COTUIT, Mass. – Karson Bowen (TCU) walked up to home plate in the top of the ninth with two outs on the board, down 4-2. Closer Cam Schuelke (Mississippi State) threw nine pitches to Bowen, getting him to swing for the strikeout to secure the Cotuit Kettleers’ fifth straight win.
“We got runners in scoring position pretty well today,” first baseman Luke Gaffney (transfer portal) said. “We just gotta find a way to execute in those moments. It comes down to just a few plays in most games, and whoever makes those few plays are usually the ones that win.”
The Falmouth Commodores didn’t get hot until the fourth inning. Gaffney sparked the rally for the Commodores with a single, then Jayson Jones (Arkansas) followed with a double.
“Glad to keep getting barrels,” Gaffney said. “Hopefully they keep coming.”
The bases became loaded after Christian Martin (Virginia Tech) walked. Donovan LaSalle (Oklahoma State) hit a sac fly to send Gaffney home to punch in the game’s first run. Jones crossed home plate off a single from Bowen to give Falmouth the first advantage over Cotuit, 2-0.
The Kettleers fought back in the bottom of the sixth with a single from Brandon Compton (Arizona State) to left field to put up a run from Tanner Thach (UNC Wilmington), making it 2-1.
Cotuit’s offensive momentum carried into the bottom of the seventh using Falmouth’s errors to its advantage. A single from Nolan Nawrocki (Clemson) began the rally to send three runs home to get the Kettleers their first lead of the night, 3-2.
An eighth-inning rally started to brew with another single from Gaffney, but a double play on Gaffney and Jones sent the Commodores back to the dugout. To secure the Kettleers’ victory, Charles Davalan (FGCU) hit a solo home run to extend Cotuit's lead to 4-2.
Up next, Falmouth (1-8) will host the Orleans Firebirds (2-7) on Wednesday at Guv Fuller Field with the first pitch set for 6 p.m.
You can get live game updates on Instagram and X @FalCommodores or tune into the live television broadcast featuring Aiden Blanc, MJ Newsom and Braden Schenck on YouTube @FalmouthCommodores.
