FALMOUTH, Mass. — When Hyannis’ Kane Kepley (North Carolina) stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, the situation he was put into seemed improbable an inning earlier. The East commanded an 8-4 lead and the West was on the verge of being held scoreless for the fourth consecutive inning.
But a couple of additional bases runners, a ball bouncing their way and a game-tying single tied the game at 8-8. A half-inning later, after the East was held scoreless, the West had the chance to take its first lead since the second inning to walk off the game.
Falmouth’s Jaxon Willits (Oklahoma) led the inning off with a walk before Cotuit’s Brandon Compton (Arizona State) also drew a walk. They then advanced a base on a groundout, bringing Kepley to the plate with a chance to be a hero. Eight pitches later, he was. Shortly after serving a fastball into short right field that scored Willits, Kepley was mobbed in celebration by his teammates between first and second base.
In the 33rd annual East versus West Cape League All-Star Game, presented by Milton CAT, Kepley was the walk-off hero in the West’s 9-8 win. His game-ending single marked the first walk-off in Cape League All-Star Game history. At Guv Fuller Field — home of the Falmouth Commodores — Cape League All-Stars combined for 19 hits throughout the back-and-forth contest. Bourne's Ethan Conrad (Wake Forest) was named the West MVP while Y-D’s Easton Carmichael (Oklahoma) was crowned the East MVP.
“The All-Star Game, I think certainly should be a privilege for each one of them to play in, and they should remember it for the rest of their lives,” West manager Mike Roberts (Cotuit) said.
The East and West went back and forth throughout the first four innings, each scoring four runs with two ties and two lead changes, but the East regained the lead in the fifth inning. Right after surrendering two runs in the bottom of the fourth, Carmichael hit a leadoff single — one of his game-high three hits — before Brewster’s Nick Dumesnil (Cal Baptist) stepped into the batter’s box.
The East outfielder was a Western Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team honoree in 2024 and was recently named Baseball America’s No. 9 2025 MLB Draft college prospect. On the first pitch of the at-bat, he blasted a 106 mph liner over the left field wall, regaining the East’s lead, 6-4. The East took further control heading into the eighth inning, adding two runs courtesy of RBI singles from Brewster’s Kaeden Kent (Texas A&M) in the seventh and eighth innings.
Following Kent's second RBI, the East commanded an 8-4 advantage and looked like it was going to cruise to its first All-Star Game win since 2022. With Falmouth’s Trent Caraway on first base and two outs, the East brought in Chatham’s Tanner Franklin (Tennessee).
Bourne’s Chris Stanfield (LSU) extended the inning with a single before Wareham’s Sam White (West Virginia) worked a walk to load the bases, bringing Gatemen teammate Yohann Dessureault (Stetson) to the plate. Dessureault lofted a ball to the warning track in right field on the first pitch of the at-bat, but it was dropped, clearing the bases to cut the West’s deficit to 8-7. The ensuing batter, Hyannis’ Eric Snow (Auburn) laced a single into center field to tie the game at 8-8.
Fumbling the lead late in the game wasn’t the first time the advantage slipped from the East.
In the first inning, Carmichael — the eighth-leading run producer in the Cape League (20 RBI) — poked a fly ball that fell into center field, scoring his Red Sox teammate Ethan Petry (South Carolina) from second base to put the East ahead 1-0. The East couldn’t add to its lead, but its starting pitcher, Brewster’s Jake Clemente (Florida), set the West down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame in his only inning of work.
The East quickly caused traffic to begin the second, but Cotuit’s Michael Ebner (USC) escaped the inning unscathed. Ebner’s West teammates quickly rewarded him for keeping the game tied, as Wareham’s Murf Gray (Fresno State) smoked an opposite-field leadoff double off the wall and the ensuing batter, Conrad, tied the game with a triple down the left field line. Two batters later, the West took a 2-1 lead on an RBI groundout from Falmouth’s Karson Bowen (TCU).
Enjoying its first lead heading into the third inning, the West couldn’t retain it. As they had in the first inning, Petry and Carmichael each reached base — this time on walks — giving the East runners on first and second with two outs. Bourne’s Joe Ariola (Wake Forest) faced Chatham’s Ahston Larson (LSU) looking to escape the inning, but the East outfielder ripped a grounder up the middle, which scored Petry to tie the game at 2-2.
Following a scoreless bottom of the third from Orleans’ Callan Fang (Harvard) — the Cape League leader with 33 strikeouts — the East carried its momentum into the fourth. Harwich’s Cade Kurland (Florida) laced a single into center field before stealing second base as the lineup turned over to Chatham’s Aiva Arquette (transfer portal), the East’s leadoff hitter, who tripled to give the East a 3-2 lead. Brewster’s Daniel Cuvet (Miami) extended the lead to 4-2 on a sac fly.
The West responded right back in the bottom of the frame. With one out, Conrad reached on an error from Brewster’s Brody Donay (Florida) at first base before Falmouth’s Jayson Jones (Arkansas) lined a single into right field. Following a perfectly executed double steal, they both scored on a passed ball and a throwing error from Helfrick to tie the game at 4-4.
From there, the fireworks continued, ultimately with the West prevailing in the ninth inning. Even so, the game was memorable for everyone.
“It's so neat to watch them in the dugout,” East manager Scott Pickler (Yarmouth-Dennis) said. “They compete against each other, now they can meet each other and it's just a different vibe for them. It's something relaxed and they can appreciate each other's talents.”
(Photograph by Kyndall Williams)
