By Ben Fischer

University of Maryland

June 16, 2018

COTUIT – After a 1-10 start at the plate in Cotuit, shortstop Adam Oviedo (TCU) was undeniably the star of the Kettleers 6-2 win over the Orleans Firebirds.

Batting ninth, Oviedo led the Kettleers attack, going 2-4 with a sharply-hit single, and fourth-inning grand slam that broke a 2-2 deadlock.

The grand slam caused a controversy, as Orleans claimed the ball landed wide of the left field foul pole. However, the home plate umpire stuck by his ruling and Cotuit took a lead they would not relinquish.

“Watching it go out, whether or not it would stay fair or not was my thought process,” Oviedo said. “Once I saw the umpire throw the hand up that it was out of here, I just kept cruising, might as well own it.”

Shortstop Adam Oviedo swings in Cotuit’s 4-2 loss to the Wareham Gatemen on June 14, 2018

Despite his struggles in the start of the season, Oviedo said he has not soured on wood bats.

“I prefer wood, it feels better when you hit the ball,” Oviedo said. “It feels great, you can’t really take away the feeling of hitting a ball with a wood bat.”

Coach Mike Roberts praised his shortstop for his consistent work and improvement, saying he was “thrilled” by Oviedo’s big day.

Oviedo also made an spectacular impact play on defense, ending the game by sprawling to his right to snare a sharp chopper and start a 6-4-3 double play.

Oviedo has a fairly pedestrian .950 fielding percentage at TCU but has been solid at short in the early-going in Cotuit.

Oviedo has been an important part of the Kettleers defense. After making three errors on opening day against Brewster, the Kettleers have shored things up, making just one error in their last three contests.

“We haven’t had a lot of practice time on the defensive end,” Roberts said, “but what I’m trying to do is keep those players out in the field who have experience and can keep things clean.”