Commodores Win 5-4

27 July 2007


 


Posted in: Sports 
By Rich Maclone

    The Falmouth Commodores got back in the win column last night as they defeated the Harwich Mariners, holding off a late Harwich rally for the win. The Commodores, in second place in the west division, improved to 19-17 overall with a 5-4 win over the M’s.

    Harwich made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth, scoring a pair of runs against Falmouth closer Luke Burnett (Louisiana Tech). JT Wise (Oklahoma) pulled a Burnett fastball over the left field fence with a man aboard, and two down, in the ninth. Burnett allowed a hit to the next man after the homer, but got a little help from catcher Andrew Giobbi (Vanderbilt) who gunned down Kyle Day (Michigan State) attempting to steal to end the ballgame.

    The Commodores pounded out a dozen hits against the Mariners, with Joey Wong (Oregon State) leading the way with a three-hit night.

    Reliever Preston Claiborne (Tulane) picked up the win for Falmouth, improving to 3-1, after working two innings of middle relief. Kyle Weiland (Notre Dame) made the start and went three hitless innings. Brett Graffy (Notre Dame) worked two innings of middle relief, followed by Kyle Thebeau (Texas A&M), who struck out the side in the eighth. 

    Leading 2-0, the Commodores rallied for three runs in the top of the fifth, which proved to be just enough.

    After the first two batters of the frame were put down by the Mariners’ Dan Hudson (Old Dominion), Wong reached on a bunt single down the third base line and then went to third when David Adams (Virginia) singled to right to put men on the corners. In a clutch situation, Falmouth’s top hitter, Conor Gillaspie (Wichita State), hit a bomb over the center fielder’s head for a triple, scoring both Wong and Adams with ease. The relay from the outfield hit Gillaspie as he slid head-first into third and got away, allowing the all-star third baseman to jump up and scurry home with the Commodores’ fifth run of the night. The run proved to be the game-winner.

    Harwich got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth, and ruined both a shutout and combined no-hit bid, at the same time. Matt Miller walked with one down against Falmouth reliever Preston Claiborne (Tulane), went to second on a ground-out and then scored when the Mariners’ got their first hit of the ballgame, a single to left by JT Wise (Oklahoma). That made it 5-1 at the time. The M’s would later get their second run of the game in the bottom of the seventh when the usually sure-handed Adams airmailed a throw from second base over the first baseman’s head, which allowed Wise to score from second after he had reached with a two-out double against Graffy. 

    The Commodores staked themselves to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, doing the damage with two down as the team’s top two hitters came through in succession. With a pair down Gillaspie drove a hit down the right field line that he stretched into a double. That extra base would prove pivotal as the next batter, Matt Hague, scorched a low line drive into center field for an RBI single and a 1-0 lead for Falmouth.

    Falmouth added a run in the top of the third to stake Weiland to a 2-0 advantage. Phil Carey (Winthrop) led the inning off by ripping a double and then would go to third by tagging up on pop-out to center by Chris Hopkins (Oregon State). Another pop fly, but this time one that found turf, would drive in the second run of the game for the visitors as Wong hit a Texas Leaguer to left-center to drive in Carey. 

    The Commodores are at Cotuit this afternoon for a 5 PM contest. Saturday the all-star game is at Wareham, with the first pitch slated for 6 PM.
 


 


Back to CapeNews.net home page

50 Depot Avenue - Falmouth MA 02540 - Phone 508-548-4700

© Copyright 2007 Falmouth Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.