COTUIT, Mass. — Jackson Yarberry (Indiana) got his pitch call, wound up, and fired a fastball in the zone to force a groundout. Just like that, the 79th season of Cotuit Kettleer baseball was underway. In what is a season of new beginnings for many in Cotuit, the Kettleers did what the team has done for decades — win. They took down the Wareham Gatemen 5-0 in an Opening Day classic.
The decisive moment of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning. After Hunter Warren (Wright State) led off the inning with a walk, Jake Hanley (Indiana) scorched a double to right-center field, bringing Warren home and giving the Kettleers a lead they would not squander the rest of the game. For Hanley, his approach was what powered him to success in the clutch.
“My two-strike approach was just to bear down and put a ball in play because that’s where good things happen,” Hanley said. “Luckily I found a hole in the outfield and we were able to get a run off that.”
But, the first half of the game was treacherous for Cotuit. Yarberry constantly played with fire as the Gatemen had a runner in scoring position in each of the first four frames. That being said, he showed incredible resilience and ended the game after four scoreless innings, managing five strikeouts in that frame.
“Nothing was given today…” Yarberry said. “We just focused on sticking together and playing until the last out when we came out on top.”
After earning two quick outs in the first, Yarberry gave up consecutive hits before ending the frame on a strikeout. The second inning was similar, as Tague Davis (Louisville) turned a diving catch into a double play to start the inning. However, the proceeding single and error put pressure on Cotuit. Fortunately, Yarberry forced a groundout to keep Wareham scoreless.
Following that, a walk plus a couple passed balls allowed the Gatemen to again have a runner in scoring position with two outs. But once again, Yarberry forced a strikeout to keep a clean sheet. The fourth inning opened with a single from Tony Lira (Arizona) and then consecutive strikeouts from Yarberry to keep the Gatemen at bay. After that, a walk put Lira in scoring position. With the pressure on, Yarberry forced a groundout again to blank Wareham.
Meanwhile, the Kettleer bats were largely lifeless in the opening innings of the game. It took until the third inning to get a hit, as Garrett Lambert (Mercer) was lights out for Wareham on the mound. Even once Cotuit got a single from Landon Beaver (UAB), he promptly got picked off by Lambert. Lambert faced the minimum number of batters through three innings, allowing zero runners to reach scoring position in that frame. He went on to finish with five scoreless innings thrown, striking out three and allowing just one hit.
The Gatemen would go on to regret leaving so many runners on base, as the Kettleer bullpen was unforgiving. Josh Halcisak (Mount St. Mary’s) bore down when facing pressure in his first inning, forcing two quick outs to end the frame. Halcisak continued this streak into the sixth and seventh innings, striking out three batters in that frame while preventing a baserunner in either inning. In total, the Kettleers pitching staff struck out 14 Gatemen, proving their ability to take the bat out of their opponent’s hands.
“We’ve been focusing on trying to get ahead in the count but today the opposite actually happened,” Yarberry said. “While working behind, it’s all about trusting our stuff and attacking the hitters until they prove they can beat our stuff.”
The eighth inning again saw Cotuit’s offense come to life, as Davis and Denny started the inning with consecutive singles. Add in a passed ball and a walk, and the bases were loaded with one out for Beaver. With the game at its peak tension, Wareham imploded. Consecutive errors on ground balls from Beaver and Dayton Murphy (Michigan State) allowed four runs to score and the Kettleer lead to grow to five. With a new heightened level of security, Tyler Brashear (Eckerd) closed the game out and gave Cotuit the 5-0 victory.
This opening victory showed exactly how Coach Rob Cooper wants his Kettleers to play. Unfazed when facing pressure, aggressive when given opportunities to succeed, and wholeheartedly having a blast while playing. With a long season ahead, generating momentum like Cotuit did today will be monumental in building confidence and a winning record as a team.
The Kettleers will face their first road test tomorrow when they travel across the Cape to take on the Chatham Anglers. First pitch is slated for seven P.M. at Veteran’s Field.
