story by Steve McCarthy
July 29, 2009

BOURNE – The much anticipated matchup of two of the top teams in the Western Division turned into a lopsided affair in favor of the Bourne Braves, who throttled the Cotuit Kettleers 13-1 Wednesday at Doran Park.

Raynor Campbell (Baylor) drove in six runs and scored two in a 4-for-5 night. He launched a three run home run in the second inning that opened up an 8-0 lead. Campbell entered the game with just five RBI’s on the season, but added three RBI-singles to go with the home run. “I just got pitches to hit tonight, and I didn’t miss them,” Campbell said. “I got a lot of hard work in there, and just keep battling, and stuff will happen good for you.”

Cotuit trailed Bourne by just one point before the game for the Western Division lead. Bourne (20-15-2) now leads the Wareham Gatemen by one point and the Kettleers (17-17-5) by three with the final week of the regular season approaching.

“Every win at this point in the season, especially when the race is this close with Cotuit and Wareham, every game is going to be key,” Campbell said. “Tonight was a huge win for us.”

Scott Woodward (Coastal Carolina) scored three runs from the leadoff spot for Bourne. The top five in the Braves batting order, along with number nine hitter Zack MacPhee (Arizona St.) accounted for all of the scoring. Rob Segedin (Tulane), Kyle Roller (East Carolina), and Campbell each scored twice in the first two innings. MacPhee tripled in the sixth and scored three runs. “The last couple games we haven’t been hitting the ball well,” Woodward said. “Tonight was really one of the first nights we’ve been doing really well.”

Bourne starting pitcher Alex Wimmers (Ohio St.) allowed the lone Cotuit run in his five inning outing, but was otherwise dominant. He struck out ten and surrendered four hits while walking three. Cotuit totaled just five hits in the game. “Wimmers has some great stuff,” Woodward said. “He can get anybody out on any type of pitch, and he can throw any pitch in any count. You have to give props to Alex for getting ahead of everybody and throwing whatever he wanted to.”

Cameron Roth (UNC-Wilmington), Justin Poovey (Florida), and Stephen Harrold (UNC Wilmington) got some work in relief with the comfortable lead. Roth pitched two innings after relieving Wimmers, and Poovey and Harrold each worked one. Each struck out two. Roth was the only one to allow a hit.

The Braves scored once in the fourth inning, three times in the fifth, and once more in the sixth inning before finally getting shut down by Cotuit reliever Andres Caceres (Connors St. JC). Caceres struck out six in three and two-thirds innings and was responsible for just the final Bourne run.

Spot starter Matt Grace (UCLA) made his first start of the season for the Kettleers, and was rocked from Woodward’s leadoff single in the first inning to leaving Segedin and Roller on first and second before Campbell’s longball. Grace was tagged for seven earned runs on six hits in an inning and two-thirds. He struck out two and walked two. Jeff Walters (Georgia) struck out eight in the middle two and two-thirds innings but also allowed four earned runs of five that crossed before he was relieved by Caceres.

The Braves pounded out eleven hits total, despite striking out 16 times. A pair of Cotuit errors proved costly.

“We just got opportunities tonight,” Campbell said. “Things fell for us. We had a bunch of balls that weren’t hit hard that fell. We battled and that’s really all we can do. Strikeouts are going to happen with good pitching like this and the wood bats.”

The Kettleers broke up the shutout in the fourth inning when Cody Stanley (UNC Wilmington) scored on a ground rule double by Jeff Rowland (Georgia Tech). Rowland’s hit to left-center field was one of three ground rule doubles in the game over Doran Park’s low fence.

All Cape League teams will have a day off Thursday due to the All-Star recognition ceremony at the Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Cotuit will return to Lowell Park Friday to begin the final five game stretch of the regular season, when they host Wareham at 5 p.m.