By Ben Gainsboro, Stetson University
Photos by Josh Muir, Endicott College
Video by Jacob Cohen, Boston University
July 20th, 2019
COTUIT –
If the skunk in the home dugout before the game wasn’t a bad omen for the Cotuit Kettleers on Saturday night, then maybe the crippling heat was.
Walk outside pregame and you were hit with a wave of heat, like an oven in a mobile home, all around you.
A fellow intern likened the weather to summer ball in North Carolina, the state that Cotuit head coach Mike Roberts grew up in and later coached in at UNC and UNC Asheville.
Unfortunately, the familiar weather did not yield familiar results for the old skipper.
It was the Kettleers sixth and final game against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks (7-25-1), having won the previous five contests vs. the fellow-Barnstable club.
This game, much like the two games Hyannis had at Cotuit before this one, began with the Harbor Hawks striking first. This came courtesy of a Hunter Goodman (Memphis) double in the first, and later a Chad McDaniel (Missouri) walk.
As Cotuit came to bat, they were trailing the game 2-0.
Joey Loperfido takes a swing during Cotuit’s Saturday night loss vs. Hyannis
They would answer in the bottom of the second, when Joey Loperfido (Duke) smartly poked the ball to second base with Parker Chavers (Coastal Carolina) on third.
Then, in the fourth, returning Allbry Major (Xavier) drove in Chavers again with a similar ground ball that Loperfido had two innings prior.
At the end of four, it was a 2-2 ballgame.
Hyannis would again answer, however, against Kyle Nicolas (Ball State) in the top of the fifth.
It was Goodman again, singling home Jordan Westburg (Mississippi State) for his second RBI of the day. The run was charged to Chris Holcomb (Tulane), who would wound up being the unlucky loser on the night for Cotuit.
Nicolas would get hit again in the sixth, this time a solo home run by Bryce Teodoso (Clemson), his first round-tripper of the year.
In the seventh, Hyannis was able to cushion the 4-2 lead via a Jared DeSantolo (Florida Atlantic) single to right, scoring Ian Fair (Northeastern) and Trevor Hauver (Arizona State).
Cotuit would go down quietly in the seventh and eighth before loading the bases for Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State) in the bottom of the ninth.
Parker Chavers celebrates with his team after a run scored vs. Hyannis on Saturday
The bad luck for Cotuit would continue, however, as the game was called following a pitching change in the home half. The official ruling was from a lack of light.
Thus, all stats recorded in the ninth inning were wiped, meaning Cotuit lost the game 6-2 in eight innings.
While Cotuit was unable to complete the sweep against their in-town rivals, a 5-1 record against any team in the Cape Cod League is impressive.
The Harbor Hawks now join the Orleans Firebirds as the two teams that Cotuit has completed their regular season schedule against.
A third team will be added to that list Monday, when Cotuit returns home to Lowell Park to face off against the Harwich Mariners (16-18). First pitch at Lowell Park is set for 5:00 P.M. in that one.
Sandwiched between here and then, however, is the all-star game at Eldredge Park. Cotuit is sending eight guys to the game, with Oraj Anu (Kentucky) set to take park in the home run derby. That game will begin at 6:00 P.M. in Orleans.