By: Greg Levinsky
FALMOUTH – Even with a playoff berth in hand, the Falmouth Commodores are not experimenting as the regular season comes to a close. Head coach Jeff Trundy penciled in a nearly identical lineup to their last contest, playoff-clinching victory, and immediately reaped the benefits of his consistency in a 10-2 win over the Brewster Whitecaps on Tuesday.
However, it was an exception to the status quo that boosted the Commodores to a comfortable lead.
The exception was Herbert Iser (Dallas Baptist).
The catcher blasted a pair of home runs, a two-run shot in the fourth and a three-run shot in the sixth. Usually the backup to Maverick Handley (Stanford), Iser (3-for-4, 5 RBIs) made the most of his seventh start for the Commodores (23-18-1).
“The first thing is to not be negative, you’ve got to stay positive because you know your time is going to come,” Iser said. “When your time does come, you have to capitalize on it. I’ve been watching, observing, taking everything in and waiting for my time.”
Iser and designated hitter Alex Volpi (Holy Cross) were two non-regulars to appear in the Commodores lineup. Volpi made his Cape League debut in his third game in a Commodores uniform, and later was pinch-hit for by fellow newcomer Matt Trehub (William & Mary).
Trundy explained the minor changes will persist over the last few games of the regular season.
“We tried to mix it up, even a little bit tonight,” Trundy said. “We’ll just give everybody a chance these last few games.
“I’m pleased with the way we’re playing.”
He was also more than satisfied with the production of Iser, the nine-hole hitter.
“He’s a really strong kid,” Trundy said. “He’s made some adjustments with his mechanics which is a part of it. Whatever he’s doing, it worked tonight and hopefully it will continue.”
The Commodores belted a season-high five home runs. Cape League All-Stars Austin Langworthy (Florida) and Kyle Stowers (Stanford) bashed home runs in the first inning in their usual spots in the batting order, first and third, respectively.
Iser added a two-run shot in the fourth and his three-run homer in the fifth to extend an 8-1 advantage.
He pummeled a fastball on his first, and got the the pitch he expected his next time up.
“I was just sitting curveball,” Iser said. “I hit the first one on a fastball and knew they wouldn’t throw another one.”
Edouard Julien (Auburn) added a solo home run in the eighth.
Iser entered the game batting .143 (3-for-21) with 2 RBIs, but Iser proved deserving of his spot in college baseball’s most prestigious summer league. He raised his average to .240 after his big night.
“It was good for him, he had a smile of his face,” Trundy said. “It was good to see him have the success that he had.”
Commodores starter Adam Laskey (Duke) improved his record to 5-0 after tossing five scoreless innings. He surrendered just two hits and two walks in lowering his ERA to 1.19. Four Commodores relievers shut the door.
It was both the Commodores season finale with the Whitecaps (12-26-4) and last game of regular season in intradivision play. They returned home to Guv Fuller Field after clinching a playoff spot in their last game.
Just two games remain in the regular season, as the Commodores host Cotuit for a home and home starting tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. With a chance to earn home field advantage in the opening round, the Commodores understand the value of their last two games.
“You’ve got to go in strong, go in on a winning streak,” Iser said. “No one wants to enter the payoffs losing, so that’s what we’re looking for.”
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Greg Levinsky can be reached at glevinsk@bu.edu. Follow him on Twitter @GregLevinsky
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