Cotuit, Mass. – With the Cotuit Kettleers barely in the playoff picture, they needed to keep winning to gain ground in the standings. They did just that against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, as the Ketts blitzed the Harbor Hawks’ pitching staff early, leading to an 8-1 victory.
While the offense stood out for its eight runs and 17 hits, Beau Sampson (Tulane) and Tyler Albanese (San Jose State) were outstanding on the bump. The two went all nine innings, surrendering just one run while fanning eight batters.
With the win, Cotuit moves into third place and is just 0.5 games out of a first-place tie heading into Monday’s off day.
“We pitched at a high level, [Beau] Sampson and Tyler Albanese were good. Their [Hyannis] starting pitcher was pretty good, but we put together a lot of good at-bats and had 17 hits. So, it was just a really good effort against a good team,” Cotuit manager Loren Hibbs says.
The game was scoreless after the first inning, but that wouldn’t last long. Cam Johnson (Oklahoma) drew a two-out walk in the second inning before swiping second base. Luke Matthews (Kent State) collected an infield single, and on a heads-up baserunning move, Johnson rounded third and came home to score.
Easton Winfield (Transfer Portal) stepped into the batter’s box two at-bats later with runners on first and second. The former Texas Longhorn delivered a clutch RBI single to center field, doubling Cotuit’s lead to 2-0.
The Kettleers tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth after Nolan Stevens (Oklahoma) led off the frame with a double, then came into score on a groundout two at-bats later.
Sampson got the start on the mound and dominated Hyannis, going five shutout innings with six strikeouts.
“My cutter and off-speed stuff were working well for me, especially in 2-0 counts and being able to throw them for strikes. I could get swings and misses, especially when they were sitting fastball,” Sampson said. “Getting ahead is very important. Walking the first guy, their odds of scoring skyrocket. Getting ahead or even getting a first-pitch strike was key today.”
Following his final frame, Albanese took his spot on the mound and didn’t skip a beat, going three up and three down in the top of the sixth.
The Kettleer bats helped him out in the bottom of the inning. Matthews drew a two-out walk before coming all the way around to score on a Case Sanderson (Nebraska) RBI double. Winfield kept the line moving with a run-scoring double to left field, his second RBI of the game, making it 5-0.
“I was just trying to work easily and let the guys behind me have someone on to score runs. I just tried to find a way to get on, having that approach has allowed me to play freely.” Winfield said.
Cotuit added insurance in the bottom of the eighth with great two-out hitting. Winfield picked up his fourth hit of the game, followed by an Andrew Wiggins (Transfer Portal) single to put runners on first and second. Caden Bogenpohl (Missouri State) ripped a pitch 110 mph off the bat and into shallow right field, scoring Winfield.
Back-to-back singles plated two more Kettleers before the Harbor Hawks finally notched the third out of the frame.
Albanese gave up one run in the ninth but quickly rebounded and slammed the door to clinch an 8-1 victory for Cotuit, who moves to 7-3-1 in July.
Notes
After his sensational week, Jack Natili was named CCBL Player of the Week less than two hours before first pitch.
Cotuit used just two arms in the win over Hyannis, the fewest number of pitchers used this season.
Seven of Cotuit’s eight runs came with two outs. The Ketts have been good in that spot all season, batting .253 with two outs, which ranks No. 2 in the CCBL.
Looking Ahead
The Kettleers have the day off on Monday before playing at Chatham on Tuesday. First pitch from Veterans Field is at 7:00 p.m.
