COTUIT, Mass. — Even though he hopped off a plane from LAX at 1 a.m. last night, Dean West wasted no time making his name known in the Cotuit baseball community.
In the Kettleers’ 6-4 win over the Bourne Braves, the UCLA outfielder’s offensive impact was seen immediately when he knocked a single to center field and eventually scored on a fielding error by the Bourne catcher.
Even though that was West’s only hit of the night, it wasn’t his only highlight.
“When I talked to coach (John) Savage at UCLA, he was raving about (West’s) ability as an old-school, throwback kid,” Cotuit head coach Loren Hibbs said. “Coach Savage is dead on right about him.”
The Kettleers took an early, what seemed to be safe, 6-0 lead in the first, but the Braves threatened in the fourth. Bourne loaded the bases on a walk and back-to-back singles. Its first run came right after a pitching change, when Ryan Buckler (FAU) relieved Reed Moring (UCSB).
With bases still loaded, Jon LeGrande stepped into the batter’s box for Bourne. The outfielder from St. John’s drove a ball deep into left field. Cotuit fans held their breath for what looked like a bases-clearing double.
West had other plans.
“I knew the ball was beating me,” West said of the drive. “I just tried to get underneath it and try to put the glove on the ball, and ended up catching it.”
The defensive gem seemed to halt any momentum going in Bourne’s direction, but West had one more treat in store for Kettleers fans.
Thanks in large to the cloudy sky all game, the field grew dark quickly. By the fifth inning, it was difficult for fans, as well as players, to see fly balls to the outfield.
West’s trick? Convincing himself it’s still light out.
“Tell yourself it’s not dark, because you’re going to start giving yourself excuses,” the Woodland Hills native said. “(You’ve got to) continue being confident and trusting your eyes.”
It took West trusting his vision to save another potential extra-base hit in the fifth, this time off the bat of catcher Weber Neels (Minnesota).
Similar to his teammate’s hit to left, Neels’ deep ball made West work. Not only was the ball also a few feet from the wall, but West had to sprint to beat it.
“I had a little bit better of a read on that one,” he said.
West will look to continue his early impact when the Kettleers head to Brewster at 5 p.m. Sunday to face the Whitecaps for the second time this week.
“I just want to keep putting barrel to ball,” he said. “(I want to) start incorporating my short game: bunting and stealing.”
