Streaking

Cole Freeman is now leading the league in hitting.

For all the dominant pitching in Harwich, the comeback from a tough start in Yarmouth and the steady performances in Falmouth, the summer’s longest win streak belongs to the Wareham Gatemen.

A 4-3 victory in 10 innings over Brewster Tuesday night was the seventh victory in a row for the Gatemen. Sitting at 13-14-3 before the streak began with losses in four of their last five, the Gatemen have stormed to complete control of second place in the West and cemented their spot as one of the league’s top four teams. They’re now 20-14-3.

The drama of Tuesday’s one-run, extra-inning victory was nothing new. Five of the seven victories in the streak have been one-run games. Wareham has had a knack for winning those games with late pushes and solid performances by the bullpen.

Much of Tuesday’s game had the streak in jeopardy. Brewster scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and watched ace Zac Lowther (Xavier) strike out eight in 6.2 scoreless innings.

Wareham didn’t get on the board until the ninth inning but made up for lost time. Singles by Joey Bartosic (George Washington) and Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest) and a walk to Dominic Miroglio (San Francisco) loaded the bases with nobody out. Colton Shaver (BYU) brought a run home with a groundout and an error on a ground ball by Alex Destino (South Carolina) allowed the tying runs to score.

The Gatemen then took the lead in the 10th on three straight singles and a sacrifice fly by Miroglio. Jake Matthys (Angelo State), who had already pitched a scoreless ninth, did the same in the bottom of the 10th to seal the comeback win for the Gatemen.

Bartosic had three hits to lead the offense and Sheets had two. Freeman also had two and officially qualified for the batting title, a race that he now leads with a .387 mark. Freeman has been a key to the win streak, batting leadoff and getting 10 hits.

In addition to Matthys, Wareham got shut-down relief work before the comeback from Dalton Horton (TCU) and Clayton Gelfand (Chico State).

Harwich 7, Orleans 5

Joe Dunand (NC State) is emerging as a league MVP candidate and his latest big game helped lead Harwich to a key win over Orleans. Dunand went 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI and is on a six-game hitting streak, bumping his average to .373. He ranks second in the league in hitting, tied for sixth in home runs and is fifth in RBI — the only player to dot all three leaderboards. Dunand’s RBI double in the third started a comeback from an early 3-1 deficit and Harwich went on to the victory. Coupled with a Y-D loss, the win means the Mariners and Red Sox are locked in a first-place tie in the East. Ernie Clement (Virginia) added three hits and two runs scored for Harwich and Jonathan India (Florida) had two hits and scored twice. The top three hitters in the order — India, Clement and Dunand — scored six of the team’s seven runs. Ryan McAuliffe (St. John’s) got the win in relief and Teddy Rodliff (Stony Brook) pitched three scoreless innings of relief to close out the win. Orleans, which dropped its fourth in a row and fell to 16-20-1, got a home run from Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt).

Falmouth 7, Hyannis 3

The Commodores trailed 1-0 from the first inning through the sixth but blasted their way to a late rally and a win over Hyannis with three runs in the seventh, three in the eighth and one in the ninth. J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) had an RBI single, Willie Burger (Penn State) a sac fly and Tristan Gray (Rice) an RBI double to key the first rally and the Commodores were off and running. Gray finished with two hits to lead the charge and Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) added an RBI. The late surge made a winner out of Brady Puckett (Lipscomb), who allowed a run for the first time since July 1 and responded with six scoreless innings to keep it a 1-0 game. Justin Lewis (Kentucky) struck out eight in six innings for Hyannis.

Bourne 3, Cotuit 2

The Braves went to 5-0 against Cotuit this season and pushed the Kettleers closer to the brink of playoff race elimination with a comeback win at Lowell Park. Trailing 2-0 in the eighth, the Braves got three straight singles ahead of an error, a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly to grab the lead. Sean Leland (Louisville) and Brendon Little (North Carolina) pitched a scoreless inning each to keep the Braves in front and seal the win. Willy Yahn (Connecticut) and Connor Wong (Houston) led the Bourne offense with two hits each. Cotuit, which lost its second straight and fell to 12-24-1, got four good innings from standout freshman Jason Bilous (Coastal Carolina).

Chatham 5, Y-D 4

The Anglers knocked off the East’s best and moved within one game of fourth-place Brewster with a dramatic comeback from four runs down in the ninth. Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) got the Anglers within two on a two-run single with one out in the ninth. Y-D made it two outs, but Stuart Fairchild (Wake Forest) smacked a three-run homer on a 2-2 count to give Chatham its first lead of the game. It was the first homer of the summer for Fairchild, who came in hitting .242. Jake Palomaki (Boston College) and D.J. Artis (Liberty) added hits to the rally for Chatham, which had notched just one hit before the ninth inning. Moises Ceja (UCLA) pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth inning to complete the comeback win. For Y-D, Chatham’s comeback spoiled a dominant start from Jared Janczak (TCU), who went six scoreless innings.

What to Watch

Falmouth and Y-D, owners of the best two records in the league, square off at Arnie Allen Diamond at 6 p.m. All-star Brendan King (Holy Cross), who hasn’t allowed a run since June 24, goes for Falmouth against Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina), who has gone 13.1 scoreless innings over his last two starts.

July 19, 2016

Chasing the Throne

An all-star game home run derby needs the league leader in homers.

If the Cape League’s event were held today, that would be impossible. The lead in home runs belongs to a guy now playing for the State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League. Matt Davis, who parlayed his big summer with Brewster into a pro contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, already has his professional career underway.

But the derby may yet get its home run king.

Colton Shaver (BYU) hit his sixth home run of the summer in Wareham’s 3-2 win over Harwich Monday night and has a few games to catch Davis’ number as he heads into the derby.

Shaver doesn’t have the batting average of some recent Cape League star hitters – he’s at .250 – but his on-base percentage is nearly 100 points higher than the batting average mark. He’s slugging .480, good for fourth in the league.

Shaver’s home run Monday lifted the Gatemen over East-leading Harwich. They trailed 2-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth when a Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest) RBI single started the comeback. One pitch later, Shaver blasted a two-run shot and the Gatemen remained in the lead from there.

Dalton Horton (TCU) pitched three scoreless innings of relief after a solid outing by starter Jeff Bain (California) and Jake Matthys (Angelo State) worked a scoreless ninth for the save. Harwich, with 23 runs in its last two games, had only two runs on seven hits in this one.

Wareham improved to 15-14-3, enough for second place in the West.

Hyannis 8, Bourne 5

Three players had multi-hit games and two hit homers as Hyannis out-slugged Bourne. Brett Netzer (Charlotte) and Chris Hudgins (Cal State Fullerton) did the home run damage, with Hudgins’ blast – his third of the summer – opening up a bigger lead in the eighth after Bourne had come within a run. Netzer finished with two hits and scored three runs. Ford Proctor (Rice) added two hits and Cody Henry (Alabama) went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Justin Lewis (Kentucky) made his first start after six relief appearances and went 4.1 scoreless innings for Hyannis. For Bourne, Justin Yurchak (Binghamton) went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the summer and Connor Wong (Houston) had three hits and two RBI.

Falmouth 12, Cotuit 0

The Commodores rolled past Cotuit for their third consecutive win. Deacon Liput (Florida) hit a grand slam and J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI. The rest of Falmouth’s hits were singles but the Commodores were productive nonetheless, scoring the 12 runs on nine hits. Tristan Gray (Rice) went 2-for-3 with three RBI and leadoff man Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) scored three runs. Cotuit got two hits from Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) but couldn’t do much else against Brendan King (Holy Cross) and three relievers. King struck out eight, allowed three hits and didn’t walk a batter in six scoreless innings.

What to Watch

The four teams that were not in action Monday get back at it today. League strikeout leader Zac Lowther (Xavier) gets the start for Brewster ar Chatham.

July 13, 2016July 13, 2016

Red Hot Sox

Brendan Skidmore and Y-D are 16-6 since their 0-5 start.

The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox have won the last two Cape League championships as a surging No. 3 seed that got hot at the right time.

This season, Y-D has started its surge a little earlier.

With a 9-5 win over Brewster Tuesday, the Red Sox improved to 16-11, matching Harwich and Falmouth for the most wins in the league. The Mariners have had the best record in the league almost since day one, when they started 5-0. In the meantime, the Red Sox were in the midst of an 0-5 start. But since June 16 – when that streak ended – it’s the Red Sox who own the best mark in the league.

The arrivals of players like Will Toffey (Vanderbilt), J.J. Schwarz (Florida) and J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara) provided a boost, and players who were off to strong starts from day one have continued to play well. The pitching has been solid despite lacking the steady rotation that a team like Harwich can boast. And Y-D has made its run up the East standings even smoother by going 9-3 against its mates in the East since stopping the season-opening losing streak.

Tuesday, the Red Sox struck out nine times in 5.1 innings against Brewster’s Zac Lowther (Xavier) – who took over the league lead in strikeouts – but managed to build a lead. When they lost it in the top of the eighth, they quickly came back with four runs in the bottom half to break a 5-5 tie and send them on their way.

Nolan Brown (TCU) and Matt Winaker (Stanford) had RBI singles in the eight-inning push and Muno broke the game open with a two-run double. Having come on in the eighth, Bryan Pall (Michigan) stayed in for the ninth and kept Brewster off the board for his ninth consecutive scoreless outing.

Winaker finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and has six hits in his last six games. Kevin Smith (Maryland) homered and scored three runs. Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) added two hits.

Starting pitcher Connor Seabold (Cal State Fullerton) didn’t factor in the decision, but had a solid showing with two runs in 6.1 innings.

The victory was the fifth in the last six games for Y-D.

Orleans 2, Falmouth 1

League ERA leader Jeffrey Passantino (Lipscomb) of Falmouth tossed seven shutout innings, but Orleans got the better of the Commodores in a late bullpen battle for a 2-1 win. Passantino, who struck out 82 and walked only 12 this spring, struck out five and allowed four hits while pitching seven scoreless innings for a second straight start. His ERA now stands at 0.56. On this night, though, he departed with all zeroes on the scoreboard as Orleans’ Kirk McCarty (Southern Miss) went 6.2 shutout innings despite walking five batters. Falmouth broke through for the game’s first run in the top of the ninth on a pinch-hit RBI single by Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) but Orleans won it when Adam Haseley (Virginia) hit a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Cotuit 3, Harwich 1

The Kettleers topped East-leading Harwich for their second win in a row as they continued to slowly chip away in the West standings, improving to 9-17-1. A two-run double by Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) in the fourth inning gave Cotuit all the runs it needed. Justin Hooper (UCLA) allowed one run in four innings. Eddie Muhl (George Washington) and Ryan Rigby (Mississippi State) combined for five scoreless innings out of the bullpen, with Muhl getting the win and Rigby the save. Harwich got two hits from Nick Dalesandro (Purdue). B.J. Myers (West Virginia) allowed two earned runs in six innings and took his first loss of the summer.

Bourne 7, Chatham 5

Mired in a six game losing streak a few days ago, Bourne won for the second time in a row and moved back into a tie with Wareham for second place in the West. Connor Wong (Houston) went 4-for-5 with two RBI and Danny Reyes (Florida) hit a three-run home run as Bourne rallied from an early 3-0 deficit. Ronnie Rossomando (Connecticut) earned the win in relief and Andrew Wantz (UNC Greensboro) escaped a jam of his own making in the ninth, stranding two runners to finish off the win. Chatham got home runs from Hagen Owenby (East Tennessee State) and John Aiello (Wake Forest).

Hyannis 6, Wareham 1

Hyannis jumped ahead 4-0, led 6-1 after two and kept the score right there for a win over Wareham. Dylan Busby (Florida State) led the early push with a three-run home run in the first inning, his third of the year. Brett Netzer (Charlotte) and Ford Proctor (Rice) added RBI hits in the second inning as the lead grew. Mac Sceroler (SE Louisiana) gave up one run in five innings and three relievers allowed just one hit combined over the final four innings. Both James Harrington (New Mexico) and Garrett Cave (Florida International) pitched perfect frames. Wareham got three scoreless innings of relief from Nick Sprengel (San Diego). Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) homered and has 14 hits in his last eight games. He’s now hitting .362 as he emerges as one of the top rising sophomores on the Cape.

What to Watch

Falmouth tries to go to 4-1 in its season series with second place-Wareham as it hosts the Gatemen at 6 p.m. Tyler Holton (Florida State) will make his second start for the Commodores. Wareham counters with Dalton Horton (TCU), who gave up two runs in four innings in his Cape debut last time out.