BREWSTER – The Falmouth Commodores are about to wrap up the West Division.
Following a nerve-wracking 4-3 win over the Wareham Gatemen, Falmouth (27-13) used a combined offensive effort and good starting pitching to top the Brewster Whitecaps (16-22-2) 6-4 in a darkness-shortened game. Four Commodores had multi-hit games, including home runs from both Tyler Lawrence and Deacon Liput.
With the win, Falmouth’s magic number moves to one, meaning either the next Commodore win or Gateman loss clinches the West Division crown for the ‘Dores. It would be their first regular season division crown since 2004.
Getting the win over Brewster is never easy. The Whitecaps lead the Cape Cod Baseball League in total offense, having scored 215 runs.
That offense started quick, scoring single runs in both the first and second innings off Falmouth starter Tyler Holton (Florida State).
Falmouth answered right back in the second with a two-run frame sparked by an RBI single from Ryan Chandler (Rice) and Matt McLaughlin’s (Kansas) sacrifice fly.
With the game tied in the third, Falmouth added another run via the sac-fly and courtesy Josh Watson. They would never relinquish the lead after the third.
Cole Sands came into the game in the third and was brilliant, striking out three in 3.1 innings of work and holding the dynamic Whitecap offense off the scoreboard. He left in with two outs in the sixth due to his limited pitch count that sits around 50 for each appearance.
At that point Falmouth led 5-2 thanks to a fifth-inning Tyler Lawrence (Murray State) two-run home run, his sixth of the year, which is good for second in the West.
Bryce Mones De Oca (Missouri) followed Sands on the bump and once again struggled to contain the Brewster offense, giving up two earned runs in less than an inning of work. That brought Brewster within one run at 5-4 in the seventh.
But Deacon Liput (Florida) came up clutch once again with a two-out solo home run that gave Seth Elledge enough insurance in the eighth to close out the ballgame. The umpires called the game after the eighth due to darkness.
Falmouth has a chance to clinch the West Division crown tomorrow night at Guv Fuller Field. They’ll take on the Bourne Braves for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch.
The Commodores Corner 