Cotuit, Mass. – The Kettleers have struggled to begin the 2025 season and desperately needed to get back in the win column. They had that opportunity on Friday when Harwich came into town. Cotuit’s offensive struggles continued as they were shut out by the Mariners for the second time this season while only collecting four hits in a 5-0 loss.
The 1-5 start to the season is Cotuit’s worst since 2016, when they also started 1-5. There’s plenty of time to make it up, but they must start quickly.
“We just keep it real. There’s going to be times in baseball and life when things don’t go well, I think if there’s a willingness to listen to outside noise, then it’s going to continue,” Cotuit manager Loren Hibbs says. “But if there’s a willingness to focus every day on being the best version of yourself, then you have a chance to correct things.”
After consecutive scoreless innings to begin the game, Harwich threatened in the top of the third. Tre Broussard (Houston) collected a one-out single before reaching second on a stolen base. Cotuit starting pitcher Kenton Deverman (Evansville) surrendered another single, then hit a batter to load the bases with two outs.
On the first pitch of his at-bat, Kyle Wolff (Boston College) laced a single through the left side of the infield to plate a pair of Mariners.
The Kettleers threatened in the next half inning after a pitch plunked Case Sanderson (Nebraska), and Andrew Wiggins (Transfer Portal) reached on an error. However, a strikeout and a Camden Johnson (Oklahoma) double play in consecutive at-bats ended the third inning.
After retiring the first batter of the fifth, things went downhill for Cotuit reliever Zane Coppersmith (Stetson). He hit a batter and handed out a walk before Ty Bell (Kentucky) doubled into right field to plate a run. Two more runs came into score on a Dee Kennedy (Kansas State) two-bagger, extending the Harwich lead to 5-0.
Dylan Scudder (Bryant) came into the game in the top of the eighth and made quick work of the Mariners' lineup, ending the frame after facing just four batters. He returned for the ninth inning and surrendered two singles but got out of it unscathed while striking out a pair.
Cotuit put two runners on after Ryne Farber (Auburn) was hit by a pitch, and Nolan Stevens (Oklahoma) singled. But Easton Winfield (Texas) grounded into a double play to end the game in a 5-0 loss, the second shutout defeat in the last three games.
"It's all about focusing on being the best you can be that day, just like tomorrow. We're going to come out and get early work done, pregame batting practice, and let's be the best version of ourselves," Hibbs said. "It doesn't matter what the record is or the batting average, that's the kind of noise we're talking about."
Notes
Cotuit batted 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position on Friday. In the first six games this year, they're batting .091 with RISP, which is last in the league.
The Ketts were shut out again by Harwich on Friday and have scored just 10 runs this summer, which ranks last in the CCBL. The next worst team, Bourne, has scored twice as many runs (21) as Cotuit.
Looking Ahead
The Kettleers will host the Hyannis Harbor Hawks on Saturday night, where both teams will be looking to get back into the win column. Cotuit lost 5-0 to Harwich, and Hyannis was beaten 12-6 by Wareham, whom the Ketts beat earlier in the season. First pitch from Lowell Park is at 5:00 p.m.
