By Ben Fischer
University of Maryland
July 5, 2018
COTUIT – At the conclusion of the Cotuit Kettleers’ Thursday game against the Falmouth Commodores, Cotuit coach Mike Roberts made sure that the Lowell Park scoreboard remained on. Roberts then addressed his team as the scoreline of Falmouth’s 17-7 win hung over the player’s shoulders.
“The scoreboard tells the story,” Roberts said. “All the big boys are here in this league and we’ve got to play up. I think you saw a lot of inexperience out there today. It’s my responsibility and we’ve got to make some changes really quick.
The 10-run margin of defeat was the worst of the season so far for Cotuit. Over their last two games, Cotuit has allowed 25 runs and scored just 8. The Kettleers are now tied with the Commodores for last in the West division at 9-10-1.
Falmouth jumped ahead early, scoring seven runs by the fourth inning, including three on a two-out double in the third inning by third baseman Cameron Cannon (Arizona) and three more in the fourth on homers by shortstop Logan Davidson (Clemson) and first baseman Davis Sims (Murray State).
Cotuit struck back in the bottom of the fourth, closing the deficit to just two with a five-run outburst. The highlight of the inning was left fielder Michael Toglia’s (UCLA) two-run home run to start the scoring, his first of the year. Toglia struck for another home run in the fifth inning, giving him his best game in his second summer in Cotuit.
Toglia entered the game without a home run and with just four hits and four RBI. While the two-homer explosion was a positive sign, Toglia is still hitting just .143 on the season although he said he feels good about his performance against Falmouth.
“It’s a relief, it’s about time,” Toglia said. “I’ve been putting in extra work and just waiting for it to pay off. Unfortunately we weren’t able to come out on top, but personally it was a step in the right direction.”
With the scoreboard looming in the background and the memories of the back-to-back blowout lossed fresh in the team’s mind, Roberts postgame assessment was quite simple.
“Baseball is a game that will humble you really quickly and we got humbled today,” Roberts said.
The Kettleers will play at home again on Friday, taking on the Bourne Braves at Lowell Park at 5 p.m.