By Zach Kaplan
Penn State University
August 2, 2018
COTUIT– With the No. 4 seed in the West Division playoffs locked up, the Kettleers tinkered with some lineup changes on Thursday evening at Lowell Park.
As Cotuit sported their new-look lineup on Thursday, many fans at Lowell Park were left looking at their game programs to make sure they knew who was who.
Will Robertson (Creighton) went 3-for-5 on Thursday, finishing the season with a .300 batting average.
But it was the makeshift Cotuit squad who managed to get the win on Thursday, as they knocked off Falmouth 5-4 for their first win over the Commodores this season.
Will Robertson (Creighton) went 3-for-5 to finish the season with a .300 batting average, as Joey Walsh (BC) picked up the win, and Michael Young (Stonehill) pitched two shutout innings in the final regular season game for the Kettleers.
“Well, I’m amazed,” said a surprised Mike Roberts postgame. “Its not that we won, I’m just amazed that we can bring in young men, amateur players in the middle of the night…and all of a sudden they’re in the ballgame, and these guys are helping us win.”
Falmouth would get on the board first, as Alexander Volpi (Holy Cross) knocked a two-run home run to give the Commodores a 2-0 lead.
Michael Toglia (UCLA) would draw the Kets within one, as he launched a solo shot to right-center field for his team-leading seventh home run of the season, making it 2-1.
Cotuit took the lead in the fifth on a dropped infield pop-up by the Commodores, which allowed Robertson and Garrett Wolforth (Dallas Baptist) to score, giving Cotuit a 3-2 lead.
Adam Oviedo (TCU) would add an insurance run in the sixth with a solo home run, his third of the season, which upped the Cotuit lead to 4-2.
But the Commodores came back to tie the game in the seventh as Edouard Julien (Auburn) and Logan Davidson (Clemson) scored on a fielder’s choice and subsequent throwing error, as they tied the game at four.
The Kettleers would take the lead right back in the bottom half of the inning, as new arrival Trey Jacobs (UNC Pembroke) would provide the clutch hit with an RBI single to score Toglia, and give Cotuit a 5-4 lead.
Cotuit would shut the door on Falmouth by calling in Young, who threw two shutout innings and three strikeouts in his Cape League debut.
After the game, he spoke about the quick turnaround, and what it meant to be able to play in the Cape League, especially as a local who played his high school contests at Hyannis’ McKeon Park.
“It was cool for sure,” said Young postgame. “My parents were here, so that was cool. It was good to come in and do well immediately, because I don’t want anyone to say that I’m here because I’m local, I want to be here on merit.”
The Kettleers will have Friday off as they get ready for their first-round playoff series against Wareham. They will head to Spillane Field in Wareham on Saturday for Game 1 in the best-of-three series.