HYANNIS– On Saturday, three Kettleers were named Cape League All-Stars for 2018. Zach Biermann (Coastal Carolina), Zach Humphreys (TCU), and Stephen Schoch (UMBC) were each named to the West Division team.
The West team, which will be managed by Jeff Trundy (Falmouth), will square off against the East Division team, who will have Kelly Nicholson of Orleans as their manager. The annual affair will take place at Whitehouse Field in Harwich a week from Sunday, on July 22. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
In addition, there will be the Cumberland Farms Home Run Hitting Contest prior to the game. The East Division will have Spencer Torkelson (Chatham), Nick Osborne (Orleans) and Blake Sabol (Chatham), while they face Todd Lott (Hyannis), Spencer Brickhouse (Bourne) and Bryant Packard (Wareham) of the West Division.
More information is available from this article via the Cape League website.
Robertson sees resurgence at the plate
Prior to last night’s game in Wareham, Will Robertson (Creighton) had been quiet over the last week. With only two hits since last Saturday’s win over Hyannis, Robertson was due to break out, and he’s done exactly that.
Will Robertson (Creighton) has had a resurgence at the plate for the Kettleers.
With three hits on Friday against Wareham, and a home run off of Hyannis’ Gavin Hollowell (St. John’s), Robertson has reemerged as a reliable hitter in the Cotuit lineup.
“He has bounced back,” said Coach Roberts after the game. “Will looks a lot better and I really like how we look at the top of the order right now.”
After Saturday’s game, Robertson is now batting .263 on the season, with three home runs and fifteen RBI’s. He seems to be hitting his stride once again, as he now has four hits in the last two games.
Shuman settles after rocky first inning
Seth Shuman (Georgia Southern) went five innings on Saturday to pick up the win in Hyannis.
It looked like Seth Shuman (Georgia Southern) would have a tough time on the mound Saturday, as Hyannis rallied for three runs in the bottom of the first. But Shuman did a great job recovering, throwing five innings with only one earned run as he struck out two for the win.
“I had a rough first inning, but after that I settled in. I was leaving pitches over the plate, but I came back and hit my spots,” said Shuman after the game. “You give up a big inning like that, you just have to put it behind you and keep making good pitches for the team.”
It was Shuman’s first win of the season, and tied for his longest start of the 2018 campaign thus far. Shuman went five innings in Falmouth on July 2 in what ended as a 2-2 tie.
The rising junior is in his second season with Cotuit after he made eight appearances in 2017, compiling 19 strikeouts in 22 ⅔ innings for the Kettleers.
Salvatore steps up at bat with 2 RBI’s, in the field at shortstop
Michael Salvatore (Florida State) had a strong batting performance after a pair of hitless games against Wareham. Salvatore went 2 for 4 on Saturday, with two RBI’s on the night. His RBI fielder’s choice in the fifth inning wound up being the difference in Cotuit’s 9-5 win.
“I thought [Mike] really picked us up today,” said Roberts postgame. “He has a beautiful swing, he came within six inches of a three-run home run today. He really made some nice plays at shortstop, that’s the best he’s played defensively since he arrived.”
After Saturday’s contest, ‘Salvy’ is now hitting .275 on the season. With eight RBI’s in 14 games, the Seminole continues to make an impact in the bottom part of the batting order.
Salvatore and the rest of the Kettleers will head back to Lowell Park tomorrow for First Responders Day. The Kettleers will take on the Falmouth Commodores at 5:00 p.m., as they honor the memory of Yarmouth Police Officer Sean Gannon, who passed away in the line of duty this past winter.