FALMOUTH, Mass. — Riding a four-game losing skid, the Cotuit Kettleers needed to get back in the win column to make a run at the playoffs. They answered the bell and played clean baseball in a 6-2 win over the Falmouth Commodores.

Cotuit recorded no errors and walked only one batter, an excellent recipe for success. At this stage of the season, if you play cleaner baseball than the other team, you’ll be set up well.

Ryan Buckler (Florida Atlantic) and Tyler Albanese (San Jose State) led the way, allowing two runs and one walk to 10 punchouts in an impressive win. Cotuit is now 0.5 games back of a playoff spot and will play the team ahead of it, Hyannis, on Thursday in a must-win game.

“(Buckler is) a team guy. He throws it across the plate, and he’ll do whatever you ask him to do. He’ll throw in short relief and middle relief. We’ve started him a few times and the guys love playing behind him,” Cotuit manager Loren Hibbs said. “We were a lot more efficient offensively tonight and took advantage of (Falmouth) making a few mistakes.”

Cotuit jumped on Falmouth’s Jaden Wywoda (Holy Cross) early in the game. Cam Johnson (Oklahoma) led off the game with a single before scoring on a Caden Bogenpohl (Missouri State) double.

The Kettleers scored another run in the second on a stolen base and throwing error, then threatened again in the top of the third.

Ryne Farber (Auburn) singled before Bogenpohl walked to put runners on first and second. Cotuit successfully pulled off a double steal, then an errant throw to third base went into the outfield, allowing Farber to score.

With no outs and a runner on second base, Wywoda’s day was done after two innings where he surrendered five hits and three runs. The new Commodores pitcher gave up a run but limited the damage.

Buckler was near perfect through the first two innings but ran into trouble in the third. Falmouth ripped a pair of two-out singles with Maika Niu (Arkansas) stepping up to the dish.

The right-hander made quick work of the newly committed Razorback, striking him out on four pitches to end the threat.

Both offenses went quiet for a few innings until the Commodores' bats made noise in the bottom of the fifth. Antonio Morales (Maryland) scorched a one-out triple to right field before coming into score on a fielder’s choice to cut the Kettleers' lead in half.

Niu stepped up to the plate looking to keep the line moving but was denied when Buckler fanned him for the second time, ending the inning.

The FAU Owl was pulled following five innings of two-run ball for Albanese. The 6-foot-6 righty worked quickly in the sixth, retiring the side on nine pitches.

The Cotuit offense added insurance in the top of the seventh with a pair of runners in scoring position and two outs. Bogenpohl took the first two pitches for strikes before hitting a clutch two-run single up the middle of the infield to extend his team's lead to 6-2.

“It was huge to score those two runs. You always want to tack on more runs and take some pressure off our guys in the field. It’s always good to get insurance runs,” Bogenpohl said.

Albanese got into a rhythm for the rest of the game and flat out dominated the Falmouth offense. The right-handed pitcher recorded six strikeouts to one walk through the final three innings, locking down a 6-2 win over the Commodores.

Notes

Tuesday’s game was Albanese’s final game of the summer, and he turned in a big performance. He tossed four innings and allowed just one baserunner.

Following an injury on Friday, Jack Natili was in the lineup for consecutive games, and it appears he'll be fine the rest of the season.

The Kettleers swiped four bases against Falmouth, the most in a game this season.

Looking ahead

Cotuit will have a day off Wednesday before facing the Hyannis Harbor Hawks on Thursday in a big-time matchup for postseason standings. First pitch from Lowell Park is at 4:30 p.m.