COTUIT, Mass. – It was do-or-die for the Cotuit Kettleers on Friday night in Game 3 of the Western Division Championship Series. Lowell Park was rocking as Cotuit was trying to avenge last season’s heartbreaking loss to the Bourne Braves, but the Bravos were too much for the Ketts, once again ending their season in tear-jerking fashion after a three-run sixth propelled Bourne to its fourth consecutive CCBL Championship Series.

“The real purpose of this league is to see about players makeup — do they really love to play,” Cotuit Kettleers head coach Mike Roberts said. “This team bonded and not every team in the Cape League does that. We had 69 players come through this year and our guys continued to welcome every one of them with open arms. They bonded and they competed very hard and I’m extremely proud of them.”

It took no time for the Braves to get on the board first in the opening frame. Ethan Conrad (Wake Forest) mashed the first pitch of the game for a leadoff double that hit off the fence in left field. He then came to third and then scored on two wild pitches to give Bourne an early 1-0 lead.

Cotuit came right back with back-to-back singles, followed by a one-out walk to load the bases. Devin Taylor (Indiana) drew a walk to bring a run in and tie it, but the Kettleers were unable to add more.

Chase Meggers (Oregon) continued the hit party for Bourne with a home run on the first pitch of the second inning, reclaiming a 2-1 lead. After two consecutive outs, Roberts would pull McKnight for Max Martzolf (Florida Atlantic) to play a lefty-lefty matchup against Conrad. It worked, resulting in a groundout to stop the bleeding.

Grant Jay (Dallas Baptist) would come up to the plate in the bottom of the frame looking to deliver for his side and succeeded, hitting a first-pitch fastball just inches over the 397-feet sign in dead center field, tying it at two runs apiece.

That home run would be followed by another one just an inning later by Tanner Thach (UNC Wilmington) to give the Kettleers their first lead of the ballgame.

After 1 1/3 innings of shutdown baseball from Martzolf, he would be pulled for Aidan Hunter (College of Charleston).

The right-handed hurler was lights out for the first two innings, but he found himself in big trouble in the sixth inning. Hunter allowed two base knocks then hit a batter to load the bases with no outs. He would be pulled for Tyler O’Neill (Bucknell), but O’Neill wasn’t able to hold the Bourne offense at bay.

The Braves would take advantage of the Cotuit mistakes by scoring three runs and taking a 5-3 lead, stunning the Kettleer side. The momentum completely shifted after that inning, and even with 12 outs to work with, there was a completely different feel in the Cotuit dugout.

The Kettleers were able to get runners on in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, but the Bourne bullpen quickly ended any hope of making a comeback that the home side had. The Cotuit bullpen did its job as well by also not allowing any runs. So, when it came to the bottom of the ninth, the Ketts had some hope left.

All three batters fought hard but could not make a last-second rally, recording three straight outs and ending the 2024 season for the Cotuit Kettleers.

“This team wanted to win, they fought hard and had to overcome adversity this summer,” Roberts said. “I want these guys to go back to school and show that they became better leaders and men. Maybe they elevated their game on the field, but that’s not the most important thing to me. Go back to your team and show them a different person, someone who can help your team believe you can go to the College World Series. I wanted these guys to grow this summer, and I think they did.”

Notes

Not only did Tanner Thach hit a home run, but he also pitched for the first time since July 9, turning in three scoreless innings with five strikeouts.

Grant Jay hit his first home run since July 12. The long ball tied the ballgame at two apiece in the opening frames.

Nathan Hall went 3-for-4, his ninth multi-hit game of the season.