Cape League Power Rankings: East Division leading Y-D Red Sox surge to top spot

The dust has settled on the second week of action in the Cape Cod Baseball League and five teams have continued to separate themselves from the rest of the league.

The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox are this week’s biggest movers having ascended to top of the pile, while the Wareham Gatemen have fallen in the rankings, despite holding claim to the league’s longest winning streak. But in sports, and in power rankings, sometimes it’s who you lose to and when rather than who you beat.

Both of this week’s Players of the Week named by the league are part of teams ranked in the top five. The Wareham Gatemen’s Bobby Boser (South Florida) had a strong week with nine hits, including a home run, four walks and two stolen bases. Michael Ebner (Southern California) allowed no hits or runs and struck out four in six innings for the Cotuit Kettleers.

Here is the second power ranking of the season following Week 2.

*Records as of Monday morning.

1. Y-D Red Sox (10-3)

Much like the first rankings, the East Division leading Red Sox have continued to showcase their guts in close games. They’re 8-2 overall in games this season decided by three runs or fewer. Yarmouth-Dennis, meanwhile, has lost just one game in its last seven outings, which includes three-straight victories. Oklahoma’s Easton Carmichael leads the team in hits (16), RBIs (11), and batting average (.364) in 13 games. Wehiwa Aloy (Arkansas) is also providing a strong offensive spark with 13 hits, including two home runs, and 10 RBIs. Braden Osbolt (Kennesaw State), who was coming off a CCBL Pitcher of the Week performance, has continued to be strong on the mound with a 2-0 record. He has a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings pitched. He’s allowed just 10 hits, five earned runs, four walks, and struck out 11. Aiven Cabral (Northeastern) has compiled a 3-0 record in relief and in 8.2 innings pitched, he’s not allowed a run, walked just two batters and struck out 11. The Harbor Hawks' pitching staff boasts a league-best 3.35 ERA. The third week of the season will provide a worthy test of their ranking with back-to-back games against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, followed by a trip to the Harwich Mariners and a home game versus the Wareham Gatemen looming.

2. Cotuit Kettleers (9-4)

With 75 runs scored, the Kettleers are the second strongest offense in the league with a +21-run differential. They are coming off back-to-back wins and are 4-1 in their last five, including a win over Wareham. Cotuit’s Michael Ebner was named the league’s Pitcher of the Week. The Southern California product hasn’t allowed a hit or run in nine innings of relief and holds a 2-0 record. The Kettleers will have to find an arm to replace Merritt Beeker (Ball State), who was released after giving up five hits and one earned run in 11.1 innings, where he had a 0.79 ERA and a 3-0 record. California’s Jarren Advincula is tied for first in the league with 17 hits, but he leads outright with a .447 batting average. He’s scored 11 runs, which ranks first on the Kettleers. Brandon Compton (Arizona State) and Tanner Thach (UNC Wilmington) have combined for 20 RBIs for the Kettleers' offense that has scored 75 runs (ranks second).

3. Hyannis Harbor Hawks (8-4-1)

If anyone has the right to be upset with their ranking, it’s the Harbor Hawks, who dropped from first to third in the latest installment, despite being the league’s most powerful offense with a +35-run differential. Austin Peay’s Jon Jon Gazdar leads the team with 16 hits and 15 RBIs, while he is third with a .333 batting average. The Hyannis offense has shown its depth this season with six different players with at least 10 hits and seven RBIs. Outfield Kane Kepley (Liberty) has scored 13 runs to go with 10 hits and a league-leading 17 walks. If the Harbor Hawks want to ascend the power rankings again, they will have to find another starting arm following the departure of Joseph Dzierwa (Michigan State), who didn’t allow a run in 11 innings. That said, the Harbor Hawks picked up a signature win, ending the Gatemen’s six-game winning streak on June 28 in the midst of their own three-game winning streak.

4. Wareham Gatemen (9-4)

The Gatemen could make a case for feeling slighted in the power rankings having boasted a league-best six-straight wins. Wareham, however, has lost two in a row, including to Hyannis and Cotuit. Both teams sit above the Gatemen in the power rankings with strong offenses. Wareham are five games above .500 but have -1 run differential. The Gatemen are led by Triston Gray’s (Fresno State) 13 hits and eight RBIs on a .302 batting average. Brendan Summerhill (Arizona) leads Wareham with nine RBIs and eight runs scored on 11 hits. The Gatemen’s offense is bolstered by the fact that they lead the league with a .274 team batting average, a .427 slugging percentage and a .793 on-base plus slugging percentage. They rank second with a .366 on base percentage. Eight different pitchers have recorded a win this season. Arkansas’ Tate McGuire hasn’t given up a hit in two starts and 9.1 innings pitched, while Braeden Sloan (TCU) and Cole Leaman (Lehigh) have 1-1 records in a combined 20 innings, where they’ve given up 16 runs.

5. Harwich Mariners (8-5)

The Mariners are 3-2 over their last five games with back-to-back wins over Falmouth and Orleans, which both sit at the bottom of their divisions. Their two losses came on back-to-back nights to Wareham and Hyannis. Michael Anderson has been part of a three-headed monster for the Mariners. The Rhode Island product has 16 hits, seven runs scored, 13 RBIs, four home runs on a .390 batting average. All lead the team. UNC Greensboro’s Jake Ogden (13 hits and 11 RBIs) and East Carolina’s Bristol Carter (10 hits and eight runs scored) have also done their part for an offense that has nine players with at least five hits up and down the roster.

Allen Gunn covers high school sports for the Cape Cod Times . You can contact him at agunn@gannett.com and follow him on X at @allentgunn.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape League Power Rankings: East Division leading Y-D Red Sox surge to top spot