Cotuit, Mass. – It was a tough Tuesday at the office for the Cotuit Kettleers with a back-and-forth ballgame that did not end in their favor. Cotuit saw itself down for most of the game but had two runners on in the ninth with the heart of the order due up and a chance to tie it.

Unfortunately, the Ketts couldn’t take advantage of it and did not score a run. They were also plagued by seven walks, three wild pitches and a hit batter, which led to the Harwich Mariners taking down Cotuit, 7-5.

“I told the guys that it was my fault, I didn’t manage the pitching staff well and I don’t necessarily know our pitching staff either,” Cotuit head coach Mike Roberts said. “Our guys battled very hard the whole way through, but I didn’t manage well.”

In the opening frames, it seemed that runs would be hard to come by. Both pitchers were dealing very early as midway through the second there were only two hits allowed with no runs given up. However, that would quickly change in the bottom of the frame.

Jarren Advincula (Cal Berkeley) came to the plate with a scoreless tie and two outs. He fought hard with Justin Mitrovich (Elon), but on the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Advincula launched a 391-foot home run into the trees past right field. The first home run of the 2024 summer for the Golden State native.

“My mom and dad are here, so it was already amazing, but knowing that they were here to see it makes it even better,” Advincula said. “The guy had a really good changeup, so I was really sitting on that and a fastball. Luckily, he hung the changeup, and I got a good swing off and sent it out.”

The lead wouldn’t last long after Harwich plated three more in the fourth and fifth innings, knocking out Cotuit starter Tyler O’Neill (Bucknell).

O’Neill would finish his day with seven hits and two runs allowed through 3 2/3 innings.

Things got interesting in the fifth when Cotuit used back-to-back walks and a single to load the bases with no outs. Brandon Compton (Arizona State) cut into the lead with an RBI sac fly to make it 3-2. Devin Taylor (Indiana) came up to the plate looking to do damage with two runners in scoring position.

He laced a ground ball up the middle of the infield that should have been a routine out but was bobbled and rolled into the outfield, plating two runs as Cotuit reclaimed the lead, 4-3.

The Mariners would come back in the sixth and take advantage of several free passes from the Cotuit arms. Tying it up on a bases-loaded single and then taking a two-run lead on a single just two batters later.

Cotuit would score a run via an RBI groundout by Compton in the seventh to cut the lead to one run. But Harwich would return the favor in the following inning, sending the game into the ninth with the Mariners leading, 7-5.

Jack O’Malley (Bucknell) would go 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth to keep Harwich’s offense at bay and give the Kettleers a chance to tie it.

Cotuit made it interesting with consecutive singles, putting two runners on with one out and the middle of the order due up. However, Compton and Easton Winfield (Texas) couldn’t get anything going, as the Ketts dropped the ballgame against Harwich, 7-5.

Notes

Following a win on Monday, the Kettleers clinched a spot in the playoffs — their seventh consecutive playoff berth, the 16th under Roberts.

Advincula hit a home run Tuesday, his first of the summer and the first since May 21 against Washington in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Tanner Thach collected three hits Tuesday, his eighth multi-hit game in the last 18 games, bringing his batting average to .361 in July.

Looking ahead

Cotuit will face a monumental challenge in the last week of the season that’s not ideal for a team trying to prepare for the playoffs. The Ketts will have to play six games in five days, including a doubleheader against Falmouth on Aug. 3, while attempting to manage their pitching staff and not overwork it with the CCBL playoffs starting Aug. 6.

“I’m still trying to figure it out if I’m being honest,” Roberts said on managing the pitching staff. “We’re waiting for some new guys to join us while also dealing with a few who are sick. Right now, we’re in a jam, but we’re trying to work through it to the best of our ability.”