By Jessica Isner, Staff Writer
July 25, 2007
LOWELL PARK, COTUIT, MA — It looked good in the beginning.
Unfortunately, it didn’t stay that way.
Although the Kettleers appeared to be on their way to their first win in 11 tries on Tuesday, they allowed a five-run fifth inning and dropped their 11th straight contest, 6-2, to Bourne.
The West-leading Braves sent Oklahoma State southpaw Joe Kent to the mound, boasting a 0.75 ERA. In 12 innings this season, he has surrendered just one run. For the Kettleers, the spotlight was on Rex Brothers, who has struggled through three starts this summer, but from the onset, he looked every bit the ace. After striking out only nine all summer, he fanned five Braves in four and 1/3 innings of work, allowing just three hits and three runs. The only inning in which he did not record a strikeout was his last.
Kent lasted a little longer- sixth and one third, to be exact. He surrendered one run on three hits and got the win for Bourne.
Both pitchers were dealing through four innings, but Brothers was the first to give in, as the Braves exploded for five runs. After facing just one batter over the minimum in the first four frames, things fell apart a bit in the fifth. Brothers allowed a leadoff single to Brian Pruitt, then walked Josh Workman after getting ahead in the count, 0-2. He got Matt Hall out on a sacrifice bunt, but then allowed an RBI base hit to eight-hole hitter Brett Basham. That was the end of his afternoon; he was relieved by Matt Costello, who allowed both inherited runners to score to give Bourne the 3-0 lead. Before the inning was over, he allowed another run to score on a wild pitch. Josh Satin drove in a run to extend the lead to five before Costello induced Pruitt, the tenth batter, into a chopper to second.
The Kettleers came back in the bottom of the fifth to get a run back, but that’s all they could manage. Jonathan Pigott led off with a single through the left side and Matt Clark followed with a double to right. Curtis Dupart knocked the first Cotuit run home with an infield single, but then Correy Figueroa grounded out, and Reese Havens hit a deep fly ball to right that should have brought Dupart home from third, but a great throw home from Bourne right fielder Pruitt prevented another run from scoring.
Bourne’s Addison Maruszak erased the run in the top of the sixth against pitcher Jim Birmingham, driving in the Braves sixth run of the afternoon on a two-out single to the gap in right.
All-Star Reese Havens accounted for Cotuit’s second run, a one-out bomb to center field in the eighth, off of fellow All Star and reigning Home Run Derby champion Mitch Moreland. It was his third home run of the season.