FALMOUTH – The battle for the top division seed has intensified with just nine games left in the regular season. Bourne and Falmouth have been two of the teams pushing for the top spot and today the Commodores downed the Braves 6-2 to take sole possession of first.
Twenty-three year old Cody Shelton (Samford) picked a great time to make his Cape League debut, giving the Commodores the start they needed. The Samford pitcher got the nod for Falmouth and shut down the Bourne lineup. Shelton gave the ‘Dore more than enough while striking out four and only allowing three hits over four plus innings.
Daniel Beis (3-1) got the start for Bourne and has had a solid season thus far for the Braves. The Gonzaga righty started the game off strong, throwing a couple flawless innings to begin the game in what was a pitchers duel early on.
After being held hitless through the first two and a half innings the ‘Dores erupted for three runs in the third inning.
Things got started with a Logan Davidson (Clemson) walk and a Hunter Steinmetz (Missouri State) single. After Steinmetz stole second, taking the league lead in stolen bases, Clayton Daniel ripped a single past third baseman Andrew Fegia to score Davidson and break the scoreless tie.
The offense continued with an Austin Langworthy (Florida) sacrifice, scoring the speedy Steinmetz. The next batter was all-star slugger Alec Bohm who rocketed a ball off of Bourne’s Andrew Fregia (Sam Houston) at third base, sending fellow all-star Clayton Daniel home to put Falmouth up 3-0.
Bohm (Wichita State) kept his hot bat going two innings later, whacking a single to center field to score Daniel once again. More insurance was added a couple batters later as Trevor Larnach singled, scoring Langworthy to increase the Falmouth lead to five.
Ian Koch (Western Illinois) came out of the bullpen to relieve Cody Shelton in the fourth and pitched well. The reliable reliever pitched over an inning and struck out two.
Bourne was finally able to get on the board and cut into the Falmouth lead in the top of the sixth but the lead would go back up to five thanks to a Clayton Daniel RBI single in the bottom of the inning.
Clayton Daniel (Jacksonville State) having great games at the plate has become quite the norm around here and to no surprise he went four for five tonight with an RBI. With those four hits Daniel has now moved into second in the league in hits with 46.
Will Ethridge (Mississippi) and Brian Gadsby (UCLA) were dynamite out of the bullpen for Falmouth. The two combined for two consecutive 1-2-3 innings over the seventh and eighth, setting up Durbin Feltman (Texas Christian) to come in and close out the game.
With the win head coach Jeff Trundy has earned his 400th victory, a milestone only three other Cape League coaches have reached. This is a great achievement for Trundy but what he really wants is that Cape League championship.
The playoff picture is coming into shape and the Commodores now have sole possession of first place in the West Division and will stay home to face the Hyannis Harbor Hawks tomorrow night. First pitch at 6 PM at The Guv.
The Commodores Corner 