cotuit, while Robert Metz (George Washington) had three for the Gatemen.

     

    What to Watch

    The only reigning CWS champion on a Cape League roster makes his debut as Jason Bilous (Coastal Carolina) starts for Cotuit against Brewster. Bilous had a 4.43 ERA in his freshman campaign and made one start in Omaha.
     

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    Walk-off Welcome

    chatham
     

    He hit .379, earned first-team all-conference honors and helped lead his team to Omaha, so Tanner Gardner (Texas Tech) was already a welcome addition for the Chatham Anglers.

    Then came his debut.

    Gardner made his first appearance on the Cape Wednesday and hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning as Chatham beat Wareham 6-5.

    The Anglers had fallen behind 5-3 in the top of the 11th but put two men on and watched Gardner go to work. I don’t recall a Cape League debut with such an emphatic opening statement. The sophomore outfielder was down 1-2 in the count when he launched the game-winner over the fence in right field.

    The dramatic win improved Chatham’s record to 11-12. With Orleans dropping its third straight, the Anglers are only one game out of third place in the East.

    Gardner finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) – who singled ahead of Gardner’s walk-off – went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Hagen Owenby (East Tennessee State) added two hits and an RBI.

    Connor Moore (Seattle), who stranded two runners on in the top of the 11th, earned the win. Long before the rally, college teammate Nick Meservey went three scoreless innings in his second start of the summer.

    Wareham got four hits from Joey Bart (Georgia Tech), who bumped his average from .276 to .353.

    The loss was costly for the Gatemen, who fell into second place as Falmouth jumped into first.

     

    Falmouth 13, Brewster 8

    Falmouth’s leap into first place came via a slugfest win over sliding Brewster. The Commodores had 14 hits and reached a season-high in runs in improving to 13-10 on the year. Matt McLaughlin (Kansas) hit a grand slam to power the big third inning and finished 2-for-3 with five RBI. Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) went 3-for-3, scored four runs and drove in two. Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) added two hits and two RBI. Brett Gilchrist (Dallas Baptist) nabbed the win in relief of starter Jake Bird (UCLA), who was touched up for four runs in 3.1 innings after a dominant start last time out. Brewster lost for the sixth straight time and fell to 9-14 and last place in the East. The Whitecaps still lead the league in runs scored, but have also allowed the most. Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) had two hits and now leads the league with a .386 average. Zack Gahagan (North Carolina) added two hits and two RBI and Logan Warmoth (North Carolina) hit his fourth home run.

    Y-D 7, Orleans 3

    Y-D scored a key win to move ahead of Orleans for second place in the East. The Red Sox – not too far removed from an 0-5 start to the season – are 13-5 since and are tied with Falmouth for the second-best record in the league. Wednesday, Y-D was out-hit 12-7 but capitalized on miscues and scored five unearned runs. J.J. Schwarz (Florida) hit his first Cape League home run, a three-run shot in the fourth inning that broke the game open. Red-hot Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) saw his four-game hit streak end but picked up an RBI. Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton), Kevin Smith (Maryland) and Corey Dempster (USC) drove in one run each. On the mound, Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina) allowed nine hits in 3.2 innings but limited the damage. William Montgomerie (Connecticut) followed with 4.1 scoreless innings for the win. Orleans, which lost its third straight, got four hits from Riley Mahan (Kentucky).

    Harwich 1, Bourne 0

    It’s hard to win a pitcher’s duel with Harwich, as the Bourne Braves found out. The Mariners got 11 shutout innings from four pitchers – allowing just four hits along the way – and broke through for the lone run of the game in the top of the 11th. Ernie Clement (Virginia) scored on a groundout to shortstop off the bat of Joseph Dunand (NC State). Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) followed with a scoreless bottom of the 11th to finish off the win, picking up where three of his fellow pitchers left off. Making his second start of the summer, power arm Peter Solomon (Notre Dame) allowed one hit in seven innings and struck out six. Notre Dame teammate Brad Bass and LSU’s Austin Bain kept the Braves off the board. Bourne starter Brady Miller (Western Oregon) went six scoreless innings.

    Cotuit 5, Hyannis 1

    The Kettleers won for the fifth time in seven games and notched their first victory over rival Hyannis. Quinn Brodey (Stanford), who came into the game hitting .196, went 3-for-3 with a home run and drove in all five of Cotuit’s runs. Clay Fisher (UC Santa Barbara) added two hits and two runs scored. Rio Gomez (Arizona), who pitched in limited action for CWS runner-up Arizona, made his second appearance for Cotuit and struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced in 3.2 innings. Eddie Muhl (George Washington) got the win in relief and Jared Padgett (Mississippi State) pitched three hitless innings for the save. Hyannis got a home run from Zach Rutherford (Old Dominion), his third of the summer.

    What to Watch

    It’s a league-wide off day Thursday as teams head to Fenway Park for a workout. Friday, there’s plenty of good pitching to choose from, with Brady Puckett (Lipscomb) and his 1.71 ERA going for Falmouth, Erich Uelmen (Cal Poly) looking for his third consecutive scoreless start for Y-D and Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year Tyler Wilson (Rhode Island) making his third start for Harwich.
     

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    New Beginnings

    COT16_vs hya
     
    In the first game of the 2016 Barnstable Patriot Cup series, Hyannis and Cotuit were both mired in 1-7 starts.

    When they meet for the third time tonight, they’ll still be bringing up the rear in the West, but they’ll be feeling better about themselves.

    Hyannis is 10-5 since starting the year 0-7. The Harbor Hawks have quietly emerged as one of the top offenses in the league and are only three points back of third place and five points out of first.

    For Cotuit, things got worse before they got better – the Kettleers were sitting at 1-12 soon after the first rivalry tilt with Hyannis then 2-14, with a string of one-run losses mixed in. Since that point, they’ve won four of their last six while solidifying their pitching and defense.

    And both teams will head into tonight’s game off a victory.

    Hyannis scored all of its runs over the final five innings in a 6-4 win over West-leading Wareham, its second straight victory. Zach Rutherford (Old Dominion), Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee) and Peter Zyla (Duke) each doubled to lead the offensive attack. Cody Henry (Alabama) added two RBI.

    Held to 13 runs in its 0-7 start, the Harbor Hawk offense has turned the page emphatically. The Harbor Hawks now lead the league in doubles and extra-base hits and rank second in home runs to Brewster.

    Tuesday, the pitching was on target, as well. After a solid start from Mac Sceroler (SE Louisiana), two relievers shut down Wareham in the midst of the late surge by the Hyannis offense. Al Pesto (Duke) earned the win with 1.1 scoreless innings and Tyler Stevens (New Mexico) picked up the save.

    In Chatham, Cotuit raced to a 7-0 lead in the middle innings and eased past Chatham to improve to 6-16.

    A.J. Balta (Oregon), who was hitting .185 two games ago, went 4-for-5 with three RBI and is now hitting .257. Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) – looking solid in the leadoff spot the last few games – added three hits. Patrick Dorrian (Herkimer) and Clay Fisher (UC Santa Barbara) drove in runs.

    On the mound, the Kettleers continued to succeed with a committee approach. Starter Justin Hooper (UCLA) went 3.1 scoreless innings and Taylor Lehman (Penn State) picked up the win with 2.2 innings of relief. Two more bullpen arms closed the deal, with Alec Byrd (Florida State) striking out the side in the ninth to finish the victory.

     

    Harwich 4, Bourne 2

    Orleans was within a game of first-place Harwich a few days ago, but that may be as close as anybody gets for a while. The Mariners won their third straight and again have a three-game cushion at the top. B.J. Myers (West Virginia) delivered his fourth quality start of the summer, though he missed out on what would have been a league-best fourth straight win when he departed with the game tied 2-2. Joseph Dunand (NC State) hit a two-run homer in the eighth to put the Mariners on top, and Teddy Rodliff (Stony Brook) closed out the victory with two scoreless innings of relief. Myers has a 0.95 ERA and has gone at least seven innings in all of his starts. Dunand drove in three of Harwich’s four runs, with Ernie Clement (Virginia) plating the other. Pavin Smith (Virginia) had two hits and two runs scored. Connor Wong (Houston) had two hits for Bourne, which lost its third straight.

    Y-D 8, Brewster 6

    The Red Sox gave up three runs in the top of the first inning but that was only the beginning of a slugfest that they eventually won. Y-D moved to 12-10 and is tied with Orleans for second place in the East. Brewster, losers of five straight, fell to 9-13. Y-D scored two runs in the eighth to break a 6-6 tie. Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) went 4-for-5 with an RBI to pace the Y-D attack, while Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s) and Matthew Whatley (Oral Roberts) had two hits and two RBI each. Kevin Smith (Maryland) added two hits and two runs scored, and 10 different Red Sox players had at least one hit. Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine) earned the win with 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen and Bryan Pall (Michigan) grabbed his fourth save. Colby Fitch (Louisville) and Zack Gahagan (North Carolina) homered for Brewster.

    Falmouth 6, Orleans 3

    The Commodores won their second straight and moved within a game of first place in the West. Four runs in the sixth inning were the difference, and three of them came in on one swing. Tristan Gray’s (Rice) three-run homer made it a 5-3 game, and Matt McLaughlin (Kansas) added an RBI single to cap the big inning. Justin Hoyt (Jacksonville State) and Brac Warren (Oregon) had scoreless relief outings in the late innings and Stephen Villines (Kansas) tallied his third save. Joshua Watson (TCU) added an RBI for Falmouth and Tyler Lawrence (Murray State) had three hits.

     

    What to Watch

    Alex Eubanks (Clemson), who has tossed six scoreless innings in each of his last two starts, gets the ball for Hyannis in its rivalry matchup with Cotuit, whose starter is TBD. The game is set for 5 p.m. in Cotuit.
     

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    Back in Town

    J.J. Matijevic, pictured last summer, had a two-run homer in his 2016 Cape debut.
    J.J. Matijevic, pictured last summer, had a two-run homer in his 2016 Cape debut.

     
    J.J. Matijevic came back to the Cape with a bang.

    An all-star last summer and probably the top returning player currently on a Cape League roster, Matijevic (Arizona) made his season debut on the Fourth of July and smacked a two-run homer that sent Falmouth to a 2-0 win over Cotuit.

    Matijevic finished third in the league in hitting last summer, batting .333 with four home runs. He hit .287 with four homers this spring and was a key part of Arizona’s runner-up finish in the College World Series.

    He wasted little time returning to Falmouth after Thursday’s final game in the CWS championship series. Monday, he was in the starting lineup for the Commodores, batting second and playing first base.

    His homer in the fifth inning – after a Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) walk – was all the offense Falmouth needed. Jeffrey Passantino (Lipscomb) allowed just two hits and fanned seven in seven shutout innings. Seth Elledge (Dallas Baptist) and Corbin Martin (Texas A&M) finished the shutout with a scoreless inning each.

    Tristan Gray (Rice) added two hits for the Commodores and Joshua Watson (TCU) – another late arrival from Omaha – also had two.

    Falmouth and Cotuit split their holiday series, with the Commodores improving to 11-10 after Monday’s win.

     

    Wareham 2, Bourne 1

    A holiday sweep of Bourne has Wareham alone in first place in the West. The Gatemen rode strong pitching and an opportunistic offense to their third consecutive victory and their second in a row over the Braves. Zachary Pop (Kentucky) gave up one run in five innings in his second start of the summer and Gunner Leger (Louisiana-Lafayette) was again dominant in relief. Leger, who has made two starts and two relief appearances, has given up three hits in 11 innings with 15 strikeouts this season. Monday, he surrendered one hit in three scoreless innings and struck out four. Casey Mize (Auburn) followed Leger and pitched the ninth for the save. Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-3 to lead the offense and his RBI single in the second – following an error – staked Wareham to a 1-0 lead. In the fifth, Bart scored what proved to be the winning run on a passed ball, making both of Wareham’s runs unearned. That made for a hard-luck loss for Tony Dibrell (Kennesaw State) who struck out eight and six innings and now leads the league in strikeouts.

    Harwich 11, Brewster 7

    For the first time all season, an opponent scored more than five runs against Harwich – and the Mariners won anyway. They racked up 20 hits – which might be a league-season high – and broke a 7-7 tie with a grand slam in the top of the eighth for a slugfest win over Brewster. Nick Feight (UNC Wilmington), back after a stint at Team USA trials, came through with the grand slam after a single and two walks loaded the bases. It was Feight’s first homer of the summer. Austin Filiere (MIT) also homered and drove in two, Antoine Duplantis (LSU) had two hits and two RBI and Anthony Critelli (Holy Cross) went 4-for-4 and scored two runs. Johnny Adams (Boston College) and Joseph Dunand (NC State) had three hits each. Harwich raised its team batting average from .246 to .260. Brewster had plenty of offense of its own, with Bryce Jordan (LSU) going 4-for-4 with two RBI, Matt Davis (VCU) getting three hits and Logan Warmoth (North Carolina) driving in three runs. It was the fourth straight loss for Brewster.

    Chatham 6, Orleans 3

    The longest win streak in the league met its end at Veterans Field as Chatham topped Orleans 6-3. The Anglers took a lead in the fifth, added to it in the seventh and held off a push by Orleans. Lincoln Henzman (Louisville) struck out eight and allowed just an unearned run in 5.2 innings for the win. Austin Magestro (UNC Wilmington) notched a four-out save. Stuart Fairchild (Wake Forest) and Jordan Romero (LSU) led the Anglers at the plate with two hits and an RBI apiece. Chase Pinder (Clemson), Sean Bouchard (UCLA) and Patrick Mathis (Texas) drove in one run each. Orleans – which had won five in a row – got a home run from Drew Lugbauer (Michigan) but only six hits on the day.

    Hyannis 8, Y-D 5

    The second-longest win streak in the league also came to an end as Hyannis stopped Y-D’s four-game heater. The Harbor Hawks broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth on a Chris Hudgins (Cal State Fullerton) RBI double and a two-run single by Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee). Garrett Cave (Florida International) ran with the lead, striking out two in a scoreless ninth for the save. That made a winner out of James Harrington (New Mexico), who tossed three perfect innings of relief. Hudgins was one of four Harbor Hawks with a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4. Cody Henry (Alabama) went 3-for-3, Dylan Busby (Florida State) went 2-for-2 with two RBI and Trey Truitt (Mercer) went 2-for-5. Y-D got two hits and two RBI from J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara).

     

    What to Watch

    The best pitching staff in the league will try something a little different in the rotation as dominant reliever Austin Bain (LSU) makes his first start when Harwich hosts Bourne. Bain has 12 strikeouts in seven scoreless relief innings this summer.
     

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    Staying for the Summer

    Connor Simmons picked up the win in Saturday's game.
    Connor Simmons picked up the win in Saturday’s game.

     
    Humming since opening day, the Cape League’s busy transactions page will slow down now. Sunday was the deadline for signing players on temporary contracts to full contracts, the biggest step in solidifying rosters for the rest of the summer. Some changes will still pop up, but the merry-go-round of the early part of the season is over.

    Cotuit was among the busiest teams yesterday, signing 10 temps to full contracts. Then the Kettleers went out and celebrated.

    Four players hit home runs and six pitchers held on to the lead as the Kettleers beat Falmouth 9-4 at Lowell Park.

    Clay Fisher (UC Santa Barbara), a late arrival after the Gauchos’ trip to Omaha, had about as good a Cape League debut as you could draw up, going 3-for-4 with a grand slam. The slam came in the fourth inning and made it an 8-0 lead.

    Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) and A.J. Balta (Oregon) added their first home runs of the summer and Cory Voss (New Mexico) hit his second. Jackson Klein (Stanford), Cal Stevenson (Arizona) and Alonzo Jones (Vanderbilt) added hits to the big offensive day.

    On the mound, one of those freshly signed temps, Ross Achter (Toledo) started and allowed one run in three innings. Another one, Connor Simmons (Georgia Southern) went 3.2 scoreless innings and was credited with the win.

    The victory was the third in four games for the Kettleers, who are 5-15 and making up a bit of ground in the West. They’re three games back of fourth-place Hyannis.

     

    Wareham 5, Bourne 2

    The Gatemen topped Bourne and moved into a first-place tie with the Braves in the West. Adrian Tovalin (Azusa Pacific) homered, while Alex Destino (South Carolina), Colton Shaver (BYU) and Luke Bonfield (Arkansas) drove in one run each. Brett Conine (Cal State Fullerton) allowed two runs in four innings ahead of a dominant effort by the Gatemen bullpen. Robert Garcia (UC Davis) and and Jake Matthys (Angelo State) combined for five scoreless innings of relief. Wareham has now won two straight.

    Orleans 5, Chatham 0

    The Firebirds pushed their win streak to five with a shutout of Chatham and now own the second-best record in the league. Making his fourth start, Jason Morgan (North Carolina) delivered his best start with five two-hit innings and six strikeouts. Kevin Smith (Georgia), Chandler Day (Vanderbilt) and Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) finished off the shutout. At the plate, the top of the Orleans order led the charge. Leadoff man Brian Miller (North Carolina) went 2-for-5 with two RBI. No. 2 hitter Zach Kirtley (St. Mary’s) homered and also drove in two runs. Justin Jones (Georgia State) went 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs.

    Harwich 2, Brewster 1

    With Orleans winning, Harwich could have lost its grip on first place in the East but remained a game ahead of the Firebirds thanks to a typical pitching performance. Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall) came up with his fourth quality start in as many tries, allowing one run on six hits in six innings. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. Reliever Austin Bain (LSU) struck out five of the eight batters he faced in two scoreless frames and Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) tossed a scoreless ninth for his fifth save as the Mariners hung on to the one-run edge. Brewster starter Kade McClure (Louisville) was strong in his own right, striking out nine in seven innings, but after carrying a shutout into the seventh, he gave up a two-run homer to Johnny Adams (Boston College) that proved to be the difference.

    Y-D 8, Hyannis 7

    One team had a player with two home runs and six RBI – and lost. Hyannis’ Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee) hit a grand slam in the third inning and a two-run homer in the fifth, but Y-D won a slugfest 8-7 on a ninth-inning walk-off squeeze bunt by Nolan Brown (TCU) to score J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara). Y-D had also rallied from a 7-5 hole with two runs in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) and a balk that allowed a run to score. Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) homered and drove in two runs for the Red Sox and Tyler Houston (Butler) also had two RBI. Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton) went 4-for-5 in the leadoff spot. For Hyannis, Ford Proctor (Rice) chipped in two hits and Brett Netzer (Charlotte) homered.

    What to Watch

    Fourth of July Baseball from Wareham to Chatham tonight. At Spillane Field, it’ll be a battle for first place between the Gatemen and the Braves.
     

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    Catching Fire

    Brian Miller had three hits as Orleans won its fourth straight game.
    Brian Miller had three hits as Orleans won its fourth straight game.

     
    All of a sudden, the best team in the league since day one has somebody hot on its tail.

    Harwich lost 4-2 to Chatham for its third straight defeat last night. In the meantime, Orleans shut out Hyannis 4-0 for its fourth straight win. The Firebirds are now just a game back of the Mariners for first place in the East.

    Orleans was 7-8 when its win streak began, and the streak has followed a pretty classic good baseball formula – three runs or fewer allowed in each game, at least nine hits and only two errors total across the four-game stretch.

    The pitching was at its best in Saturday’s win. Joe Ryan (Cal State Northridge), who has allowed a run or less in each of his four starts, went five strong innings, giving up four hits and striking out three. The bullpen then held up its end of the bargain in dominant fashion. Eli Morgan (Gonzaga), Zach Willeman (Kent State) and Zach Logue (Kentucky) didn’t surrender a hit in teaming up for the final four innings.

    At the plate, Keegan McGovern (Georgia) hit his second home run in the win streak, a pinch-hit solo shot in the eighth. Brian Miller (North Carolina) drove in the other three runs for the Firebirds with a 2-for-5 night. Riley Adams (San Diego), Justin Jones (Georgia State) and Will Golsan (Ole Miss) scored a run apiece.

    Success on the mound and at the plate in the win streak has put Orleans in third place in both team ERA and team batting average – making them the most balanced team in the league by that measure. A few more wins, and the Firebirds could become the best in the league by another measure.

     

    Y-D 3, Falmouth 1

    The Red Sox aren’t far behind Orleans for label of hottest team in the league. They topped Falmouth for their third straight win Saturday, rallying from a 1-0 deficit with a run in the seventh and two in the ninth despite finishing with only four hits. Mikey Diekroeger (Stanford) knocked an RBI single to tie the game in the seventh. In the ninth, Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) delivered an RBI double to plate the go-ahead run. Matthew Whatley’s (Oral Roberts) sacrifice fly made it 3-1, and Bryan Pall (Michigan) pitched the bottom of the ninth for his third save. Cal State Fullerton standout Connor Seabold earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief in his Cape League debut. Diekroeger and Toffey had two hits each, the only hits for the Red Sox. Y-D is 10-9, over .500 for the first time this season. Falmouth got a home run from Trevor Larnach (Oregon State) and six innings of one-hit, shutout ball from Florida freshman standout Brady Singer before the Red Sox rallied.

    Chatham 4, Harwich 2

    Losers of four straight, Chatham knocked off first-place Harwich with runs in the seventh and eighth innings to break a 2-2 tie. Stuart Fairchild’s (Wake Forest) third hit of the night plated the go-ahead run in the seventh. Patrick Mathis (Texas) hit his second home run of the summer in the eighth for a little insurance, and Moises Ceja (UCLA) tossed a scoreless ninth for his third save. That made a winner out of Isaac Mattson (Pittsburgh), who struck out five of the 10 batters he faced in 2.2 scoreless frames. Starter Tanner Chock (Presbyterian) also pitched well, allowing two runs in 5.1 innings. Chase Pinder (Clemson) had three hits and an RBI for the Anglers and Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) also knocked in a run. For Harwich, Packy Naughton (Virginia Tech) struck out five in 4.2 innings and leads the league in Ks with 26. Austin Filiere (MIT) had two hits and two RBI.

    Bourne 2, Brewster 1

    Bourne stopped a two-game slide and remained in first place in the West with a win over Brewster. An RBI single by Jake Mangum (Mississippi State) plated the go-ahead run in the seventh. Mangum, the SEC batting champ, finished 3-for-4, raising his average to .392. Connor Wong (Houston) and David MacKinnon (Hartford) added two hits each. Patrick Raby (Vanderbilt) allowed one run in five innings and left with the game tied. Doug Norman (LSU) earned the win in relief and Andrew Wantz (UNC Greensboro) picked up his third save with his fourth consecutive scoreless outing. Brewster got seven strong innings from Konnor Pilkington (Mississippi State), who took the hard-luck loss. Nick Dunn (Maryland) had two hits.

    Wareham 3, Cotuit 2

    Friday, Cotuit won a one-run game for the first time in seven tries. Saturday, Wareham returned the favor, dropping the Kettleers to 1-7 in one-run games with a 3-2 victory at Spillane Field. Three runs in the third inning were all the Gatemen needed as three pitchers combined on a solid showing. Ethan Small (Mississippi State) went four scoreless innings for the win and Ryan Wilson (Pepperdine) escaped trouble in the eighth and tossed a perfect ninth to finish off the win. Colton Shaver (BYU) upped his league-best RBI total to 20 and Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest) also drove in a run. For Cotuit, Colton Hock (Stanford) allowed two earned runs in six innings. Jason Delay (Vanderbilt) homered and Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) had two hits.

    What to Watch

    Today brings the openers in the two-game home-and-home holiday sets. As has been the case throughout the year, Harwich and Brewster looks an intriguing match-up. Two-time Cape League Pitcher of the Week Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall) gets the ball for the Mariners today against Brewster’s high-powered offense.

     

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    Y-D Charge

    Tyler Houston and Y-D vaulted into a third-place tie in the East with Friday's win.
    Tyler Houston and Y-D vaulted into a third-place tie in the East with Friday’s win.

     
    J.J. Schwarz (Florida) singled in his long-awaited Cape League debut and that was just the start of a good night for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in Harwich. Three pitchers combined on a one-hit shutout as the Red Sox topped first-place Harwich 3-0 and vaulted into a tie for third place in the East.

    Schwarz has been a big name in college baseball and prospecting circles since he burst onto the scene as a freshman at Florida last year by hitting .332 with 18 home runs. He didn’t have quite as much success this year but remains near the top of every early 2017 draft preview you’ll see.

    Last summer Schwarz was on Y-D’s roster but ended up with Team USA. This year, after Florida’s loss in Omaha, he’s in town and immediately becomes a must-see attraction for scouts. Friday, he singled to lead off the second inning in his first Cape League at-bat and finished 1-for-3.

    The bigger story for the Red Sox in terms of impact on Friday’s game was the pitching. Erich Uelmen (Cal Poly) allowed one hit in six shutout innings and struck out four. Coming off a spring in which he had a 3.68 ERA, Uelmen has delivered two scoreless outings in his two Cape starts, having gone five shutout innings his last time out.

    Nathan Kuchta (San Diego) followed Uelmen to the hill and pitched a quick seventh inning. Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine) then notched his first save in emphatic fashion, striking out five of the six batters he faced in two perfect innings.

    Harwich, as usual, had good pitching of its own, but a Y-D run in the fifth and two in the sixth provided the difference against starter Hunter Williams (North Carolina). Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s) reached on an error and came around on a passed ball in the fifth. Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton) doubled and Kevin Smith (Maryland) had an RBI to key the sixth inning rally.

    Y-D has won two in a row and is 9-9 on the year, hitting the .500 mark for the first time. The Red Sox started the season with five straight losses.

     

    Falmouth 5, Bourne 1

    Falmouth topped Bourne for its second straight win and moved within one point of the Braves for first place in the West. Willie Burger (Penn State) homered and had two RBI to lead the Commodore offense. Trevor Larnach (Oregon State) and Bryce Johnson (Sam Houston State) added two hits each. Brady Puckett (Lipscomb) surrendered one run in five innings for his third win of the season and his third consecutive start allowing one run or less. Three relievers combined for four scoreless frames. Bourne got two hits from Mississippi State teammates Jake Mangum and Elih Marrero. Falmouth was without leadoff man and top hitter Kevin Merrell (South Florida), who is apparently injured and has been released, according to the league’s transactions page.

    Hyannis 10, Chatham 0

    The Harbor Hawks jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first inning and cruised past Chatham at Veterans Field. Zach Rutherford (Old Dominion), Carl Stajduhar (New Mexico) and Brett Netzer (Charlotte) led the early burst. Rutherford would finish 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI, while Netzer drove in three. Chris Hudgins (Cal State Fullerton) and Kameron Esthay (Baylor) also homered. Eight different Harbor Hawks had hits and six of those hits went for extra bases. Much of the offense came against Chatham’s Jacob Stevens (Boston College), who had tossed five shutout innings in his previous start. Alex Eubanks (Clemson) was the beneficiary of the offense and tossed six shutout innings for a second consecutive start. Tyler Stevens (New Mexico) and Garrett Cave (Florida International) finished off the win.

    Orleans 7, Brewster 2

    The Firebirds broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the sixth and tacked on two more in each of the seventh and eighth innings to pull away. The win allowed Orleans to take over second place in the East at 10-8, as Brewster fell to 9-9. Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) and Drew Lugbauer (Michigan) had two hits and two RBI apiece. Riley Mahan (Kentucky) added two hits and Justin Jones (Georgia State) scored three runs. John O’Reilly (Rutgers) picked up the win in relief and three of his bullpen mates combined for three scoreless innings to finish it off. For Brewster, Matt Davis (VCU), Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) and Ryan Gridley (Mississippi State) all had two hits. Davis hit his league-best sixth home run. Rooker is now hitting .400.

    Cotuit 7, Wareham 6

    Cotuit got on its first win streak of the season, beating Wareham for a second consecutive victory. Jackson Klein (Stanford) went 4-for-5 with three RBI and homered for the second straight game. Recent arrival Jason Delay (Vanderbilt) – a former Orleans Firebird who was picked in the 11th round of last month’s draft by the Giants – went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Cal Stevenson (Arizona) and Patrick Dorrian (Herkimer) added two hits each, with Dorrian hitting his first home run of the summer. Taylor Lehman (Penn State) was credited the win in relief after surrendering one run in 3.1 innings. Wareham rallied within a run in the ninth on a three-run homer by Colton Shaver (BYU) – his fifth of the year – but Alec Byrd (Florida State) struck out Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest) to end the game.

    What to Watch

    Falmouth and Y-D will both try to make it three wins in a row when they square off in Falmouth at 6 p.m. Oliver Jaskie (Michigan) makes his first start for Y-D. For Falmouth, Florida’s Brady Singer – the highest unsigned high school pick in the 2015 draft (second round by the Blue Jays) – will make his Cape League debut.
     

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    High Score

    Nick Dunn of Maryland is hitting .381 for the Whitecaps.
    Nick Dunn of Maryland is hitting .381 for the Whitecaps.

     
    For a while there, the Brewster Whitecaps’ league lead in runs scored could be explained by the 11 and 14 runs they tallied in their second and third games. That’s a nice head start.

    Now, with the season about to hit the three-week mark, the Whitecaps still lead the league in scoring – and you can’t just point to the head start anymore.

    Their lead has grown.

    After a 13-10 slugfest win over Hyannis Wednesday, the Whitecaps have scored 111 runs, 38 more than the next closest team. They’re averaging 6.5 runs per game and are on pace to score 287 runs this season. That’s more than a powerful Orleans team scored last year (219), more than slugging Harwich racked up in 2014 (234), more than a power-hitting Falmouth team tallied in 2013 (254), and more even than Y-D scored in the juiced-ball 2012 season (278).

    It will be a tough pace to maintain, but the Whitecaps are showing no signs of slowing down.

    In Wednesday’s game, every starter had at least one hit and one run, and the lead was 10-2 before the game was three innings old.

    Ryan Noda (Cincinnati) homered for the second straight game and has matched teammate Matt Davis (VCU) for the league lead with five. Noda is also tied for the league lead in RBI with 15.

    Logan Warmoth (North Carolina) homered, as well, giving the Whitecaps 17 long balls in their 17 games. That leads the league, too.

    Warmoth finished 2-for-4 with three RBI. His running mate at the top of the order, Nick Dunn (Maryland), also went 2-for-4 with three RBI, as did No. 9 hitter Beau Jordan (LSU). Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) had a hit and two RBI, while running his hit streak to 10 games. Last year’s NECBL MVP, Rooker is batting .391.

    All the offense ended up being enough to get past Hyannis, which had its own big day with the bats. Brewster’s Zac Lowther (Xavier) had the best showing on the mound and earned the win in relief. The Whitecaps moved to 9-8 on the year.

     

    Falmouth 4, Wareham 0

    Jake Bird (UCLA) and three relievers combined on a shutout as Falmouth topped Wareham. It was the second six-inning, no-run outing of the summer for Bird, who was coming off an up-and-down spring with the Bruins. Bird struck out four and allowed four hits this time. Tyler Jones (Wichita State), Brett Gilchrist (Dallas Baptist) and Stephen Villines (Kansas) pitched one inning each in finishing off the shutout. Trevor Larnach (Oregon State), Tristan Gray (Rice) and Tyler Lawrence (Murray State) drove in one run each to lead the Commodores at the plate, while Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) had two hits to run his average up to .318. Coming off two strong springs at Lipscomb, Gigliotti has started every game for the Commodores and has gotten a hit in all but two of them.

    Orleans 4, Harwich 1

    Orleans rallied from an early 1-0 deficit for a victory over first-place Harwich. Now at 9-8, the Firebirds are tied for second place in the East with Brewster. Riley Adams (San Diego) went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Zach Kirtley (St. Mary’s) drove in two for the Firebirds, who managed three runs off Harwich starter Tyler Wilson (Rhode Island). Armed with the lead, Orleans used six pitchers to finish the job, and the five who came out of the bullpen didn’t allow a run. Chandler Day (Vanderbilt), a highly touted freshman, struck out the side in his one frame. Kit Scheetz (Virginia Tech) a recent arrival who’s back from last year, struck out two in the ninth for a save. For Harwich, Ernie Clement (Virginia) went 2-for-4 and is hitting .424, tied for the league lead.

    Cotuit 8, Chatham 2

    Cotuit picked up its third win of the year thanks to a big inning and solid outings by five pitchers. Alonzo Jones (Vanderbilt) tripled with the bases loaded to key a five-run fifth inning and Patrick Dorrian (Herkimer) had an RBI single. Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) finished with two hits and three runs scored, while Jackson Klein (Stanford) homered and drove in two runs. On the mound, the Kettleers didn’t have a pitcher go more than three innings, but cobbled it together and shut down Chatham for the final five innings. J. Connor Simmons (Georgia Southern) was credited with the win. Alec Byrd (Florida State) led the way with three scoreless innings of relief. For Chatham, Jake Palomaki (Boston College) had two hits and an RBI.

    Y-D 4, Bourne 1

    One of the first three pitchers to make four Cape starts, Will Gaddis (Furman) continues to make them count. Gaddis, who struck out 92 this spring in his sophomore season, tossed eight shutout innings as Y-D beat West-leading Bourne. Gaddis struck out six, walked one and allowed only three hits. He has a 1.37 ERA and leads the league with 24 strikeouts. Wednesday, he was staked to a lead as Y-D scored a run in the second and two in the third. Tyler Houston (Butler) led the charge with three hits and an RBI. Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s) went 2-for-3 with two RBI and late arrival J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara) had two hits in his Cape debut. For Bourne, Justin Yurchak (Binghamton) pushed his hitting streak to seven and is tied with Clement for the league lead in hitting.

    What to Watch

    Off-day around the league Thursday. When the holiday weekend begins Friday, Brewster will visit Orleans in a battle for second place in the East.
     

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    Close Calls

    Willy Yahn scored a run as Bourne edged Cotuit.
    Willy Yahn scored a run as Bourne edged Cotuit.

     
    The best team batting average and second-best on-base percentage in the league have helped the Bourne Braves race to the top of the West with a 10-5-1 record. Their knack for winning close games has helped, too.

    With a 5-4 win over Cotuit Tuesday, the Braves went to 6-1-1 in games decided by two runs or less. That means half the team’s games have been close, and the Braves have won all but one of them.

    There have been late heroics, like a walk-off on opening night and a victory in 10 innings the next night. There have also been games like Tuesday, where the bullpen finishes strong and holds up an early lead.

    The Braves jumped on Cotuit with five runs in the top of the first inning. They wouldn’t score again and Cotuit got within a run, but the last three pitchers to take the mound pitched a hitless inning each to preserve the slim lead.

    The first run of the game came home on a wild pitch. David MacKinnon (Hartford) then knocked a two-run single, Evan Mendoza (NC State) plated a run with a base hit and MacKinnon raced in on a passed ball. Just like that, it was 5-0.

    Bourne starter Tony Dibrell (Kennesaw State) – making his first appearance since hooking on with the Braves after being released by Chatham – allowed one run in four innings before the Kettleers scored two in the fifth. Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) had a pair of RBI to lead the comeback effort.

    Reliever Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) gave up one run in 1.2 innings before giving way to the big finish. Sean Leland (Louisville), Ronnie Rossomando (Connecticut) and Andrew Wantz (UNC Greensboro) combined for three near-perfect innings. The only base runner reached on a walk and was later erased on a double play. Wantz earned his second save and struck out two in the ninth, giving him 15 Ks in 10.1 innings.

    With the win, the Braves have a one-game lead on Wareham for first place in the West. Bourne has won three in a row.
     

    Wareham 1, Chatham 0

    The Gatemen kept pace with Bourne thanks to a shutout of Chatham. Jeff Bain (California) went four innings to start the scoreless string. Nick Sprengel (San Diego) then delivered the most dominant stint, striking out seven in three perfect innings of relief on his way to earning the win. Ryan Selmer (Maryland) and Christian Taugner (Brown) tossed one inning each to finish off the shutout. Four Chatham pitchers were almost as good, with starter Andrew Karp (Florida State) striking out five in four innings to lead the way. But Wareham’s one run in the sixth inning was enough. Harrison Wenson (Michigan) led off the inning with a double. With two outs, Cole Freeman (LSU) brought him home with a base hit for the only run the Gatemen would need. Wareham improved to 9-6-1 while Chatham is one of three East teams sitting at 8-8.

    Harwich 5, Brewster 1

    B.J. Myers (West Virginia) picked up his league-best third win by shutting down the Cape’s highest scoring offense as Harwich topped Brewster. Myers struck out six and scattered five hits in seven shutout innings. He’s now 3-0 with a 0.42 ERA and has gone at least seven innings in each of his three starts. The only run he’s allowed was in his first start. Nick Brown (William & Mary) and Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) finished off the win for the Mariners. Pavin Smith (Virginia) went 3-for-4 with a run scored to lead the Harwich offense, and Cal Raleigh (Florida State) had two RBI. Harwich improved to a league-best 12-4. Brewster got a home run from Ryan Noda (Cincinnati) – his fourth – plus two hits by Nick Dunn (Maryland). Tyler Zuber (Arkansas State) pitched six solid innings of relief for the Whitecaps and struck out six, putting him into a tie for the league lead with 21 Ks.

    Hyannis 6, Falmouth 3

    The Harbor Hawks handled Falmouth for their seventh win in nine games since their 0-7 start. Andrew Gonzalez (Michigan State) got the start and was hit for three runs in 4.1 innings, but five Hyannis relievers teamed up for a dominant showing, allowing only two hits over the final 4.2 innings. Matthew Naylor (North Florida) was credited with the win and Tyler Stevens (New Mexico) picked up the save. The bullpen efforts set the stage for a rally and the Harbor Hawk offense obliged with three runs in the third and three more in the fifth. A two-run home run by Cody Henry (Alabama) was the biggest blow. Zach Rutherford (Old Dominion) added three hits and an RBI, with Brett Netzer (Charlotte) and Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee) also driving in runs. For Falmouth, Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) had three hits.

    Orleans 5, Y-D 3

    The Firebirds snapped a four-game slide with a victory over Y-D. Kirk McCarty (Southern Mississippi) struck out seven and allowed two runs in 5.1 innings for the win. Brandon Bielak (Notre Dame) earned the save. Keegan McGovern (Georgia) homered and drove in two to pace the offensive attack for Orleans, while Brian Miller (North Carolina) and Riley Mahan (Kentucky) drove in one run each. Justin Jones (Georgia State) scored a pair of runs. Orleans went to 8-8. Kevin Smith (Maryland) had three hits for Y-D, which dropped to 7-9.

    What to Watch

    Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year Tyler Wilson (Rhode Island) makes his second start of the summer when Harwich visits Orleans.