COTUIT – Trenton Brooks (Nevada-Reno) ripped the first pitch of last night’s game between the Chatham Anglers and Cotuit Kettleers at Elizabeth Lowell Park and that set the table for a four-run first inning the hosts could never recover from.
Following an ensuing wild pitch that advanced Brooks to second base, Long Beach State’s Garrett Hampson laid down an unplayable bunt down the first base line to put runners on the corners. Brooks scored on a Nate Mondou (Wake Forest) RBI-ground out, but with only one out and a 1-0 lead, the Anglers were far from done.
After taking a look at Duncan Robinson’s first pitch for a strike, Anglers’ second baseman Zack Short (Sacred Heart) hammered the next pitch he saw over the left-field fence for a three-run homer and Chatham had built an almost immediate four-run lead.
To his credit, Robinson (Dartmouth) settled down on the mound over the next three innings he pitched to allow no runs but the damage had already been done. Southpaw Bernardo Flores (USC) came on in the fifth inning to pitch for the Kettleers and retired the first two batters he faced, but then Mondou had other ideas for the visiting Anglers as he singled and then took second base on a Flores’ pick-off attempt.
Will Craig (Wake Forest) then drove Mondou home with a basehit to make it 5-0, Chatham, and the lead would prove to be insurmountable for the hosts. CJ Burdick (San Diego) came on in the sixth for Anglers’ starter Parker Dunshee (Wake Forest) and allowed no runs but Cotuit would later add one each in the the 8th and 9th innings on Chatham closer Aaaron McGarity (Virginia Tech).
Cotuit’s Will Haynie (Alabama) doubled in the 8th inning and eventually scored on another errant pick-off attempt at first base. Tanner Stanley (Richmond) doubled in the ninth inning and scored on a Gene Cone (South Carolina) basehit but that was all Cotuit could muster in the 5-2 finale.
All Cape League teams will be playing a doubleheader today (Sunday, June 14), with Cotuit on the road at Merrill “Red” Wilson Field in South Yarmouth against the Y-D Red Sox.
Thomas Turns in Solid Outing to Give Y-D Red Sox First Win over Bourne
In a game between two Cape League teams that had yet to produce a victory in the season’s first week, the Y-D Red Sox (1-4) finally got theirs at Doran Park against the host Bourne Braves (0-5) last night, 5-0.
Fresno State lefty Ricky Thomas went six strong innings for the Y-D nine, as he struck out six and allowed just two hits and his relievers – Evan Bell (Indiana) and David Ellingson (Georgetown) – proved equally effective. Neither Bell nor Ellingson allowed a run the rest of the way.
Brady Conlan (Cal-State), Connor Wong (Houston), Donovan Walton (Oklahoma) and Michael Donadio (St. John’s) each had multiple hits for the Red Sox, with Conlan going 3-5 and Walton, Wong and Donadio each collecting two hits. Tommy Edman (Stanford) picked a pair of RBI and Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) doubled in the first inning and scored on a Walton ground-out to second in the first inning to give Y-D all it would need to win.
Harwich Mariners Outslug Wareham Gatemen on the Road at Spillane Field
The Harwich Mariners and host Wareham Gatemen combined for 25 hits and 23 runs in a rare slugfest last night at Clement S. Spillane Field in downtown Wareham, with the Mariners outlasting their hosts with two runs in the ninth inning.
Monmouth University junior left-hander Anthony Ciavarella notched the win for the visitors with four scoreless innings of middle relief and seven strikeouts. He allowed just one hit.
Preston Palmeiro (NC State) was the big slugger of the night for the Harwich nine as he went 3-5 with three RBI, including a two-run blast in the top of the sixth inning, his first of the season.
Wareham’s David MacKinnon (Hartford), currently only a temporary player, made a strong case for himself as a permanent contract player with a 3-5 day at the plate and two RBI. MacKinnon is batting .471 through yesterday with eight hits (8-17), one home run and three RBI.
Matijevic Blasts Pair of Homers to Lead Falmouth Commodores past Brewster Whitecaps
The Falmouth Commodores made it a happy night at Elmer “Guv” Fuller Field in downtown Falmouth last night as the hometown team edged the visiting Brewster Whitecaps, 3-2, and gave pitcher Bryce Montes de Oca his first win of the 2015 Cape League season.
Montes de Oca (Missouri) threw three innings of middle relief and struck out six, but Falmouth’s pitchers did issue a total of 10 walks on the night but the Whitecaps could not capitalize.
Falmouth’s J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) provided all the of the Commodores runs with a 2-3 day at the plate and three RBI, including a solo shot in the fifth and a two-run blast in the bottom of the seventh inning that would prove to be the game-winner.
Hyannis Stays on Top with Win over Orleans Firebirds
Blake Tiberi (Louisville) went 2-4 with two RBI and Centerville’s Bobby Melley (UConn) went 2-3 with one RBI last night to pace the host Hyannis Harbor Hawks in a 5-2 win over the Orleans Firebirds at McKeon Park.
Melley’s RBI-single in the bottom of the seventh inning proved just enough insurance for the hosts to preserve the win for starting pitcher Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast) who went 5.2 innings and struck out nine while scattering seven hits.
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm