CAPE LEAGUE PLAYOFFS: Y-D Red Sox Bounce Back, Take Big Win from Brewster (SLIDESHOW)

BREWSTER – The Brewster Whitecaps (23-20-1) were enjoying a 1-0 lead at Stony Brook Field Monday night and riding the pristine pitching of Tennessee righty Hunter Martin for 6 2/3 innings.

Vanderbilt’s Ben Bowden was spectacular in relief for the Y-D Red Sox.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports

But then Martin yielded to reliever Anthony Arias (Fresno State) and the Y-D Red Sox staged an 8^th inning, three-run rally for a 3-1 lead that handed the visitors an opening-round Cape League playoff victory.

Martin scattered five hits and walked just two while striking out four batters and did not allow a run. Arias, a lefty, came in to relieve Martin with two outs and two men on and got the job done by getting South Alabama’s Cole Billingsley to ground out.

But Arias got tagged for the loss after allowing a leadoff single to Y-D’s Tyler Houston (Butler) followed by a walk to Stanford’s Tommy Edman before giving way to reliever Tom Hackimer (St. John’s).

Hackimer got the big man Gio Brusa (Pacific) to fly out harmlessly to left for the first out of the 8^th frame, but then Mr. Clutch Donnie Walton (Oklahoma  State) raked an RBI-single to tie the game at 1-1 and Utah’s Dallas Carroll followed with his own RBI baseknock for a 2-1 Red Sox lead and Arias was credited with both runs.

Michael Donadio (St. John’s) made it a 3-1 game with a sacrifice fly that brought in Walton.

The three-run 8^th inning made a winner out of Y-D right-handed reliever Chad Hockin (Cal-State Fullerton) who turned in 2.1 innings of work, struck out three and allowed one run on two hits while walking one batter.

The Whitecaps did not go down quite that readily, however.

Florida International’s JC Escarra takes a vicious hack but misses with Y-D’s Nate Rodriguez (Ark.-Fayette) behind the plate.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports

JC Escarra (Florida International) led off the bottom of the 8^th inning with a walk and then Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) hammered a double to put two men in scoring position with no outs. Hockin got Cassidy Brown (LMU) to fly out to short for the first out, but then Jack Meggs (Washington) came through with an RBI-single to drive in Escarra to make it 3-2, but Rooker got nailed trying to leg it out to third by Donadio in left.

With the tying run represented in Meggs on base and two outs, Eastern Kentucky’s Mandy Alvarez struck out to end the threat.

Rooker, who has been with the Whitecaps for just three games, went 2-4 with one RBI on the night. Leadoff man Colin Lyman (Louisville) went 3-5.

Houston went 3-4 for the Red Sox and Walton went 2-3 with one RBI. Catcher Nate Rodrigues went 2-4.

Cory Malcolm (Arkansas-Little Rock) started on the hill for Y-D but lasted just two innings. Vanderbilt’s Ben Bowden – who threw exceptionally hard – turned in 4.2 innings of relief work and allowed no runs while striking out four.

Brewster now has the unenviable task of trying to halt postseason elimination this afternoon at 4:00 pm at Merrill “Red” Wilson Field in South Yarmouth, home of the Y-D Red Sox.

— Story and Photos by Sean Walsh, sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm

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