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.