Mariners Defeat Kettleers, Win First Cape Title in 20 Years

Harwich Wins it in Bottom of the Ninth, 2-1

Story By Phil Garceau & John S. Condakes/CAA Asst. Web Editor

WEDNESDAY, August 13, 2008

HARWICH — All good things must come to an end.
Manager Mike Roberts and his Cotuit Kettleers saw just that in game two of the Cape Cod Baseball League championship series, game which ended in a 2-1 loss to the Harwich Mariners in dramatic fashion.
“They’re the 2008 champions,” said Roberts. “I’m happy for them, I’m happy for Steve (Englert) and their organization and that’s the most important thing to me, that we are happy for them.”
Cotuit held a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, but after allowing the first three batters to reach base, Mark Fleury (North Carolina) laced a two-run single to deep right-center field to give Harwich its first league crown since 1987.
Despite falling short in the finals, the Cotuit organization can take pride in its accomplishments. The Kettleers won the West Division title in one the most exciting races in recent history, Roberts won his first playoff game and Cotuit reached the championship series for the first time since 1999.
“With this team, it had nothing to do with talent,” said an emotional Roberts “It had to do with the love and respect for one another and the love and respect for the game and that’s what carried them to this point. It didn’t have anything to do with talent.”
Nick Hernandez (Tennessee), who pitched eight scoreless innings before facing one hitter in the ninth, said it was the most fluid team he’s ever been a part of. “When you bring 25 guys from around the country and put them on one team, you usually aren’t going to have team camaraderie.
“We don’t have the best talent,” Hernandez continued, “but whenever you have a group of guys who want to play together and do everything together, it carries over to the field,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez (Tennessee) pitched his best game of the summer but a bottom of the ninth rally undid the Kettleers as the hosting Harwich Mariners clinched the Cape Cod Baseball League title with a 2-1 victory. The Cotuit lineup featured some changes on Thursday night because team MVP Kevin Patterson along with second baseman Matt Holliman and pitcher Zack Von Tersch all left the team after Wednesday’s loss in order to report back to school on time. Jeff Schaus of Clemson assumed Patterson’s position at first base and relief pitcher Sam Brown (NC State) took over in left field.
Hernandez and Harwich’s Chris Manno (Duke) showed an estimated crowd of 6133 what was most likely the best pitchers’ duel of the summer. The two aces exchanged 1-2-3 first innings and then Schaus and designated hitter Joey Lewis of Georgia hit back-to-back singles. Schaus advanced to third on a hit-and-run but Manno worked out of the jam to keep the Kettleers off the scoreboard. Manno, although effective, showed some control problems at times and hit three Cotuit batters without receiving a warning from the home plate umpire. The Mariners countered with back-to-back two out singles against Hernandez but he retired Alex Hilliard (Vanderbilt) on a pop out to catcher Robert Stock (USC) to keep the score deadlocked at zero. The Mariners had baserunners in every inning except the fourth, seventh and eighth against Hernandez.
The Kettleers got men on in every inning except the sixth but were caught stealing three times in the contest. Twice of those outs ended the inning. The Cotuit bats got close to pushing a run across as Schaus and Lewis both reached again with one out. Second baseman Dallas Poulk of NC State tried to lay down a squeeze bunt but Manno quickly fielded it and flipped to Harwich catcher Tommy Medica (Santa Clara) to cut down Schaus and keep the game scoreless. The Kets finally broke through in the top of the seventh as Poulk was the third hitter to be drilled by a Manno fastball. Brown laid down a decent sacrifice bunt that Manno fielded but threw over second baseman Jason Stidham’s (Florida State) head allowing Poulk to advance to third on the throw. Stock came up to the plate with no outs and delivered a deep fly ball to right-center to play Poulk via the sacrifice fly and gave the Kettleers the game’s first run.
It seemed that the one run would be all that Hernandez would need as he retired the sides in order in the seventh and eight innings. Hernandez, to some surprise, came back out in the bottom of the ninth to face Harwich third baseman Joe Sanders (Auburn). Sanders got the most of Hernandez as he stroked a base hit to right field that got under a diving Evan Crawford (Indiana) and rolled to the wall. Sanders trucked around the bases and ended up with a leadoff triple. That would be Hernandez’s final batter as he was relieved by Stanford closer Drew Storen. Storen plunked the first batter he faced to put runners on first and third and then walked Chase Leavitt (Arkansas) to load the bases. Harwich manager Steve Englert lifted Hilliard for a pinch hitter in All-Star Mark Fleury of UNC. Storen battled with Fleury and appeared to have him struck out on a pitch right down the heart of the plate and at the knees but didn’t get the call from the home plate umpire. Fleury then crushed a 1-2 pitch into right center to win the game and the championship for Harwich.
“I’m proud of how these guys have grown up this summer,” Roberts said. Roberts has every reason to be proud of his team as they never quit all summer despite losing key player after key player. Some of the current Kettleers (Patterson, Seth Blair, Brendon Kelliher) will return next summer to defend their Western Division Title and once again try to reclaim their first Cape League Championship since 1999.

Cotuit Drops Game One to Harwich

Mariners Get to Blair Early, Win 11-2

Story By John S. Condakes/CAA Asst. Web Editor, Photos by Sean Walsh

WEDNESDAY, August 13, 2008

COTUIT — Not much to say about this one except, game one-Harwich. The Kettleers now find themselves down one game to none after getting shellacked by the Harwich Mariners 11-2 at Lowell Park. Seth Blair (Arizona State) was not his usual self as he allowed ten runs over six and a third innings of work to put Cotuit in a 10-0 hole. The Mariners pushed another run across in the sixth to make it 11-0. Designated hitter Robert Stock of USC provided the first and only runs of the contest with a two run homer to right field to cut the score to 11-2. The Kettleers struggled with their hitting most of the game as they loaded the bases in the fourth but couldn’t push a run across. The home team left eight men on base on the afternoon as they scattered only seven hits. The defense was also not particularly good for the first time in a while as the Kettleers committed three errors to aid the Harwich offense.
All of the Cotuit bench players saw action in the game as left fielder Jason Kipnis of Arizona State left late Tuesday night ending his tenure on the Cape. Second baseman Dallas Poulk (NC State) was removed from the game in the sixth inning after a collision covering first base but was not seriously injured and will be available on Thursday night. Cumberland’s Matt Holliman replaced Poulk and delivered his first hit since injuring his hamstring two weeks ago in Falmouth. George Washington’s Brendon Kelliher also saw some action replacing Indiana’s Evan Crawford in right field in the eighth inning. In an interesting move by Coach Mike Roberts, NC State pitcher Sam Brown entered the game in the eighth inning as the replacement for left fielder Jeff Schaus (Clemson). Schaus moved to first base and Brown assumed Kevin Patterson’s (Auburn) spot in the order but struck out.
The Kettleers will ship out to Harwich tomorrow for a must-win contest with the Mariners. Nick Hernandez of Tennessee will face Chris Manno of Duke. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. at Whitehouse Field.

Kettleers Are Championship Bound

Cotuit Drops Falmouth Commodores, 3-2, Will Face Harwich

Story By John S. Condakes/CAA Asst. Web Editor

TUESDAY, August 12, 2008

COTUIT — Next stop, a date with Harwich. After a bit of a wait due to Monday’s rainout, the Kettleers won the decisive game three over the visiting Falmouth Commodores in another tight battle by a score of 3-2. It was nothing less than an exciting game to watch as fans from both sides hung on every pitch through all nine innings. In the end, it was Cotuit’s pitching staff that got the better of the Falmouth bats as they had done numerous times during the regular season.
Brandon Cumpton (Georgia Tech) got the call from Coach Mike Roberts to start this intense contest and he delivered a fantastic outing. In the top of the first, Cumpton issued a free pass to leadoff man Joey Wong of Oregon State but then induced a double play by catcher Trevor Coleman (Missouri) and struck out center fielder A.J. Pollock (Notre Dame) to retire the side without any damage. The Commodores struck first blood in the top of the second against Cumpton as he walked right fielder Ryan Jones (Wichita State) with two outs. Designated hitter Michael Thomas of Southern ripped a double into the left-center field gap to plate him for an early 1-0 advantage.
The Kettleers’ bats picked up their pitcher immediately in the bottom half of the inning thanks to second baseman Dallas Poulk. The NC State infielder led off with a walk and advanced to third on a hit and run executed by third baseman Jeff Kobernus of Cal Berkeley. Designated hitter Joey Lewis knocked in Poulk with a fielder’s choice to knot the score at 1 after two.
Cotuit took the lead in the bottom of the third with another rally against Falmouth starter Chad Bettis (Texas Tech). Shortstop Michael Gilmartin of Wofford got it going with a one out single and advanced to third on left fielder Jason Kipnis’s (Arizona State) single with two outs. Right fielder Evan Crawford hit a perfect soft liner into the hole between first and second to plate Gilmartin and give the home team a 2-1 lead after three.
Cumpton cruised through the fourth and fifth but was relieved by future NC State Wolfpack John Lambert in the top of the sixth. “I was getting tired so coach pulled me,” he explained in a post-game interview. “My stuff was working pretty well but I wouldn’t say it was my best outing.” Cumpton finished with five innings pitched allowing one earned run on two hits with two walks and five strikeouts as he earned the win.
The Kettleers tacked on another run in the sixth that would prove to be the game-winner. Crawford reached on a walk and was moved over to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Poulk. Number seven then used his incredible speed to swipe third base but the throw got away from Falmouth third baseman Kevin Nolan (Winthrop). Roberts seized the opportunity to send Crawford home and he dashed across the plate with Cotuit’s third and final run putting the good guys up 3-1 after six.
Cal Berkeley’s Daniel Wolford subdued the Commodores’ attack through an inning and two thirds allowing no runs, no hits, no walks and recording a strikeout. He then gave way to Stanford’s Drew Storen who, as always, took care of business against the Commodores. Storen yielded a leadoff double in the top of the ninth to first baseman Darin Ruf (Creighton) and would later allow him to score but it wouldn’t matter as he got left fielder Brian Fletcher (Auburn) to fly out to Brett Jackson (Cal Berkeley) in center field to seal with series for the Kettleers.
Playoff action continues tomorrow at Lowell Park as the Western Division Champions welcome the Harwich Mariners for a 3 p.m. contest. Arizona State’s Seth Blair will make his playoff debut for the Kettleers against Harwich’s Chris Manno of Duke.

Cotuit Wins Game One Against Falmouth

Kettleers Continue to Roll
Story By John S. Condakes

Thursday, August 7, 2008

COTUIT — The regular season Western Division Champions got off on the right foot on Saturday afternoon as they beat the visiting Falmouth Commodores 6-4 in front of a packed crowd at Lowell Park. Cotuit now leads the best-of-three series 1-0 and is one win away from securing a spot in the league championship. Prior to the contest, the Kettleers were presented with the 2008 Western Division Regular Season Championship Trophy by league commissioner Paul Galop.
Timely hitting and solid pitching once again resulted in a win as the streaking Kettleers have won ten of their last twelve including the last six in a row. Nick Hernandez of Tennessee started the game for Cotuit and was shaky through the first four innings. In the top of the first, Hernandez was touched for three hits including a two-out RBI single by third baseman Kevin Nolan (Winthrop) as the visitors jumped out to an early 1-0 lead.
The Cotuit bats picked up Hernandez in the bottom of the inning with three runs of their own to erase the deficit. Center fielder Brett Jackson of Cal Berkeley led off with a walk and moved over to third base on a perfectly executed hit-and-run on a single by shortstop Michael Gilmartin. Team MVP and first baseman Kevin Patterson of Auburn knocked in Jackson with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Left fielder and clean-up man Jason Kipnis (Arizona State) continued to be productive against the Commodores with a single to advance Gilmartin and put runners on first and second with one out. Right fielder Evan Crawford of Indiana knocked home Gilmartin to put the home team up 2-1. Second baseman Dallas Poulk (NC State) capped the scoring with another RBI single to put Cotuit up 3-1 after an inning.
Hernandez gave up a leadoff ground-rule double to start the second and with two outs walked leadoff man Joey Wong (Oregon State) but retired designated hitter Trevor Coleman (Missouri) with a strikeout as he struck out the side. Hernandez let up an unearned run in the third on an throwing error to bring Falmouth back within one but retired the side without any further damage with the score 3-2.
The Kettleers once again returned the favor to the Commodores by adding two more off the bat of Kipnis. After a leadoff first pitch single by Patterson, the left fielder belted a the first offering he saw from Falmouth starter Jorge Reyes of Oregon State over the right field wall and into the trees for a 5-2 Cotuit lead after three.
Hernandez worked out of another jam in the top of the fourth but then cruised through the fifth and sixth before giving way to future NC State Wolfpack John Lambert. The Kettleers added another run in the bottom of the fourth after catcher Joey Lewis of Georgia led off with a triple to right field and was knocked in on a double by Jackson for a 6-2 lead.
Hernandez finished the afternoon with six innings pitched allowing two runs, one earned on eight hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. Lambert struck out Wong but then walked Coleman and was replaced by Cal Berkeley’s Daniel Wolford. Wolford allowed Coleman to score on a passed ball but worked out of the rest of the seventh with the lead intact at 6-3. Wolford stayed in for the top of the eighth and was effective in retiring the side after walking the leadoff man but then induced a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning.
“I didn’t have my best stuff,” said Wolford. “I’ve got confidence in everyone in this pitching staff and I knew that they’d pick me up like I’d do for them.”
Stanford’s Drew Storen made things interesting in the ninth as he allowed a run on Nolan’s second RBI single of the game but sealed the win as he got right fielder Ryan Jones (Wichita State) to pop out to Jackson in center. The two clubs will get back at it again Sunday night at 7 p.m. at Guv Fuller Field in Falmouth where a win for Cotuit would end the Commodores’ season.

Cotuit Finishes Regular Season With Win

KETTLEERS DISPOSE OF LOWLY RED SOX 6-3

By John S. Condakes and Benjamin B. Youngerman

SOUTH YARMOUTH-The West was won, but Cotuit continued its winning journey toward the postseason. Fresh off their Western Division-clinching win against the Hyannis Mets, the Kettleers played the second game of their double header as they paid a visit to the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox – the Eastern Division’s last place team. Cotuit featured five pitchers in the contest and Alex Sogard of NC State got the win as the local nine put the finishing touch on the season and pulled out a 6-3 victory. With the win, the Kettleers improved their record to 24-18-2, good enough for 50 points in the division.

Despite a match-up between worst and first place teams, it was a pitching deadlock early. Cotuit and Y-D combined for just two hits in the first three innings. Kettleers starting pitcher Nate Garcia allowed just one hit and struck out four Red Sox in a two-inning appearance. The Santa Clara hurler was opposed by Anthony Renaudo of LSU.

The Cotuit offense finally broke through in the fourth inning, posting 2 runs on 4 hits. Michael Gilmartin and Jeff Schaus led off the frame with back-to-back singles. With one out, Evan Crawford knocked in the game’s first run with an RBI single, giving the Kettleers a 1-0 lead. Dallas Poulk (NC State) followed with a single of his own. Jeff Kobernus of Cal Berkeley doubled the Cotuit advantage, pushing Schaus across the plate, and reaching base by way of a fielder’s choice. The inning ended when Kobernus was caught trying to steal second base.

The Sox came back with one in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice bunt by second baseman Tyler Marmion of San Diego State off NC State’s Sam Brown who came on in relief of Sogard. Cotuit got one back in the top of the sixth after Poulk knocked in left fielder Jason Kipnis of Arizona State with a bunt single for the 3-1 lead. Brown shut down Y-D in the home half of the inning and gave way to his future teammate at NC State, John Lambert.

The Kettleers tacked on three more runs in the top of the eighth to seal the win. Sandwich native Brendon Kelliher (George Washington) pinch-hit for Schaus and led off the inning with a single. Kipnis walked to advance Kelliher to second and the pride of Sandwich scored on a sacrifice bunt by right fielder Evan Crawford (Indiana) for Cotuit’s fourth run. Poulk tacked on two more with an RBI single to cap the scoring at 6-1 after seven and a half.

Y-D pushed their second run across in the bottom of the inning against Lambert on three singles in a row but the tall righty got out of the inning without allowing any more runs. Zach Von Tersch (Georgia Tech) pitched the ninth for the Kettleers and allowed one more on a home run to designated hitter Andy Wilkins (Arkansas) and finished the game with the 6-3 final. The local nine return to action Saturday as they host the Falmouth Commodores, who defeated the Bourne Braves Friday night 3-2 to punch their ticket to the playoffs. The first pitch will be thrown at Lowell Park at 3 p.m.

Kettlers Win the West!

Kets Beat Mets 3-1, Win Patriot Cup

Story By John S. Condakes/Photo By Sue Blanchette/CAA

Thursday, August 7, 2008

COTUIT — Drew Storen is used to pressure. The stakes were high in his most recent appearance as a save against the visiting Hyannis Mets would clinch the Western Division regular season title for the Kettleers. The Stanford hurler inherited a jam created by teammate Daniel Wolford (Cal Berkeley) with runners on first and third with one out in the top of the ninth but escaped allowing only one run. Storen and his teammates celebrated on the mound as they defeated the visitors by a score of 3-1 to punch their ticket to the post-season Thursday afternoon in game one of their double header.
Cotuit turned to Seth Blair (Arizona State) with the playoff spot on the line and Blair, although shaky at times, turned in another shutout performance through seven innings. Blair turned in his third consecutive strong outing and has allowed only two runs in his last three starts as he improved to 4-1 on the summer. His final line was six hits in seven innings with an uncharacteristic four walks, five strikeouts and hit two batters.
On the offensive side, the Cotuit bats came through in the clutch for Blair on three occasions. In the bottom of the third inning, first baseman Kevin Patterson of Auburn led of the inning with a double. With two outs, shortstop Michael Gilmartin (3 for 4, 2 RBI) of Wofford delivered Patterson home with an RBI single to put the home team up 1-0 after three. Two innings later, third baseman Jeff Kobernus of Cal Berkeley led off with a double. With one out, catcher Robert Stock (USC) contributed to the Cotuit lead with an RBI single to plate Kobernus to put Cotuit up 2-0 after five. In the bottom of the seventh, the Kettleers added another insurance run with two outs on Gilmartin’s second RBI single of the day to plate Stock for a 3-0 lead.
Blair exited the game at the end of the seventh inning and gave way to Wolford who made quick work of the Mets in the eighth. “The Wolf” got himself into trouble in the top of the ninth and with one out gave way to Storen. Storen slammed the door on Hyannis to clinch the top spot in the West for the Kettleers. The win also clinched the Barnstable Patriot Cup for the home team as they won that honor for the third time in five years even though the series was tied at 3. One of the tiebreakers was used to determine the Kettleers as winners. The tally of runs allowed was used and the Kettleers came out on top having allowed only 19 runs compared to 26 by Hyannis.
Cotuit’s local nine traveled to South Yarmouth to face the Y-D Red Sox for their final game of the season at 4:30 on Thursday afternoon. The Mets will need to beat Falmouth Thursday night in order to have a shot at making the playoffs as the Commodores and the Bourne Braves are still in the hunt for second place. Prior to the contest, Patterson was awarded the Daniel J. Silva Sportsmanship Award for his outstanding sportsmanship over the course of the season. Patterson was selected out of five finalists for the award and was presented with a plaque. Patterson was also named the team’s Most Valuable Player and Blair was named the team’s Top Pitcher after the completion of the game.
“The team chemistry makes it easier to play your game well when everybody’s playing well as a team,” said Patterson of his MVP Award. “I didn’t know that I was in the running for the sportsmanship award,” he said.
The Western Division regular season Champion Kettleers will await their opponent for a home game at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Lowell Park.

Kets Visit Patients at Dana Farber

Story By John S. Condakes Photo by Stacy Wardwell

Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008

BOSTON — Located not too far from one of baseball’s most hallowed grounds in the heart of Boston, stands a building athletes have flocked to for decades. The Jimmy Fund Clinic and Dana Farber Cancer Institute have welcomed these well-known visitors as they spread smiles from floor to floor. On Wednesday July 30th, Cotuit Kettleers infielders Robbie Shields, Michael Gilmartin, Matt Holliman and pitcher Drew Storen, were welcomed to carry on a tradition started by Red Sox Hall-of-Fame slugger Ted Williams and saw for themselves what these incredible people go through.
The players’ first stop was a trip upstairs to the Jimmy Fund Clinic to spend time with some youngsters who are fighting cancer. There was a very somber feeling in the air as they strolled down a hallway lined with bright paintings of scenes from Disney movies. The foursome was greeted by Rosemary Lonborg, wife of former Red Sox pitcher and 1967 Cy Young Award winner Jim Lonborg. Rosemary Lonborg got involved with the clinic when Jim was pitching for Boston and since they stayed in town, she was able to remain involved.
“It’s amazing to see how much joy it brings the kids,” said Lonborg. “Some of the current Red Sox players come in a few times a year. They’ve even brought in the World Series trophy,” she said.
The players took time to enjoy the kids’ company as they chatted, played and did some arts and crafts. Storen jumped at the opportunity to finger paint with one of the younger patients while a boy wowed the players with his truck drawing abilities. He even drew them a picture and autographed it as a thank you to the Kettleers.
“Walking in there and seeing those kids with cancer was very humbling,” said Shields. “Not many people realize what kids like that go through and I would go again in a heartbeat.”
For other patients, something as trivial as having hair has become somewhat of a blessing. Five-year-old Christina Johnson was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had it removed but her communication skills are limited. Prior to the operation she had straight blonde hair and after months of treatment, she now sports brown curls. “Her hair color doesn’t matter,” said her mother. “We’re just happy to have it.”
After signing some programs and baseballs for the children in the Jimmy Fund Clinic, the players took the elevator up to the tenth floor to socialize with some older patients.
Seated in a room with a birds-eye view of downtown Boston was Sergeant Scott Miller who had been stationed in Iraq with the Military Police. After originally thinking that he had a blood clot, Miller was flown to a military hospital in Washington, D.C. to have some tests done. It was there he learned that he had cancer so he shipped up to Dana Farber for treatment. The players thanked Sgt. Miller for his service and gave him a signed baseball and a team yearbook along with well wishes for a speedy recovery.
“It not only touched my heart but it really opened my eyes about how precious life is,” said Holliman.”
Just down the hall, the players crossed paths with a patient named Adrian. All four players were deeply touched by him because of his positive outlook on life after having undergone a tracheotomy due to a battle with throat cancer. They spoke with Adrian numerous times and even invited him down to Cotuit to attend a game.
“Adrian was very inspiring to me,” said Storen. “He was told that he only had six months to live two and a half years ago. He wasn’t in good shape but he was still happy. It makes you realize that there are much bigger problems in life than you think.”
But it’s not only the players who are involved. Lisa Mathieu, a resident of Cotuit who drove the players to Boston and has hosted Kettleers for the summer in her home wore the names and photos of patients visited by the four Cotuit players as she biked in the Pan-Mass Challenge on August 2nd and 3rd. She hopes that the visiting program will continue to grow and that the Kettleers can make multiple visits during the summer in upcoming years.
The four Kettleers enjoyed their visits with the patients and never refrained from introducing themselves. “It was quite remarkable,” said Mathieu. “One player would start chatting with someone and they would all follow. We almost had trouble getting them to move from person to person,” she joked.
Although Ted Williams is (mostly) gone, his spirit lives on through the efforts of these young baseball players. These four talented and caring young men hopefully will have the opportunity to carry on their mission of spreading joy to those in need as they pursue their ultimate goal of becoming major league ball players.
“Just to see those people there was inspiring,” said Gilmartin. “They’re just regular people who got a bad break and hopefully some day we’ll find a cure for them.”

Cumpton Wins in Spot Start

Cotuit Sits Alone On Top of Western Division

Story By John S. Condakes

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008

WAREHAM — Brandon Cumpton (Georgia Tech) didn’t even know he would be pitching against the Gatemen on Tuesday night until that afternoon. Coach Mike Roberts sat down with his pitching staff and explained that five of his pitchers would be getting work in Wareham. Cumpton responded well to the call and earned the win as the Kettleers cruised into first place in the Western Division with a 10-2 victory over the lowly Gatemen.
Centerfielder Brett Jackson jumpstarted the Cotuit offense in the top of the first when he reached on a fielding error. Sacrifice bunt specialist and shortstop Michael Gilmartin of Wofford followed with a bunt to move Jackson into scoring position at second base. Jackson advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Wareham starter Dallas Keuchel (Arkansas) and scored on an RBI groundout by catcher Joey Lewis (Georgia) to put the Kettleers up 1-0 early on. Cotuit got a second run off the bat of rejuvenated first baseman Kevin Patterson of Auburn. Patterson (3-5, HR, two runs) missed some time battling an illness but came back to blast his fourth home run of the season over the fence in right field to put give Cumpton a 2-0 cushion to work with.
The Kettleers sent 10 men to the plate in the top of the fourth inning and put up a crooked five spot on the scorecard. Right fielder Evan Crawford of Indiana (2-3, 3 runs scored) celebrated his twentieth birthday with a leadoff double. The two-bagger would have left the yard in left center had the wind not been blowing in. Crawford advanced to third on a bunt single by second baseman Dallas Poulk of NC State. Third baseman Jeff Kobernus of Cal Berkeley laid down a bunt to score Crawford and advance Poulk to give the Kettleers a 3-0 lead. Patterson followed with his second hit of the night and designated hitter Robert Stock of USC continued his hot hitting with an RBI single to plate Poulk for the 4-0 lead. Jackson walked to load the bases and Lewis walked with two outs and the bases loaded to plate Patterson. Finally, left fielder Jason Kipnis of Arizona State got in on the act with a 2 RBI single to put the Kettleers up 7-0 after three and half.
Cumpton was outstanding through the first five innings but got into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and one on he served up a pitch to Wareham first baseman Aaron Baker of Oklahoma that Baker belted over the fence in right field to get Wareham their first and only runs of the game to make the score 7-2. The righty from Georgia Tech finished with a line of five and two thirds innings pitched allowing two earned runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
“The fastball and curveball were working great today,” said Cumpton. “I didn’t think I’d get to go all five for the win but I got on a roll so that was nice,” he said.
Sam Brown of NC State relieved Cumpton with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and retired the final batter. Brown allowed two hits but didn’t give up a run and had two strikeouts in another solid outing. John Lambert, who will join Brown at NC State in the fall, followed his future teammate with an inning and a third of work. The tall reliever didn’t allow a hit or run and had a walk and a strikeout. The Kettleers added a run on some sloppy play by Wareham in the seventh as Crawford scored on a wild pitch after leading off with a walk. Crawford scored again in the top of the ninth after leading off with a single and once again scoring on a wild pitch. Poulk followed him home on another wild pitch to make the score an even 10-2.
Closer Drew Storen of Stanford got some work in the bottom of the ninth and retired the hapless Gatemen in order after striking out the leadoff hitter. The Kettleers will host their cross-town rivals the Hyannis Mets for their final home game at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Lowell Park. The Kettleers currently sit atop the Western Division with 46 points while the Mets are in third place with 44. Cotuit will look to try and solidify their chances of making the playoffs with a win on Wednesday in what is shaping up to be the most important game of the season for the local nine.

Applebee Solid Once Again in Win

Cotuit Now Tied With Hyannis

Story By John S. Condakes

Monday, Aug. 4, 2008

CHATHAM — Paul Applebee (UC Riverside) pitched another solid six innings for the Kettleers but still couldn’t earn the win after he gave up a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth but the Cotuit bats picked up the slack to propel themselves to a 4-2 win over the hosting Chatham Athletics on Monday night at Veterans Field. Applebee gave up a lead off single shortstop Kyle Seager (UNC-Chapel Hill) in the bottom of first but recovered to retire the next thirteen batters in a row.
The Kettleers opened the scoring against Chatham starter Matt Zoltak (Clemson) in the top of the fifth after they threatened with runners on in the second, third and fourth innings. Catcher Robert Stock of USC got it going for the Kettleers with a one out single through the right side of the infield and then stole second off of Zoltak’s slow delivery to put himself into scoring position. Stock then advanced to third base on a passed ball against Chatham catcher Ben Mercurio of Maine. Center fielder Brett Jackson put the finishing touch on Stock’s trip around the bases as he knocked him home with a two-out RBI bunt single to put the good guys on top 1-0 after four and a half.
First baseman Joey Lewis (Georgia) got it going in the top of the sixth with a leadoff single and moved over to second base on a sacrifice bunt by left fielder Jason Kipnis (Arizona State). Kipnis was called out on a diving effort by Chatham first baseman Evan Ocheltree of Wake Forest after he went diving head first into the bag but he got the job done in moving Lewis into scoring position. Right fielder Evan Crawford of Indiana knocked in Lewis with a one-out RBI single to put the Kettleers up 2-0.
The Athletics wasted no time erasing the deficit as they put back-to-back-to-back hits together with one out in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score at 2 after six innings. Cotuit retook the lead in the top of the eighth thanks to some timely hitting. Crawford walked with two outs and easily stole his eleventh base of the season in as many tries to put himself into scoring position. With the pressure on with two outs, second baseman Dallas Poulk (NC State) drove in Crawford with a clutch RBI single to put the Kettleers up 3-2. Poulk’s single was misplayed in the outfield and he ended up on third base when all was said and done after the ball was thrown out of play. Coach Mike Roberts argued that Poulk should have been awarded home plate after the ball went out of play but the umpires disagreed. Luckily Poulk scored on a wild pitch by Carmine Giardina (Central Florida) who suffered the loss for Chatham to put the Kettleers up for good at 4-2.
“I was just trying not to do too much with the pitch he gave me,” said Poulk of his RBI single.
Georgia Tech hurler Zach Von Tersch relieved Applebee and pitched a solid two innings as he earned the win. Von Tersch gave way to Daniel Wolford of Cal Berkeley who slammed the door shut on the A’s in the bottom of the ninth as he struck out the final two batters to earn the save. The win paired with losses by both Hyannis and Falmouth leapfrogged the Kettleers into a tie for first place with the Mets as they continue their quest for a playoff birth. Cotuit’s local nine will return to action Tuesday at 7 p.m. as they visit the Gatemen in Wareham.

Hernandez Wins His Sixth

Kettleers Win With Three Games Remaining

Story By John S. Condakes

Sunday, Aug. 3 , 2008

COTUIT — The Kettleers earned another crucial two points in what has become a very tight playoff race in the Western Division as they defeated the visiting Falmouth Commodores 3-1. Starter Nick Hernandez of Tennessee tossed an excellent seven and two thirds innings to earn his league-leading sixth win of the summer.
The Cotuit bats spotted Hernandez a 1-0 lead in the first inning after center fielder Brett Jackson (Cal Berkeley) led off with a walk and shortstop Michael Gilmartin of Wofford stroked an RBI double to knock him in. Hernandez escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top of the second but bounced back to retire the final three batters in order to maintain the 1-0 lead. The Commodores broke through against Hernandez in the top of the third on back-to-back singles by center fielder A.J. Pollock (Notre Dame) and first baseman Darin Ruf (Creighton). With Pollock on third, third baseman Kevin Nolan of Winthrop drove a deep fly ball to left field allowing Pollock to score on the sacrifice fly to tie the score at one apiece. The one run would be all the Commodores would get against Cotuit pitching.
Falmouth starter Nate Karns of Texas Tech also pitched well but the Kettleers forced him from the game in the bottom of the seventh after a leadoff walk by designated hitter Evan Crawford of Indiana. Karns finished with a final line of six-plus innings pitched allowing two earned runs on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts as he suffered the loss. Aaron Loup of Tulane came on in relief of Karns and gave up a two-out RBI single to catcher Robert Stock of USC to put the home team up 2-1 after seven. That would be all that Hernandez would need as he left with two outs and one on in the top of the eighth after he allowed designated hitter Trevor Coleman (Missouri) to reach on a single.
Closer Drew Storen of Stanford was called upon once again to seal the deal for the Kettleers and walked Ruf after he inherited a 2-0 count left by Hernandez. He then bore down to retire Nolan on a deep fly ball to right field that was caught by Jason Kipnis of Arizona State. The Kettleers added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth after Jackson led off with a single to right field. Gilmartin bunted him over to second on a sacrifice and Jackson score on an RBI single by first baseman Joey Lewis of Georgia for the 3-1 lead.
“That last run that we got was huge,” said Storen. “I like the pressure but it certainly helped me concentrate on just getting outs and not protecting a one-run lead.” The Freshman All-American recorded the final three outs with ease as the Kettleers defeated the Commodores for the second consecutive time in the last three days. Cotuit took a much-needed two points after Saturday night’s loss at the hands of the Brewster Whitecaps and will travel to Chatham on Monday to face the Athletics for another important two points towards their push for the playoffs. The first pitch will be thrown at 7 p.m.

Kettleers Clouted by Caps

Brewster Beats Cotuit 12-4

Story By John S. Condakes

Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008

BREWSTER — With just four games remaining in the regular season and the Western Division crown and playoff spots hotly contested, the Cotuit Kettleers fell to the host Brewster Whitecaps last night at Stony Brook Field, 12-4.

The Kettleers host first place Falmouth tonight at Lowell Park at 5:00 p.m. in what could arguably be deemed the most important game of the season.

Sparked by a 10-run third inning off of UC Santa Clara starter Nate Garcia, Cotuit fell 12-4 in a game shortened by rain and called due to “darkness.”

The teams exchanged 1-2-3 innings in the first and second until Jeff Schaus got the Kettleers on the scoreboard with a solo home run over the left field fence. The blast was Schaus’s second of the season and put Cotuit up 1-0 but it would be their only lead of the game as Nate Garcia unraveled for ten runs on ten hits in the bottom of the inning. The Whitecaps capped off the inning with a three run bomb over the right field fence by catcher Yasmani Grandal of Miami for a 10-1 lead.

The Kettleers chipped back with one run in the top of the fourth on an RBI groundout by left fielder Jason Kipnis of Arizona State to make the score 10-2. Second baseman Dallas Poulk of NC Stateled off the fifth with a double and first baseman Joey Lewis of Georgia drove him in with an RBI single to make it 10-3. Both Poulk and Lewis were called upon to replace every day players in Matt Holliman (Cumberland), who is done for the rest of the regular season with a pulled hamstring and Kevin Patterson (Auburn) who is suffering from a virus and should return soon. Shortstop Michael Gilmartin drove a pitch to deep left field to score Lewis for Cotuit’s fourth run but 10-4 would be as close as they could come for the rest of the game.

Alex Sogard of NC State relieved Garcia in the bottom of the fifth with runners on first and second with two outs. After having not pitched in a week and half, he worked out of the jam without allowing a run to score. “I was a little rusty out there,” said Sogard. “My stuff was working good, I just left a few balls over the plate.” The score remained the same until the game was halted by rain prior to the top of the sixth.

Sogard gave up runs in the sixth and seventh to make the score 12-4 and prior to the start of the seventh inning the game was called. Center fielder Brett Jackson of Cal Berkeley laid out to rob Brewster right fielder James Meador (San Diego) of a hit and received boisterous cheers from what fans were left of the original small crowd for what would turn out to be the final out of the game. The umpires explained that they were unable to see the ball even though the sun had started to peek through the clouds.

Cotuit Beats Falmouth 4-2

Kettleers Pick Up Critical Win in West Pennant Race

Story By John S. Condakes

Friday, Aug. 1, 2008

FALMOUTH — Mario Hollands of UC Santa Barbara would be the first one to tell you that he didn’t start off the summer so well. Hollands pitched in his final Cape League game Friday night against the first place Falmouth Commodores and didn’t disappoint as he turned in his second consecutive strong outing to propel his teammates to a 4-2 victory as they try to pave their way to a playoff spot.
“As the summer went on it got better and better on and off the field,” reflected Hollands of his experience on the Cape this summer. The numbers speak for themselves. Hollands has not surrendered an earned run in his last two starts and has put his team in a position to win. Friday night at Falmouth he yielded an unearned run on a wild pitch in the third and that was his only blemish as he gave up only two hits in six innings along with three walks and five strikeouts.
Hollands received some run support in the top of the fifth when catcher Robert Stock of USC led off the inning with a single. He moved to second after free pass was issued to shortstop Michael Gilmartin (Wofford) putting runners on first and second with one out. Third baseman Jeff Kobernus of Cal Berkeley moved them along as he reached on an error to load the bases. Clean up hitter Matt Holliman (Cumberland) drove in Stock on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at one after five innings.
The Kettleers struck again in the top of the sixth when left fielder Jason Kipnis (Arizona State) belted his second home run of the season to put Cotuit up 2-1 after six. The local nine threatened again in the seventh but it was costly as Holliman injured his hamstring on a bang bang play at first. He was called safe and was lifted for pinch runner Brendan Kelliher of George Washington but the Kettleers did not score. Daniel Wolford of Cal Berkeley was called upon by Coach Mike Roberts to relieve Hollands in the seventh. Unfortunately, Wolford was greeted with a leadoff triple by Falmouth third baseman Kevin Nolan of Winthrop. Right fielder Evan Crawford of Indiana made an all-out diving attempt to catch the ball but it somehow got past him allowing Nolan to take three bases. Nolan would score on an RBI groundout by Falmouth right fielder Ryan Jones (Wichita State) on the next play to knot the score once more at two.
The Cotuit bats struck right back on a leadoff single by first baseman Joey Lewis of Georgia who replaced Kevin Patterson of Auburn just before the start of the game. Patterson experienced dizziness but will return to action soon. Lewis advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by second baseman Dallas Poulk (NC State). Poulk started the game as the designated hitter but Holliman’s hamstring injury in the seventh prompted Roberts to shift Poulk to second thus eliminating the DH spot in the order. Stock reached on an error that scored Lewis to put the good guys up 3-2 after eight. Wolford cruised through the eighth to give his team a chance to add an insurance run in the top of the ninth.
Wolford led off the ninth with the DH position nullified. The Cal Berkeley pitcher walked against the flamethrowing Ben Tootle of Jacksonville State on a 3-2 pitch. Wolford was erased on a close play at second when Crawford hit into a fielder’s choice. Crawford made up for it a few pitches later by stealing his ninth base of the season. Kipnis took advantage of Crawford being in scoring position and drove him in with an RBI single for the 4-2 lead.
Wolford went out again for the ninth but quickly got himself into trouble allowing a leadoff walk followed by a single. Closer Drew Storen of Stanford struck out the first man he faced but then allowed another single to load the bases. With the pressure on, Storen struck out the next two batters to preserve the win for Wolford and to earn the save. The Kettleers remain tied for second with Hyannis after the Mets beat Bourne 3-2 but both teams are now one point back of the first place Commodores. Cotuit returns to action Saturday evening at 4:30 p.m. as they travel to Brewster to face the Whitecaps.

Kettleers Cut Hyannis Lead in Patriot Cup 3-2

Cotuit Crushes Rival Hyannis Mets, 12-2

Story By John S. Condakes

Thursday, July 31, 2008

HYANNIS — You can’t have everything. Seth Blair (Arizona State) saw his scoreless inning streak end at a whopping twenty four and a third innings at the hands of the Hyannis Mets but the Cotuit bats produced more than enough run support as they earned a 12-2 victory. The win puts the Kettleers and Mets in a tie for second place in the Western Division as the push for the playoffs rolls on.

Cal Berkeley centerfielder Brett Jackson led the game off with a walk and immediately put pressure on Hyannis starter Matt Ridings (Western Kentucky) as he stole second base. Ridings had some control issues in the first as he threw the first of many pitches in the dirt that catcher Dale Cornstubble of Central Michigan was unable to block. His first wild offering allowed Jackson to advance to third and finally a passed ball by Cornstubble allowed Jackson to score with no one out. Shortstop Michael Gilmartin of Wofford once again hit second and reached on an infield single. Third baseman Jeff Kobernus of Cal Berkeley followed suit and reached on a walk as well and both he and Gilmartin advanced to second and third on another passed ball by Cornstubble. Ridings then bore down to retire the next three batters as he avoided any further damage.
With the exception of a leadoff infield single by Hyannis right fielder Trent Ashcraft (East Carolina), Seth Blair was once again phenomenal as he retired nine in a row through the first three innings while the Kettleers added more runs. With two outs in the second, catcher Joey Lewis of Georgia continued to swing a red-hot bat as he stroked a double. Jackson once again walked and the two scored on a two-out, 2 RBI double by Gilmartin to put Cotuit up 3-0. The score would remain the same until Lewis stepped up to bat again in the top of the fourth and unloaded his second home run of the season over the left field fence for a 4-0 lead. Hyannis tried to answer as the first two hitters reached but Blair pulled the first of many escape acts on the night and didn’t let them advance to maintain his shutout streak.
The Kettleers welcomed Hyannis reliever Ryan Sharpley of Notre Dame very roughly. Gilmartin led off with his third hit of the game and then Kobernus, second baseman Matt Holliman (Cumberland) and designated hitter Dallas Poulk, who entered the game mid-at-bat for an injured Jeff Schaus (Clemson) all laid down perfect bunts. Holliman was called out on a very close play at first but advanced the runners to second and third. Poulk’s bunt rolled into no-man’s-land allowing Gilmartin to come across with the fifth Cotuit run. All-Star first baseman Kevin Patterson stepped in with the bases loaded and two outs. Patterson didn’t balk at the opportunity to break the game open and ripped a two-out, 2 RBI double down the right field line to put the Kettleers up 7-0. The rout was on. Lewis followed by hitting a high fly ball to center field that was misplayed by Hyannis center fielder Marcus Jones of NC State to allow two more runs to score and put the good guys up 9-0.
Blair continued to handle the Mets’ bats well until they finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh. The righty allowed the first three batters to reach before he induced a groundball and started a 1-2-3 double play to put runners on second and third with two outs. Jones made up for his blunder in center field with a two out, 2 RBI single to get the home team on the board but that would be all they would get on the night as Blair scattered three more hits over the final two innings to go the distance for the win. He finished with a line of nine innings, allowing nine hits, two runs, four strikeouts while walking only two and hit a batter.
The Kettleers finished the scoring in the eighth when Jackson led off with his third walk of the night and stole his second base of the game. He took third on the throw and scored on an RBI double by his Cal Berkeley teammate Kobernus for the 10-2 lead. Holliman was the final Kettleer to reach base safely as all nine hitters did with the exception of the injured Schaus. Kobernus and Holliman advanced to second and third on a fielder’s choice hit by Poulk as Hyannis second baseman Matt Nuzzo (Brown) made a diving play to save a run. Unfortunately for the Mets, Nuzzo’s play couldn’t prevent right fielder Evan Crawford (Indiana) from driving in the final two runs on the night with a 2 RBI single for the 12-2 final score.
“It was a huge win for us in a big fashion,” explained Jackson. “You need something to lift you with seven games left and to beat them like after so many close games was huge.” The two teams are now tied for second place in the West. The Kettleers will travel to Falmouth for a bout with the first place Commodores as they continue their quest for a playoff berth. Game time is set for 7 p.m. under the lights.

Kets Tie Braves 8 Apiece

Kettleer Dingers Blast Braves But No Win to Show For It

Story By John S. Condakes

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

COTUIT — The longballs were flying but it wasn’t enough to beat the visiting Bourne Braves as the local nine belted three home runs on the evening but ended the game in an 8-8 tie. The Kettleers sent Paul Applebee (UC Riverside) to the mound to take on a newly-shuffled Braves lineup as they lost everyday shortstop Dusty Coleman of Wichita State to a major league contract. The Kettleers brought in Brendon Kelliher (George Washington) to add some depth in the infield and outfield and he was dressed for the game donning the number 6 but did not play. The Sandwich hometown hero just came off his freshman campaign and will look to contribute for the Kettleers for the remainder of the season.
Applebee faced some minor difficulties in the early going of the contest but got himself out of trouble with two outstanding pick off plays. The Kettleers responded with a leadoff homerun from cleanup hitting second baseman Matt Holliman (Cumberland). The blast was his first of the season and gave the home team a 1-0 lead after two. Applebee continued to have success against the Braves until the fifth inning when he was touched for four runs after five consecutive hits. The lefty was then able to induce a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Bourne’s designated hitter Brandon Bantz of Dallas Baptist and struck out first baseman Kyle Roller (East Carolina) to end the threat with the score 4-1 in favor of Bourne.
The Cotuit bats struck back with three more in the bottom of the fifth. First baseman Kevin Patterson (3 for 4, HR, 2 RBI) of Auburn got the rally going with a leadoff double and was driven in by catcher Joey Lewis of Georgia on Lewis’s first round-tripper of the summer.
“It felt unbelievable,” explained Lewis. “I was just trying to hit one solid and luckily it happened to leave the yard,” he said. Lewis bomb brought the score to 4-3 in favor of Bourne. Center fielder Brett Jackson of Cal Berkeley continued the momentum with a walk and was immediately moved over on a textbook sacrifice bunt by shortstop Michael Gilmartin of Wofford. Jackson advanced to third on a wild pitch by Bourne starter Bryce Stowell of UC Irvine and scored on a sacrifice bunt by third baseman Jeff Kobernus of Cal Berkeley to knot the game up at 4 after five.
Bourne came back with four more in the top of the sixth off the combined efforts of Applebee, reliever John Lambert (NC State) and fellow Wolfpack Sam Brown. Brown was finally able to stop the bleeding after the Braves sent nine hitters to the plate.
The Kettleers struck back with two more in the sixth when Patterson belted the third dinger of the night with right fielder Evan Crawford (Indiana) on third base after a leadoff single, wild pitch and advanced on a groundout. Patterson’s shot cut the Bourne lead to 8-6. Closer Drew Storen of Stanford was brought out for the top of the eighth and found himself in hot water with runners on first and second with one out. Bantz crushed a pitch to right that had Crawford a bit out of position but he readjusted and made an off-balance catch. Bourne left fielder Marc Krauss of Ohio made a huge baserunning error and was caught in no-man’s-land by Holliman who flipped it over to Patterson for the unconventional yet effective 9-4-3 twin killing to end the threat.
Cotuit once again battled back in the bottom of the seventh as they loaded the bases with no outs on three consecutive hits from Jackson, Gilmartin and Kobernus. Holliman added his second RBI of the night on a fielder’s choice to make the score 8-7 and left fielder Jeff Schaus of Clemson joined the party with a sacrifice fly to knot the score up at 8. Storen pitched a scoreless ninth to secure a point for the Kettleers but they couldn’t push the winning run across as they fell 1-2-3 to Bourne closer Eric Pettis of UC Irvine. The Kettleers will take a break from playing baseball tomorrow night as they will attend a Red Sox game at Fenway Park and All-Stars Patterson, Seth Blair (Arizona State) and Nick Hernandez (Tennessee) will be recognized along with the rest of the Cape League. The next contest will be against the rival Hyannis Mets on Thursday night in Hyannis with another important two points at stake as the two teams vie for the playoffs.

Hernandez Wins Again

Poulk Double Drives in Winning Run, Kettleers win 4-1

Story By John S. Condakes

Monday, July 28, 2008

COTUIT — After what had seemed like an eternity, the boys from Cotuit retook the field on Monday night at Lowell Park and hosted the hard-hitting Harwich Mariners. Coming off of almost a full week of rest, the Kettleers put the ball in the hands of their ace, Nick Hernandez of Tennessee for the eighth time at home this season.
Hernandez did his best to hold the Harwich bats quiet through his six and a third innings of work and the only blemish on his outing belonged to D.J. Lemahieu (Louisiana State). Lemahieu drove a belt-high offspeed pitch from Hernandez over the right field fence to put Harwich up 1-0 after two and a half. Cotuit’s ace finished his outing allowing only five hits with the one run along with two walks, six strikeouts and hit a man.
Harwich starter Willie Kempf of Baylor was just as effective as Hernandez through the first three innings but was unable to silence the Cotuit bats in the fourth inning. Third baseman Jeff Kobernus of Cal Berkeley broke up Kempf’s no-hit bid with a sharp double down the left field line. Clean-up hitting second baseman Matt Holliman of Cumberland drew a walk which set the stage for right fielder Evan Crawford of Indiana. Crawford drove the offering from Kempf into left field for an RBI single to knot the game at one but the Kettleers wouldn’t settle for the tie. Designated hitter Dallas Poulk of NC State broke the tie with authority as he cracked a two run double into the right center field gap to put the home team up 3-1. Left fielder Jeff Schaus (Clemson) followed up with a seeing-eye single into the hole in the right side of the infield to plate Poulk and give Hernandez and the Kettleers a 4-1 lead after four.
The Kettleers added two more in the bottom of the seventh against Harwich’s All-Star pitcher Brian Dupra of Notre Dame. Schaus led off with his second hit on the evening and center fielder Brett Jackson of Cal Berkeley followed with a double to left center to put runners on second and third with one out. Shortstop Michael Gilmartin executed a perfect drag bunt up the first base line and reached first as Schaus slid under the tag of Mariners catcher Tommy Medica (UC Santa Clara) for a 5-1 Cotuit advantage. A strange play occurred when Kobernus attempted the same play but took the pitch off his hand. Jackson came across to plate Cotuit’s sixth run but Kobernus left the game.
“He’s got a blister on his hand and I don’t think he’ll play tomorrow,” said Coach Mike Roberts in a post-game interview of the injured Kobernus.
Cal Berkeley’s Daniel Wolford came on to relieve Hernandez with one out in the top of the seventh and created a bit if a jam for himself but made it out unscathed. Wolford pitched two and two thirds innings of shutout ball allowing only one hit but had some control issues as he walked two and hit two batters. “The Wolf” was able to earn the save as Hernandez picked up his league-leading fifth win of the summer. Cotuit earned a crucial two points to keep them in the playoff hunt in the tightly-packed Western Division. The Kettleers added another young player to the mix as they picked up local product Brendan Kelliher from the Sandwich Legion Team. The boys will get back to work at Lowell Park on Tuesday night at 5 p.m. as they host the Bourne Braves for another important two points.

Blair Handles Braves

Kettleers Edge Bourne, 1-0

Story By John S. Condakes

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

COTUIT — Sam Brown was a dead duck. The NC State pitcher looked into the eyes of Bourne catcher Brandon Bantz (Dallas Baptist) and lowered his shoulder like a linebacker ready to tackle a running back and then in the blink of an eye he slid around the outstretched arm of Bantz and crossed the plate to give the Kettleers an exciting and wild walk-off win. The 1-0 victory snapped a four-game losing streak for Cotuit as they won their final contest at home before the All-Star break and earned them a crucial two points in they very tightly knit Western Division.
The Kettleers once again got a stellar outing from Arizona State’s Seth Blair. Blair proved that his last outing and Cape League All-Star selection weren’t flukes as he handled the Braves well and held the league’s leading hitter, Marc Krauss of Ohio University, hitless. The young righty scattered four hits over eight and two thirds shutout innings with a walk, four strikeouts and two hit batters but wasn’t involved in the decision. “Tonight I was more effective with my breaking ball and luckily it kept them off-balance,” explained Blair.
Aside from a first inning double by left fielder Brett Jackson of Cal Berkeley, the Cotuit bats remained as cold as they’ve been the last four games as they managed only the double and a single by third baseman Jeff Kobernus (Cal Berkeley) against Bourne’s Nick McCully of Coastal Carolina. McCully virtually matched Blair inning by inning as both starters did not allow a run to come across. McCully’s final line was an outstanding seven innings of two-hit shutout ball with four strikeouts.
Blair’s night came to a close with two outs in the top of the ninth after he hit Braves first baseman Kyle Roller of East Carolina and shortstop Dusty Coleman put the ball into no-man’s-land in the infield for an infield single to put runners on first and second. Coach Mike Roberts called Daniel Wolford of Cal Berkeley came on into the pressure cooker and struck out Bourne third baseman Tyler Cannon (Virginia) to eliminate the threat.
Wolford’s timely strikeout set the stage for an absolutely bizarre play to finish the game. Catcher Joey Lewis of Georgia led off the bottom of the ninth with a double down the left field line to put the winning run in scoring position for the Kettleers. Lewis was lifted in favor of Brown who, although a pitcher, is a bit faster. Center fielder Jason Kipnis (Arizona State) sacrificed Brown over to third and then Bourne chose to intentionally walk Jackson and bring the infield in to protect the scoreless tie.
Kobernus stepped in with the winning run on third. After taking a couple of pitches, he made contact with an offering from Bryce Sowell (UC Irvine) that bounced over to Cannon at third base. Cannon quickly fired it over to the outstretched Bantz who never flinched at the oncoming Brown. As Brown slid, Bantz made an attempt at the tag but it was in vain as the umpire called Brown safe and the Kettleers and Cotuit faithful erupted with joy. The win was the second straight shutout for Blair after he blanked Harwich last week with a one-hitter.
Cotuit’s local nine will have the night off on Wednesday as they prepare for one final away game at Chatham on Thursday before the All-Star Break. The first pitch is set for 7 p.m. and another important two points will be on the line as they make their push for the playoffs.

Workman Does it Again for Wareham

Texas Hurler Picks up 4-1 Win

Story By John S. Condakes

Monday, July 21, 2008

COTUIT — There have been some stellar pitching performances for the local nine lately but they have all gone for naught in the win column. Unfortunately, ace Nick Hernandez (Tennessee) fell victim to a lack of run support Monday night as the Kettleers once again failed to pick up two points against a Western Division opponent and remained mired in their recent slump as they dropped to 15-17-1.
Hernandez pitched much better than in his last outing but still suffered the loss. The Tennessee lefty didn’t get into a groove until the fourth inning but that was after a shaky first three including a solo blast of a home run by Wareham leadoff man Raynor Campbell of Baylor to put the Gatemen up 1-0.
The Kettleers responded in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by right fielder Brett Jackson of Cal Berkeley but that was all the Cotuit bats could do against Wareham’s Brandon Workman of Texas. Workman was once again stellar against the Kettleers as he scattered five hits allowing the one run with no walks, seven strikeouts and hit a batter in seven innings of work.
Hernandez’s final line on the evening was a solid five and a third innings pitched with six hits and he was charged with two more runs as Nate Garcia (Santa Clara) allowed two inherited runners to score after Hernandez loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. The first of those two runs would prove to be the difference as Hernandez took the loss.
“I was locating my fastball today, I thought I was locating it somewhat well,” he said. “Workman pitched an unbelievable game so I knew I had to get some outs since I was going up against him,” explained Hernandez. Unfortunately, there was no margin for error as Workman picked up another win against the struggling Kettleers.
Garcia’s appearance out of the bullpen was his first of that type all season as he had been previously used as a starter. He hit a batter and gave up a sacrifice fly to let up the two runs charged to Hernandez but didn’t give up a hit to Wareham. He finished with a line of an inning and a third pitched allowing three walks, two strikeouts, two inherited runners to score and hit a batter. Alex Sogard of NC State finished the game for the Kettleers and allowed a run in the ninth that put the nail in the coffin for Wareham’s victory for a 4-1 final.
The Kettleers will host the resurgent Bourne Braves Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Lowell Park in hopes of breaking out of this four game losing streak.

Harwich Beats Cotuit at Lowell Park

Hollands' Mound Effort Not Enough in 4-3 Loss

Story By John S. Condakes

Sunday, July 20, 2008

COTUIT — The local nine have been in a bit of a slump lately having gone 3-7 in their last ten before their contest on Sunday. The Harwich Mariners came to town with another important two points hanging in the balance as both clubs vied for position in their respective playoff races. Harwich out-battled Cotuit to come out with a 4-3 victory.
Mario Hollands got the start for the Kettleers but had a tough first inning as he surrendered a run to the Mariners. Leadoff man D.J. Belfonte of Nebraska reached on a single and was knocked in by shortstop D.J. Lemahiu of LSU for an early 1-0 Harwich advantage. Hollands then got into a groove and did not let up another hit.
The home team struck back in the bottom of the third as second baseman Matt Holliman of Cumberland stroked a double to the power alley in right center with one out. Catcher Robert Stock of USC followed with a single to right to put runners on first and third with one out. Leadoff hitter Jeff Kobernus of Cal Berkeley responded with a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Holliman and knot the score at 1 apiece. Left fielder Brett Jackson (Cal Berkeley) was nailed in the hand on an offering by Harwich’s Chris Manno (Duke) but would remain in the game to put runners on first and second with two outs. The Kettleers added another run on a single by All-Star first baseman Kevin Patterson of Auburn for a 2-1 lead after three.
Hollands pitched brilliantly and effectively through six innings allowing only the one run on two hits striking out six and walking none. He also hit a man in the third inning and that was the only other Mariner to reach base.
Daniel Wolford of Cal Berkeley replaced Hollands and worked a perfect seventh but couldn’t hold the 2-1 lead in the eighth. After the leadoff man Mark Fleury (UNC) reached on a questionable error by Patterson he moved over to second base on a sacrifice bunt by first baseman Jeff Cusick (UC Irvine). Fleury would later score on an RBI single by Belfonte to tie the score up at two and deny Hollands of a well-deserved win.
“Throwing the change up in a lot of situations got me a lot of groundouts,” explained Hollands. He also joked that his new haircut may be responsible for such a successful outing.
The Kettleers battled back to squeeze a run across in the bottom of the eighth. Harwich starter Chris Manno (Duke) exited the game with one out after walking Patterson. Center fielder Jason Kipnis of Arizona State welcomed Mariners reliever Sean Black (Seton Hall) with a double to the gap in right center to put runners on second and third with one out. Patterson was lifted for pinch runner Sam Brown (a pitcher from NC State) for some added speed on the basepaths. With two outs, designated hitter Dallas Poulk (NC State) got Brown across with a little nubber to the right side of the infield that the Harwich infielders couldn’t handle for a 3-2 Cotuit lead heading into the ninth.
But the Mariners wouldn’t go quietly. With closer Drew Storen of Stanford on for the Kettleers, Harwich catcher Tommy Medica (UC Santa Clara) reached on an error and Brandon Belt (Texas) took Storen deep for a 4-3 Harwich lead. Steve Kalush of UC Santa Clara came on for the bottom of the inning and allowed Stock to reach on an error but recovered to slam the door on the Kettleers. Cotuit dropped to 15-16-1 and are now under .500 for the first time all season. The Kettleers return to action Monday night at home against their division opponents the Wareham Gatemen. Game time is set for 5 p.m.

Smith Blanks Kets in Orleans

Surging Cardinals Beat Cotuit 6-0

Story By John S. Condakes

Saturday, July 19, 2008

ORLEANS — When you don’t hit, you don’t win. The old saying held true for Cotuit’s local nine on Saturday night in Orleans as they faced the hosting Cardinals and suffered a 6-0 loss. Brett Jackson (Cal Berkeley) returned after missing three games due to an ankle injury and was the lone bright spot in the lineup for the Kettleers as he went 2-4 with two singles out of the clean-up spot.
Zach Von Tersch of Georgia Tech got the start for the Kettleers and got himself into trouble in the bottom of the first inning as Orleans slugging third baseman Rich Poythress (Georgia) stroked a 2 RBI single to put the home team up 2-0 early. That would be all they would need but Von Tersch gave up two more runs in the bottom of the third thanks to an error after he loaded the bases with two outs. After three it was 4-0 Cardinals.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Von Tersch walked the leadoff man in catcher Travis Tartamella (Pepperdine) and dropped a potential double play ball allowing left fielder Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) to reach with no outs. Wheeler walked and shortstop Cole Figueroa of Florida knocked in the fifth run for the Cardinals with an RBI single. All-Star right fielder Tim Wheeler of Sacramento State scored the sixth and final run on a wild pitch by Von Tersch for the 6-0 lead.
Newcomer John Lambert, who will be transferring from Community College to NC State in the fall, made his debut in relief of Von Tersch and worked out of a two-out bases-loaded jam to end the Orleans threat. “It was great, an amazing venue to get your first outing on the Cape,” said the lanky Lambert. “I was a little bit nervous, it’s one of those situations you try to prepare your whole life for and it helps when you’ve got some of the best players in the nation behind you,” he said. Lambert pitched well in his debut for the Kettleers pitching an inning and a third, with no hits, no runs, one walk and no strikeouts.
The real story of the game was the downright dominant performance of Kyle Smith from Kent State. With the exception of Jackson’s two singles, Smith scattered one other hit and a walk while striking out four as he cruised through the Cotuit lineup at breakneck speed. The game was completed in just over two hours. Only one Kettleer managed to reach third base and it wasn’t until the ninth inning when Kevin Patterson of Auburn hit a double and was moved over to third on a groundout by third baseman Jeff Kobernus of Cal Berkeley. Patterson’s double was given up by Orleans reliever Eliot Glynn of Connecticut.
Brandon Cumpton relieved Lambert and pitched a perfect eighth and ninth for Cotuit but the bats couldn’t supply any run support. The Kettleers dropped back to an even .500 at 15-15-1 while the Cardinals remained red-hot and secured their 20th win as they improved to 20-9-1 and pulled even farther away as the leaders in the Eastern Division.
Prior to the contest, the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star team rosters were released. The Kettleers are proud to send three of their own to the game in Chatham on July 26th. Patterson will be the starting designated hitter for the West and Seth Blair (Arizona State) may pitch in the eighth inning according to Coach Roberts. Nick Hernandez (Tennessee) was named as an alternate to the squad and could see some time out of the bullpen if needed.

Commodores Beat Kettleers 10-6

Late Homers Not Enough in Loss

Story By John S. Condakes

Friday, July 18, 2008

COTUIT — The stakes were high as Cotuit’s local nine took the field late Friday afternoon against the visiting Falmouth Commodores. A win would have meant two more crucial points in the now heated race for first place in the Western Division as the current leading Hyannis Mets have struggled over their last ten games and have lost four in a row. Unfortunately, no ground was gained by the Kettleers as they dropped a 10-6 decision to Falmouth and wasted another excellent pitching performance by Paul Applebee of UC Riverside.
Exactly one week ago, the Kettleers traveled to Falmouth and sent Applebee to the mound. He pitched exquisitely through six innings but was denied a win due to a lack of run support and the Kettleers lost 3-2. In Friday’s contest, Applebee was almost untouchable until the fifth inning when he gave up a solo home run to the Commodores’ left fielder Brian Fletcher of Auburn that broke a scoreless tie after four and a half. The Kettleers once again failed to provide ample run support for Applebee as they didn’t put a run across until the bottom of the eighth after he had left the game.
With the exception of Fletcher’s dinger and a double in the second inning, Applebee cruised through six innings but showed signs of fatigue in the top of the seventh. He gave up back-to-back singles with no outs and Fletcher got to him again but this time with a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Applebee would then walk first baseman Darin Ruf (Creighton) to force in a run for a 2-0 Commodores lead. Coach Mike Roberts replaced Applebee with NC State’s Sam Brown but he couldn’t escape the mess without allowing Falmouth to cross the dish once more in the inning on an error. The unearned run was charged to Applebee who finished the night giving up six hits in six plus innings, allowing three runs, two earned, three walks and two strikeouts.
The eighth inning was where the real action started in what became a slugfest. Brown gave up a leadoff single to shortstop Joey Wong of Oregon State and then back-to-back doubles for a 4-0 Falmouth lead. The rout was on as Ruf hit an RBI single to make it 6-0 and then an error allowed another run to score for a 7-0 lead. Falmouth center fielder A.J. Pollock (Notre Dame) capped the five run inning with another RBI single for an 8-0 advantage for the Commodores.
The fans began to leave in the middle of the eighth but those who stayed were given a bit of hope. Thursday’s hero, center fielder Jason Kipnis of Arizona State led off with a single and first baseman Kevin Patterson of Auburn followed with his second double of the game to put runners on second and third with no outs. Falmouth pitcher Shaeffer Hall (Kansas) was relieved by Travis Lawler of Florida. Third baseman Jeff Kobernus stepped in to face Lawler and absolutely crushed a pitch to left field that sailed over the fence for a three-run bomb to put Cotuit back in the game at 8-3. Lawler continued to struggle as he walked second baseman Matt Holliman (Cumberland) and gave up a single to right fielder Evan Crawford of Indiana putting runners on first and second with still no outs. Michael Gilmartin stepped up with one out and cracked his second homer of the season over the foul pole in right field.
“I knew that it had a chance to go out, whether it was fair or not was the question,” said the shortstop from Wofford. “I was just trying to hit the ball hard somewhere.” Gilmartin switched to the left side of the plate after going 1 for 3 earlier in the game. He was robbed of a single in the seventh on a diving effort by Falmouth’s Brandon Macias (Mt. View CC) but responded with the three run blast to cut the score to 8-6 in favor of the visitors.
USC’s Robert Stock did the unusual switch from catching to pitching in the ninth and allowed two runs to score after walking the first two batters he faced. The Kettleers couldn’t muster another rally against Ben Tootle of Jacksonville State as he sent them down 1-2-3 in the ninth. The loss dropped Cotuit to 15-14-1 on the season and they remained ahead of Falmouth in the standings. Earlier in the day, reliever Danny Meszaros from the College of Charleston agreed to a major league contract and will leave the cape. Meszaros was a solid reliever for Roberts and will be missed. The Kettleers are back in action on Saturday night against the red-hot Orleans Cardinals at 7 p.m. in Orleans.

Kipnis Homer Powers Cotuit To Victory

Kettleers Beat Wareham 8-3

Story By John S. Condakes

THURSDAY, July 17, 2008

WAREHAM — Maybe it’s all in the moustache. For the second night in a row, Arizona State’s Jason Kipnis reached base safely three times while filling in in centerfield for the injured Brett Jackson (Cal Berkeley). Kipnis, who now sports some flashy retro facial hair, was nothing less of an offensive sparkplug for the Kettleers as he led them to an 8-3 victory over host Wareham last night at Clem Spillane Field.
Cotuit’s Nate Garcia of UC Santa Clara faced off against Robby Broach of Tulane on the mound. The Kettleers spotted Garcia a 2-0 lead in the second thanks to back-to-back single by left fielder Jeff Schaus of Clemson and Kipnis. The two of them scored on a 2 RBI single by third baseman Jeff Kobernus of Cal Berkeley. Wareham answered immediately in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back doubles from third baseman Raynor Campbell of Baylor and Ryan Pineda of Cal State Northridge. Pineda knocked in Campbell and scored on a wild pitch to knot the game up at 2 apiece.
Kipnis and the Kettleers took control of the game in the fourth. Catcher Joey Lewis of Georgia led off with a walk and shortstop Michael Gilmartin followed with his first of two singles on the night (2 for 5, 2 runs) which sent Lewis to third on a beautifully executed hit-and-run called by Coach Mike Roberts. Right fielder Evan Crawford of Indiana then roped a double to plate Lewis and put runners on second and third for the mustachioed Kipnis. Kipnis crushed an offering from Broach over the fence in left-center field for his first home run of the season to up the score to 6-2 in favor of the Kettleers.
“I almost kinda forgot the feeling of hitting a home run,” said Kipnis of his three-run blast. “I knew it had a chance but I was running hard down the line and wanted to get a double at the very least,” he said.
Garcia worked well with the lead and was pulled after five and a third innings of work allowing three total runs with 3 walks and five strikeouts as he earned the win. Danny Meszaros from the College of Charleston inherited a runner from Garcia and allowed him to score after hitting the first two batters he faced with pitches. Meszaros pitched well in two and two thirds innings for Cotuit but hit an improbable four batters in his outing while striking out five with no walks.
The Kettleers added two more runs in the top of the eighth with a little help from the Gatemen. Gilmartin led off with his second single of the game and Schaus reached on an error. After a pitching change that brought in Zach Brewster (Georgia Tech) in relief of Jimmy Saris (Georgetown), Kipnis reached base for the fourth time on the evening on an error by Campbell. First baseman Kevin Patterson of Auburn walked with the bases loaded to plate Gilmartin and second baseman Matt Holliman of Cumberland was plunked with a pitch from Brewster to force in Schaus to make the score 8-3.
Drew Storen of Stanford pitched the ninth inning for the Kettleers and mowed down the first two batters he faced before giving up a walk and a single to add a little bit of drama. He then retired Connor Rowe of Texas on a groundout to Holliman to seal the victory.
Cotuit improved to 15-13-1 and picked up another important two points in the race for the playoffs in the West. The boys will host their division rival, the Falmouth Commodores, on Friday at 5 p.m. at Lowell Park where the winner will claim sole possession of second place in the Western Division.