Catfish are rolling of late following inconsistent summer

The Cape Catfish celebrate a nice moment in a recent game against Thrillville at Capaha Field. The team has won six consecutive games after sweeping a doubleheader against Springfield on Wednesday.

Tony Capobianco ~ Tcapobianco@semoball.com

This summer has been a rollercoaster for the Cape Catfish, which is a tad unusual for its fan base to follow after watching the franchise methodically achieve success year after year after year since its inception.

Following a 2-5 start to the Prospect League season, the Catfish have never won more than three consecutive games, and earlier this month, they endured a six-game losing streak. However, those woes are seemingly in the past.

Cape topped Springfield 16-1 and 4-0 on Wednesday at Capaha Field in a pair of seven-inning games, which stretched the team’s win streak to six games.

“It has been the attitude that they have been bringing to the ballpark,” first-year Catfish assistant coach Nolan Davenport said following Wednesday’s 16-1 drubbing of Springfield at Capaha Field. “We have been coming out to get the job done and not messing around.”

In the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, Cape (26-24 overall, 12-9 second half) scored a couple of runs in its initial at-bat, which ultimately proved to be enough because of the outstanding pitching of Dylan Peck, who threw a complete game and allowed just three hits.

“We’ve lost arms,” Davenport said of various injuries and departures among the Cape pitching staff this summer, but that gives opportunities for some of these guys to go out and prove themselves.”

Peck has made six appearances since joining the team in mid-June and has not allowed an earned run in four of those outings.

Wednesday’s complete game was his second seven-inning performance in the past two weeks.

Former Jackson High standout Lane Crowden led the Catfish offense in that second win with two hits and a run scored while Owen Henne (one hit, one run), JJ Williams (one hit, one RBI), Moises Rosario (one RBI), Owen Mandler (one hit, one run), Cordell Coburn (one hit, one run), Leonel Garcia (one hit, one RBI), Andrew Ramirez (one hit), and Wes Gingerich (one hit, one RBI) also contributed.

Coburn connected for a double while Henne stole a base.

Crowden stole a couple of bases, which raised his Prospect League-leading total to 41.

“I think our hitters are taking way better at-bats than they were at the beginning of the year,” Davenport said of the team’s turnaround. “We’ve been cutting down our strikeouts and our pitchers have been doing the same thing that they always do, which is go out there and throw strikes and getting guys out.”

Peck walked just two batters and struck out seven Springfield hitters.

The victory kept Cape in first place in the Western Conference South Division, just ahead of Jackson (11-11 second half).

 Cape will visit Alton (22-24, 9-11) today at 6:35 p.m.

The Catfish return to Capaha Field on Friday against Alton at 6:35 p.m.