Category: Daily Fog

I feel like I’ve written a lot about Hyannis and Orleans in the last week.

They’re making it hard to write about anything else.

The Harbor Hawks and Firebirds each won their seventh consecutive game last night. Hyannis beat second-place Bourne 9-5 while Orleans ripped Cotuit 12-4.

Tonight, the winning streak will end for somebody. Hyannis and Orleans play each other in Orleans at 7 p.m.

But last night, the streaks showed no signs of stopping.

The win by the Harbor Hawks gives them a 26-12 record and puts them 10 games ahead of Bourne. Hyannis has six games left while Bourne has five, meaning the magic number for Hyannis to clinch the division is just one.

Hyannis trailed for much of last night’s game, going into the sixth inning down 2-0. But that’s when everything changed, with the Harbor Hawks exploding for nine runs in the sixth. Thirteen men came to the plate as the Harbor Hawks had six hits and took advantage of three Bourne errors.

Eric Stamets (Evansville), Joey DeMichele (Arizona State), Kevin Plawecki (Purdue), Chadd Krist (Cal) and Justin Gonzalez (Florida State) all knocked in runs. DeMichele’s two-run double capped the big inning.

The rally made a winner of Ryan Gibson (Oklahoma) who pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief. Bourne scored one in the eighth and two in the ninth off the Hyannis bullpen but could get no closer.

As for the Firebirds, their offensive was plenty explosive too. An eight-run fourth broke the game open and they cruised to the 12-4 win. Matt Duffy (Long Beach State) went 4-for-6 with three RBI, and Jayce Boyd (Florida State) hit a grand slam in the eight-run fourth. Reed Gragnani (Virginia) added three hits and three runs scored.

Tyler Johnson (Stony Brook) allowed four runs in five innings for the win. Tyler Gebler (Rutgers) pitched four shutout innings to finish it off.

Elsewhere

Harwich has managed to keep pace with Orleans the last two nights, beating Wareham 6-2 last night to remain in a first-place tie with the Firebirds. The Mariners trailed Wareham 2-1 before scoring five runs in fifth and never looking back. John Wooten (East Carolina) delivered the big blow when he triple with the bases loaded, scoring all three runners. Austin Nola (LSU) also had an RBI. Tyler Jones (LSU) picked up the win in relief after he allowed just one hit in 4.1 innings while striking out five.

Y-D beat Brewster 9-2 to move into a third-place tie with the Whitecaps. The Red Sox have now won four in a row. Matt Reynolds (Arkansas) led the way last night with three hits and three RBI. Chris Taylor (Virginia) and Cody Keefer (UCLA) added two hits apiece. Joey DeNato (Indiana) got the win with four solid innings of relief.

Chatham scored two runs in the fourth and held on the rest of the way to beat Falmouth 3-2. John Gianis (NC State) knocked in both runs with a double. Chatham had scored in the second on a Kris Bryant (San Diego) RBI double. Armed with a lead, Chatham starter Tim Cooney (Wake Forest) settled in, allowing just three hits in seven strong innings. He struck out six.

What to Watch

Game: The match-up between Hyannis and Orleans is a pretty easy choice here. It’s at 7 p.m at Eldredge Park.
Player: Matt Duffy has been key in Orleans’ surge. He has nine hits in his last four games and now ranks fourth in the league in hitting with a .328 average.

It’s been the year of the reliever this summer on Cape Cod, with closers and setup guys frequently out-shining starters. That makes it tough to pick the best closer; you could make a good case for a lot of them.

When your team gets hot and you jump on for the ride, your case is going to look even better.

That’s exactly what Orleans’ Trevor Gott (Kentucky) has done. Already one of the top closers in the league, Gott has vaulted himself to the top of the list over the last week. His Firebirds have won six games in a row, and he’s saved four of them. He now leads the league with 11 saves.

Last night, it was more of the same. Orleans took a 2-0 lead on Falmouth thanks to a first-inning home run by Anthony Gomez (Vanderbilt) and a second-inning RBI from Reed Gragnani (Virginia). Falmouth made it 2-1 in the fifth before Orleans added an insurance run in the eighth on a homer by Matt Duffy (Long Beach State).

Waiting in the wings, Gott didn’t really need the extra cushion. He came on for the ninth and allowed a leadoff single before quickly working his way out of trouble with a flyout and a double play.

That’s no surprise — Gott hasn’t blown a save all summer. He was coming off a strong spring for Kentucky, and he started fast on the Cape, picking up a save on opening night. For a while Orleans had Marcus Stroman, its closer last year, in the fold, but when he left for Team USA, Gott became the guy.

And he seized the chance. He allowed a run in his third start before putting together a streak of 12.2 consecutive scoreless innings. He finally allowed another run on Sunday but still picked up a save. For the season, he has struck out 23 and walked only four in 19 innings of work.

If Orleans keeps winning, Gott may end up running away with the saves title. Whatever happens, the hot Firebirds are glad they’ve got a hot closer to lean on.

Elsewhere

Hyannis also won its sixth straight game with a 5-1 victory over Brewster. The Harbor Hawks are now 25-12 and eight points ahead of second-place Bourne. Trey Masek (Texas Tech) got the start and allowed just one run in five innings of work. Kolt Browder (Baylor) and Dietrich Enns (Central Michigan) finished it off with two scoreless frames each. Joey DeMichele (Arizona State) and Kevin Plawecki (Purdue) each had two hits and two RBI to lead the offense. Joey Rickard (Arizona) and Eric Stamets (Evansville) also had two hits.

Harwich stayed tied with Orleans for first in the East with a 10-0 victory over Cotuit. Talented Stanford freshman Austin Wilson, who came in hitting just .151, broke out in a big way, going 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. Darnell Sweeney (Central Florida), Mike Garza (Georgetown) and Jake Davies (Georgia Tech) added two hits apiece. Chris Stratton (Mississippi State) went eight innings without allowing a run and Eddie Butler (Radford) pitched a scoreless ninth to finish off the shutout.

Bourne scratched across two runs in the fifth and got strong pitching across the board to beat Chatham 2-0. Patrick Cantwell (Stony Brook) went 3-for-4 and doubled home a run in the fifth. Travis Jankowski (Stony Brook) then scored on a groundout to make it 2-0, and that was enough for Bourne’s pitchers. Newcomer Logan Norris (LSU-Shreveport) got the start for Bourne and allowed just three hits in six shutout innings. John Farrell (William & Mary) relieved him and dominated for two innings, striking out five. R.J. Alvarez (Florida Atlantic) picked up the save. Dominic Leone (Clemson) allowed two runs in seven innings for Chatham, while Dane Phillips (Oklahoma State) had two hits.

Y-D kept pace in the suddenly hot Eastern Division race with a 6-2 victory over Wareham. The Red Sox are three points out of first and one point behind Brewster for third. Stephen Piscotty (Stanford) led the charge last night, going 3-for-3 with two RBI. Chris Taylor (Virginia) also had two RBI and Brian Johnson (Florida) helped himself with an RBI. Johnson got the start and went 5.2 innings, allowing two runs and striking out five. A.J. Vanegas (Stanford) and Daniel Gibson (Florida) came out of the bullpen and didn’t give up another run.

What to Watch

Game: First-place Hyannis and second-place Bourne will play two more times before the end of the regular season, with the first one scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m in Hyannis.
Player: League ERA leader Scott Firth (Clemson) is scheduled to start for the Harbor Hawks. Firth has allowed three earned runs all season.

Not much has changed at the top of the Eastern Division over the last week. Since Brewster jumped Harwich to take over first, the Whitecaps and Mariners have met very similar results. Neither team is pulling away. Harwich remains a point back of Brewster.

But below them, there’s plenty of change. Orleans beat Brewster 5-3 last night for its fifth straight win, while Y-D topped Harwich 5-4 for its second straight win and its fourth in six games.

Orleans is now tied with Harwich for second place with 39 points, one point back of Brewster. Y-D is in third place with 36, just four points out of first.

The Firebirds have been red-hot, with three of the wins in their streak coming against Harwich and Brewster. This time, Mike Hauschild (Dayton) went five shutout innings for the win, while the offense continued its steady production. Reed Gragnani (Virginia) went 4-for-4 with two RBI and Anthony Gomez (Vanderbilt) had two hits and an RBI. Trevor Gott (Kentucky) recorded his league-leading 10th save.

As for Y-D, the Red Sox haven’t been quite as hot as the Firebirds, but they’ve put themselves firmly in the mix. They scored two in the seventh yesterday to break a 3-3 tie, then held on for the 5-4 win. Joey DeNato (Indiana) got the win with four innings of shutout relief. Kyle Hansen (St. John’s) picked up the save. Stephen Piscotty (Stanford) and Matt Wessinger (St. John’s) each had two hits and an RBI to lead the offense.

Harwich loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but Hansen got Jabari Henry (Florida International) to fly out to end the game.

Elsewhere

Hyannis also picked up its fifth straight win with a 2-1 victory over Wareham. The Harbor Hawks only had four hits but made them count. Joey Rickard (Arizona) singled in the fourth, took second when Dan Gulbransen (Jacksonville) was hit by a pitch and came around on a double by Kevin Plawecki (Purdue). Chadd Krist (Cal) knocked in Gulbransen with a single. That was all Wareham starter Brent Suter (Harvard) allowed in a strong outing. He struck out nine, but Hyannis counterpart Corey Roberts (UNC Charlotte) was just as good, allowing just one hit in six shutout innings. Nick Wittgren (Purdue) got the save.

Falmouth beat Bourne 6-3, handing the Braves their fourth consecutive loss. Tyler Duffey (Rice) started for Falmouth and finished with a strange line — he walked five but also didn’t allow a hit in five shutout innings. Andrew Aizenstadt (Babson) and Andrew Smith (North Carolina) came out of the bullpen and finished things off. The Falmouth offense was led by Max White (Oklahoma) and Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s), who each hit home runs. Baltz’s blast was a grand slam that powered a five-run third inning.

Three Cotuit pitchers combined on a shutout as the Kettleers beat Chatham 6-0. Keenan Kish (Florida) started and went 3.1 innings before giving way to Alex Keudell (Oregon), who struck out seven in 4.2 innings. Michael Clevenger (Seminole JC) finished it off with a perfect ninth. At the plate, Alex Yarbrough (Ole Miss) led Cotuit with a home run and two RBI. Torsten Boss (Michigan State) also drove in two.

What to Watch

Game: Hyannis visits Brewster at 5 p.m. in another battle of first-place teams. Those two met on Friday and Hyannis came away with the win.
Player: Shortstop Austin Elkins (Dallas Baptist) has quietly become the Harbor Hawks’ leading hitter, with a .318 average.

Last Sunday, Bourne continued a hot streak and moved into a first-place tie with Hyannis. It was the first time anyone had done that since the first week of the season, when Hyannis took control and never looked back.

The way things are going, it’s looking like that tie might not just be the first one. It might be the only one.

Since a 12-3 loss to Y-D that paved the way for the tie, the Harbor Hawks have won four straight, including two against the East’s best teams. Last night, Hyannis won the Barnstable Patriot Cup with a 3-1 win over Cotuit, which secured the season series and the Cup. With Bourne dropping three straight, Hyannis is back in front by six points.

The Harbor Hawks got a strong performance by Jon Moscot (Pepperdine), who had hit a couple of rough patches after a strong start to the summer. This time, Moscot allowed just an unearned run in seven innings while striking out four.

At the plate, Hyannis did all its damage in a three-run sixth. Eric Stamets (Evansville) singled and Joey Rickard (Arizona) doubled to start the frame, before Stamets came home on a groundout by Austin Elkins (Dallas Baptist). Joey DeMichele (Arizona State) then knocked in Rickard with a single and DeMichele scored on a double steal.

DeMichele and Stamets led the offense with two hits apiece.

Elsewhere

Orleans beat Bourne 10-2 for its fourth win in a row. The Firebirds had 14 hits, with Anthony Gomez (Vanderbilt), Matt Duffy (Long Beach State) and Ben Waldrip (Jacksonville) delivering three each. Gomez had a home run, while Jake Stewart (Stanford) went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Nick Mutz got the win in relief. For Bourne, Johnny Bladel (James Madison) and D.J. Hicks (Central Florida) hit home runs.

Y-D scored a key win in the race for the final playoff spot in the East with a 10-3 victory over a hard-charging Chatham team. The Anglers came in only five points behind Y-D but couldn’t get much going. James Ramsey (Florida State) and Matt Reynolds (Arkansas) each hit home runs for Y-D, with Ramsey’s blast vaulting him into a tie for the league lead. Reynolds went 3-for-3. On the mound for Y-D, Alex Gonzalez (Oral Roberts) allowed one run in 5.2 innings.

Harwich made an early lead stand up in a 3-1 victory over Wareham. The Mariners picked up a run in the first on a Ronnie Richardson (Central Florida) solo home run. In the second, Luke Voit (Missouri State) doubled and scored on an error. Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern) allowed one run in 4.1 innings before giving way to Caleb Reed (Mississippi State), who got the win with 2.2 scoreless innings. Carter Capps (Mt. Olive) pitched the final two innings for the save.

Brewster stayed one point ahead of Harwich for first in the East with a 6-2 victory over Falmouth. Taylor Ard (Washington State) hit a home run and Devon Rodriguez (Cal) drove in two runs as the Whitecaps took an early lead and held on. Max Garner (Baylor) went seven strong innings for the win. J.T. Chargois (Rice) picked up his sixth save.

Somebody’s going to make a move in the Eastern Division. Things have been static for a while so the opportunity is certainly there.

After last night, maybe it’ll be Orleans.

The Firebirds visited Harwich for a doubleheader. By the time it was over, they were just two points back of the Mariners for second place. Orleans won the first game 3-1 then completed the sweep with a 4-3 win in game two.

Jason Wheeler (Loyola Marymount) got the win in the first game with 5.1 innings of work. Kurt Heyer (Arizona) finished it off. Reed Gragnani (Virginia) doubled home two runs, and Andrew Aplin (Arizona State) had a double and a triple.

In game two, Orleans trailed 2-0 going into the sixth inning, but Aplin continued his big day with a three-run homer. Aplin also made a leaping catch to get Orleans out of a jam in the final frame. Trevor Gott (Kentucky) picked up his league-leading ninth save.

The Firebirds are now 16-16-3, two points back of Harwich and three behind first-place Brewster.

Elsewhere

Hyannis got a strong start by Matt Dermody (Iowa) and seized an opportunity in the sixth to win a first-place showdown with Brewster by a 3-1 score. Dermody struck out seven in six innings of work and allowed just a run. With the game tied in the sixth, Joey DeMichele (Arizona State) reached on an error. He broke for second on the next pitch, which Chadd Krist (Cal) lined into center field. DeMichele then headed for third and the throw got away, which allowed him to score the go-ahead run. Hyannis then made it 3-1 when Adam Walker (Jacksonville) plated Krist with a single.

Chatham won for the fifth time in six games, beating Bourne 5-2. Buck Farmer (Georgia Tech) went seven strong innings for the win. Richie Shaffer (Clemson) led the offense with three RBI. Chatham is now five points out of the final playoff spot in the East.

Joe Bircher (Bradley) was surprisingly left off the all-star team (more all-star discussion tomorrow), but he certainly looked like an all-star last night. Bircher struck out seven in six innings in a 4-2 Falmouth win over Wareham. The strikeouts moved Bircher back into the league lead with 41. Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech) had two RBI to lead the Commodore offense.

Y-D rallied from a 5-0 hole to tie Cotuit 7-7 in 10 innings. The Red Sox tied the game in the ninth when Stephen Piscotty (Stanford) scored on a wild pitch. After Cotuit took the lead in the top of the 10th, Y-D’s Tyler Hanover (LSU) doubled home Mason Katz (LSU) to tie the game again. When the inning ended, the game was called due to darkness. For Cotuit, Victor Roache (Georgia Southern) hit a two-run home run, which ties him for the league lead in homers with six. That means he now leads all three Triple Crown categories.

What to Watch
Game: Chatham visits Y-D in a battle of teams that are suddenly getting closer to each other in the standings. Y-D has a five-point edge on Chatham in the race for the final playoff spot.
Player: James Ramsey (Florida State) has been steadily climbing the ranks for Y-D. Now an all-star, Ramsey is second in the league with five home runs and is hitting .314.

It was a luck night in Chatham last night, lucky for the Anglers and lucky for Right Field Fog.

The fog hovered but never settled and Chatham held off a big Cotuit rally to win 9-8. As for us, Ms. Right Field Fog won the 50-50 raffle for the second time in as many years, which is amazing. I think I was 0-for-90 before she came along.

The Anglers started fast in the fog, scoring six runs in the first inning. Four came home on a line drive grand slam by Kris Bryant (San Diego) that carried just over the right-field fence with a little help from the wind.

Chatham starter Dace Kime (Louisville) cruised for a while with the big lead until Cotuit got to him and the Chatham bullpen for seven runs in the fifth to tie the game at 8-8. But in the sixth, Joe Sever (Pepperdine) knocked in the go-ahead run to make it 9-8. Chatham relievers Tucker Healy (Ithaca) and Matt Koch (Louisville) each pitched a hitless inning to finish off the win.

The Anglers went home happy, and we certainly did too. Also, a quick shout-out to the Right Field Crew at Veterans Field. We set up a place to buy Right Field Fog shirts just for you guys: RFF Store. We’ll get some more shirts and some hats up there soon for anybody who’s interested. The link is also in the sidebar.

Elsewhere

Falmouth and Hyannis did get fogged out, so the only other game was in Harwich, where the Mariners beat Bourne 10-8. Mike Garza (Georgetown) hit a grand slam for the Mariners, who pounded out 13 hits. Jabari Henry (Florida International) and Jake Davies (Georgia Tech) had three hits apiece. For Bourne, Travis Jankowski (Stony Brook) went 4-for-5. Ryan Eades (LSU) allowed one run in five innings before Harwich broke out against the Braves bullpen.

What to Watch
Game: Brewster visits Hyannis at 7 p.m. in a battle of first-place teams. Luke Bard is scheduled to start for Brewster against Matt Dermody.

For most of the summer, Hyannis has looked to me like the best team in the league, but if there was a question mark, it was about the pitching. The offense has always had a leg up, while the Hyannis pitchers have been finding a way.

Clemson’s Scott Firth, though, has found his way more often than not.

Firth and Hyannis hosted Harwich last night in a match-up of two of the top teams in the league, and Firth dominated, allowing just two hits in 6.1 shutout innings. Firth now has an ERA of 0.82, which is tops in the league.

And last night, Firth had plenty of help. Joey DeMichele (Arizona State) and Austin Elkins (Dallas Baptist) each hit home runs in the sixth, with Elkins blasting a three-run shot on his way to a five-RBI night.

Hyannis is now 21-12 and leading the West by two points.

Elsewhere

Bourne kept pace with Hyannis thanks to a 7-1 victory over Brewster. Ryne Stanek (Arkansas) pitched six strong innings, as Bourne pitchers allowed just three hits. Kyle Farmer (Georgia Tech) and Garrett Cannizaro (Tulane) knocked in early runs for the Braves. Brewster is still three points ahead of Harwich. Since playing to a tie on Saturday, the Mariners and Whitecaps have had the same results every time out.

Y-D continues to get major personnel boosts, as Mark Appel (Stanford) — potentially the top pitching prospect in his class — started on the mound last night. But it didn’t matter. Orleans’ Tyler Johnson (Stony Brook) matched Appel with six shutout innings, and the Firebirds scored two runs in the eighth. Mike Duffy (Long Beach State) and Ben Waldrip (Jacksonville) brought home the runs, and Orleans reliever Kurt Heyer (Arizona) picked up the win. Trevor Gott (Kentucky) notched the save.

Falmouth blew past Cotuit 11-1, keeping the Kettleers at bay in the race for the fourth playoff spot in the West. Cotuit came in just two points back of the Commodores and scored a run in the bottom of the first. Then Falmouth broke out, getting a run in the second and third innings before putting up three in the fourth. The Commodores finished with 19 hits. Jake Rodriguez (Oklahoma State) had a huge day, going 5-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s) went 3-for-6 with three RBI and Eric Garcia (Missouri) also had three hits with two RBI. Andrew Heaney (Oklahoma State) went seven innings to pick up the win for Falmouth.

Chatham’s three-game win streak came to an end in Wareham, as the Gatemen posted a 4-3 victory. Tim Cooney (Wake Forest) started for Chatham and pitched well, striking out nine in six innings. But Wareham got to him late, scoring two in the sixth to take the lead. Johnny Field (Arizona) brought in a run with a sac fly and William Carmona (Stony Brook) knocked in the go-ahead run. Konner Wade (Arizona) got out of trouble in the ninth to pick up the save.

What to Watch
Game: Chatham hosts Cotuit at 7 p.m. as both teams try to make a run at the playoffs. Ms. Right Field Fog and I expect to be on hand. Look for us in our Right Field Fog shirts!
Player: Cotuit’s Victor Roache (Georgia Southern) continues to lead the league in hitting and RBI. He’s at .376 with 25 RBI.

With the Cape League’s current playoff structure, you really can’t write anybody off. But Chatham — and to a lesser extent Cotuit — were starting to look the part there for a while. Chatham has been in the basement for a while, while Cotuit dropped there with a tough stretch and has struggled to get out.

But things are tightening up now. Chatham beat Orleans 8-3 last night for its third straight win, while Cotuit edged Harwich 2-1 in extra innings for its second win in a row.

The Anglers are still six points behind Orleans for the fourth playoff spot, but with 12 games left, they could make a run at it. Essentially, they’ve given themselves a chance when they absolutely had to.

As for Cotuit, the Kettleers are only two points back of fourth-place Falmouth, so that race shapes up as a tight one.

Chatham again rode the hot bat of Dane Phillips (Oklahoma State) last night, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI. He’s six for his last nine with seven RBI and is rocketing up the leaderboards. He’s hitting .315, good for seventh in the league and he’s now second behind Victor Roache with 23 RBI. He also has four home runs.

Richie Shaffer (Clemson) also had a good day for Chatham, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Dominic Leone (Clemson) pitched six strong innings to pick up the victory.

Cotuit used some late-inning dramatics to beat Harwich. With the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the 10th, Torsten Boss came on as a pinch-hitter and knocked in Kevin Roundtree with the go-ahead run. Roundtree had tripled to start the inning.

The most impressive part of the rally was that it came against Harwich reliever Carter Capps, who hadn’t allowed a run all season.

Elsewhere

Bobby Brosnahan (Michigan) pitched six hitless innings and three relievers combined to surrender just one hit the rest of the way as Wareham shut down Brewster 2-0. Tyler Ross (LSU) and Max Muncy (Baylor) knocked in the only runs the Gatemen would need. Wareham is now one game over .500. With Harwich also losing, Brewster maintains its three-point lead atop the East standings.

Hyannis pulled back ahead of Bourne in the West standings with a 3-1 win over Falmouth and a Bourne loss to Y-D. Trey Masek (Texas Tech) got the win for the Harbor Hawks, with Dietrich Enns (Central Michigan) and Nick Wittgren (Purdue) finishing it off. Wittgren notched his fifth save. Zach Vincej (Pepperdine), Kevin Plawecki (Purdue) and John Frost (UAB) knocked in runs for Hyannis.

Y-D beat Bourne 8-5. Brian Johnson (Florida) started and allowed five runs in five innings but also struck out seven and got the win. Zack Weiss (UCLA) and Kyle Hansen (St. John’s) were dominant in relief, keeping Bourne from making a comeback. The Y-D offense was led by Mason Katz (LSU) and James Ramsey (Florida State), who each hit home runs.

In other news, another Cape standout has signed a pro contract. Falmouth’s Jack Marder (Oregon), who was tied for fourth in the league in RBI, signed with the Seattle Mariners. He had been drafted in the 16th round.

What to Watch
Games: Two big ones tonight as East leader Brewster visits Bourne, the second place team in the West at 5 p.m. Then at 7, East second-place Harwich visits West leader Hyannis.
Player: Flamethrower Lex Rutledge (Stamford), who has been pitching out of the bullpen, is scheduled to start for Harwich.

Rain forced the postponement of all but one game last night. Wareham and Falmouth managed to get theirs in and the Gatemen made the most of it, winning 7-5 to stay ahead of Falmouth for third place in the West.

The Gatemen took a 7-2 lead into the eighth inning before Falmouth came roaring back to make it 7-5. But Wareham closer Konner Wade (Arizona) came on and shut the Commodores down, going the final 1.2 innings without allowing a hit. L.J. Mazzilli (UConn), Robert Refsnyder (Arizona) and William Carmona (Stony Brook) led Wareham’s offense with two hits each.

Luke Farrell (Northwestern) picked up the win for the Gatemen. Andrew Aizenstadt (Babson) took the loss, his first of the year.

Elsewhere

Harwich didn’t play last night, but the Mariners suffered a loss anyway, as outfielder Billy Burns signed a contract with the Washington Nationals. Burns was a 32nd round pick after his junior season at Mercer and came to the Cape to help his stock. He was hitting .329 for the Mariners.

What to Watch
Game: Back to a full slate tonight, with no rain in the forecast. Bourne will try to stay hot when it visits Y-D at 5 p.m.
Player: League ERA leader Ryan Eades (LSU) is the scheduled starter for Bourne.

Five days ago, for the first time in a while, the second place team in the West moved closer to first place than third.

Now that second place team isn’t in second anymore. Thanks to Bourne’s 6-4 win over Orleans and Y-D’s 12-3 victory over Hyannis, the scorching Bourne Braves moved into a first-place tie with Hyannis.

The Harbor Hawks went 5-1 to start the season and didn’t have much of a chase pack for the first three weeks of the season. But somebody’s finally caught up. Bourne has now won nine of 10 games and is 18-11-2. Hyannis still has one more win, but the teams are tied with 38 points each.

Bourne trailed Orleans 4-0 after three innings. Starter Kevin Brandt (East Carolina) settled in though and didn’t let Orleans add to its lead. Bourne came back with a run in the fourth before taking the lead with four in the seventh. Garrett Cannizaro (Tulane) hit a three-run homer to key the rally.

Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) pitched well in relief, getting out of a jam in the top of the seventh and earning the win. R.C. Orlan (North Carolina) and R.J. Alvarez (Florida Atlantic) finished it off.

As for Hyannis, the Harbor Hawks had ace Dylan Floro (Cal State Fullerton) on the mound against Y-D, but the Red Sox roughed him up with four runs in the second inning. That chased Floro, and the Red Sox never looked back, finishing with 17 hits. Stephen Piscotty (Stanford) went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI, Chris Taylor (Virginia) and Mike Zunino (Florida) each had three hits, and Mason Katz (LSU) had two with two RBI.

Elsewhere

Falmouth got a strong performance from Sean Hagan (St. John’s) and beat Harwich 11-2. Hagan struck out five and allowed only one earned run in seven strong innings. His offense did the rest, with Falmouth getting 11 hits. Jack Marder (Oregon) had the biggest day, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and a run scored.

Chatham won for the second straight night, beating Brewster 8-5. Dane Phillips (Oklahoma State) went 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs and three RBI. Tanner Nivins (Stony Brook) hit a home run for Brewster but Chatham held on again, just as it did Saturday against Y-D. Chris Munnelly (North Carolina) got the win for Chatham.

Cotuit edged Wareham 8-7, getting a sacrifice fly by Alex Yarbrough (Ole Miss) in the seventh to take a lead it never lost. The teams combined for 13 hits. Wareham was led by Johnny Field (Arizona), who hit a three-run homer to power a six-run third inning. Alex Keudell came on in the third and got the win for Cotuit. Bobby Wahl (Ole Miss) came on and shut the door for the save.

What to Watch
Game: Cotuit visits Chatham at 7 p.m. in a match-up between two teams who are trying to make a move in the standings.
Player: With his big night yesterday, Chatham’s Dane Phillips now ranks third in the league in RBI.