story by Steve McCarthy
July 6, 2010
COTUIT – The Harwich Mariners cooled off the Cotuit Kettleers on a hot and humid Tuesday night, handing the Kettleers their first loss in July. The Mariners pulled away in the middle innings for a 9-6 win at Lowell Park in Cotuit.
Harwich rallied off Cotuit’s bullpen for eight runs between the fifth and seventh innings to break open a 3-2 ballgame.
The Mariners improved to 9-12, while Cotuit’s (9-11-1) five-game winning streak was ended. Despite having just one more point than Harwich, Cotuit stands in second place in the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Western Division while Harwich sits tied for last in the East.
All of the Mariners’ scoring came from the top of their batting order. Ronnie Richardson (Central Florida), Levi Michael (UNC), and Pratt Maynard (NC State) each scored a pair of runs, while Clint Moore (West Point) crossed three times.
The top four in Harwich’s batting order combined for 10 of the Mariners’ 16 total hits. Harwich out-hit Cotuit 16-7. Richardson, Moore, and Maynard are all batting above .300.
“Today we came out swinging it well,” Moore said. “It was good to see.”
Joe Holtmeyer (Nebraska-Omaha) earned the win after leaving with just a 3-2 lead. He pitched five innings and allowed two runs on three hits and struck out six. Daniel Burawa (St. Johns) and Matty Ott (LSU) each threw two innings in relief.
“I felt pretty good. The defense was behind me,” Holtmeyer said. “I got a little wild for two batters. Other than that, I felt good.”
Moore and Michael hit back-to-back triples in the first inning to give the Mariners the early 1-0 advantage. Cotuit tied the game for the last time in the third inning on a passed ball.
“In this league, runs are usually pretty hard to come by,” Moore said. “To be on the board after the first, it set a good tone.”
Harwich scored twice in the fifth and seventh innings and four times in the sixth. Maynard and Steve Proscia (Virginia) each drove in three runs in the three innings.
Cotuit went to its bullpen after just two and one-third innings. The Mariners tagged Cotuit starter Matt Andriese (UC-Riverside) for five hits and one run.
Submariner Michael Frongello (Davidson) took the loss as Cotuit’s fourth pitcher of the evening. Frongello had not appeared in a game since June 26 and gave up two runs in two-plus innings. His 5.06 ERA is second-highest among Cotuit relievers.
“Those guys, you can’t try to pull or else you’ll be screwed,” Moore said. “We were fortunate enough to hit him pretty well and get some balls backside.”
Kyle McMillen’s (Kent St.) ERA ballooned to 6.75 after allowing six Harwich runs in an inning and two-thirds. A.J. Achter (Michigan St.) and Brooks Pinckard (Baylor) sandwiched McMillen and Frongello with scoreless outings.
Curt Casali (Vanderbilt) blasted a two-run home run to left in the seventh inning and drove in Cotuit’s final run in the ninth, but the Kettleers’ comeback ran out of steam.
Michael Faulkner (Arkansas St.) had a pair of singles for Cotuit and scored on both of Casali’s hits. He and Levi Hyams (Georgia) drove in the remainder of Cotuit’s runs.
The Kettleers have an off day Wednesday before continuing a three-game home stand on Thursday against Wareham.