Daily Fog: Double Statements

The league staged a pair of doubleheaders last night, and one probably left everyone feeling pretty unsatisfied. Wareham and Cotuit played to a pair of 3-3 ties.

The other one? Well, Orleans was certainly satisfied.

The Firebirds hosted West-leading Bourne, the hottest team in the league, last night and swept a twin bill by 6-2 and 2-1 scores. Not only were those big victories over one of the best teams in the league, they gave Orleans the credentials to put itself in the same category. The Firebirds now have 15 wins, tied with Y-D for most in the league. They've won five in a row.

In the first game, the Firebirds trailed until the sixth when they put up five runs en route to the 6-2 win. Riccio Torrez (Arizona State) had a double and Danny Muno (Fresno State) drove in two with a single to lead the rally.

The game one victory went to Jimmy Reyes (Elon), who pitched into the seventh.

In game two, Jorge Reyes (Oregon State) struck out seven in six innings, keeping Orleans locked in a 1-1 tie with the Braves. In the bottom of the seventh, the Firebirds broke through. Steven Selsky (Arizona) scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

Just like that, the Firebirds had finished off quite a night. It's funny because I tend to think of doubleheaders as a bad thing, and I'm sure they're a grind, but when something like this happens, you can see the other side of it.

I think the Firebirds are glad they played two last night.

Elsewhere

As for the other doubleheader, Wareham and Cotuit couldn't break away from each other. The first game went nine innings, but was called a tie after that to leave time for game two. The second game was still called because of darkness, ending after six innings. Ryan LaMarre (Michigan), George Springer (Connecticut) and Jake Lemmerman (Duke) drove in runs for the Gatemen in the fourth inning of game one, while Cotuit answered quickly with an RBI single by Zach Cone (Georgia). It was a similar story in game two as Wareham took the lead before Cotuit answered. The ties put Wareham four points back of first-place Bourne. Cotuit is six back.

After getting no-hit on Sunday, Chatham put up 10 hits last night against Hyannis. Unfortunately for the Anglers, the Mets put up 12 and held off a late charge for a 4-3 victory. Elliot Soto (Creighton) drove in two runs for the Mets and Ryan Cuneo (Delaware) hit his third home run. Chatham loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth, but Mark Gormley (Brown) somehow worked out of the jam to preserve the Hyannis win.

Y-D got home runs from Brian Hernandez (UC Irvine) and Micah Gibbs (LSU) and a dominant start from Mario Hollands (UC Santa Barbara) to beat Harwich 5-3. Hollands allowed one earned run on four hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking none. His ERA now sits at 2.29 after three starts. In addition to the home runs, Y-D got two RBI from Mickey Wiswall (Boston College), who now leads the league in that category.

What to Watch For Tonight

Brandon Workman (Texas) is scheduled to make his first start of the summer for Wareham as the Gatemen host Brewster. The Whitecaps counter with another new face, Nathan Baker, who has pitched one inning in relief. I'll assume this is the Nathan Baker from Mississippi, in which case, the league has another big arm trying to gain some leverage. A junior lefty, Baker had a 3.63 ERA for Ole Miss this spring, with 69 strikeouts in 67 innings. He was drafted in the fifth round this year by the Pirates.

Daily Fog: Answering Bell

That's one way to end a losing streak.

The Cotuit Kettleers had lost five straight heading into last night's game against Chatham. They needed a big performance to stop the skid, and they got a bigger one than they ever could have imagined.

Chad Bell (Walters State) pitched the first nine-inning no hitter in the Cape League since 2007, leading Cotuit to an 8-2 victory over Chatham. The last pitcher to do it was Hyannis' Matt Daly, who's now a lights-out closer for Lansing in the Class A Midwest League.

Bell could find himself at a similar level sooner rather than later. He's committed to transfer from Walters State to Tennessee for next season. But he was also a 14th-round pick this year, which marked the third time he'd been drafted. He was picked out of high school and again after his first year at Walters.

Whatever happens, Bell has emerged as one of the top-performing pitchers in the Cape League, with the no-hitter as the cherry on top. Bell now has a 2-1 record, a 1.01 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. He has allowed nine hits all summer.

Last night, he carried a perfect game into the fifth, when Dean Green (Oklahoma State) walked. A walk and an error paved the way for two unearned runs in the ninth, but even then Bell was in control. He struck out Rick Oropesa (USC) to end the game.

Bell finished with eight strikeouts and three walks.

Thankfully for him and for Cotuit, the two late runs didn't matter. The Kettleers had an 8-0 lead when the ninth inning began. Kevin Keyes (Texas) and Brandon May (Alabama) both hit home runs and May finished with four RBI to power a strong offensive effort.

Elsewhere

Bell wasn't the only pitcher in dominant form last night. Brewster's Kyle Blair (San Diego) struck out 12 in a complete-game four-hitter as the Whitecaps rolled past Bourne 10-2. The Braves had won eight of nine, but they ran into a buzzsaw in Blair. The righty allowed just two unearned runs and his season ERA dropped to 0.92. The 12 strikeouts moved him to second in the league in that category. Blair was backed by an 11-hit attack. Jarrett Parker (Virginia), Harold Martinez (Miami) and Dan Butler (Arizona) all hit their first home runs of the season.

So I guess it was kind of a big night all around, because this is seriously notable too: Harwich beat Hyannis 6-5 last night in 15 innings, the longest Cape League game of the season. Harwich was involved in a 13-inning game on June 29, and the Mariners have come away with the victory in both of their marathons. This one was pretty epic, with 15 pitchers taking the hill and the teams combining for 35 hits. After Hyannis took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 14th, Harwich answered with one of its own to force another frame. The Mariners won it on a walk-off sinlge by Jeff Vigurs (Bryant).

Orleans beat Falmouth 9-2 for its third win in a row. The Firebirds now have the fewest losses in the East, and by that measure, are sitting in first place. Elliot Glynn (Connecticut) struck out five and allowed one hit in six shutout innings for the win. Riccio Torrez (Arizona State) hit a home run and Ross Heffley (Western Carolina) drove in three.

Wareham and Y-D went 10 innings but their game ended in a 2-2 tie when darkness crept in. Blake Monar (Indiana) struck out seven in 7.1 innings for the Gatemen, while Greg Peavey (Oregon State) allowed two runs in five innings for Y-D. Brandon Workman (Texas) made his first appearance of the summer for Wareham and got touched up for the tying run in the ninth inning on a home run by Mickey Wiswall (Boston College).

What to Watch For Tonight

Alex Wimmers (Ohio State) will make his first start of the summer as part of a doubleheader between Bourne and Orleans. Wimmers, who has a 3.00 ERA in two relief appearances, is scheduled to go in the second game.

Daily Fog: Bourne Again

In the preseason, I thought the Bourne Braves looked like the most talented team in the league. But with more ifs than any other team, a lot of things had to go right.

They didn't really go right. For example: Of the five players I was excited to see in Bourne's Early Look, four are not in Bourne, and the fifth -- Alex Wimmers -- was a late arrival who has pitched only out of the bullpen so far.

But the Braves have shown an amazing ability to adjust on the fly. Their two best hitters -- Kyle Roller and Stefen Romero -- were not on their initial roster. Neither was their most overpowering starting pitcher, Bryan Morgado.

That's just the tip of the iceberg and there's a common thread running through it all -- these things have gone right.

Very right.

The Braves beat Cotuit 5-1 last night for their eighth win in nine games. They're in first place by seven points and they're tied with East leaders Chatham and Y-D for most points in the league.

Last night's game was as complete an effort as they've delivered all season. The first five players in the batting order delivered one RBI each, with Pierre LePage going 3-for-5 (Connecticut) to lead the way. Nick Schwaner (New Orleans) and Raynor Campbell (Baylor) also had two hits and Roller (East Carolina) hit his fourth home run.

On the mound, Turner Phelps (James Madison) got the start and allowed one run on four hits in 6.1 innings. Cameron Roth (UNC Wilmington) and Kevin Munson (James Madison) combined for 2.2 perfect innings to finish it off. In all, those three pitchers retired 21 batters in a row. Cotuit didn't have a baserunner after the third inning.

That stat is pretty remarkable, but considering what Bourne's bullpen has done, the back end of that performance isn't a huge surprise. If you want to highlight Bourne's biggest strength, I think you've got to look at the bullpen first.

That's certainly what the Braves do: “Our bullpen is fantastic," Phelps told the Cape Cod Times. Our starting pitchers know that if we can get it to the (relievers), they’ll come in and shut the game down.”

The numbers are pretty staggering. In Bourne's last eight wins, relievers have pitched 29 innings. They have allowed just four runs. Five times, they haven't allowed any runs.

Logan Billbrough (William & Mary) and Justin Poovey (Florida) have emerged as lights-out setup men, while Munson and Stephen Harrold (UNC Wilmington) essentially give the Braves two closers. Neither Munson nor Harrold has allowed an earned run this summer. While Harrold leads in saves with six, Munson has better peripheral numbers, with 17 strikeouts in 9.1 innings. Combined, Harrold and Munson have allowed 10 hits in 19.1 innings of work. Harrold hasn't even allowed an unearned run.

It's all pretty ridiculous, and it's a big reason why the Braves are where they are.

Where we thought they'd be, I guess, even if they took a slightly different road.

Elsewhere

I headed over to Wareham last night to catch the Gatemen against Harwich. I ended up seeing a lot more offense than I expected from the teams that run nine-ten in the league in team batting. Wareham led most of the way, but Harwich scored four in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the ninth to tally for a 9-7 victory. Connor Powers (Mississippi State) hit a long home run -- his first of the year -- to give Harwich a lead, but Wareham started stringing hits together soon after. Derek Dietrich (Georgia Tech), Ryan Pineda (Cal State Northridge), Brett Eibner (Arkansas) and Ryan LaMarre (Michigan) all had doubles to lead the charge, and Eibner added a triple on a ball that bounced in front of left-fielder Leon Landry before taking a crazy bounce over his head. But Harwich started rallying and chased Wareham starter Josh Mueller (Easter Illinois) before continuing to hit against the Wareham bullpen. An RBI double by Powers brought home the tying run in the eighth and a sac fly by David Herbek (James Madison) scored the go-ahead run.

After falling off the pace momentarily, Y-D got right back on it with an 8-1 victory over Chatham. The teams are now back to having the same number of wins. Y-D's John Leonard (Boston College) allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, earning his second victory of the summer. On offense, the Red Sox pounded Chatham pitching for 14 hits. Blake Kelso (Houston) and Mickey Wiswall (Boston College) had two RBI each. Five players had two hits.

Every once in a while, Falmouth -- the team with the worst record in the league -- comes up with a blowout. Last night, the Commodores blitzed Hyannis 10-2, ending a three-game winning streak for the Mets. B.A. Vollmuth (Southern Missippi) went 3-for-5 with a home run, a triple and three RBI and Chris O'Brien (Wichita State) also had three RBI. Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State) went 4-for-5 and now leads the league in hitting. Hunter Morris (Auburn) hit his third home run. Jordan Cooper (Wichita State) delivered a quality start for Falmouth, allowing one run in five innings.

Orleans scored seven runs in the first inning en route to a 9-4 victory over Brewster. Kevin Muno (San Diego), Michael Olt (Connecticut), Jeremy Gould (Duke), Danny Muno (Fresno State) and Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) all drove home runs in the big inning, with Gould's two-run homer serving as the exclamation point. Rob Rasmussen (UCLA) struck out nine in 5.2 innings and picked up the win. The Firebirds have won two in a row and are three games over .500.

What to Watch For Tonight

Bourne will try to stay hot on a visit to Brewster. Robert Morey (Virginia), who has a 1.29 ERA in two appearances will go for the Braves against Kyle Blair (San Diego).

Daily Fog: Streaking

A hot team met a cold team in the West last night, and the results were predictable.

Hyannis beat Cotuit 6-3. It's the third straight win for the Mets and the fifth straight loss for the Kettleers. Those two streaks have caused some upheaval in the standings. Hyannis has moved into third place, just two points out of second. Cotuit, who has been near the top all summer, now finds itself in fourth.

Cotuit had Seth Blair (Arizona State) on the mound in this one, and he might have been able to serve as a stopper if not for some shaky defense behind him. The Kettleers made four errors, and only half of the Mets' runs were earned.

Though the Mets are in the middle of the pack in team batting average, they're not a team that you want to provide with extra outs. Their big three -- Nick Crawford (UAB), Ryan Cuneo (Delaware) and Cody Hawn (Tennessee) -- are as good an offensive trio as there is in the league this summer. They delivered last night, with Cuneo going 3-for-4 and Hawn and Crawford each going 2-for-5.

Cuneo and Hawn are still one-two on the RBI leaderboard, and they've particularly strong in the Mets' win streak. The last two games, they've combined to go 8-for-16 with four runs scored and five RBI. That's some solid production from the middle of the order. Hawn actually has an eight-game hitting streak going. He's batting .391 with four home runs and 14 RBI. If he had enough plate appearances, he'd be leading the league in hitting. That goes along with a tie for first in home runs.

Offense hasn't been the only piece to the puzzle for the Mets. The first two wins in the streak were both shutouts. Last night, Tyler Wilson (Virginia) made his first start and allowed two runs in five innings. The bullpen did the rest. Eric Maust (Notre Dame) allowed one run in 1.1 innings before Mark Gormley (Brown) and Dallas Gallant (Sam Houston) shut the door. Gormley struck out four and didn't allow a hit in 1.2 innings. He hasn't allowed an earned run since moving from Brewster to Hyannis. Gallant continued his dominance with one perfect inning and two strikeouts. Gallant has 10 strikeouts in his last four innings and, remarkably, is second in the league in strikeouts. He has pitched just about half the number of innings as leader Chris Sale.

The victory moved Hyannis to 9-11-1. Just a few days ago, when they got swept by Wareham in a doubleheader, it looked like they were fading. They're not back to .500 yet, but they're right in the thick of things.

Elsewhere

With a Y-D loss and their own 5-2 victory over Harwich, the Orleans Firebirds moved into second place in the East. Casey Gaynor (Rutgers) allowed a run on two hits in six innings of work to pick up the win. Alex Hassan (Duke) got the save. Hassan also contributed at the plater, where he went 2-for-2 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Jaren Matthews (Rutgers) went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Michael Olt (Connecticut) and Jeremy Gould (Duke) also drove in runs.

Chatham finally got itself a little breathing room atop the division, winning 6-4 over Brewster on a night when Y-D lost. That's the first time since June 28 that the teams have had different results. The Anglers got their victory thanks to two runs in the eighth. Both came home on a triple by Matt Perry (Holy Cross), who was pinch-hitting. I guess that was the right button to push. Jeff Schaus (Clemson) and Joey Terdoslavich (Long Beach State) added two hits for Chatham. Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia) had two doubles for Brewster.

Bourne topped Y-D 7-5 for its second victory in a row and its seventh win in its last eight games. The Braves had 12 hits, with a Nick Schwaner (New Orleans) three-run homer serving as the biggest blast. Raynor Campbell (Baylor) had three hits for the Braves, with Kyle Roller (East Carolina) and Chris Wallace (Houston) adding two apiece. Bryan Morgado (Tennessee) has his worst outing of the summer -- 4 ER in 5 IP -- but he did enough to get the win. As usual, Justin Poovey (Florida) and Stephen Harrold (UNC Wilmington) were lights-out in relief. Harrold picked up his sixth save, which ties him with Y-D's Tyler Burgoon (Michigan) for tops in the league.

What to Watch For Tonight

Bourne will try to stay hot against Cotuit, who will be trying to stop its skid. Turner Phelps (James Madison) is scheduled to go for the Braves against Chad Bell (Walters State), who allowed just a run in six innings his last time out.

Daily Fog: Match Game

Chatham and Yarmouth-Dennis have a nice little race going in the East. They've got the most wins in the league, and it seems like they've been tied atop the division forever.

They kind of have been.

Since June 29, there have been eight days on which Chatham and Y-D each had a game. On every single one of those days, the teams ended up with the same result. Two wins or two losses, and no in between. It's perfectly even too, with four wins each and four losses each. The only difference was on July 2, when Y-D won on a day when Chatham didn't play. Since that point, the teams have been tied every day.

They ran the streak of consecutive days with the same results to six last night. And though I'm sure both of them would like to break away, they'll both be happy with their victories.

A day after losing to Brewster in a game where they had eight hits but just one run, the Red Sox broke through for nine runs on 15 hits in a 9-1 victory over Cotuit. Amazingly, there was only one extra-base hit among the 15 hits for Y-D, but the Red Sox still managed to get the runs home. Most of them came in the early innings, with Y-D getting five runs in the first inning and three in the third.

Josh Rutledge (Alabama) went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Jake Schlander (Stanford) was 2-for-3 with three RBI to lead the way. Blake Kelso (Houston), Mickey Wiswall (Boston College) and Ben McMahan (Florida) also had two hits.

All the early support was more than enough for Chris Sale (Florida Gulf Coast). He was a hard-luck loser in a 1-0 game his last time out. This time, he went six shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing four hits. Sale is now tied for the league lead in wins and tops in strikeouts. He continues to cement himself as the top performing starter in the league.

As for Chatham, the Anglers came away with a 5-3 victory over Brewster. Logan Verrett (Baylor), who has been strong in two relief appearances, was just as strong in his first start. He allowed just one hit and an unearned run in five innings. He struck out eight. Verrett now hasn't allowed an earned run in 10.1 innings of work.

Flamethrower Jess Hahn (Virginia Tech), who touched 98, pitched two hitless innings. The Vanderbilt late-innings duo of Taylor Hill and Russell Brewer each allowed a run but minimized the damage in keeping Chatham in front. Brewer picked up his fourth save.

On the offensive side, Chatham got two hits each from Phillip Pohl (Clemson) and Brian Harris (Vanderbilt). For Brewster, Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia) hit his third home run in just 10 games.

Elsewhere

On the losing end in that Y-D game were the Cotuit Kettleers, who have dropped four in a row. The Kettleers have allowed 32 runs in that span, including 14 to Falmouth at the start of the skid. Their own offense has a little more depth now, with the addition of Texas' Kevin Keyes and Cameron Rupp. But Cotuit needs better performances from its starting pitchers, too. Chad Bell (Walters State) has turned in the only quality start in the last four games. Seth Blair (Arizona State) is scheduled to get the ball tonight. His complete-game win over Falmouth on the Fourth of July was Cotuit's last victory.

In the second annual Martha's Vineyard game yesterday afternoon, Falmouth stopped Wareham's three-game winning streak with a 6-2 victory. Brian Fletcher (Auburn), who has 10 hits in a six-game hitting streak, went 2-for-4 with two RBI to pace the Commodores. Ryan Jones (Wichita State) went 3-for-4 with an RBI, Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State) had two hits and B.A. Vollmuth (Southern Mississippi) also delivered two. Hunter Morris (Auburn) hit his second home run. All the offense backed Taylor Wall (Rice) who allowed two hits and struck out six in six shutout innings. He lowered his ERA to 0.53, second in the league. For Wareham, Zach Wilson (Arizona State) saw his 10-game hitting streak come to an end.

Hyannis posted its second shutout in a row with a 5-0 victory over Harwich. Seth Rosin (Minnesota) allowed three hits and struck out six in five shutout innings. Kevin Moran (Boston College), Mark Gormley (Brown) and Thomas Girdwood (Elon) combined to preserve the shutout. Cody Hawn (Tennessee) went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Ryan Cuneo (Delaware) knocked in two, upping his league-leading total to 15. For Harwich, Leon Landry (LSU) made his first appearance since arriving from the College World Series. He went 2-for-4 with a double.

What to Watch For Tonight

Bourne's Bryan Morgado (Tennessee) will make his third start of the season, and if any pitcher has earned must-see status, it's him. In 10 innings, he has 21 strikeouts and only three walks. He's scheduled to go at home tonight against Y-D and Michael Goodnight (Houston).

Daily Fog: What a Relief

One of the biggest differences between a college season and a Cape League season is the amount of pitching depth on the Cape. Players always talk about how much tougher it is when you're facing a Friday starter on a lot more nights than Friday.

The depth extends to the bullpen, where every year, dozens of players put up crazy numbers.

This year is no exception, and last night was a shining example.

The five teams that won all got outstanding relief performances, with four of their bullpens not giving up a single run after starters left the game. The only exception was Brewster, whose pen allowed one run. No starter went beyond the seventh inning, but on this night, they didn't really need to.

Here's the combined line for the five bullpens: 12 pitchers, 15 innings, 11 hits, 1 run and 20 strikeouts.

In terms of individuals, the star of the night was Hyannis' Dallas Gallant (Sam Houston State), who turned in perhaps the best extended relief performance of the summer. After Austin Hudson (Central Florida) left after six shutout innings with Hyannis leading 3-0, Gallant came in and emphatically shut the door. In three shutout innings, he struck out eight and allowed two hits. So yeah, that means all but one of the outs he recorded came via the strikeout. Gallant now has 26 strikeouts, which ranks him fourth in the league. Everyone else on the leader board is a starter. Gallant has pitched 16 innings. The next-lowest total on the top-five list? Eric Cantrell's 20.

As for a standout team effort from last night, I'd highlight both Wareham and Bourne. For the Gatemen, starter Eric Pfisterer (Duke) allowed three hits to Chatham in the first inning and not another in the rest of his 6.2 innings. Keith Bilodeau (Maine) and David Fischer (Connecticut) kept up their end of the bargain, combining for 2.1 hitless innings. Fischer struck out the side in the ninth as Wareham won 5-1.

In Bourne, four relievers each turned in a scoreless inning -- Alex Wimmers (Ohio State), Justin Poovey (Florida), Stephen Harrold (UNC Wilmington) and Kevin Munson (James Madison). Munson picked up the save, his first of the season. Harrold has five saves to lead the Braves.

Elsewhere

We'll start with a little more detail on the aforementioned games. The Hyannis offense backed Hudson and Gallant with three early runs in the 3-0 victory over Orleans. Cody Hawn (Tennessee), Trent Whitehead (East Carolina) and Jackie Bradley, Jr. (South Carolina) all drove in runs. Dan Burkhart (Ohio State), the Big 10 Player of the Year who hasn't yet heated up this summer, went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Bradley, a freshman All-American, has also been struggling, but had a double in this one. That's his first extra-base hit of the summer. For Orleans, Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) continued his strong start with a 2-for-4 day, and Danny Muno (Fresno State) also had two hits.

Bourne also got things going early, posting three runs in the first two innings on the way to a 3-1 victory over Falmouth. Kyle Roller (East Carolina), Rob Segedin (Tulane) and Nick Schwaner (New Orleans) each had two hits, with Schwaner driving in two. Bourne starter Seth Maness (East Carolina) allowed just an unearned run in five innings. Falmouth's Tommy Collier (San Jacinto), one of the top starters in the league so far, surrendered three runs in five innings.

Chatham got a run off Pfisterer in that first inning but nothing else. With the stage more than set, Wareham rallied for the victory on the strength of a four-run second inning. Three of the four runs that scored in that inning were unearned. Zach Wilson (Arizona State) went 2-for-4 to up his average to .361. Ryan LaMarre (Michigan) went 1-for-2 with an RBI. The win was Wareham's third straight. The Gatemen sit three points back of first-place Bourne, and they should get a boost soon. Texas pitchers Cole Green and Brandon Workman are in town.

Brewster topped Y-D 5-1 for its fourth straight win. The Whitecaps are now back to .500 at 8-8-3, and they're just five points out of first place. Sean Hoelscher (TCU) picked up the win for Brewster with 6.1 shutout innings. David Goforth (Ole Miss) picked up his third save after coming in with two runners on base in the eighth, getting out of that jam and working a scoreless ninth. Brewster's offense was led by recent arrival Tant Shepherd (Texas), who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Harwich starter Aaron Meade (Missouri State) allowed two runs and walked five, but he also struck out eight in five innings and ended up with the win as the Mariners topped Cotuit 5-2. For the Kettleers, Jake Buchanan (Nebraska) allowed his first earned run of the season, but it was three unearned runs that did the Kettleers in. Connor Powers (Mississippi State) went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Dan Grovatt (Virginia) also added two hits. Grovatt now has the requisite number of plate appearances to qualify for the average lead, and his .390 mark puts him in the top spot. Zack Cox (Arkansas), who drew high praise on Greg Schimmel's blog, went 3-for-4 with two RBI and is now hitting .389 for the Kettleers, who have dropped three in a row.

What to Watch For Tonight

Actually, watch for it today, as Wareham and Falmouth meet on Martha's Vineyard at 1 p.m. Matt Barnes (Connecticut) is scheduled to go for Wareham against Taylor Wall (Rice). It looks like both teams will be broadcasting the game.

Daily Fog: Out of the Gate

When the day began, Wareham was under .500 and sitting in third place in the West, seven points behind first-place Bourne.

Amazing what a doubleheader sweep can do.

The Gatemen beat Hyannis 4-0 and 4-3 last night to move over .500 at 9-8-1 and jump into second place, just three points behind the Braves, who lost for the first time in six games. Before Monday, the Braves had beaten Wareham on consecutive nights.

But the Gatemen bounced back in a big way. Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt) pitched a complete game shutout in the opener, striking out six and surrendering two hits in the seven-inning game. Armstrong now leads the league with three wins. He has won each of his starts.

Armstrong was backed by a strong offensive effort. Derek Dietrich (Georgia Tech) tripled in the first and Zach Wilson (Arizona State) homered, staking Wareham to an early lead. Wilson has been very strong since arriving from the College World Series. In nine games, he's hitting .344 with six extra-base hits.

The Gatemen got a seventh-inning home run by Cole Leonida (Georgia Tech) and an RBI single from Dietrich to add to their lead.

The second game was a little more dramatic. After Wareham built a 3-0 lead, Hyannis fought back to tie the game, forcing extra innings. But it didn't take long for Wareham to respond. In the top of the eighth, Ryan Pineda (Cal State Northridge) singled in George Springer (Connecticut) with the go-ahead run.

The Mets put a major threat together in the bottom of the inning when they loaded the bases, but Dean Kiekhefer (Louisville) came in and struck out the side to end the game. That's as impressive a save as you'll see all season. Wareham has three players with one save each, so they may be looking for a closer to emerge. Kiekhefer has certainly thrown his name into the hat.

Elsewhere

The Harwich Mariners, who shut out three straight opponents last week, haven't shut out anybody lately and have, in fact, lost three straight. Last night, it was Chatham beating the Mariners 4-3. That's the second straight win for the Anglers, who continue to cling to first place. Dean Green (Oklahoma State) and Whit Merrifield (South Carolina) each hit home runs to pace the Anglers. Mike Dennhardt (Boston College) picked up his second win of the year, with Taylor Hill (Vanderbilt) getting the save. Highly-touted freshman Rick Oropesa (USC) made his first appearance for Chatham and hit a triple.

Bourne's five-game winning streak ended with a thud as Orleans posted a 9-3 victory last night. Jimmy Reyes (Elon) went seven strong innings for his second win of the year. Leadoff man Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) had two hits and scored four runs. The Firebirds moved to 10-8 with the win, and they're just four points out of first place.

Brewster won its third straight game behind a dominant start from Kyle Blair (San Diego). Blair struck out 10 and allowed one run in eight innings en route to his first win in four starts this summer. His ERA is now sitting at 1.33, and he's quickly becoming one of the top-performing pitchers in the league, in addition to his status as a top prospect. Brewster broke open a 1-1 game with a big seventh inning. That's the second time in as many games that they've gotten a late rally.

Falmouth had some offense again, but Y-D had a little more. A day after scoring a league-high 14 runs, the Commodores put up six last night thanks in large part to two-run homers by Ryan Jones (Wichita State) and Brian Fletcher (Auburn). But Y-D kept pace and broke through for four runs in the seventh to take the lead. They held on for a 7-6 victory. Jordan Casas (Long Beach State) and Tyler Hanover (LSU) each doubled home runs to cap off the uprising. Tyler Burgoon (Michigan) picked up his league-leading sixth save. He has still given up just one hit all summer.

What to Watch For Tonight

Chatham will head to Falmouth for a pitching-rich doubleheader that's set to begin at 4:30 p.m. In game one, Shawn Tolleson (Baylor), who has struggled since a dominant first start, will go for Chatham against Falmouth's Tommy Collier (San Jacinto), who's fourth in the league in ERA. In the nightcap, it'll be a pair of good freshman, with Logan Verrett (Baylor) going for Chatham and Taylor Wall (Rice) getting the ball for Falmouth. This will be Verrett's firs start, though he has had one very strong extended relief appearance. Wall has a 0.82 ERA in two starts.