By Jessica Isner
Staff Writer
July 3, 2007

LOWELL PARK, COTUIT, MA — For the second time in a week, Cotuit had a game called in the eighth inning due to darkness. Unfortunately, this time, there were no last-minute heroics to get the W, and instead the Bourne Braves had to settle for a tie with the Kettleers.

“I congratulate them for getting a tie, as poorly as we played,” head coach Mike Roberts quipped postgame.

The offense was the story for Cotuit yet again, as third baseman Josh Harrison went 4-for-5 with an RBI, and catcher Caleb Joseph jacked his first homer of the summer.

Things looked promising for Cotuit newcomer Rex Brothers, a southpaw from Lipscomb. However, after struggling in the third inning, he was lifted and allowed four runs in just two and a third frames. Cotuit got their second look of the season at Bourne’s Mitch Harris, and although they got to him in the second for a run, they remained feeble against him for most of his outing.

Unlike the past couple of home games, the Kettleers managed to strike first. In the bottom of the second, Joseph, a late pickup from Falmouth, hit his first home run of the season to give Cotuit the 1-0 lead.

“It felt great,” Joseph said after the game. “I guessed right and hit the fastball, put a good swing on it.”

After retiring the first six batters he faced, Brothers led off the third inning with a walk and struggled from then on. Kyle Smith then singled up the middle, and Josh Workman reached after a bunt attempt snuck under Brothers’ glove. After striking out Ben Guez, Brothers allowed hits to the next three batters, allowing four runs to score and ending his outing. He was replaced by Jordan Meaker, who promptly escaped the jam.

Cotuit came back for one in the bottom of the frame, when Josh Harrison singled on and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Ryne White. After Meaker escaped more trouble in the top of the fourth, the Kettleers got another rally going when Joseph led things off with a double, his second hit of the game. Ryan Lollis attempted a bunt and it looked like he was going to be easily thrown out, but the pitcher mishandled the ball and he reached safely. Harris then struck out Curtis Dupart, then both runners were sacrificed over by Correy Figueroa before Harrison shot a hard single into center field to score Joseph, which brought the Kettleers within a run. Lollis attempted to score on the play but was tagged out at home to end the inning.

The Braves added two runs to their lead in the fifth. After Jordan Meaker failed to get an out in the fifth and allowed two singles to the first two batters he faced, he was replaced by Jason Rook. With two on and no out, he allowed a sacrifice fly to Addison Maruszak. Matt Hall singled Mitch Moreland home for Bourne’s sixth run.

In the sixth, a little luck was on the Kettleers’ side and they were able to erase the deficit with Matt Gorgen pitching. Lollis led off with a single to center, then pinch hitter JB Shuck reached on an error by the shortstop, wasting what could have been a double-play ball. Figueroa singled Lollis home before Harrison bunted on to load the bases with nobody out. That was all the Braves wanted to see of Gorgen, who was lifted for Matt Karl. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get out of the jam and, after striking out Aaron Baker, surrendered a two-RBI single to Robert Stock, which knotted the game at six.

The deadlock lasted through eight innings and was called due to darkness.

“I felt that [Falmouth] played to win, and we were still struggling on how we execute,” Roberts said. “I want them to show more baseball sense. But if we can get a tie like this, then yeah, I’ll take it.”

“What fun would baseball be if everyone was perfect?” Harrison said. “At least this makes the game interesting.”