COTUIT, Mass. — In a game aligning with Kettleers manager Mike Roberts’ style, it took some time for Cotuit to scratch runs across with an aggressive strategy on the basepaths against the Falmouth Commodores at Lowell Park on Tuesday.
Through the first six innings, Cotuit took four extra bases and was caught once as it found itself down 2-1 to start the bottom of the seventh inning. The one run for Cotuit was aided by an error on Falmouth when a pickoff attempt hit off baserunner Tanner Thach (UNC Wilmington) at first base, allowing him to move to scoring position. That gave the cue for Brandon Compton (Arizona State) to drive him in with a two-out single to the opposite field.
But to take the game from the Commodores, Roberts knew more pressure needed to be applied.
“It's better to be able to get a bunt down. That's the thing,” Roberts said. “And then let the visiting team play with the bunt.”
That’s exactly what the Kettleers did once Kien Vu (Arizona State) led off the inning against fresh reliever Riley Stanford (Georgia Tech) with a single smacked down the left field line. Jarren Advincula (Cal) was asked to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but once Stanford couldn’t field the ball with his bare hand, it was clear that small ball had to continue.
With the lineup turned over, Nolan Nawrocki (Clemson) was given the sign to square around and placed a perfect tapper on the third base line. Nawrocki just nearly beat out the running throw by third baseman Dylan Carey, but it benefitted Cotuit that the short-hopped throw could not be scooped cleanly by Jaxon Willits (Oklahoma) covering the bag and kicked away into the infield grass. With all runners advancing 90 feet, Vu took home easily on the friendly carom as Advincula got a delayed start to move up to third.
Willits rushed to field the ball and double-clutched his attempt to nab the runner with Stanford covering the base, which ultimately sailed up the line and allowed Advincula to score the go-ahead run on the play.
The third run was all Cotuit needed once paired with another standout set of outings from the Kettleers pitching staff.
“I think the last five, six games, that we've had one of the best pitching streaks that that we've had in Cotuit in years,” Roberts said. “That kind of pitching after the first couple of days has kept us in every ballgame and given us a chance to win, and I'm thankful for that.”
Logan Lunceford (Wake Forest) got the starting nod and battled through three no-hit innings without his best stuff, walking and striking out a trio of Commodores. Janzen Keisel (Oregon) was first out of the bullpen to mark his second stint with Cotuit but could only record one out as he loaded the bases in his first outing since May 17.
Hunter Watkins (Grand Canyon) allowed two of his inherited runners to score on a sac fly and base hit but held Falmouth at bay for the rest of his appearance. The 6-foot-8 righty induced a groundout to get out of the top of the fourth inning, then threw two more hitless frames while walking one before handing the ball off to Gabriel Nard (Duke) for the seventh.
Nard earned the win, striking out two batters before Cotuit took the lead for good and notching one more punchout before he exited the game in the ninth. Cam Schuelke (Mississippi State) quickly recorded two outs with the tying run on base, using his frisbee slider from a submarine arm angle to seal the fifth straight win for the Kettleers.
Charles Davalan (Arkansas) added cushion for Cotuit in the bottom of the eight with a solo home run, the team’s 10th of the season, in the outfielder’s second at-bat of the summer.
“I waited a bit, but we've got a lot of talent in this dugout, and if it wasn't for me, someone else would be playing,” Davalan said. “I'm just happy to be playing with a bunch of good guys and learning from the best.”
Cotuit improved to 6-3 on the year and will have to keep up the intensity against a good Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox team on Wednesday. First pitch at Red Wilson Field is set for 5 p.m.
