Cole Mathis Hits and Pitches to a Cotuit Victory
By: James Middleton | West Chester University
Cotuit, MA — The Ketts were deadlocked with Orleans in the bottom of the eighth as Cole Mathis (Charleston) stepped up to the plate. In a 2-0 count, Mathis blooped a single into center to break the five to five tie. The two-way player then stepped on the mound to close it out and earn the win striking out the last batter on the way to a 6-5 Kettleer win.
“It’s a lot of fun going out there and playing. Pitching takes a lot more focus, so I was just a little more focused at the plate; got a good pitch too, and it fell somewhere,” said Mathis on closing out the game on both sides of the ball.
The Cotuit offense struck first tonight as Brock Wills (UNC-Wilmington) set the tone reaching on an error by the Orleans shortstop. Caleb Lomavita (California-Berkeley) put a strike into the ball, lacing it down the third base line for an RBI double. The California catcher has been on a tear in the last two games, notching four hits in eight at-bats, good for a batting average of .500.
Izaak Martinez (UC-San Diego) was on the bump for the Ketts tonight as he pitched two and a third in his first start. Martinez was cruising until the third when a triple and an error would score the Orleans leadoff man to tie the game at one.
In the fifth, Grant Norris (Penn State) lined one back up the middle of the Orleans pitcher’s foot for a single. After a pitching substitution, Josh Pyne (Indiana) doubled to put runners on second and third. With two outs, Orleans decided to walk leadoff batter Carter Mathison (Indiana) to load the bases for Ryan Galanie (Wofford). Galaine got a pitch to drive and hit a no-doubt home run over the left-field wall, his second grand slam against the Firebirds this season.
“I think it’s one of those things Carter got on intentionally. He’s a good hitter, and he definitely would have driven in some runs. Just blessed to be in that situation again,” said Galanie on his second grand slam against Orleans.
Even with the Cotuit grand slam, Orleans was able to tie the game back at five over the course of the sixth and seventh. The Firebirds brought home three in the sixth to bring them within one, and an error by the Kettleer defense in the seventh brought home the tying run.
After being the designated hitter for seven innings, Mathis took the ball for the Kettleers. The right-hander gave up his lone run in the seventh, as he shut down the Firebirds for the rest of the contest, pitching a one-two-three eighth and ninth.
Cotuit will play another home game tomorrow when they welcome the second-place Harwich Mariners to Lowell Park. Harwich is coming off a 7-6 win against the Chatham Anglers. The Ketts move to a 17-7 record, still holding first place in the west division. Game time will start at 5 o’clock on Lowell Avenue.