It’s almost expected from this season’s Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, who lead the Cape League in batting average (.254), on-base percentage (.373), and RBI (67), that bats will crack every game. In Saturday’s 5-0 shutout against the Wareham Gateman, this game was yet another demonstration of the team’s offensive talent.
Y-D catcher Mateo Serna (University of Alabama) was especially hot this evening. This is hardly a surprise, as he records big hits, often. Today he went 3-for-4, improving to a .348/.444/.565 slash for a 1.009 OPS.
When Y-D’s sideline reporter, Olivia Lambert, asked Serna in a postgame interview about the key to his success in this game, Serna credited his teammate and fellow SEC student-athlete, Tommy Goodin (Vanderbilt University).
“I was talking to Tommy (Goodin) before the game, and kind of picking his brain out on just being simple and knowing what they’re going to throw you,” said Serna. “[He talked about] knowing the situation and when the pitcher throws his pitch, sometimes tipping your cap but also knowing what he’s going to throw you.”
Goodin went 2-for-4 with one strikeout on Saturday. He laid out his strategy for selecting pitches to swing at, and which to avoid.
“I have, like a zone, where I kind of look for, and kind of lay off the other pitches that aren’t in my zone” Goodin explained. “I think, like, you can’t cover the whole plate, so just kind of knowing what [pitch] you want and what you’re looking for on the plate is, I think, the biggest thing.”
Like Serna, he has been unstoppable at the plate, as he currently leads Y-D in slugging percentage (.568) and home runs (3). He is tied for first on the team in RBI (9) with Caleb Daniel (Georgia Tech), and ranks second in batting average (.297), on-base percentage (.357), and OPS (.925).
The left-handed hitter has been especially hot in the past few games, with a two home run game against Harwich and a 3-for-5 performance with a home run against Hyannis. His strategy to keep his momentum rolling into tonight’s game was somewhat unconventional.
“I’ve been having Cheerios every morning,” Goodin said.
These are Honey Nut Cheerios, to be exact. He’s been eating them since his offense picked up, and has no plans to defect from the superstition.
“It’s been like one of those things where I’m like, okay, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” he said.
Y-D’s pitching also played a tremendous role in shutting down Wareham’s offense.
Connor Hamilton (Vanderbilt University) started on the mound and stayed there for 3 and ⅔ innings. He only allowed one hit and two walks with three strikeouts. Zach Russell (Mississippi State) followed, and his sole allowance of three hits, one walk, and five strikeouts over 2 and ⅓ innings earned him the win.
In the seventh inning, Ethan Sutton (University of South Florida) entered the game and allowed no hits with one walk and one strikeout; Rhett Vaughn (Florida State University) took the last inning, where he recorded two strikeouts and allowed only one hit.
Y-D will take its shot at 12-1 on Sunday, away, against the Bourne Braves at 6:00 pm EDT.
