HYANNIS, Mass. — The last time the Kettleers faced the Harbor Hawks at McKeon Park, the two teams put on a show. In a game that featured five home runs, Cotuit fell 5-3 on June 30.
This time around, it was a completely different feel, as not a single home run was whacked. In fact, just one run was scored between both teams as the Kettleers came away with a narrow 1-0 victory Sunday in Hyannis.
Cotuit coach Rob Cooper expressed excitement about the win, but he placed a bigger emphasis on something else.
“I got to watch one of the coolest things I'll ever see in baseball,” Cooper said. “Tyler Bellan, who grew up coming to Cape games and has been our bullpen catcher, never thought in a million years that he would get the opportunity to play. Not only did he play, (but) he played really, really well.”
Tyler Bellan (Wheaton) made an appearance in Cotuit’s lineup, catching and hitting in the ninth spot. He had just been activated the day before, as the Kettleers found themselves shorthanded at the catcher position after Will Plattner (Alabama) was placed on the injury list.
In his outing, Bellan walked twice, struck out once and flew out once. Poetically, he scored the only run of the game after Jake Hanley (Georgia) grounded into a force out in the third inning.
“Being able to contribute to the team in that way is awesome, and I was just really glad I could help out today,” Bellan said.
In a game where the Kettleers logged just three hits, they leaned on pitching to seal the deal.
Tyler Brashear (Eckerd) made the start, showing discipline in multiple instances. The Harbor Hawks applied pressure early, loading the bases in the first inning. Brashear escaped the jam, stranding all three to avoid falling into an early deficit.
Cotuit stranded one in the second inning and two in the third before Ryan Buckler (transfer portal) took the reins in the fourth. It marked the third time this season Buckler has entered a game with two outs on the board.
Buckler did his job, striking out Hyannis’ batter for the final out. He continued to impress, putting together three-up, three-down innings in the fifth and seventh frames. He notched three strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work.
“I thought I did well,” Buckler said. “I thought my stuff was there. Tyler (Bellan) was great behind the dish for his first game as a Kett, and (I) just had the stuff going, throwing strikes.”
Eli Buxton (Arizona State) came in to toss the eighth and ninth innings. He pitched a three-up, three-down eighth and took care of business in the ninth and was credited with the save.
Cotuit returns to action against Bourne at 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Cotuit.
