Daily Fog: Another Gem

Monday, June 15, 2009

Daily Fog: Another Gem

At this rate, we're going to get a no-hitter tomorrow.

On the first night of the season, Hyannis' Austin Hudson (Central Florida) and Y-D's Chris Sale (Florida Gulf Coast) turned in dominant starts. Saturday, it was Wareham's Eric Pfisterer (Duke), who struck out 10 in five no-hit innings.

On the third day of the season, Bourne's Eric Cantrell topped them all.

The sophomore from George Washington tossed eight shutout innings, allowed two hits, struck out 12 and didn't walk anybody in leading Bourne to a 5-1 victory over Wareham. Two singles in the second were all the Gatemen could muster against Cantrell, who at one point, struck out six in a row and retired 16 in a row.

Cantrell wasn't on my radar for the top pitchers in the preseason. In fact, when I highlighted this game yesterday, I made special mention of the other half of this pitching match-up, Scott Rembisz.

Cantrell's numbers at GW weren't overwhelming. He had an ERA just a shade under five, and he struck out 60 while walking 26 in 72.2 innings. Cantrell actually had a slightly better freshman year, when his ERA was 4.02.

But for pitchers, college stats aren't the best predictors of Cape League success. Clearly, Cantrell is a good one, and he's getting the chance to really show it. The Bourne broadcast team last night noted that he was pounding the zone, something he probably couldn't do quite as much at school.

Cantrell's performance helped Bourne post its first victory of the year after two straight losses to open the season. Cody Freeman (Mississippi State) had an RBI single to stake Bourne to a lead and Carlos Alonso (Delaware) had a two-run double in the seventh to break it open.

Elsewhere
These might be a little lighter in detail than usual, because box scores haven't been posted yet. I'm going off the Cape Cod Times and team web sites.

Pitching was also the story in Brewster, where Chatham's Shawn Tolleson (Baylor) picked up where he left off last summer. Tolleson pitched for Y-D last year and ranked fourth in the league in strikeouts. He's in Chatham now, and after a shaky spring -- he had one win -- he must be happy to be back on the Cape. Tolleson tossed seven one-hit innings to lead the Anglers to a 3-0 victory. Pete Kennelly (Fordham), a 38th-round pick last week who's working his way back after Tommy John Surgery, struck out four in two innings to pick up the save.

The only two teams to start last season with three straight wins were Harwich and Cotuit, who ended up playing for the championship. This year, Y-D stands alone. The Red Sox improved to 3-0 last night with a 3-1 victory over Hyannis. Darrin Campbell (San Diego) allowed three hits in six innings to pick up the win. Blake Kelso (Houston) and Steven Chatwood (San Diego) drove in runs for the Red Sox.

It was a rally that might have ended the game either way. With darkness creeping in, Cotuit got two runners on base in the 10th inning of their game against Falmouth. They might not have gotten to the 11th, but they didn't have to. Cody Stanley (UNC Wilmington) doubled home Kevin Patterson (Auburn) with the winning run as Cotuit posted a 3-2 victory. Justin Grimm (Georgia) was the other star for the Kettleers, going six shutout innings and allowing just one hit. Chris Bisson (Kentucky) stole two bases to bring his league-leading total to six after just two games.

In another extra-innings thriller, Trent Mummey (Auburn) hit a walk-off home run to give Harwich a 2-1 victory over Orleans. Mummey, a sophomore who hit 15 home runs in the spring, scored both the Mariners' runs and also he had a double. He was one of the few offensive stars in a game dominated by the pitching staffs. Brian Dupra (Notre Dame) picked up the win in relief for Harwich, whose pitchers struck out 13. Harwich moved to 2-0.

What to Watch For Tonight
A familiar name gets the start for Bourne as Ricky Bowen (Mississippi State) makes his return in Cotuit. Bowen had a 3.53 ERA as a regular starter for the Braves last year and was a 43rd-round pick last year. He was not on initial rosters. In Harwich, San Diego's Kyle Blair will start for Brewster.

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as the fog settles in

The left-field sunset has faded. It is chilly now. You slip a sweatshirt on. The stat sheet you hold in your hands almost feels wet, the air is so damp. But the ink doesn't run. You can read it. That kid from LSU is still leading the league in home runs. That pitcher who they say throws 95 -- he's way up on the list in strikeouts.
The game is close, 3-2 through seven innings. You're staying till the end.
You look out at the field. Some fog has slipped in. It settles like smoke, just off the grass in front of the right fielder, like a cloud. When he runs through it to catch a fly ball, it looks almost magical, maybe even spiritual, like he's playing baseball in heaven.
Maybe he is.
The baseball is pure here. The players eager. The fans, maybe some of them don't know what they're seeing, maybe they just heard it was a fun night out, good for the family and everything -- but they know. They know somehow that this thing, this Cape League, is special.
Really, there's nothing like it.
I'm going to try and keep up.

Stop waxing poetic

The Cape Cod Baseball League is the top college summer league in the nation. Plenty of other leagues have cropped up of late, and some are having success, but the Cape League is still the model -- and the pinnacle. In 2006, 198 Major Leaguers had spent time in the Cape League.
The rosters are like a who's who of the best college baseball players. All the top prospects want to spend their summers on the Cape. The only better opportunity is Team USA. There are 10 teams in the league, divided into two divisions. Over the course of two months, they play 44 games. Scouts will watch many of them. They come because of the combination of talent and wood. Unlike college baseball, the Cape uses only wooden bats, providing an accurate picture of what players might do at the next level.
What else? Players live with host families. Some have part-time jobs (Jeff Bagwell worked at Friendly's). There's no admission charge at games. The level of baseball has been compared to Single A.
That should sum it up. If you have never experienced Cape League Baseball, you have missed out.

Monday, June 15, 2009