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Playoffs: Shocker

Anything can happen in the Cape League playoffs. I still didn’t think this would happen.

Bourne knocked out Cotuit with a 6-4 win in game three of their division semifinals yesterday. Bourne came into the postseason with the worst record among all the playoff teams. Cotuit had the best record in the league.

But it’s the Braves who are moving on.

The Kettleers, who have been relying heavily on their bullpen all year, actually got a very strong start this time. Dusty Isaacs (Georgia Tech) allowed one run and struck out six in seven innings, while his team scored a run in the second inning and carried a lead into the seventh. But when Isaacs departed, the Braves touched up the Cotuit bullpen for five runs in the final two innings.

It wasn’t the first time — in the game-one victory, the Kettleers scored seven runs off the Cotuit pen.

L.J. Mazzilli (UConn), who’s proving to be a huge late-season pick-up, hit his second home run of the playoffs, while Trent Gilbert (Arizona) went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Connor David (UConn), another late pick-up, went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Bourne’s pitching struggled in the regular season, but Chad Green never let cotuit pull away yesterday. He allowed just the one run in six innings, while striking out six. Patrick Young (Villanova) got the win in relief, and John Farrell (William & Mary) picked up the save.

Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt) hit a home run to lead Cotuit, but it wasn’t quite enough.

The Braves are moving on, thanks to one of the biggest upsets in Cape League history.

What to Watch

Division championships get underway today, with No. 4 Orleans visiting No. 2 Y-D at 4 p.m. West No. 4 Bourne heads to No. 2 Wareham for a 7 p.m. start.

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Playoffs: Sweeps

The most powerful team in Cape Cod Baseball League history scored two runs in two playoff games and won’t play anymore. A team that has started to look just as powerful hit six home runs and scored 27 runs in two games against perhaps the best starting pitching rotation in the postseason.

What was that about an encore? If the first two days of the playoffs are an indication, the 2012 postseason may be just as wild as the 2012 season.

Orleans swept out No. 1 Harwich in the East with a second straight shut-down performance. And in the West, after winning 7-1 on Thursday, No. 2 Wareham pummeled No. 3 Falmouth 20-7 to sweep that series. In other action, Y-D also swept, beating Chatham 7-4. West No. 1 Cotuit was the lone team to force a game three, as the Kettleers beat Bourne 4-2.

I fully expected both top seeds — Cotuit and Harwich — to come back after game-one losses, but the defending champion Mariners saw their quest for a second straight title fall by the wayside quickly. The best home run hitting team in Cape League history won’t win the championship. Interestingly, the team Harwich passed in the record books — 1981 Orleans — didn’t win either, falling in the finals to Cotuit.

The 2012 Orleans squad made sure the Mariners didn’t even get that far. Losers of five straight to end the season, Orleans picked a good time to win two in a row. After winning 3-1 in game one, the Firebirds cruised to a 6-1 victory in game two. They took a 2-1 lead in the fourth and added to it late.

Not that it was easy. Orleans starter Jarrett Arakawa (Hawaii) left with an injury after an inning. It was fitting for this group, which has been decimated by injuries in recent weeks.

But the Firebirds responded. Philip Pfeifer (Vanderbilt), who had a 5.95 ERA in the regular season, relieved Arakawa and pitched six scoreless innings of one-hit baseball. He struck out three. Kyle Crockett (Virginia) then came on in the eighth and worked two more scoreless frames to finish it off.

Derek Toadvine (Kent State) and Angelo LaBruna (Duke) each had two hits and two RBI to lead the offense. Jake Hernandez (USC) and Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) also drove in runs.

For Harwich, there was just nothing doing. A.J. Reed (Kentucky) gave up two runs in six innings, but the run support wasn’t there. Harwich didn’t hit a home run in the postseason and managed just nine total hits.

Gatemen surge

I liked Falmouth to win its first-round series because of its pitching. The Commodores would trot out Trey Masek, who had some great moments this summer, and Sean Hagan, who almost pitched a no-hitter in late July.

Wareham greeted both of them with a lot of offense.

After the 7-1 win in game one, the Gatemen exploded for a 20-7 victory last night. They had 18 hits and six home runs, two of which were grand slams. The 20 runs is the most scored in the playoffs since Y-D tallied 23 in 2010.

Wareham scored three runs in the first inning and nothing in the next three before breaking the game wide open with 17 runs in the final five innings. Ethan Gross (Memphis) led the way with two home runs, including one of the grand slams, and six RBI. Tyler Ross (LSU) had the other grand slam. Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) hit a home run and drove in five, while Cole Sturgeon (Louisville) and Dustin DeMuth (Indiana) also homered.

Barrett Astin (Arkansas) got the win after giving up five runs in 5.1 innings.

Elsewhere

  • Y-D continued hitting well and got a solid start from Aaron Blair (Marshall) to finish off the sweep of Chatham with a 7-4 win. Carlos Asuaje (Nova Southeastern) went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, while Zak Blair (Mercyhurst), Alex Blandino (Stanford) and Morgan Mickan (Texas State) all drove in a run apiece. Blair, making his first start since July 20, gave up three runs — one earned — in five innings. Rick Knapp (Florida Gulf Coast) pitched well in relief and Bryan Verbitsky (Hofstra) got the save. Louie Lechich (San Diego) hit a home run for Chatham and Adam Engel (Louisville) had two hits and two RBI, but it wasn’t enough.

  • Cotuit was back to its old self after a surprising loss in game one. The Kettleers got solid pitching work, especially from the bullpen, and scored enough to get the victory. Kyle Finnegan (Texas State) pitched well for 3.2 innings, before Jordan Ramsey (UNC Wilmington) went 3.1 scoreless frames. Dan Slania (Notre Dame) then struck out five of the eight batters he faced in two scoreless innings to finish out the win. At the plate, Mike Ford (Princeton) homered and Jacob Valdez (San Jose State) went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

    • What to Watch

    Bourne visits Cotuit at 4 p.m. for the deciding game of their first-round series.

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    Rainy Day Reading

    All four playoff games were postponed due to rain yesterday. The weather still looks a little iffy today, but hopefully mother nature will cooperate.

    In the meantime, if you haven’t seen the Enterprise article about baseballs on the Cape that’s been going around, check it out. Turns out, the balls really do seem to be different.

    In other news, Harwich’s Phillip Ervin was named the 2012 Cape Cod League MVP yesterday. Ervin was the story of the first half of the season, and though he cooled off a little bit, he still finished with a .323 batting average, 11 home runs and 31 RBI.

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    Playoffs: Upset

    I didn’t think about this before I did the preview, but it occurred to me last night. On paper, the West series between Cotuit and Bourne may well be the most lopsided playoff match-up in Cape Cod Baseball League history. Cotuit had 30 wins in the regular season. Bourne had 17. There’s never been a bigger difference in the two years since the league switched to an eight-team format. To my knowledge, the league had never done eight teams before these last two years, and it’s hard to imagine such a big gap in the old format, when just the first and second place teams.

    So it might be the biggest gap. Somebody forgot to tell the Bourne Braves.

    Bourne shocked the top-seeded Kettleers 12-7 in game one of their best-of-three series last night. It was just the fifth loss in the last 27 games for the Kettleers, who finished with the best record in the league.

    The Braves scored six runs in the first two innings and chased starter Adam McCreery (Arizona State) after just 1.1 innings. Cotuit came back with a vengeance, though, and put up seven runs in the second inning.

    It looked like the Kettleers might be in business. Their great bullpen would take over and they’ve be on their way.

    Instead, the Bourne bullpen took over.

    John Farrell (William & Mary) struck out seven and gave up just three hits in 4.1 scoreless innings. Tim Giel (Columbia) followed with three shutout innings, striking out four.

    Meanwhile, Bourne pulled off a rare feat — the Braves scored regularly against the Cotuit pen. Three pitchers, including Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina), gave up at least two runs as the Braves pulled away.

    L.J. Mazzilli (UConn) had a huge day, going 4-for-6 with a home run and six RBI. Joe Jackson (The Citadel) also homered, while Jack Reinheimer (East Carolina) went 4-for-6 with two RBI.

    The 12 runs are the second-most Bourne has scored all season, and they couldn’t have come at a better time. The Braves will head home today with a chance to clinch a huge playoff upset.

    Elsewhere

  • There was also an upset in the East, where fourth-seeded Orleans flexed its pitching muscles and topped No. 1 Harwich 3-1. Matt Boyd (Oregon State) struck out 11 and gave up just a run on three hits in seven innings. Kyle Crockett (Virginia) then closed the deal with two scoreless frames. He struck out five of the eight batters he faced. On the other side, Harwich starter Corey Littrell (Kentucky) was solid, and Clark Labitan (Virginia Tech) pitched great out of the bullpen, but Orleans found just enough offense with three runs in the second inning. Angelo LaBruna (Duke) knocked in two of the runs with a triple before trotting home himself on a wild pitch. The win was the Firebirds’ first over Harwich since the fourth game of the season.

  • The other two series both held form, starting with Y-D posting a 7-4 victory over Chatham. The game was tied at 4-4 in the fourth, but the Red Sox scored a run in the bottom of the inning and two in the seventh to pull away. After starter Andrew Thurman (UC Irvine) gave up four runs in five innings, Joey DeNato (Indiana) slammed the door with four scoreless frames. He struck out four and gave up just two hits. Robert Pehl (Washington) went 2-for-3 with a home run to lead the offense, and Justin Shafer (Florida) also homered. Carlos Asuaje (Nova Southeastern) went 3-for-4. Louie Lechich (San Diego) and John Hennessey (Boston College) homered for the Anglers, but it wasn’t enough.

  • Wareham got to Falmouth stand-out Trey Masek (Texas Tech) early on and got a great performance on the mound from Kendall Graveman (Mississippi State) to beat the Commodores 7-1. Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) went 3-for-3 with two RBI and Ty Ross (LSU) also drove in two. Armed with a lead from the get-go, Graveman scattered eight hits and gave up just a run in 6.2 innings. Nick Rumbelow (LSU) struck out every batter he faced in 1.1 dominant innings of relief, and Colby Suggs (Arkansas) finished the job with a scoreless ninth. Going back to the regular season, Wareham has now won five games in a row.

    • What to Watch

    As No. 4 seeds Bourne and Orleans go for upsets, they’ll both send good pitchers to the hill. Bourne’s Jeff Thompson (Louisville) has turned in two good starts in a row, including a six-inning no-hitter. Orleans’ Jarrett Arakawa (Hawaii) took a no-hitter into the fifth and finished with eight strong innings in his last start.

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    Playoff Previews

    The 2012 Cape Cod Baseball League season has been one of the best and most exciting ever.

    Now it’s time for the encore.

    Two teams head in as established favorites — Harwich has been there all year while Cotuit became the rare team to hit the 30-win plateau, while getting 25 of those wins after July 1.

    But as always in the Cape League, the playoffs are anybody’s game.

    WEST PLAYOFFS

    No. 1 Cotuit (30-14) vs. No. 4 Bourne (17-27)
    Game 1: Thursday, 4 p.m. at Lowell Park, Cotuit
    Game 2: Friday, 7 p.m. at Doran Park, Bourne
    Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, 4 p.m. at Lowell Park, Cotuit

    Season Series: Cotuit 4, Bourne 2

    In a season full of team storylines, Cotuit’s success became the dominant team-related story of the summer. The Kettleers, in case you missed it, fell to 8-10 with a lopsided loss to Hyannis on July 6. From that point on, they went 22-4.

    So it’s been a pretty amazing run. Now the Kettleers will try to keep it going.

    Cotuit finished second in the league in batting average at .288, but over their final 26 games, the Kettleers hit .303. Patrick Biondi, Daniel Aldrich and Tony Kemp finished with the top three batting averages in the league, and Aldrich — a late pickup from Orleans — emerged as a leading candidate for MVP honors.

    Starting pitching was never Cotuit’s strongest point, even when the team started heating up, but the bullpen eases most of those concerns. Ryan Connolly led the league in wins out of the pen, and Dan Slania has been the league’s top closer.

    For Cotuit, that’s been the perfect formula and the hope is that it keeps working in the postseason.

    Bourne has had an up-and-down year. There’s a lot of talent, particularly in the middle of the order with Colin Moran leading the way, but the Braves never seemed to put it all together.

    They’ve got a shot against Cotuit and their starting pitching has been better of late, but I have to give the edge to the Kettleers. You win 30 games by playing good baseball, and Cotuit has done that significantly more often than not in the last month.

    No. 2 Wareham (21-23) vs. No. 3 Falmouth (21-23)
    Game 1: Thursday, 7 p.m. at Spillane Field, Wareham
    Game 2: Friday, 7 p.m. at Guv Fuller Field, Falmouth
    Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, 7 p.m. at Spillane Field, Wareham

    Season Series: Wareham 3, Falmouth 3

    If not for an eight-game losing streak late in the year, Falmouth would have been a solid second-place team. As it is, a mini-surge by Wareham in the season’s final week gave the Gatemen the No. 2 seed and home-field advantage for this round.

    I still think Falmouth’s skid was the outlier, and not a defining moment for this team. With Sean Hagan, Trey Masek and Craig Schlitter leading the charge, I think the Commodores have more depth of starting pitching than any team in the playoffs. The offense took a hit when Jared King left with an injury, but Drew Dosch and company have shown the ability to score runs.

    In Wareham, Falmouth runs into a powerful offensive team. In fact, while Harwich broke the Cape’s home run record, Wareham’s lineup actually looks just as fearsome. Tyler Horan and Kyle Schwarber, in particular, have been scorching.

    The key as always for Wareham is its pitching. The offense can slug but it hasn’t regularly out-slugged people when the pitching has struggled. Wareham carries a 4.51 ERA into the postseason.

    And ultimately, pitching is what has me thinking Falmouth here.

    EAST PLAYOFFS

    No. 1 Harwich (27-16-1) vs. No. 4 Orleans (22-22)
    Game 1: Thursday, 7 p.m. at Whitehouse Field, Harwich
    Game 2: Friday, 7 p.m. at Eldredge Park, Orleans
    Game 3: Saturday, 7 p.m. at Whitehouse Field, Harwich

    Season Series: Harwich 5, Orleans 1

    If you had told me in June that Harwich and Orleans would meet in the first round of the playoffs, I would not have believed you. The way they were playing in June had me wishing 2012 was like that one weird season a few years ago when two teams from the same division could play for the championship.

    But the dog days of summer weren’t too kind to either team. Harwich still won the East and broke the league’s home run record, but there were chinks in the armor. Orleans hung around but limped into the playoffs with a five-game losing streak.

    Like the Wareham-Falmouth match-up, what stands out in this one is Harwich’s offensive strength vs. Orleans’ pitching. The Mariners obviously led the league in home runs while Orleans had the best ERA for essentially the whole summer.

    Five times in the regular season, Harwich won out, but it wasn’t just the power vs pitching match-up that decided things. Harwich also pitched well, and Orleans couldn’t keep up.

    I could see that happening again here. The Mariners ranked fourth in the league in ERA and almost broke the league’s strikeout record. Combine that with an Orleans that scored fewer than three runs per game in its five-game skid, and you’ve got a tough road ahead for the Firebirds.

    No. 2 Y-D (25-19) vs. No. 3 Chatham (21-21-2)
    Game 1: Thursday, 4 p.m. at Red Wilson Field, South Yarmouth
    Game 2: Friday, 7 p.m. at Veterans Field, Chatham
    Game 3: Saturday, 4 p.m. at Red Wilson Field, South Yarmouth

    Season Series: Y-D 3, Chatham 3

    Chatham snuck into the third spot by beating Orleans twice to end the season. The reward for the Anglers is a match-up with Y-D, whom they played pretty well against in the regular season.

    This, too, could be a case of strength vs. strength. Chatham finished second in the league in ERA, while Y-D led the league in hitting with a .300 average and runs scored with 278. If good pitching beats good hitting, Chatham has the edge.

    The only problem for the Anglers is that Y-D has some pretty good pitching, too, especially the way the Red Sox have things lined up. andrew Thurman — who was pretty solid all year and turned in a dominant complete-game shutout on July 22 — gets the ball in game one, while ERA leader Aaron Blair is scheduled to start game two.

    Chatham counters with Mike Wagner and Thomas Lawrence, two good pitchers in their own right, and I’m tempted to pick the Anglers. Y-D has shown a weird propensity for losing games it should win, like Ben Lively’s 15-strikeout performance. But ultimately, if Thurman and Blair pitch like they’re capable of, Y-D is set up well to take care of business. I’m not sure Chatham’s offense can keep up.

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    Daily Fog: Big Finish

    A few days ago, it looked like Chatham might have to hold off Brewster for the final playoff spot in the East. The Anglers did that — and didn’t stop there.

    With Orleans cooling down, Chatham moved within striking distance of third place and then seized it by beating the Firebirds on back-to-back days to end the season. The teams finished with the same number of points in the standings, and by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker, Chatham will get the No. 3 seed. The Anglers will play Y-D in the playoffs. Harwich and Orleans, the two best teams in the league for a lot of the year, will now have to play each other in the first round.

    While Orleans’ five-game losing streak had a lot to do with the late shuffling, Chatham’s performance on the final two days of the season can’t be ignored. They beat the Firebirds 4-0 on Monday and, with the third seed in sight, they started fast last night and never looked back en route to a 7-2 victory.

    Chatham scored twice in each of the first two innings, added to the lead from there and got another strong all-around pitching performance. After four pitchers combined to shut out the Firebirds on Monday, four more pitchers did almost as well last night. Louie Lechich (San Diego) and Dace Kime (Louisville) each allowed a run in three innings. Tate Parrish (North Carolina) followed with two scoreless innings and Jaime Schultz (High Point) pitched a scoreless ninth.

    Alex Calbick (Maine) went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while Andrew Knapp (California) homered for a second straight game. Mike Fransoso went 3-for-4.

    Elsewhere

  • Wareham’s Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) doubled but did not a home run, so he ends up tied for the Cape League’s wood bat home run record. Cotuit’s Patrick Biondi (Michigan), who was on the hunt for .400, went 1-for-3 on the final day and finished at .388. He’s the Cape League’s batting champ, and his average is the highest since 2003, when Brewster’s J.C. Holt also hit .388.

  • In the other action with playoff implications, Wareham beat Bourne 6-5. Combined with a Falmouth loss, that means the Gatemen will be the No. 2 seed in the West and will have home-field advantage in the first round. The Gatemen have won four in a row, and took this one in dramatic fashion. In the 10th inning, Dustin DeMuth (Indiana) hit a walk-off RBI double to give Wareham the victory. Tyler McFarland (James Madison) went 3-for-3 for the Gatemen and Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) had two hits. Cole Sturgeon (Louisville) got the win with three strong innings of relief.

  • Top seeds Cotuit and Harwich both finished with victories. The Kettleers beat Falmouth 9-3, while Harwich topped Brewster 5-1. For Cotuit, Angel Rosa (Alcorn State), Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt) and Cael Brockmeyer (Cal State Bakersfield) all hit home runs. Jacob Stone (Weatherford College) got the win on the mound. Cotuit finished with 60 points in the standings, the most since the 2007 Y-D Red Sox had 63. Meanwhile, for Harwich, slugger Phillip Ervin (Samford) actually got the start on the mound and went three scoreless innings. Cole Pitts (Georgia Tech) also went three scoreless frames. Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a home run. Harwich’s home run record will go into the books at 64, five better than the old mark.

  • Hyannis won’t be making the playoffs, but the Harbor Hawks went out with two straight wins after beating Y-D 10-9 last night. Hyannis ended up tied with Bourne for fourth, but the Braves had already taken the tiebreaker. Still, Hyannis battled to the bitter end, scoring three runs in the top of the ninth to beat the playoff-bound Red Sox. Pat Fortunato (Rhode Island) hit a two-run homer to tie the game in the ninth before a Blake Austin (Auburn) RBI single plated the go-ahead run. Gage Smith (Florida State) then pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth to seal the win. The Harbor Hawks hit four home runs on the day, with Brandon Trinkwon (UC Santa Barbara), Mitchell Garver (New Mexico) and Brad Zebedis (Presbyterian) joining Fortunato.

    • What to Watch

    The league has an off-day today before the playoffs begin Thursday.

    Here are the match-ups:

    East
    1 Harwich vs. 4 Orleans
    2 Y-D vs. 3 Chatham

    West
    1 Cotuit vs. 4 Bourne
    2 Wareham vs. 3 Falmouth

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    Daily Fog: Winding Down

    Some quick hitters today as we head into the regular season finale…

  • Hyannis lefty Sean Manaea pulled off a rare sweep in official Cape Cod Baseball League awards, taking home both the B.F.C. Whitehouse Top Pitcher Award and Robert A. McNeece Outstanding Pro Prospect Award. Neither is a surprise, but sometimes it seems like the league doesn’t want to give out the top prospect and an MVP/Top Pitcher to the same person. Manaea was deserving of both, and by a pretty wide margin. With Hyannis missing the playoffs, Manaea is likely done for the summer unless he pitches tonight. If that’s the case, his final numbers look like this: 5-1, 1.22 ERA, 85 strikeouts, 7 walks. Just an awesome season.

  • Harwich clinched the top seed in the East with a 2-1 win over Brewster and a Y-D loss. The Mariners got seven strong innings from David Whitehead (Elon), but it looked like he might be the hard-luck loser when Harwich went to the bottom of the ninth trailing 1-0 against a Brewster team they haven’t beaten this season. But in the ninth, a single by JaCoby Jones (LSU) and a single plus an error on a hit by Matt Reida (Kentucky) brought the tying run home. After intentional walks to sluggers Brian Ragira (Stanford) and Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame), Brett Austin (NC State) lined a single into left to score Reida with the game-winning run.

  • Chatham beat Orleans 4-0, which put the Anglers in position to sneak up to the third seed in the East. Chatham is two points back of Orleans, who has lost four straight, and would hold the tiebreaker if the teams end up tied. Chatham and Orleans play each other again in tonight’s season finale, so a win by the Anglers would clinch the third seed. For Chatham last night, four pitchers combined on a one-hit shutout. Jimmy Litchfield (UC Irvine) started and gave up one hit in three innings. Eric Stevens (Boston College) went four hitless frames, before Ryan Atwood (Florida Gulf Coast) and Jake Joyce (Virginia Tech) finished it off with a perfect inning each. Joyce struck out the side in the ninth. Andrew Knapp (California) hit a home run to power the Chatham offense, while Mike Fransoso (Maine) and Pat Valaika (UCLA) each had a hit and drove in a run.

  • Tyler Horan did not hit a home run, but Wareham won for the third straight time, beating Bourne 8-3. The Gatemen, who are currently two points behind Falmouth for second place, would end up with the No. 2 seed if they win tonight and Falmouth loses. Kyle Schwarber (Indiana) led the charge last night, going 2-for-5 with a triple and three RBI. Lost in the Horan home run mania is Schwarber’s hot streak. Schwarber is hitting .436 in his last 10 games. On the mound for the Gatemen, Frederick Shepherd (Amherst) allowed one earned run in six innings of work for the win. Jonathan Holder (Mississippi State) picked up the save.

  • Cotuit scored four runs in the seventh to rally past Falmouth for an 8-7 win. Aramis Garcia (Florida International) went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI, while James Roberts (USC) drove in three. Daniel Aldrich (College of Charleston) went 3-for-5. Patrick Biondi (Michigan) went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and could still reasonably hit .400. He’s at .389 and would need to go at least 3-for-4 to finish at .400. On the mound for Cotuit, Adam McCreery (Arizona State) got the win in relief and Dan Slania (Notre Dame) picked up his 10th save.

  • Hyannis held the Y-D offense to four hits and posted a 4-2 victory over the Red Sox. Matt Maurer (Pepperdine), Eric Eck (Wofford) and Andrew Smithmyer (East Carolina) pitched three strong innings apiece. At the plate, Brandon Trinkwon (UC Santa Barbara) drove in three and Jeff Schalk (UAB) knocked in the other run.

    • What to Watch

    One last day of the regular season. The Orleans at Chatham game has the most playoff implications, with the Anglers going for the third seed. That game is at 7 p.m. at Veterans Field.

    We can also do some record watching. Tyler Horan will look to break the wood bat home run record when Wareham hosts Bourne at 7 p.m. Patrick Biondi will be shooting to be the first .400 hitter since 1990 when Cotuit visits Falmouth at 6:30.

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    Daily Fog: Delivering

    So many times this season, I’ve come home and checked scores, wondering if anything big happened. And so many times, something big did happen, from Phillip Ervin and Harwich hitting bombs to Sean Manaea striking everybody out to Cotuit winning again.

    The trend continued last night. Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) has been scorching for Wareham. His two home runs Saturday put him one away from tying the Cape League’s wood bat record.

    I checked the Wareham score around 7:15 on Sunday night. I scrolled through the live stats, checking the most recent inning. And there it was.

    Tyler Horan homered again. The record of 16 had officially been tied.

    I wrote a lot about Horan yesterday. All of that still stands — the list of accomplishments just grows.

    Kyle Schwarber (Indiana) hit a home run for the Gatemen in the fifth, and Horan went back-to-back with the first pitch he saw. The home run was his third in his last six official at-bats and his sixth in six games.

    Horan now has two games left to break the record, which was set in 1988 by Brewster’s Dave Staton, a Cal State Fullerton star who went on to play in the majors.

    The Gatemen, who hit four home runs last night in addition to Horan’s record-tying blast and won 9-8 over Falmouth, end the season with back-to-back games against Bourne. The Braves, despite having one of the highest ERAs in the league, have given up the fewest home runs in the league.

    I don’t think Tyler Horan will worry about it. When I check scores tomorrow night, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him deliver again.

    Clinching

    The playoff race looked for a while like it might come down to the final day, but instead, it ended a little early.

    Bourne beat Hyannis 4-2 last night to clinch the final spot in the West and eliminate the Harbor Hawks. In the East, Chatham beat Harwich 6-4 to clinch the fourth spot and end Brewster’s hopes.

    Had Bourne lost to Hyannis last night, things would have gotten complicated and the race probably would have gone to the final day. Instead, the Braves made things easy. Chad Green (Louisville) came up with his best performance of the year when the Braves needed it most, striking out nine and scattering six hits in six scoreless innings.

    And the Braves backed him. Facing Hyannis all star David Garner (Michigan State), they scored two runs in the first inning, added to the lead with single runs in the third and the fifth and never really looked back.

    Colin Moran (North Carolina) went 2-for-4 with three RBI, bringing his league-leading total to 41. L.J. Mazzilli (Connecticut) knocked in the other run. The bullpen had some anxious moments, as Hyannis scored two in the seventh, but John Farrell (William & Mary) slammed the door with two perfect innings.

    As for the East, Brewster — who needed to win out, and have Chatham lose out — continued doing its part with an impressive 3-2 victory over Cotuit in a 4:30 game. But Chatham made it a moot point later on, beating Harwich 6-4 at Veterans Field to clinch the spot.

    Chatham scored two in the third thanks to RBI singles by Dale Carey (Miami) and John Hennessey (Boston College). Then in the fifth, Adam Engel (Louisville) hit a grand slam to blow the game open and put Chatham well on its way.

    Aaron Brown (Pepperdine) came up big on the mound for the Anglers, taking a no-hitter into the fifth in just his second start of the year. He struck out 10 and ended up allowing just one hit in 6.1 shutout innings.

    Harwich made a game of it with four runs in the eighth, but Jaime Schultz (High Point) delivered a huge performance out of the bullpen, striking out five of the seven batters he faced to finish off the victory.

    Chatham will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

    Elsewhere

  • Props to Brewster, whose last-ditch effort fell short but looks pretty impressive nonetheless. The Whitecaps had won two in a row before yesterday and made it three with the win over Cotuit. Luke Weaver (Florida State) got the win with six strong innings and Michael Theofanopoulos (Cal) picked up the three-inning save. Trevor Mitsui (Washington) hit a home run, while Dan Olinger (Minnesota) and Aaron Judge (Fresno State) drove in runs.

  • While Harwich lost, Y-D beat Orleans 7-5 for its sixth win in a row. The Red Sox are now just one point behind the Mariners for first place in the East. Morgan Mickan (Texas State), a late July addition, went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI to lead the offense. Robert Pehl (Washington) also homered and drove in two. On the mound, Joey DeNato (Indiana) pitched great in relief, allowing no runs and no hits in 4.2 innings of relief. Y-D can now finish no worse than second in the East. Third-place Orleans is six points back with two games to play. Y-D will end the season with two games against Hyannis.

    • What to Watch

    Nothing too interesting as far as playoffs, but you’ll want to keep an eye on Horan’s quest. Wareham visits Bourne at 6 p.m.

    Posted on

    Daily Fog: Long Ball

    In the record watch I posted the other day, I included Wareham’s Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) and said that with a ridiculous finish, Horan could approach the Cape League’s wooden bat home run record.

    The ridiculous finish is happening.

    After hitting home runs in three consecutive games, Horan hit two in the nightcap of a doubleheader. He now has 15, one away from tying the wood-bat record of 16. Wareham has three games left, so suddenly, it’s not even that ridiculous a prospect.

    Whatever happens, Horan is emerging as the home run king of a home run filled season.

    Horan is a native of Middleborough, Mass., just a short drive from Wareham. His summer at home has been a dream. He was an all star, he already broke the Wareham single-season home run record and as the season draws to a close, he’s looking more and more like the top candidate for the MVP award. He’s hitting .343, fourth in the league, he leads the league in home runs and he’s tied for the top spot in RBI with 38.

    And his last five games have been incredible. He’s hitting .429 with five home runs and 11 RBI.

    The only bad news is that Wareham lost four of those games, but I guess Horan just kept swinging harder. The two home runs last night powered the Gatemen to a 12-2 win over Chatham that clinched a playoff spot.

    That means Horan will soon lead the Gatemen into the postseason. If the next three games are anything like the last five, Horan will lead the way as one of the Cape League’s best home run kings.

    Elsewhere

  • Brewster kept its slim playoff hopes alive in the East by sweeping a doubleheader, 2-0 over Bourne and 6-5 over Orleans. The Whitecaps are now five points back of Chatham for the final playoff spot. If they win their last three and Chatham loses its last three, the Whitecaps would be in. The wins yesterday snapped a five-game losing streak. Brady Kirkpatrick (Maryland) pitched six scoreless innings for the win in the first game, while Ryon Healy (Oregon) and Jason Monda (Washington State) drove in the runs. In the nightcap at Eldredge Park, Brewster scored three runs each in the second and third innings and held off Orleans for the one-run victory. Chase McDowell (Rice) got the win and Jake McCasland (New Mexico) picked up the save. Trevor Mitsui (Washington) went 3-for-4 while Michael Lorenzon (Cal State Fullerton), who just arrived from Team USA, hit a home run and drove in three.

  • The West chase didn’t change much as Bourne lost to Brewster and Cotuit, while Hyannis played one game and lost to Falmouth. Bourne leads Hyannis by two points heading into tonight, when the teams play each other.

  • Cotuit swept its doubleheader, 6-1 over Orleans and 10-7 over Bourne. Kyle Finnegan (Texas State) pitched six strong innings in game one, allowing one run on two hits in six innings. He struck out seven. Jacob Stone (Weatherford College) pitched three scoreless innings for the save. In the second game, the Kettleers out-slugged Bourne. Jacob Valdez (San Jose State) hit a home run and Tim Kiene (Maryland) went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Cotuit is now 28-13.

  • Falmouth also swept a twin bill, beating Wareham 4-2 and Hyannis 6-5. Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) hit a home run and Jonathan Dziedzic (Lamar) pitched seven strong innings for the win over Wareham. In the nightcap, Falmouth broke a 5-5 tie with a run in the eighth on an RBI single by Casey Turgeon (Florida). Kyle Ruchim (Northwestern) pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the win. Mike O’Neill (Michigan) had three hits.

  • Y-D and Harwich played just one game each and the Red Sox made it count with a 4-3 victory, their fifth in a row. Phillip Ervin (Samford) hit his 11th home run for Harwich, staking the Mariners to a 3-0 lead. But Y-D came back with a run in the fifth and three in the seventh to take control. Carlos Asuaje (Nova Southeastern) and new addition Danny Diekroeger (Stanford) drove in runs. Preston Hatcher (Western Carolina) and Bryan Verbitsky (Hofstra) combined for three scoreless innings of relief to hold off the Mariners.

    • What to Watch

    That Bourne-Hyannis game at 6 p.m. in Bourne should be a good one, and both teams have lined up their pitching to give them a good chance. All star David Garner (Michigan State) gets the ball for the Harbor Hawks against Chad Green (Louisville), who’s probably been Bourne’s most consistent starter.

    Posted on

    Daily Fog: History

    Friday, August 3 was quite a day in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

    Harwich’s Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) hit three home runs in a doubleheader as the Mariners set a new Cape League record. They now have 61 home runs.

    A few miles away in Brewster, Hyannis lefty Sean Manaea (Indiana State) delivered another dominant start and struck out 10 to give him 85 on the year, which breaks the modern record of 82 set by Daniel Bard in 2005.

    So yeah, quite a day. I think a few game balls from yesterday may be headed for the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame.

    Harwich has been hitting home runs at a ridiculous pace all season, so much so that it almost became ho-hum, especially when they slowed down a little bit. There were games early on where they were hitting five or six. Dropping to one or two a game made it seem routine.

    But make no mistake — there is nothing routine about hitting 61 home runs.

    If you were making a list of unbreakable Cape League records, the home run mark would probably make the cut. It’s not as untouchable as strikeouts or batting average, but it’s up there. Orleans set the mark of 59 in 1981 — with metal bats.

    Considering recent history, it would have been hard to imagine anyone approaching that with wood. The 2007 Y-D Red Sox, perhaps the best team on the Cape in the last decade, had four future first-round picks, trotted out a power-hitting lineup, played at cozy Red Wilson Field — and hit 41 home runs.

    The 2012 Mariners beat that mark a while ago, and though their pace and their lineup changed, it became apparent in the last few weeks that they were probably still going to break the record.

    Jagielo took care of it himself.

    Probably the most consistent of Harwich’s home run hitters, Jagielo tied the record with a first-inning solo shot. Then in the second game of a doubleheader, Jagielo hit a two-run bomb in the fourth inning to break the record. For good measure, he smacked a solo homer in his next at-bat and finished the night 5-for-5.

    Jagielo now has 13 home runs, tied for the league lead. But his homers Friday were more about another league lead.

    He officially made his team the most powerful club in Cape Cod Baseball League history.

    Strikeout King

    The Cape League’s strikeout record probably is untouchable. It’s 126 and it was set when teams played a lot of games.

    That’s why Daniel Bard’s 82 became the new measuring stick. At least until yesterday.

    Manaea continued his amazing summer by delivering one of his most dominant performances yet. He took a perfect game into the sixth inning and a no-hitter into the eighth before an Aaron Judge (Fresno State) single broke it up. Manaea ended up with eight innings of one-hit baseball and his third consecutive start with no runs allowed as Hyannis won 8-0.

    Along the way, he struck out 10 to bring his record-breaking total to 85.

    This, too, is a pretty amazing feat. The 85 strikeouts have come in just 51.2 innings pitched. By comparison, Bard’s 82 came in 65 innings.

    There’s also the environment to consider. Bard hit his mark in a year dominated by pitching. He was one of six players with 60 or more strikeouts.

    This year, Manaea is the only one over 60. And he’s pitching in perhaps the most offense-heavy year in the wood-bat history of the Cape League.

    It hasn’t mattered. Even if they were using metal and the ball was juiced, I’m not sure hitters could catch up to Manaea.

    Elsewhere

  • Harwich won its first doubleheader game 9-0 over Hyannis before tying Chatham 8-8 in the nightcap. In addition to Jagielo’s bomb in the early game, Harwich got hits from 10 others and RBI from six others. A.J. Reed (Kentucky) pitched five shutout innings for the win. In the second game, Brett Austin had three RBI to back the big game from Jagielo. Mike Fransoso (Maine) had three RBI to lead Chatham. The Anglers are one win away from clinching the final playoff spot in the East.

  • Cotuit bounced back from its first loss in a long time with a 9-4 victory over Wareham. Daniel Aldrich (College of Charleston) went 3-for-4 with two home runs. Jacob Valdez (San Jose State) drove in three and Adam Nelubowich (Washington) knocked in two. Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) picked up his eighth win with 4.2 innings of relief after he came on in the first inning. For Wareham, Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) hit a homer for the third straight game, bringing his total to 13.

  • Y-D was shut-out for seven innings but scored five in the last two to beat Bourne 5-1. Braves starter Jon Keller (Nebraska) allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings, but the Red Sox came to life with two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth. Sam Travis (Indiana) knocked in two runs to lead the Red Sox, while Carlos Asuaje (Nova Southeastern), Sean Dwyer (Florida Gulf Coast) and Wayne Taylor (Stanford) drove in one apiece. Ben Lively (Central Florida) tossed five strong innings and Jose Lopez (Seton Hall) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Aaron Blair (Marshall), pitching out of the bullpen for the second time, went two innings for the save.

  • Orleans scored three runs in the seventh and held off a charge to beat Falmouth 4-2. After the Firebirds bided their time against standout Craig Schlitter (Bryant), Michael Montville (Maryland) hit a two-run home run to power the seventh-inning surge, while Derek Toadvine (Kent State) scored on a passed ball. Cody Kulp (Shippensburg) also drove in a run for the Firebirds. Jarrett Arakawa (Hawaii) allowed just an unearned run over eight innings for the win. He took a no-hitter into the fifth.

    • What to Watch

    Another busy day, with six teams playing in various doubleheaders. Bourne visits Brewster and Cotuit on its playoff hunt, while Hyannis hosts Falmouth. It should be a good game in Harwich, where Y-D comes to town with Andrew Thurman on the hill.