June 30, 2015
By Jon Cooper
The Good Word
Inclement weather wreaked havoc with summer baseball leagues all over the country but where there were games played, Georgia Tech baseball players made an impact.
The Jackets are doing their part in contending for championships as six teams with Yellow Jackets are in first or second place in their respective divisions, two more are within two games of the lead and none are as many as than five back.
Here is a look at the how all the Yellow Jackets and their teams fared last week in their various 2015 Summer Leagues.
(Through games of June 28)
CAPE COD LEAGUE
Brandon Gold, Brewster Whitecaps (@WhitecapsCCBL)
Kel Johnson, Brewster Whitecaps (@WhitecapsCCBL)
Ryan Peurifoy, Brewster Whitecaps (@WhitecapsCCBL)
Zac Ryan, Brewster Whitecaps (@WhitecapsCCBL)
Keenan Innis, Cotuit Kettleers (@CotuitKettleers)
Jonathan King, Cotuit Kettleers (@CotuitKettleers)
Matt Gonzalez, Harwich Mariners (@HarwichMariners)
Connor Justus, Harwich Mariners (@HarwichMariners)
Arden Pabst, Hyannis Harbor Hawks (@HarborHawks)
Ben Parr, Wareham Gatemen (@WarehamGatemen)
Brandon Gold: Gold went 1-for-6 for the week, with his hit coming in the fifth inning of the nightcap of Monday’s game against Wareham, one of only three the Whitecaps managed. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get far, as he was erased when the next batter hit into a 1-6-3 DP. Gold is hitting .265, with nine hits, including a double, and four RBIs this summer. He did not pitch during the week. His summer ERA remains at 5.69, although opposing hitters are hitting only .190 against him.
Kel Johnson: Did not play. He is expected to join the Whitecaps in a few weeks.
Ryan Peurifoy: Peurifoy went 1-for-6 for the week in three games (two starts and a pinch-hit appearance), but the hit, was big. It was his first triple of the summer and keyed a decisive rally in the Whitecaps’ 5-4 win in the opener on Monday’s twinbill at Wareham. The three-base-hit came leading off the fourth, with the game tied at 1-1 and started a four-run uprising. Later in the game he’d twice face off with Tech teammate Ben Parr, going 0-for-1 with a walk. Peurifoy is hitting .216 but is tied for the team lead in walks (6), is second in runs (8) and is one of two Whitecaps with a triple. His five RBIs rank fifth on the squad.
Zac Ryan: Ryan did not earn a decision in two appearances, allowing one unearned run and two hits in 3 ⅓ innings. Zac allowed the run in the fifth inning of the second game of the Monday doubleheader against Wareham on a single, an error and a sacrifice fly (he also allowed an inherited runner to score in the fourth, with a bases-loaded walk). He threw 20 pitches, 11 for strikes. On Friday, against Bourne, Ryan bounced back, throwing two innings of one-hit ball, striking out four in a 7-2 win. After putting runners on first and second with a hit and a walk, he retired the next five hitters he faced, three of them by strikeout. He threw 36 of 55 pitches for strikes. Zac boasts a 2.08 ERA (three ER in 13 innings), striking out 11 while walking only three and holding opposing hitters to a .250 batting average.
Keenan Innis: Innis didn’t play last week. He is batting .200 thus far in eight games (5-for-25), with three walks and a stolen base. Defensively, he is perfect in the field.
Jonathan King: King continued his tremendous pitching, but also his hard-luck in decisions in his one start. The lefty threw five strong innings against Wareham on June 26, allowing two runs (one earned) and eight hits, striking out three without walking a batter. He left with a 3-2 lead, but the Gatemen rallied for two in the ninth to take a 4-3 win. King still has no record in three summer starts, but lowered his ERA to 2.51 (four earned runs in 14 ⅓ innings), despite opponents batting .322 off him. He’s made big pitches, striking out 11, while walking only four.
Matt Gonzalez: Gonzalez had a rough week, going 0-for-11 in three games. Gonzo is hitting .077 in nine games this summer. Defensively, he has been playing in left field and has one error in nine chances.
Connor Justus: Justus went 2-for-12 for the week, but both of his hits were big. One of those was his first homer of the summer. He also drove in two runs, doubling his summer total, with both RBIs coming in decisive rallies. The home run came leading off the second inning on Wednesday, igniting a four-run second inning in the Mariners’ 5-4 win at Brewster. In the eighth inning of that game his walk contributed to the rally that provided the winning run. His RBI single in the first inning of Monday’s second game at Cotuit, drove in what proved to be the game-winner in the 6-1 win. Connor is hitting .214, fourth on the Mariners, is tied for third on the team in runs (6), is tied for fourth in hits (9) and is fifth on-base percentage (.327). He’s walked six times, while striking out only seven.
Arden Pabst: Pabst went 1-for-10 at the plate for the Harbor Hawks, who struggled collectively all week, scoring 14 runs in their seven games. Arden’s hit, a seventh-inning single on Saturday against Bourne in a 3-0 loss, snapped an 0-for-15 stretch. He’s batting .206, with a .515 OPS. Defensively, he has 12 assists and a .974 fielding percentage.
Ben Parr: Parr added three more scoreless innings in his lone appearance of the week, Monday in Wareham’s first game of a doubleheader against Brewster, a 5-4 loss. Parr, who did not figure in the decision, allowed two hits, striking out two and walking two. He faced Jacket teammate Ryan Peurifoy twice, walking him once and retiring him the other. Parr pitched out of a bases-loaded-two-out jam, by recording a strike, then allowed only one hit over the final two innings — that runner was erased on a caught-stealing. He hasn’t allowed a run in his three appearances covering 4 ⅓ innings and is limiting opposing hitters to a .214 batting average.
Brewster: The Whitecaps went 3-2 on the week, and begin this week on a two-game winning streak. They are 8-8, fourth in the East Division, 3 ½ games back, but only a half-game out of second. Cotuit: Cotuit was 1-5, dropping a pair of one-run games and another by two. At 5-12, the Kettleers are last in the West 4 ½ games out.
Harwich: The Mariners went 3-2, but headed into the week on a two-game losing streak, having been shut out over their final 19 innings. They still stand at 8-7-1, second in the East. Hyannis: The Harbor Hawks went 2-5 for the week but, at 10-8, are still in first in the West, by a half-game over Wareham.
Wareham: The Gatemen went 4-2, and begin the week on a three-game winning streak. At 9-8, they are second in the West, only a half-game behind Hyannis.
VALLEY LEAGUE
Wade Bailey, Harrisonburg Turks (@HbgTurksVBL)
Jared Datoc, Harrisonburg Turks (@HbgTurksVBL)
Patrick Wiseman, Harrisonburg Turks (@HbgTurksVBL)
Tanner Shelton, Harrisonburg Turks (@HbgTurksVBL)
Wade Bailey: Bailey did not play last week. He is hitting .185 thus far with a double and an RBI, while, defensively, he is perfect in 41 chances (13 putouts, 28 assists).
Jared Datoc: Datoc made one appearance but it was memorable. On Tuesday at Staunton, he recorded his first save, pitching a 2 ⅓ scoreless innings, retiring seven of the eight hitters he faced, with the only Braves batter that reached getting on via error. The righty came in to relieve teammate Patrick Wiseman with two out in the seventh, runners at second and third and Harrisonburg clinging to a 4-3 lead. Datoc came out firing, blowing away his first hitter, Kurtis Brown, on four pitches — three swinging with one pitch fouled off — to end the inning. Pounding the strike zone, Jared had only one three-ball count, throwing 21 of his 32 pitches for strikes. He has not allowed an earned run and has given up only six hits in his five appearances covering 9 ⅓ innings. Opponents are batting .188 off him.
Patrick Wiseman: Wiseman made a pair of multi-inning appearances last week. He allowed two earned runs and four hits (including one home run) in 3 ⅔ innings, striking out five. The righty, who came into Tuesday evening at Staunton having retired eight straight hitters, extended his streak to 13 before, he allowed a single with two out in the seventh. But Wiseman would not get out of the inning, as the next three hitters touched him up for a homer and a pair of singles. Fortunately for the Turks, teammate Jared Datoc came on and slammed the door. Wiseman bounced back in a big way on Sunday against Charlestown. Relieving Jackets teammate Tanner Shelton, Patrick retired the side in order in the eighth, then struck out three in silencing the Cannons in the ninth. He actually struck out three, but one batter reached on a dropped third strike. Wiseman threw 20 of his 29 pitches for strikes in getting the six outs in the 3-2 loss. Even with the rough outing on Wednesday, Wiseman begins the week with six shutout appearances out of eight, sports a 2.53 ERA and is holding opponents to a .154 batting average and a .195 on-base percentage. He’s walked one batter all summer, none over the last five appearances.
Tanner Shelton: Shelton made one appearance last week, allowing one run in two-plus innings on Sunday against the Charles Town Cannons. With one on the sixth and the Turks trailing 2-1, he was reached for a double, a single, and a walk, then he hit a batter that brought in a run. But then Shelton came on strong. He induced an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play, and retired the side in order in the seventh, striking out two. He left the game in the eighth after yielding a leadoff double. Shelton, who threw 20 of his 39 pitches for strikes, has a 3.37 ERA in two appearances (four runs, only one earned, in 2 ⅔ innings).
Harrisonburg: The Turks went 4-1, with all five games decided by three-or-fewer runs. They began play Monday 12-6, in a flat-footed tie for first in the South with Staunton.
COASTAL PLAIN LEAGUE
Daniel Gooden, Peninsula Pilots (@PeninsulaPilots)
Matt Phillips, Lexington County Blowfish (@ColaBlowfish)
Daniel Gooden: Gooden had a rough start to his one-inning stint last week, allowing two runs (both earned) and three hits last Thursday night at Holly Springs. He entered the game in the bottom of the fifth with Peninsula trailing 3-0. The first three hitters reached and two of them scored via a pair of singles, the second a two-run knock, sandwiching a double as the lead grew to 5-0 in a game the Pilots lost 10-5. Following the two-run single Gooden set down the side, striking out the next hitter and getting a pair of infield groundouts. The outing pushed Gooden’s ERA up to 13.50 ERA (nine earned runs in six innings).
Matt Phillips: Phillips did not pitch. He began the week 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA, Opponents are hitting .292 against him.
Peninsula: The Pilots went 1-4, losing their first four games, three of them by two-or-fewer runs, but may have righted the ship with a win on Sunday. They’re 15-10, second in the East, five games behind Edenton.
Lexington County: The Blowfish stayed hot, going 4-1, allowing only two runs all week — their lone loss was 1-0 at Florence on Monday. At 15-12, they’re tied for third in the West, a slim 1 game off the pace.
GREAT LAKES SUMMER COLLEGIATE LEAGUE
Grant Wruble, Southern Ohio Copperheads (@Copperheads)
Grant Wruble: Wruble continued his consistent hitting, getting a hit in four of the Copperheads’ six games (he batted 6-for-25 overall), and blasting his second homer of the summer. The round-tripper came leading off the sixth inning of Southern Ohio’s June 23 game at Grand Lake and tied the game, 2-2 (unfortunately for Southern, the tie didn’t last, as the Mariners put up three in the bottom half of the frame and held on, 5-3). Grant would add an RBI single in the five-run seventh on Thursday in the 6-5 loss at Northern Ohio. The night before, he went 0-for-5 in the 7-4 loss at Grand Lake. The 0-fer is noteworthy because it was only the second game all summer in which he did not get at least one hit, although he did reach base on an eighth-inning fielder’s choice (he’s reached in base in 16 of 17 games in which he’s had at least two at-bats — he went 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter on Friday). Wruble is batting .352 (25-for-71) for the summer. That leads the Copperheads and is 14th in the entire league. He leads or is tied for the team lead in hits (25), and homers (2), is second on the team in runs (10), runs batted in (13), and doubles (4) and is third in walks (9).
Southern Ohio: The Copperheads were 2-4 last week and began this week 11-7, tied for fourth — two games back — looking to shake a three-game losing streak and break an 18-inning scoreless streak.
SUNBELT LEAGUE
Trevor Craport, Brookhaven Bucks
Trevor Craport: Craport continued to wield a hot bat, going 2-for-4 with a run scored in his lone game in the field, Thursday’s 5-4 loss to Gwinnett. He singled and scored as part of a game-tying rally in the fourth inning. He also was flawless in the field, making all eight plays at third base. Trevor leads the team in average (minimum 20 ABs) at .444 (16-for-36), hits (16), doubles (5), is second in on-base percentage (.500) and OPS (1.083), is third in slugging (.583), and runs (8), and is tied for fifth in RBIs (5). He was busier on the mound, making a pair of appearances. He earned his first win of the summer, on Monday against Phenix City, going four innings, allowing two runs on five hits in the 9-4 win. Craport struck out five vs. one walk, and threw 35 of his 56 pitches for strikes, shutting out the Crawdads after a first-inning two-run homer. Things didn’t go as well in his next start on Friday, when he was lifted in the fourth inning of the Bucks’ 8-3 win. After allowing three hits — one in each of the first three innings — Trevor allowed two doubles and two singles in a third of an inning before being pulled. He was charged with three runs and seven hits. He struck out six and didn’t walk a batter, but left trailing 3-1 (his teammates got him off the hook scoring two in the top of the fourth, then winning the game with a run in the seventh and four more in the ninth). Craport’s ERA is at 6.35, and opponents are batting .389, but his walks-to-strikeouts ratio is an outstanding 8:1 (16 K’s vs. 2 BB’s).
Brookhaven: The Bucks went 2-1 last week, scoring 17 runs in their two wins while losing their one game by one-run (5-4). At 9-6 they sit in a tie for second place in the East with the Atlanta Crackers, one game back of the Gwinnett Tides.
