Kettleers’ Hot Streak Snapped by Visiting Y-D Red Sox
By Megan Kerr, Asst. Web Editor
June 30, 2005
COTUIT, MA – The continued hot bats of Cotuit’s Mike Hollander and Bryan harris, both from LSU, were simply not enough to match the incredible display of hitting put on by the Y-D Red Sox at Lowell Park last night as Y-D cranked out 17 hits en route to a 5-2 victory.
The loss put Cotuit at 6-6-1 on the season and snapped a three-game winning streak for the Kettleers.
Jeff Manship (Notre Dame, 2 Ks, 0 BB) dropped his second game of the season as he allowed four earned runs and the Kettleers were never able to overcome that deficit due to the solid pitching of Y-D’s Brian Henry (3 Ks, 1 BB). With the victory, Henry evened up his record to 1-1 and the Red Sox reached the .500 mark. Cotuit also stands even at .500 on the season.
After the Red Sox had gone ahead with a run in the top of the first inning, the Kettleers were able to score two in the third inning to briefly go take the lead. Mike Hollander (LSU, 3-3, 2 doubles), who had a perfect day at the plate, got hit by a pitch with no outs. Bryan Harris (LSU), who went 2-4 with two RBI, then stepped in and walloped Cotuit’s first home run of the season.
Unfortunately, the 2-0 lead Harris’s home run provided was short-lived as Y-D came storming back in the fourth inning.
With one out and bases loaded, Justin Turner (CS Fullerton/ 1-5, 1 RBI) hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score the tying run for the Red Sox. With men on second and third, Braedyn Pruitt (Stetson, 4 for 5 batting, 2 RBI) then put the Red Sox up for good with a bases clearing triple, hitting his sixth RBI of the season. The Red Sox added an insurance run in the sixth inning off of relief pitcher Tim Ladd (Georgia Tech, 4 Ks, 2 BB) when Nick Moresi (Fresno State, 3 for 4 batting) crossed home plate on a delayed steal, which was his fifth stolen base of the season.
The Kettleers needed to score some runs in order to come up with the victory, but they were unable to do so. They only threatened the Red Sox in the seventh inning when they had runners at the corners with one out. Julio Borbon (Tennessee) attempted a squeeze bunt to get Hollander home, but the bunt was a poor one, right down the third base line, which allowed the Red Sox to throw Hollander out at the plate. Emeel Salem (Alabama) then struck out to end the inning and the Kettleers greatest threat to the Red Sox.
The Kettleers went quietly in both the eighth and ninth innings, giving Brad Rulon (Georgia Tech, 3 Ks) his second save of the season. Cotuit travels to Wareham to take on the Gateman tommorow where hopefully they will be able to avenge their loss against Wareham at home and even up the season series.