By Ben Fischer

University of Maryland

July 17, 2018

COTUIT – Most teams across all sports prefer to play at home. After Tuesday’s 11-3 shellacking of the Cotuit Kettleers at Lowell Park, the Harwich Mariners may want to start playing more games on the road.

For the second time in as many meetings in Cotuit this season, the Mariners dominated the Kettleers from start to finish, as they beat Cotuit 10-3 in their first meeting at Lowell on June 26.

Zach Humphreys (TCU) had the Kettleers only RBI hit against Harwich

The Mariners controlled the ballgame from start to finish, putting up three runs in the first inning against Kettleers starter Bryce Bonnin (Arkansas). Bonnin, making his first start, was touched up for five earned runs on six hits in 2 ⅔ innings of work.

Reliever Ryan Smith (Princeton), came on for mop-up duty, giving up six runs on eight hits in 3 ⅓ innings of work.

The Mariners offense was led by first baseman Andre Lipcius (Tennessee). Batting fourth, Lipcius went 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Nine of the ten Mariners who came to bat reached base at least once on the evening, while eight of ten had hits.  

Cotuit’s bats were silenced by Harwich starter Will Matthiessen (Stanford). Matthiessen worked shutout five innings, allowing just six hits and two walks while fanning five Kettleers.

Cotuit finally broke through in the sixth inning against Harwich reliever Gage Gillian (Walters State). Gillian walked the first three batters he faced before allowing an RBI single to left field by catcher Zach Humphreys (TCU).

Gillian induced two shallow flyouts before issuing a two-out walk to first baseman Thomas Dillard (Ole Miss), forcing in a second run. After Joe La Sorsa (St. Johns) replaced Gillain on the mound, he walked second baseman Corey Wood (Coastal Carolina), bringing another run home for Cotuit.     

Shortstop Mike Salvatore (Florida State) saw the ball well with two hits and one sharply-hit groundout

Shortstop Mike Salvatore (Florida State) paced the Kettleers offense, going 2-for-2 with a walk. It was Salvatore’s second multi-hit game in the last three contests.

Cotuit will face the Mariners again on Wednesday, traveling to Whitehouse Field for the second half of a home-and-home. First pitch will be 6: 30 p.m.