Cotuit, MA- It was all Kettleers on Tuesday evening as they rolled over the Bourne Braves to a 13-2 win. Cotuit’s offense couldn’t be stopped as every starter produced a hit. Each of the first four hitters had multiple hits. After falling to fourth place in the division standings on Monday, the win notched a crucial two points for Cotuit’s playoffs hopes with seven games remaining. Head coach Mike Roberts was thrilled with his team’s response after a blowout loss the night before. He said, “Every day’s a new day in baseball. And I thought the players last night had such a great attitude through a tough game. Then today they came back really alive and I’m appreciative of that.”
Moments that mattered:
Kettleers produce two-out rally to take the lead in the third
The Braves took the initial lead with one run in both the second and third innings. After a double play, the Kettleers looked like they would go quietly through three innings, but a couple Bourne miscues sparked Cotuit. An error and a dropped third strike put two on with two outs. The first Cotuit run crossed the plate on a second Bourne error, coming off a Ryan Ritter (Kentucky) line drive. Eric Brown Jr. (Coastal Carolina) turned the miscues into a crooked number with an RBI-single through the left side. Noah Bridges (UNC Wilmington) snuck a two-run triple, Cotuit’s third of the summer, down the first base line to give Cotuit their first lead and cap a four-run inning.
Roberts was impressed with his team’s ability to fully take advantage of the miscues. “When errors are made or a walk, you want to bang base hits behind it. No doubt about it. We haven’t had a lot of opportunities like that, so I really feel blessed that occurred, but the base hits behind it kind of broke the game open,” said Roberts.
Cotuit offense explodes in seven-run inning
After Bourne gifted the Kettleers a four-spot in the third, the Cotuit offense went back to work in the fourth. Following a Matthew Donlan (UConn) double, back-to-back bunt singles extended the Cotuit lead to four. Brown came through with a big hit for the second straight inning. The right-handed hitter cleared the bases with a line drive double over the left fielder to push the lead to seven.
Despite producing hard contact in recent days, Brown had struggled to find outfield grass. But when he stepped in the box with the bases loaded, he knew there was no reason to change his approach. “I felt very lucky today. Lately when I’ve barreled it up, they get caught. It felt really good to see that ball drop. I thank my teammates for putting me in that position,” said Brown.
Brett Roberts (Florida State) kept the big hits coming after a sacrifice fly. Roberts took a two-strike pitch and deposited it into the Bourne bullpen for his second home run of the season. The Kettleers scored seven runs on six hits as they headed to the fifth with an 11-2 lead.
Foggo dominates out of the pen
Ian Foggo entered the game in the third inning and took control of the game. Foggo was dominant and untouchable. The right-handed pitcher held his velocity in the low to mid-90’s over four scoreless innings. Foggo allowed just two baserunners and didn’t allow a hit. From the end of the third to the seventh, he retired 12 straight batters and struck out four. Foggo tossed three straight 1-2-3 innings from the fourth to the sixth.
Despite not having a feel for his curveball, the right-handed pitcher was able to cruise through four innings with a fastball-dominant arsenal. Foggo said, “I was just trying to fill it up to let them put it in play. In this league, it’s kind of hard to get a fast ball by a lot of people, I was just trying to pound the zone and keep the team in it. I was hitting my spots with the fastball ball and just kept on throwing it and it worked out pretty well.”
Notables:
Foggo: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 0 R
Brown: 2-4, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 2 R
Carter Trice (Old Dominion): 3-4, 3 R, 1 RBI, BB
Jace Grady (Dallas Baptist): 2-5, 2 R, 1 RBI
Ritter: 2-4, 2 R, BB
Bridges: 1-4, 3 RBI, 3B
Roberts: 1-4, HR
Up next: The Kettleers will remain at Lowell Park on Wednesday for a matchup with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. The game will be the last of the annual Patriot Cup. Cotuit currently leads the series 3-2. First pitch will be at 5:00 PM from Lowell Park.