Daily Fog: Lucky Seven

With the rule changes implemented, I believe Sunday's seven-inning doubleheader games were the first scheduled seven-inning games played in the Cape League in a long time. I'm guessing they might have had a few somewhere along the line, maybe before the modern era. But Cape League games have been nine-inning affairs for as long as I can remember.

Either way, the Y-D Red Sox didn't mind.

Using just two pitchers -- the fewest number of pitchers they've used in any two-game stretch this summer -- the Red Sox swept past Falmouth 6-3 and 4-0 in a Sunday doubleheader. The victories gave Y-D a four-game winning streak and moved them to 8-6. They had previously lost five games in a row.

In the first game of the twin bill, Chris Sale (Florida Gulf Coast), the most effective starter in the league thus far, made his third appearance and delivered a strong performance again. Having not allowed a run prior to Sunday, Sale stretched his scoreless streak all the way to 20 innings when he got through six without allowing anything. Falmouth finally got to him in the seventh, touching him up for three runs. But with two men on and two out, Sale finished the game with a strikeout. He ended up striking out four and walking none in the complete-game effort. Sale leads the league in strikeouts.

Brian Hernandez (UC Irvine) led the way at the plate in game one, going 2-for-2 with three RBI. Austin Wates (Virginia Tech) and Mickey Wiswall (Boston College), two of the league's top hitters, stayed hot with two hits apiece. Wates is second in the league with a .391 average. Wiswall is fourth at .360.

It was more of the same for the Red Sox in the second game of the doubleheader. John Leonard (Boston College) one-upped Sale by taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He lost it with one out in the sixth but still finished off six scoreless frames and struck out five. Kevin Rhoderick (Oregon State) came on in the seventh with a runner on first and struck out the side to preserve the victory.

Wiswall went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Jordan Casas (Long Beach State) and Blake Kelso (Houston) had two hits apiece.

With the victories and a Chatham loss, the Red Sox moved within three games of the Anglers for first place in the East.

Elsewhere

In the other doubleheader, Harwich and Bourne played to a split, with Bourne winning game one 6-3 and Harwich taking game two 8-1. Stefan Romero (Oregon State) went 3-for-3 in the first game with a home run (his third) and four RBI. Chris Wallace (Houston) added a home run in the same inning as Romero. Cameron Roth (UNC Wilmington) picked up the win with six strikeouts in four strong innings. Harwich turned things around in game two, posting its second-highest run output of the season. Everybody in the lineup was on base at least once, with Trent Mummey (Auburn) driving in two Phil Gosselin (Virginia) delivering two hits. Justin Wright (Virginia Tech) and Chase Reid (Vanderbilt) combined to strike out 11. Reid struck out six and didn't allow a hit in 3.1 innings of relief.

A wild first inning was all Orleans needed to beat Chatham 2-1. Two walks and four wild pitches staked the Firebirds to a 2-0 lead. Starter Jimmy Reyes (Elon) made that lead stand up with seven strong innings. He allowed just an unearned run, struck out nine and didn't walk anybody. Matt Packer (Virginia) and Alex Hassan (Duke) went one scoreless inning each to keep the slim lead. Logan Verrett (Baylor), who had been with Team USA, struck out seven in 5.1 innings after relieving starter Thomas Keeling (Oklahoma State) in the first. The loss was Chatham's third in a row.

Cotuit broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth to beat Hyannis 2-1. An RBI single by Zach Cox (Arkansas) scored Jeff Rowland (Georgia Tech) with the go-ahead run. Benjamin Rowen (Virginia Tech) struck out four in three scoreless innings to pick up the win.

Wareham played just its second game in the last seven days, but the Gatemen certainly weren't rusty. After postponements the last two nights, the Gatemen reached double digits in runs for the first time all year in a 10-2 victory over Brewster. Shea Vucinich (Washington State), Ryan Pineda (Cal State Northridge), George Springer (Connecticut) and Ryan LaMarre (Michigan) all drove in two runs each, with Springer delivering a team-high three hits. Blake Monar (Indiana) allowed two runs in 5.1 innings to pick up the win. Scott Rembisz (Florida International), Keith Bilodeau (Maine) and Zach Brewster (Georgia Tech) combined for 3.2 shutout innings of relief.

What to Watch For Tonight

Jake Buchanan (NC State) goes for Cotuit against Bourne and Bryan Morgado (Tennessee), the highest-drafted player on the Cape this year. Neither pitcher allowed an earned run in his first start.