By: Shane Petagna (The University of Tampa)
COTUIT, Mass. – In a game where the Brewster Whitecaps and Cotuit Kettleers both recorded eight hits, the difference in the final score lay within the free bases allowed at Lowell Park on Monday.
Brewster pitching walked one batter, while the Kettleers had 15 en route to a 9-3 Whitecaps win.
“The guys that go out there, as I just told the pitching staff, got to throw strikes,” said Cotuit coach Mike Roberts.
Coming out of the All-Star break, the Ketts left a 14-4 victory over the Wareham Gatemen seemingly putting their past struggles from the week prior in the past as they became the first team in the CCBL to clinch a playoff berth.
However, the Kettleers never really found their footing in their return to action.
Finn McIlroy (UCLA) made his second start of the summer for Cotuit as the rotation has shuffled for the final push of the regular season. He turned in a perfect top of the first before running into some trouble one inning later.
A leadoff walk turned into two runs after back-to-back RBI hits by Ike Irish (Auburn) and Jaime Ferrer (Florida St.). In the top of the third inning, another walk turned into a run as Teddy Brennan (George Washington) entered and surrendered another RBI single to Jaime Ferrer.
The real trouble for Cotuit came in the fifth inning. Home Run Hitting Contest champion James Tibbs led off with a single through the right side of the infield and later scored on a wild pitch to make the score 4-1 Whitecaps. With Brennan still on the mound, three walks loaded the bases before right-hander Will Jacobsen (Harvard) came in to replace him.
Brewster countered with its own substitution, opting for All-Star Will Turner (South Alabama) to try and break the game open for the Whitecaps. Turner demolished an 0-1 changeup, sending it 405 feet to right field for a pinch-hit grand slam and what would become an insurmountable 8-1 deficit for the Kettleers.
Part of the reason the lead wouldn’t be overcome was due to the standout pitching from Whitecaps starter Fisher Jameson (Florida). Over five innings pitched, the Gator allowed one run on three hits while relying on a unique slider to punch out the majority of the nine strikeouts recorded in the game.
“Credit to him, I thought he was an excellent pitcher those five innings. I thought he changed speeds really well,” said Roberts. “[Jameson] threw strikes, kept the ball in the strike zone and that means you got to earn it. You got to get base hits with no walks and so I thought he did a great job.”
The offense wasn’t completely lost on the night for Cotuit. Caleb Lomavita (Cal) returned to the lineup after an oblique injury and put together a multi-hit game. In addition, Trevor Haskins (Stanford) homered for the second consecutive game while also doubling and scoring a run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
While the Kettleers still finding their way around operating with a new pitching staff, the team will rely on All-Star Game starter Camron Hill (Georgia Tech) to try and get back on track Tuesday at the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.
