In Tuesday's matchup between the top two teams in the CCBL East Division, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox beat the Brewster Whitecaps 3-0 in five-innings to improve to a 24-5-1 record and increase their divisional lead by two points. Before the pouring rain drenched Stony Brook Field to end the game, Y-D homered twice and saw a complete performance from right-handed pitcher Cade O’Leary (Florida State University) that crowned him Y-D’s new “duck in the thunderstorm.”
Ryder Robinson, who recorded both the first hit of the game and his Y-D career, slashed a ball over the right-field fence for the go-ahead home, which gave Y-D an early 1-0 lead. This wouldn’t be the last time the utility infielder would tally a big hit. In the fifth inning, Robinson knocked an RBI single up the middle to score Phoenix Call (UCLA) to increase Y-D’s lead to 3-0. He ended the game 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Another big hitter in Tuesday’s game was catcher Cole Hansen (Cal Baptist), who led off the second inning with a home run and improved Y-D’s lead to 2-0. He went 1-for-2 and is continuing to build his reputation as a reliable piece in Y-D’s lineup, as he ended the game with .286 season batting average and a .348 on-base percentage.
Tuesday’s performance was also carried by O’Leary, who pitched the complete, five-inning game and only allowed four hits and one walk. He also managed four strikeouts against a red-hot Brewster offense, which maintained a 6-0-2 win streak until this game.
O’Leary’s performance was not only special because of his ability to shut down Brewster’s offense, but because it started to rain in the fourth inning and continued heavily in the fifth. He stayed calm and delivered his pitches despite the unfavorable conditions, showing similar characteristics to a duck gracefully swimming in a lake during a thunderstorm.
Because of this, Peyton Rodgers (UC-Irvine), who was previously awarded Y-D’s “duck in the thunderstorm” award by pitching coach Eric Beattie due to his performance against the Bourne Braves on June 28, decided that O’Leary’s rain-filled performance warranted a passing of the duck. So, Rodgers gave the duck to O’Leary on the bus after the game.
The next chance to see a Y-D “duck in the thunderstorm” caliber performance is on Wednesday, July 22, at home, against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks at 4:30 pm EDT.
