RIGHT FIELD FOG

It was strength vs. strength at Lowell Park on Friday night. 

Chatham pitchers have struck out more batters than any other team. Cotuit hitters have been the toughest to strike out in the league. 

The hitters won this battle. Cotuit pulled away with a five-run fifth inning and held on for a 7-6 win. 

Chatham averages about 11 strikeouts per game. In total, Angler pitchers have punched out 19 more batters than any other staff in the Cape League. 

Cotuit hitters have struck out 168 times, by far the best mark in the league. The worst number in the league is 233, which, interestingly enough, also held by Chatham. 

On Friday night, Cotuit struck out five times, well below what the Anglers normally get. When the Kettleers were instead putting the ball in play, it was working. They pounded out 13 hits. Though only one went for extra bases, the station-to-station approach worked fine. 

Jace Grady (Dallas Baptist) and Drew Compton (Georgia Tech) had three hits each, with Compton adding two RBI. Eric Brown (Coastal Carolina) stole a base and scored two runs. 

Will Jacobsen (Harvard) allowed three earned runs in 4.2 innings as Cotuit’s starter. Harrison Cohen (George Washington) pitched the final 3.2 innings, allowing two runs and striking out five. 

The loss ends a two-game win streak for Chatham, which drops to 8-11-13. Cotuit improves to 11-9. 

Harwich 15, Hyannis 12

Harwich scored eight runs in the first inning but still had to hold on for dear life down the stretch in a wild slugesft win over Hyannis. The Mariners had 17 hits, seven of which came in the big first inning. Chris Newell (Virginia) had himself an inning, smacking an RBI triple and a two-run double just in the first inning. He finished 3-for-6 with three RBI. Jordan Beck went 4-for-5 with three RBI. Brock Wilken (Wake Forest) had three hits and took over the league lead in RBI with 18. Brendan Tinsman (Wake Forest) had two RBI and scored three runs. Hyannis made quite a comeback just to make it interesting, given the first-inning deficit. Clark Elliott (Michigan), Caden Rose (Alabama) and Luke Mann (Missouri) each homered for the Harbor Hawks. Harwich is 10-7-3, while the struggles contine to add up for Hyannis, which is 2-18. 

Brewster 8, Falmouth 3

Brewster trailed 3-1 in the seventh but scored five runs and never looked back. Chad Castillo (California Baptist) went 3-for-4 with an RBI in his Cape League debut. Kurtis Byrne (TCU) and Alex Freeland (Central Florida) had two hits each. Brendan Girton (Texas Tech) and Dale Stanavich (Rutgers) pitched shutout relief to preserve the Brewster win. Falmouth had won three in a row coming in, but falls to 8-9-2. Brewster maintains its hold on first place in the East at 11-7-2. 

Orleans 5, Wareham 4

The Firebirds hadn’t won since July 8, so it was a much-needed victory over Wareham. The game was scoreless until the sixth. Wareham took a 2-1 lead then, but Wareham jumped right back ahead with a four-run seventh. Luke Keaschall (San Francisco) had two hits and two RBI to lead Orleans. Peyton Chatagnier (Ole Miss), Cory Acton (Florida), Tyler Locklear (VCU) and Garret Guillemette (USC) had two hits apiece. Hayden Thomas (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) pitched five scoreless innings. Nick Wallerstedt (Arizona State) pitched two scoreless innings for the save. For Wareham, Owen Diodati (Alabama) moved into a three-way tie for the league lead in home runs with his sixth. Arizona State standout Sean McClain – whose brother Matt was picked in the first round of the draft this week – made his Wareham debut and went 2-for-5. Orleans is 8-8-3 and Wareham is 7-10-4. 

Bourne 8, Y-D 5

The hottest team in the league right now? Who else? The Braves took a couple of losses last week but have since won four straight. At the halfway point of the season for them, their record is 15-2-3. In this one, a four-run first inning set the course for the win. Colby Thomas (Mercer) did most of the damage in the fast start with a three-run homer. Dalton Rushing (Louisville) homered later in the game, his fourth of the season. Tanner Schobel (Virginia Tech) also went deep. Trystan Vrieling (Gonzaga) allowed one run in four innings, and Austin Parsley (UNC Greensboro) was dominant in relief with five Ks in four scoreless innings. Crew Robinson (San Diego CC) and Drew Bowser (Stanford) hit back-to-back home runs for Y-D in the ninth but the rally stopped there. Y-D falls to 9-8-4. 

WHAT TO WATCH

The five teams in the East Division are all separated by just five points in the standings, so there will be a lot of big games among them in the second half of the season. One comes Saturday as Orleans hosts Y-D. 

Bourne is running away with the West Division and Hyannis has fallen well off the pace. 

In between, there’s a tight race, and with the league going to a smaller playoff field this year, it’s going to matter. 

Falmouth has made a move in that landscape, winning three in a row. The first two victories in the streak came against East Division foe Orleans, but the third was more important. The Commodores beat Wareham 5-3 with a late rally and moved into a tie with Wareham for third place. Both teams are just one game back of second-place Cotuit. 

The game looked like it might be headed for a tie when Falmouth made it 3-3 in the sixth inning. Instead, the Commodores scored two in the bottom of the eighth to break the tie, then held off Wareham in the ninth. 

With the bases loaded on three straight walks in the eighth, Douglas Hodo (Texas) gave Falmouth the lead with an RBI single. Anthony DeFabbia (Stetson) pitched his third scoreless frame in the top of the ninth to finish off the win. He didn’t allow a hit. 

Falmouth also got strong relief work from Charles Harrison (UCLA), who also didn’t give up a hit in his 2.1 innings. 

Kristofer Armstrong (Florida) homered in a 2-for-4 night for Falmouth. Jack Brannigan (Notre Dame) led the Wareham offense with two hits and an RBI. 

Chatham 8, Y-D 4

A day after beating East Division leader Brewster, Chatham made it two in a row with a win over second-place Yarmouth-Dennis. The Anglers scored two runs in each of the third and fourth innings to take control. After Y-D moved within a run, Chatham pulled way with three in the seventh. Johnny Castagnozzi (North Carolina) and Matthew Hogan (Vanderbilt) each homered for the Anglers. Leadoff man Danny Serretti (North Carolina) went 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Cy Nielson (BYU) was credited with the win in relief. Trevor Martin (Oklahoma State) pitched 2.1 scoreless innings to close it out. For Y-D, Kody Huff (Stanford) homered. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Standout reliever Trystan Vrieling (Gonzaga) will make his first start for Bourne as the Braves visit Y-D. 

Fog made its return to Veterans Field on Wednesday night, and the arrival worked out well for the home team. 

Chatham took control with five runs in the fourth inning, then made the game official just before the fog fully settled in. The result was a 6-3 victory over Brewster. 

It was a 1-1 game when Chatham delivered its big inning. Matthew Hogan (Vanderbilt), David Mendham (South Carolina), Joshua Rivera (Florida) and Danny Serretti (North Carolina) all had RBI singles to power the surge. 

Brewster touched up Chatham reliever Victor Mederos (Miami) for two runs in the top of the fifth on a home run by Spencer Jones (Vanderbilt), but Mederos didn’t encounter any further trouble. 

Chatham batted in the bottom of the fifth before the game was delayed, then called.

Mendham and Maxwell Romero Jr. (Vanderbilt) paced the Chatham offense with two hits each. Highly-touted pitcher Bryce Osmond (Oklahoma State) allowed one run in four innings for his first win of the summer. 

Harwich 2, Orleans 2

With dominant pitching on both sides, this was a 0-0 game into the seventh. Orleans scored two to take the lead, but Harwich answered with two of its own, and that was that. Cory Acton (Florida) and Trae Harmon (Stetson) had the RBIs for Orleans. The answer came with one swing of the bat for Harwich, as Chris Newell (Virginia) smacked a two-run homer. Trey Dombroski (Monmouth) had the top pitching line of the night, striking out seven in six shutout innings for Harwich. Orleans starter Patrick Reilly (Vanderbilt) went five scoreless innings. Harwich is 9-7-3 and Orleans is 7-8-3. 

Cotuit 6, Wareham 1

The Kettleers beat Wareham for their third victory in their last four games. Nathan Martorella (Cal) and Matthew Donlan (UConn) drove in two runs each for Cotuit. Brooks Baldwin (UNC Wilmington) went 2-for-4. Trey Holland (Denison) Went three scoreless innings in his first appearance. Ryan Long (Pomona-Pitzer) allowed one run in 3.1 innings and was credited with the win. Zachary Fruit (Eastern Michigan) finished off the win with 2.2 scoreless innings. Wareham’s lone run came from Owen Diodati (Alabama), his fifth of the season. Cotuit improves to 10-9 and Wareham is 7-8-4. 

Bourne 8, Hyannis 7

One night after a comeback win over Hyannis, the Braves did it again on Wednesday. A five-run sixth inning erased a 5-1 deficit. Hyannis briefly regained the lead but Bourne rallied again in the ninth. Cayden Wallace (Arkansas) was the hero with a walk-off single to give the Braves the victory. Wallace finished 2-for-5 with two RBI. Braylen Wimmer (South Carolina) also had two RBI, and Christian Knapczyk (Louisville) scored three runs. Luke Mann went 3-for-4 with four RBI for Hyannis. Bourne ups its league-best record to 14-2-3. Hyannis falls to 2-17. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Just two games on the schedule. Chatham visits Y-D and Wareham heads to Falmouth. 

At 2:26 p.m., the Boston Red Sox selected Josh Hood (Penn) in the 20th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. 

Four hours later, he celebrated with his best performance of the summer. 

While quite a few Cape Leaguers are heading out after the draft call, Hood stayed in the Harwich lineup and went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI as the Mariners beat Cotuit. 

Hood is set to transfer to NC State for the fall, so that may factor into his decision on signing with the Red Sox or returning to school. The last year probably left him wanting more in college baseball. The 2020 season was cut short, and the Ivy League did not play in 2021. 

When he suited up for Harwich on June 21, it was his first official baseball game since he played for the Macon Bacon in the Coastal Plain League last summer. In his last full season at Penn, he was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

Hood hasn’t shown much rust this summer. He had hits in his first four games with the Mariners. After a cool stretch, he’s logged a pair of two-hit games in his last three starts. 

On Tuesday, he delivered a two-run single in the fifth, then blasted a solo home run in the eighth. Hood is now hitting .229 with one homer and seven RBI. 

Harwich also got one RBI apiece from Tatem Levins (Pittsburgh) and Carter Putz (Notre Dame). Beau Keathley (Cincinnati) got the win in relief, with Danny Wilkinson (Villanova) earning the save.

Falmouth 11, Orleans 4

After a 1-0 victory against Orleans on Monday, Falmouth won its second straight over the Firebirds in much different fashion on Tuesday. The Commodores hit three home runs and racked up 12 hits. Brayden Taylor (TCU), Anthony Hall (Oregon) and Kodie Kolden (Washington State) provided the home run pop. Kolden had a huge day, finishing 2-for-4 with five RBI from the nine spot. Brennan Milone (South Carolina) went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Levi Wells (Texas Tech) started a strong bullpen performance for the Commodores and was credited with the win. Both teams are now 7-8-2. 

Y-D 5, Brewster 4

Y-D stopped Brewster’s four-game win streak and moved into a tie for first place alongside the Whitecaps. Drew Bowser (Stanford) plated the go-ahead run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly, breaking a 4-4 tie. Cardinal teammate Kody Huff also had an RBI, as Briley Knight (Portland). Jacob Meador (TCU) got the win out of the bullpen. Christian Culpepper (California Baptist) was dominant in relief again, striking out five of the six batters he faced for a two-inning save. Culpepper has allowed no runs and just one hit in six appearances for the Red Sox. 

Bourne 5, Hyannis 1

Hyannis was poised to snap an eight-game slide, but Bourne scored five runs in the eighth to change the game. The Harbor Hawks had led 1-0 since the first inning on a Zane Harris (Wright State) RBI double. Jonah Scolaro (Florida State) struck out seven in five innings of one-hit, shutout baseball. The bullpen couldn’t protect the slim lead as Bourne busted through in the eighth. Braylen Wimmer (South Carolina) tied the game with an RBI single, and an ensuing error allowed Bourne to take the lead. Cayden Wallace (Alabama) followed with a two-run double and later came around on an error. Bourne starter Jake Bennett (Oklahoma) settled in after allowing the first-inning run and went five strong innings. Cole Chudoba (UConn) pitched four scoreless innings of relief. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Two ACC standouts square off as Brewster visits Chatham. Teddy McGraw (Wake Forest) starts for the Whitecaps after four scoreless innings in his last start. Mederos (Miami) has delivered two straight scoreless outings for Chatham. 

On a night when former Cape Leaguer Pete Alonso won the MLB Home Run Derby, pitchers dominated at his old stomping grounds. 

Two teams won by shutout, and two more got dominant performances. 

It’s tough to pick a headliner, but it’s safe bet to go with the guy who took over the league lead in strikeouts. Brewster’s Bryce Hubbart (Florida State) tossed six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts as the Whitecaps beat Y-D 5-1 for their fourth straight win. 

Off a great spring with the Seminoles, the lefty has gotten better with every outing on the Cape. He allowed three runs in his first outing but hasn’t surrendered a single one since, across 16 innings. 

Hubbart gave up just two hits in Monday’s win, both singles in the third inning. He permitted just one more baserunner on a walk. The 10 strikeouts accounted for nearly half of the batters he faced. He’s now up to 32 strikeouts, good for the league lead, and he’s hit that total in just 20 innings. 

As for the Brewster offense, leading hitter Colin Davis (Wofford) is probably done on the Cape after getting picked in the seventh round of the MLB Draft on Monday, but his teammates provided some support despite being held to just four hits. Zach Neto (Campbell) and Kurtis Byrne (TCU) led the way with one RBI each. 

Brewster is 10-5-2. 

Falmouth 1, Orleans 0

Three pitchers combined on a shutout and Falmouth scored the only run it needed in the seventh inning. Moving in from the bullpen, Tyler Tuthill (Appalachian State) tossed six scoreless innings with five Ks in his first start. Mason Pelio (Boston College) picked up the torch with two innings and Lucas Gordan (Texas) worked around a walk and a hit batter in the ninth to grab the save. Both teams finished with only three hits, but Falmouth strung two of them together in the seventh. Brennan Milone (South Carolina) doubled and No. 9 hitter Kodie Kolden (Washington State) plated him with a base hit. Falmouth is 6-8-2 and Orleans is 7-7-2. 

Cotuit 6, Wareham 0

Wareham was coming off a 12-run burst on Sunday but was shut down by two Cotuit pitchers. After finally allowing an earned run in his last outing, Jake Brooks (UCLA) got back to his shutout ways with five scoreless frames and five strikeouts. He now owns a 0.43 ERA with 16 strikeouts and just one walk. Harrison Cohen (George Washington) delivered more of the same out of the bullpen, striking out five and allowing only one hit for the rare four-inning save. Wareham’s Spencer Miles (Missouri) did his part to join in the pitchers’ duel, striking out nine in five innings, but the Kettleers got to the bullpen. Josiah Town (Dallas Baptist), Eric Brown (Coastal Carolina) and Ryan Ritter (Kentucky) each homered for the Kettleers, which accounted for all the offense. The Kettleers moved over .500 at 9-8 while Wareham slipped to 7-7-4. 

Bourne 6, Hyannis 3

Colby Thomas (Mercer) provided all the offense as Bourne kept Hyannis sliding with a 6-3 victory. Thomas entered the night with zero RBI on the season. He now has six after going 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, a home run and six RBI. He needed only a single for the cycle. Braylen Wimmer (South Carolina) and Christian Knapczyk (Louisville) added two hits each. Ben Ethridge (Southern Miss) tossed four scoreless innings for the Braves. Eric Adler (Wake Forest) notched his fourth save of the summer. The Braves improve to 12-2-3 while the Harbor Hawks dip to 2-15. Caleb Pendleton (Florida Atlantic) homered for Hyannis. 

Harwich 8, Chatham 2

Rounding out the good pitching night, two Harwich pitchers didn’t allow an earned run, and they were backed by three Mariner homers in a win over Chatham. Andrew Mosiello (Oregon) delivered the best of his three outings thus far, allowing just two unearned runs in five innings while striking out eight. Dalton Smith (Georgia Tech) out-did him in relief, striking out five of the 11 batters he faced in 3.2 perfect innings. Brock Wilken (Wake Forest) led the home run binge with his fourth of the summer. Chris Newell (Virginia) and Pres Cavenaugh (UNC Greensboro) hit their first homers of the year. Harwich moved to 8-7-2 and dropped Chatham to 6-10-3. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Y-D and Brewster meet again at Stony Brook Field. The Red Sox could move into a first-place tie with a win. 

Today, a break from the usual leadoff fare to celebrate draft night. 

This figured to be a quieter-than-normal draft in terms of Cape League connections. The bulk of college players who are eligible for this year’s draft would have been on the Cape in 2020, but of course there was no Cape League baseball in 2020. But while the overall numbers won’t be at the normal level for CCBL alumni, the league can again boast the No. 1 overall pick. 

Pittsburgh selected Louisville catcher Henry Davis with the top choice in the draft. Davis played briefly for Bourne in 2019. 

He followes in the footsteps of CCBL No. 1 picks Casey Mize (2018), Adley Rutschmann (2019), and Spencer Torkelson (2020). Before this run, it had been since Mark Appel in 2013 that the Cape League had the top overall pick. 

Torkelson had the best Cape League career of the four. Davis had the shortest stint, playing in only five games for the Braves in 2019. He’s been spectacular for Louisville since then. This spring, he hit .370 with 15 home runs. 

Davis is the first Bourne alum to go No. 1 overall. The four consecutive No. 1 selections each played for a different Cape team. 

Chatham 5, Bourne 2

Bourne couldn’t celebrate the Davis selection for long, as Chatham scored three runs in the first inning and two in the second to take control. Chatham’s Lyle Miller-Green (Chipola) homered for the sixth time this summer, tying him for the league lead. He’s also now tied for the league lead in RBI. Maxwell Romero Jr. added two hits and an RBI for the Anglers. Just before Davis went off the board, his Louisville teammate Dalton Rushing cranked a home run for the Braves, but the Braves couldn’t string much together. Kolby Kubichek (Texas) tossed four strong innings in his first appearance. Fresh off the College World Series title, Dylan Carmouche (Mississippi State) allowed one run in three innings for the win. Cade Winquest (Texas Arlington) picked up his first save. Chatham is 6-9-3. The loss was just the second of the season for Bourne, which fell to 11-2-3. 

Wareham 12, Hyannis 1

Wareham hasn’t lost since July 5 and brought the bats for the latest victory, scoring a season-high 12 runs in the win over Hyannis. Jim Jarvis (Alabama) had two hits and three RBI. Tommy Troy (Stanford) and Tres Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) each had two hits and two RBI. Hyannis was held to three hits by five Wareham pitchers. Adam Mazur (South Dakota State) was excellent with six strikeouts in five scoreless innings. Wareham jumps over .500 at 7-6-4 and Hyannis falls to 2-14. 

Brewster 4, Harwich 0 

Brewster recorded its fourth shutout of the season for a win over Harwich. Mason Burnett (Auburn) struck out six in 4.1 innings. Hunter Own (Vanderbilt) carried the torch for 1.2 innings and got the win. Griffin Green (Virginia Tech) tossed two perfect innings for a save. Harwich starter Eric Reyzelman (LSU) was great in his own right, striking out nine in five shutout frames, but Brewster got to the bullpen. All four runs were scored after the sixth inning. Spencer Jones (Vanderbilt) drove in three of the runs with one swing, a seventh-inning homer. Brewster is 9-5-2 and Harwich goes to 7-7-2. 

Y-D 6, Orleans 2

Patrick Gallagher (UConn) took over the league lead in strikeouts and his bullpen was even better behind him as Y-D quieted the league’s highest-scoring offense. Gallagher struck out six, giving him 25 on the year, and allowed two runs. Two relievers didn’t allow any runs. Jaret Godman (Oklahoma) worked two scoreless innings for the win. Reid McLaughlin (BYU) earned the save. The Y-D offense was led by Tanner Smith (Oregon), who hit two home runs. Connor Kokx (Long Beach State) went 3-for-4 for Orleans. Y-D is 8-5-4 and Orleans is 7-6-2. 

Cotuit 3, Falmouth 2

The Kettleers scored single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings and held off a Falmouth rally down the stretch. Eric Brown (Coastal Carolina) and Cam Hill (Stetson) had two hits each for the Kettleers. Brooks Baldwin (UNC Wilmington), Andy Garriola (Old Dominion). The Kettleers sent sevenn different pitchers to the mound, and all of them protected the lead. Zachary Fruit (Eastern Michigan) was credited with the win. Shaddon Peavyhouse (Coastal Carolina) got the save. Cotuit is back to even at 8-8. Falmouth goes to 5-8-2. 

WHAT TO WATCH

The top two teams in the East square off as Brewster hosts Y-D. Bryce Hubbart (Florida State) is set to pitch for Brewster as he rides two straight shutout performances. 

Joe Lampe (Arizona State) led off the bottom of the first inning on Saturday night with a single. 

Nothing new there. 

Lampe has been terrific in the leadoff spot for the Bourne Braves all summer, a constant presence that has made a big difference for the league’s top team. Lampe finished Saturday’s game with two hits and the Braves won 10-3 over Yarmouth-Dennis in a matchup of the league’s division leaders. Bourne is now 11-1-3. 

Lampe has topped the Bourne lineup in all but one game this summer. Off a redshirt freshman season in which he hit .294 with a .383 on-base percentage with the Sun Devils, he started the summer with hits in Bourne’s first five games, a string that included a pair of multi-hit efforts. He has reached base in all but one game. 

Thanks to Saturday’s two-hit night, Lampe is up to a .333 average. He ranks fifth in the league with a .458 on-base percentage. 

With Lampe setting the table, Bourne continued to roll. The Braves lead the league in team batting average and team ERA. They had 15 hits on Saturday. In addition to Lampe’s multi-hit showing, Dalton Rushing (Louisville) went 4-for-5 with two RBI, Nick Goodwin (Kansas State) had three hits and Max Anderson (Nebraska) had two. 

Three Bourne pitchers teamed up to allow just four hits. Austin Parsley (UNC Greensboro) gave up two runs in four innings. Trystan Vrieling (Gonzaga) pitched four perfect innings and dropped his ERA to 0.87. Off Mississippi State’s championship, Cade Smith allowed just an unearned run in his CCBL debut. 

Harwich 7, Chatham 5

Chatham’s Adam Tulloch (West Virginia) and Gavin Crowley (Fordham) moved up to first and second in the league in strikeouts on Saturday, but Harwich found some offense amid the swings and misses en route to a win over the Anglers. Ben Malgeri (Northeastern) homered for the Mariners. Chris Newell (Virginia) had two hits and one RBI, as did Josh Hood (Pennsylvania). The Harwich bullpen dominated, with Liam Simon (Notre Dame) going 1.2 hitless innings and Owen Coady (Pennsylvania) struck out five of the six batters he faced in two perfect frames. For Chatham, Tulloch and Crowley both fanned seven. Tulloch now leads the league with 23 strikeouts and Crowley is tied for second with 22. 

Brewster 5, Cotuit 3

With this win and Y-D’s loss, Brewster moves into a tie for first place in the East. Jake Thompson (Oklahoma State) hit his first home run of the summer, then added another one for good measure. Harrison Rutkowski (Rutgers) allowed a run for the first time all summer as Cotuit touched him up for three runs in the fourth inning. But the relief work by two Rutgers teammates behind him was spectacular. Brian Fitzpatrick and Dale Stanavich didn’t allow a hit while facing just one batter over the minimum. For Cotuit, Andy Garriola (Old Dominion) hit his third home run. 

Wareham 4, Hyannis 2

Nick Clayton (Clemson) allowed just one hit in five scoreless innings to lead Wareham past Hyannis. Clayton also struck out five and had some help from the bullpen. Christian Ruebeck (Oklahoma) allowed one run in three innings, and Hunter Schilperoort (Pacific) allowed one run in one inning en route to the save. Owen Diodati (Alabama) drove in a run in the second inning, and it remained a 1-0 game into the seventh, when Jimmy Crooks (Oklahoma) cracked a three-run homer. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Max Rajcic (UCLA) carries a 10.1 inning scoreless streak into Orleans’ game with Y-D. 

Chatham managed just one hit in Friday’s game against Wareham. 

It was a good one to get. 

Lyle Miller-Green (Chipola) hit a grand slam in the third inning as the Anglers worked to a 4-4 tie with Wareham in the only game around the league that was not postponed by Tropical Storm Elsa. 

Wareham had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning and would go on to score two in the fifth. But Chatham only needed one rally – and really, just one swing – to make things even. 

Two walks and an error loaded the bases for the Anglers in the third. Miller-Green stepped in with two outs and sent a 2-1 pitch out of the park for the grand slam. 

It’s the fifth home run of the summer for Miller-Green, good for second in the league. After a brief cool spell in late June, Miller-Green is 7 for his last 17 with three homers in that span. 

After the homer, Wareham pitchers retired the next 18 batters in a row. Chatham threatened on a walk and a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the ninth, but Ethan Chenault (UNC Wilmingotn) ended the threat and the game with a strikeout. 

Garrett Schmeltz (Louisville) led Wareham’s bullpen success with eight strikeouts in 3.2 scoreless innings. Kohl Simas (San Diego State) also pitched well, striking out five of the nine batters he faced. 

Chatham also had some good relief work, particularly from Adam Scoggins (Oral Roberts), who struck out seven of the nine batters he saw in three perfect innings. 

For the Gatemen offense, Tommy Troy (Stanford), Jim Jarvis (Alabama) and Owen Diodati (Alabama) had one hit and one RBI each. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Harrison Rutkowski (Rutgers) tries to continue his dominant start as Brewster visits Cotuit. Rutkowski has tossed 12 scoreless innings to open the season with 13 strikeouts. 

In the spring, Chase DeLauter hit six home runs in 26 games with James Madison. 

This summer, DeLauter has matched that number in just 13 games. 

The Orleans slugger has emerged as the Cape’s most dangerous hitter. He smashed his league-best sixth home run of the season in Thursday’s 11-6 win over Hyannis. It was part of a 3-for-4 night, his second straight such performance. 

In addition to the home run lead, DeLauter now ranks fourth in the league in batting average with a .362 mark, and fourth in RBI. He also leads the league in slugging percentage. 

The success is not exactly out of the ordinary for DeLauter. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder has done nothing but hit at James Madison. At the time the 2020 season was cut short, DeLauter – as a true freshman – was hitting .382. He started his career on a nine-game hitting streak. In his redshirt freshman year this past spring, DeLauter slashed .386/.500/.723, leading the league in batting average and on base percentage and ranking second in slugging percentage. He ended the season on a 16-game hit streak. 

DeLauter also does some pitching for the Dukes, and has made two appearances for Orleans. But his bat has been the headliner so far this summer. 

He started the season with two hits on opening night. After one brief, quiet stretch, he really got going with a 5-for-5 night on July 2. He’s delivered fourt multi-hit games in his last six. 

DeLauter had plenty of help in Thursday’s win. Peyton Chatagnier (Ole Miss), who’s on a pretty good home run pace in his own right, hit his third in six games. Benjamin Blackwell added two hits and an RBI. Seven different Firebirds drove in a run. 

Hyannis got a home run from Marcos Pujols Martinez, but nothing else as its struggles continued. 

Harwich 5, Y-D 3

In the only other game of a light slate, took an early lead and held off a push by the Red Sox. Hal Hughes (Rice) homered for the Mariners, while Brock Wilken (Wake Forest) cand Carter Putz (Notre Dame) each had two hits and an RBI. Trey Dombroski (Monmouth) allowed his first runs of the season but he had perhaps his best performance all the same, bumping up from two short stints to seven strong innings. He allowed two earned runs and struck out nine. He’s now tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 22. Alex Rao (Notre Dame) pitched two scoreless innings to close out the win. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Have a feeling Tropical Storm Elsa will wipe out Friday’s schedule, but if not, it should be a good one at Stony Brook Field where Brewster hosts Orleans. Both teams are 7-5-2. 

Over the course of the last week, the Brewster Whitecaps have had games in which they gave up 19 and 14 runs, and two games immediately following in which they didn’t allow a single run. 

I don’t know if I remember a team hitting such extremes in such a short amount of time, but I guess the Whitecaps will take the good side of the rollercoaster. 

The latest turn of events was Wednesday’s 12-0 win over Hyannis, which came one day after a 14-2 loss to Falmouth. 

Four pitchers combined on the shutout of the Harbor Hawks. Teddy McGraw (Wake Forest) delivered his third solid start of the sason, giving up two hits in four innings and striking out three. His ERA now sits at 1.42. 

Those two hits were the only ones Hyannis got, as Brewster’s bullpen was even better than McGraw. Ryan Cardona (Marist), Michael Prosecky (Louisville) and Hunter Patteson (Central Florida) teamed up for five near-perfect innings. 

Brewster’s offense was also humming. Colin Davis went 2-for-3 and stole two more bases. He’s up to 12 steals on the season and is batting .413, good for second in the league. Will Simpson (Washington) and Zach Neto (Campbell) both homered for the Whitecaps. Jake Thompson (Oklahoma State) drove in two runs. 

Brewster is now 10-5-2, while Hyannis continues to scuffle, falling to 2-11. 

Bourne 4, Falmouth 2

Bourne lost for the first time on Monday but has responded with a tie against Orleans and now a win over the Commodores. The victory was of the comeback variety. Falmouth took a 2-0 lead into the seventh, when the Braves scored three runs to take their first lead of the game. Dalton Rushing (Louisville) had an RBI single to get the rally off the ground in the seventh. Joshua Moylan (East Carolina) gave Bourne the lead with an RBI single. Max Anderson (Nebraska) and Joe Lampe (Arizona State) had two hits each for the Braves. On the mound, Jordan Patty (Central Michigan) allowed two runs in four innings and the relief corps was dominant with just one run allowed in the final five innings. Benjamin Ethridge (Southern Miss) got the win and Xavier Lovett (Mississippi State) earned his first save. 

Cotuit 8, Chatham 3

Cotuit broke a 3-3 tie with five runs in the fifth en route to a victory over Chatham. Nathan Martorella (Cal) snapped the deadlock initially with an RBI single, but the Kettleers weren’t done. Andy Garriola (Old Dominion) cleared the bases with a three-run double and Matthew Donlan (UConn) added an RBI single. Brooks Baldwin (UNC Wilmington) and RJ Schreck (Duke) each chipped in two hits and an RBI. Cole Cummings (UC Santa Barbara) homered. The rally made a winner out of reliever Zachary Fruit (Eastern Michigan). Harrison Cohen (George Washington) finished out the game with two scoreless innings of relief. 

Wareham 3, Harwich 3

Harwich scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to force a tie and preserved it in the bottom half for a draw with Wareham. An error scored Ben Malgeri (Northeastern) with the tying run. Before that, Harwich got a home run from Brock Wilken (Wake Forest), his third of the year. For Wareham, Tommy Troy (Stanford) hit his first home run, while Tres Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) had three hits. Owen Coady (Penn) pitched a scoreless final inning for Harwich to keep the game tied. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Trey Dombroski (Monmouth) struck out 10 in just 3.2 innings for Harwich in his last outing, against Y-D. He draws the Red Sox again Thursday.