COTUIT, Mass. — Every baseball game comes with some incredible unique sounds. The thud of the ball hitting a mitt, the crack of the bat after a good hit, and the roar of fans after a double play is turned. During the Cotuit’s 10-2 win over Lexington in their opening exhibition game Sunday, those sounds finally returned to their rightful home at Lowell Park.
Things took off quickly for the Kettleer offense, all starting off with a walk from right fielder Landon Beaver (UAB) in the second inning. A double from catcher Seojun Oh (High Point) put two runners in scoring position, and second baseman Esteban Garcia (Boston College) knocked them both in to put Cotuit up 2-0. After stealing a base, Garcia came home on a double to put the Kettleers up 3-0.
The third inning was more of the same. First baseman Jake Hanley (Indiana) and shortstop Hunter Warren (Wright State) were hit by a pitch in consecutive at-bats to start the inning, putting pressure on Lexington. Garcia then picked up his third run batted in of the day on a single up the middle, extending the Kettleer lead to four. An error by the Blue Sox middle infield allowed the lead to grow to five before the end of the inning.
Brady Andrews (Merrimack) started on the bump for the Blue Sox, but lasted just two innings before Nick Hart (Brandeis) came in relief. The Blue Sox largely pitched by committee in their effort to contain the Cotuit offense, utilizing five arms across the game.
Cotuit continued to add runs in the fourth frame. Third baseman Jesse DiMaggio (Westmont) started the inning with his second hit of the day. After advancing on a groundout, DiMaggio would score on a double over the head of the center fielder from Warren. Warren would then score on a single from Beaver to extend the lead to seven before the end of the inning.
Alex Sotiropoulos (Columbia) got the starting nod on the mound today for the Kettleers, and took advantage of the opportunity. Sotiropoulos threw three scoreless frames, striking out three batters and allowing just two hits. Joel Core (Stetson) would take to the mound in relief, and followed in his footsteps by throwing two scoreless frames and striking out two batters.
The game slowed down a bit in the middle innings, with Cotuit going scoreless in the fifth, sixth and seventh despite getting multiple baserunners in those innings. However, their lead did not decrease as pitcher Ryan Buckler (Florida Atlantic) continued to keep the Blue Sox scoreless. The Barnstable, MA. native threw 2.1 innings and fanned three batters.
The Blue Sox had their best offensive inning in the eighth inning, loading the bases with one out via a hit and two walks off of Buckler. Once Jonathan Adelmann (Bucknell) came in for Cotuit, the spark flamed out as he induced an infield fly and a strikeout to close out the inning and keep the shutout.
As if their seven-run lead was not convincing enough, the Kettleers made sure to seal the game in the eighth inning with a two-out rally. DiMaggio’s fifth single followed by consecutive doubles from Hanley and Warren scored two runs, extending the lead to nine entering the final frame. With that deficit being too big to overcome, the Kettleers secured the win.
While the Blue Sox are not a CCBL team, it is a promising sign that Cotuit’s offense and defense excelled in the exhibition. Every Kettleer reached base, with five having multi-hit games. With the regular season less than a week away, it will be critical for Cotuit to keep their momentum going to have a successful CCBL season.
The Kettleers will be back in action for their second and final scrimmage tomorrow when they travel to Oak Bluffs, MA to take on the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks. First pitch is slated for five p.m. EDT, with the game taking place at Vineyard Baseball Park at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.
