BREWSTER, Mass. — When the Whitecaps jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the initial frame of their game against Cotuit, the Kettleers knew they had their work cut out for them. The work proved too difficult, and they failed to climb out of the hole, falling 6-0 in seven innings Wednesday in Brewster.
With eerie gray skies reminiscent of an overcast day, the weather could be described as spooky. There was a yellow tint and haze due to wildfire smoke, and the odd conditions cut the game short when it became too dark to play safely.
Brewster scored its first run after Jacob Lee (Virginia Commonwealth) recorded an RBI single. A miscommunication between catcher Brady Christman (Mississippi State) and pitcher Adam McKelvey (Georgia Tech) resulted in a passed ball and a 2-0 deficit for the Kettleers.
The Whitecaps added four more runs in the seventh inning, sealing Cotuit’s fate. While the Kettleers came up short, Isaac Sturgess (Wake Forest) stuck out as a bright spot.
“I've been struggling recently, and I made a really big (effort to) try to relax and see the ball,” he said. “It ended up going my way a little bit.”
Sturgess led Cotuit with two hits, both coming in the form of singles in the fifth and seventh innings. In both instances, he faced two strikes on the board.
“Recently, I've been swinging too hard in some of those situations, trying to work my way out,” Sturgess said. “Today, I took it a little bit easier, and it went my way.”
Another player who impressed was starting pitcher McKelvey. After landing the Kettleers in the 2-0 hole, he retired 13 batters in a row. He broke the streak when he walked a batter in the fifth inning but clamped down to strike out the next batter for the final out.
“He settled down, and he can really pitch,” Cotuit coach Rob Cooper said. “I mean, if you told me that (our) starting pitcher is going to go out and give up one hit, I'd say I'd take it every day of the week, and everybody else would too.”
Cotuit utilized two other pitchers: Luke Smyers (Alabama) and Everett Garber (Bucknell). It marked Garber’s debut. He only pitched one inning, allowing one hit and recording two strikeouts.
The Kettleers next face the Gatemen at 6 p.m. EDT Thursday in Wareham.
