CAPE LEAGUE ROUNDUP: West Division title game decided in the season finale
Editor's note: Due to the Times' press deadline, the score and highlights from Wednesday's game between Bourne and Cotuit did not make the print edition. You can read about the game on our website at: www.capecodtimes.com/sports/ and in Friday's Times.
The three-team race for the Cape Cod Baseball League's West Division is now down to two contenders.
The Bourne Braves, who have one game remaining, ended the Hyannis Harbor Hawks chances at winning a division crown on Tuesday. The Braves (22-14-7, 51 points) defeated Harwich, 4-3, to end the Mariners (22-16-6, 50) regular season.
Harwich finishes in third place and shifts its focus on the playoffs. The Cotuit Kettleers, who also have 51 points, will host Bourne on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Lowell Park. The winner of that game takes the West Division title.
More: CAPE LEAGUE POWER RANKINGS: A new No. 1 emerges
After Hyannis took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Braves responded with three runs in the second inning. Nadir Lewis (Pennsylvania) drew a bases-loaded walk and Bryce Eblin (Alabama) followed with a two-RBI single. Mac Horvath (North Carolina) belted a home run to push the lead to 4-1 in the third inning.
Hyannis cut the deficit to 4-3 with an RBI sacrifice fly from Tito Flores (Michigan) in the fourth inning and an RBI single from Cole McConnell (Louisiana Tech), but Bourne's Matt Duffy (Canisius) secured the save with two innings of shutout relief.
Brewster Whitecaps 2, Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 2
Brewster (19-17-8, 46) and Y-D (19-16-8, 46) entered the day tied for first place in the East Division and that didn't change. With the Whitecaps' regular season in the books, the Red Sox can take the division title with a tie or victory against Chatham on Wednesday.
More: 540 and counting: Y-D manager Scott Pickler breaks Cape League all-time wins record
Y-D's pitchers combined to strike out 17 batters. Drew Dowd (Stanford) was strong in the start as he pitched 4⅔ innings and struck out eight while allowing two earned runs. Aaron Calhoun (Oklahoma), Luke Jewett (UCLA) and Braden Montgomery (Stanford) all didn't allow a run in relief.
More: Brewster Whitecaps strike out on their own with pitch-calling technology
On the other side, TCU's Braxton Pearson and Seton Hall's Joe Cinnella both pitched a pair of shutout innings of relief.
Nick Lorusso (Maryland) provided all of Brewster's offense with a two-RBI double in the fifth inning. Y-D's Montgomery opened the score in the first inning with an RBI double.
Orleans Firebirds 6, Wareham Gatemen 4
The Firebirds (18-22-4) had to rally from a 4-1 deficit but found a way to clinch the final spot in the playoffs with Tuesday's win. Luke Keaschall (San Francisco) belted his fifth home run of the season, a three-run jack, to spark a five-run seventh-inning rally.
Bryce Warrecker (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) got the start for Orleans and pitched six innings of four-run ball. Collin Kramer (Charlotte) and Tommy Hopfe (Fresno State) pitched shutout innings of relief before Ryan Bourassa (South Dakota) shut the door by striking out the side in the ninth inning to earn the save.
Drew Metzdorf (UMass Boston) went 3 for 4, scored twice and drove in one RBI in the win.
Cotuit Kettleers 6, Falmouth Commodores 1
Pitchers Joseph Whitman (Purdue), Zach Chappell (Central Florida), Cam Schuelke (Northwood) and Ryan Bruno (Stanford) combined to allow just five hits and no earned runs in the Cotuit (23-15-5, 51) win.
Eddie Park (Stanford) led the offense with a three-hit day while Trotter Harlan (Charleston) drove in two RBIs. Carter Trice (NC State) scored two runs and drove in one.
In the loss, Jace Bohrofen (Arkansas) and Jacob Walsh (Oregon) both had two-hit days. Falmouth falls to 19-21-4 (42 points) but has already clinched a playoff spot.
Chatham Anglers 4, Harwich Mariners 2
Harwich's Luke Benneche (Northwestern) was stellar in his start (5 ⅓ innings, two hits, zero runs, seven strikeouts) but the Anglers rallied from a 2-0 deficit with four runs in the final two innings.
Cooper Ingle (Clemson) belted his first home run of the season, a three-run bomb, to give Chatham a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning. Will Butcher (Charlotte) added an insurance run with a solo home run in the ninth inning.
Brian Holiday (Florida Southwestern State) earned the win in relief by pitching six shutout innings while allowing one hit, one walk and striking out 10.
Stars of the Night
1. P, Brian Holiday, Florida Southwestern State, Chatham Anglers
Holiday's longest outing of the season, which also resulted in his first win, was his best. This Angler pitched six shutout innings while striking out 10. He allowed just one walk and one hit. That effort bought his team enough to rally from an early 2-0 hole to defeat Harwich, 4-2.
2. P, Matt Duffy, Canisius, Bourne Braves
Duffy continued his shutout summer by tossing two innings of no-run relief as he earned a save in a 4-3 win over Hyannis. That win moved the Braves into a tie for first place. Duffy hasn't allowed a run in eight innings of work this season.
3. P, Ryan Bourassa, South Dakota, Orleans Firebirds
Bourassa helped the Firebirds clinch the Cape League's final playoff spot in emphatic fashion. Bourassa fanned all three batters he faced in the ninth inning to secure a save in a 6-4 win over Wareham. Bourassa has made seven consecutive appearances without allowing a run. The only runs he surrendered all summer came in his Cape League debut.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: CAPE COD BASEBALL LEAGUE: All of Tuesday's scores
