COTUIT, Mass. — In the seventh and final inning of a shortened game against Chatham, the Kettleers had a glimmer of hope. After Sam Christiansen (Alabama) singled, Cotuit was poised to make a move with Dawson Santana (SDSU) on third base and no outs.
With Hogan Denny (Indiana) and Landon Beaver (UAB) on deck, Cotuit coach Rob Cooper felt reassured. But one pop out, one strikeout and one fly out later, and the Kettleers suffered a 2-0 loss Sunday.
“You come in, you got four innings to go,” Cooper said. “Their pitcher did a really good job. We started to get to him there at the end and just couldn't finish it off.”
As Chatham celebrated clinching third place in the Cape Cod East Division, the mood on Cotuit’s side was bleak. The Kettleers currently sit in fifth place in the West, but they are duking it out with Wareham for fourth and a spot in the playoffs.
The Kettleers and Gatemen are both competing in doubleheaders, and with Wareham’s 5-2 loss to Orleans in Game 1, hope remains alive for Cotuit. The Kettleers must win their second game, and they need the Gatemen to lose.
Cotuit’s game against Chatham picked up in the bottom of the third inning after weather forced both teams to be flexible. The contest was scheduled for July 21, but lightning cut it short. It was slated to resume Thursday, but lightning struck twice as inclement weather moved the game to Sunday.
On top of all of that, the start time was pushed from 11 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. due to having no umpires. Once the game finally began, it flew by. The only run came in the sixth inning after Jamie Palmese (East Tennessee State) singled.
Before the game even started, the Anglers held a 1-0 advantage thanks to Harlin Hovater (Meridian CC) whacking a home run in the third inning 12 days ago.
The Kettleers’ lineup remained mostly intact, with Santana, Christiansen and JJ Moran (Stanford) entering as pinch hitters. Pitcher Mason Holloway (Binghamton) also replaced Tyler Brashear (Eckerd).
The Kettleers stay put for the second game of their doubleheader. They return to action against Bourne at 4:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, hoping to make one final push toward the playoffs.
“The thing that I've always preached to guys is you represent your last name first and foremost,” Cooper said. “The second piece is the community. We owe it to play the game right, to give the best effort we possibly can until there are no more games to be played.”
