By Zach Kaplan
Penn State University
June 22, 2018
video recap by Mason Horodyski, Syracuse University
BREWSTER– The Kettleers went into the bottom half of the ninth inning clutching a 4-3 lead and looking to escape Stony Brook Field with the win, but instead found themselves on the losing end of a walkoff, 5-4 win for the Whitecaps on Friday night.
Dominic Canzone (Ohio State) drove in the tying run off an error by Cotuit second baseman Cory Wood (Coastal Carolina), and Joseph Donovan (Michigan) drove in Brandon Wulff (Stanford) on a sacrifice fly in the ensuing at-bat to get the win for the Whitecaps.
“It was a tight ballgame. There were some areas that we struggled with,” said manager Mike Roberts following the game. “We had a couple opportunities and we didn’t make the plays tonight…we had a chance to win in the ninth but you have to congratulate Brewster.”
Owen Griffith (Clemson) was credited with the win for the Whitecaps, while Garrett Gayle (Rice) took the loss for Cotuit. The Kettleers had a great effort from their bullpen, as Joey Walsh (BC), Ryan Smith (Princeton), and Stephen Shoch (UMBC) combined to throw five scoreless innings for Cotuit.
Joey Walsh threw three scoreless innings of relief, including five consecutive strikeouts, against Brewster in a 5-4 loss on June 22, 2018.
The Whitecaps were able to get the first run across in the second inning, as a Joseph Donovan (Michigan) RBI single drove in Brandon Wulff (Stanford) to give Brewster the lead.
For Cotuit, the first two innings saw the Kettleers go down quietly. But in the third inning, Cotuit broke through as the bottom part of the order loaded the bases.
As Eric Jones (Davidson) led off with a single, Zach Humphreys (TCU) would get on base with a walk, and Adam Oviedo (TCU) hit a single to load the bases. Will Robertson (Creighton) broke through for the Kettleers with a two-RBI single to give Cotuit the lead.
After Beau Brundage (Portland) got aboard via the walk, Thomas Dillard (Mississippi) drove in Oviedo on an RBI single of his own to give Cotuit a 3-1 lead. Robertson would later score off a Linginfelter wild pitch, extending the lead to 4-1.
The Whitecaps would cut the lead in the third inning. Michael Massey (Illinois) led off with a walk, and Hunter Bishop (Arizona State) drove him in with an RBI single to make it 4-2 Cotuit.
Will Robertson (Creighton) had a two-RBI single, giving the Kettleers an early lead on Friday.
Brewster would get another run back in the next inning as Donovan led off with a single. He came around to score on a Austin Lively (Seattle) RBI double, cutting the Kettleers lead to 4-3.
It looked like the Whitecaps would have a two-out baserunner in the bottom half of the fifth, as Dominic Canzone (Ohio State) roped a single into the left field corner, but defensive substitute Peyton Burdick made a great throw to end the possible scoring threat.
The Kettleers will return to Lowell Park tomorrow and take on the Orleans Firebirds for the third time this season. Cotuit won each of the first two games, taking a 6-2 win back at Eldredge Park in Orleans on June 16, and a 5-4 comeback win this past Wednesday. First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m.