As the great Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over til it’s over.” Nowhere is that more apparent than college baseball. Until the final zero illuminates the scoreboard, it truly is anyone’s game. In the CCBL, the magical moments that are a result of this phenomena happen almost every game. But not all magical moments are created equal.

Win probability is tracked throughout each CCBL game, and the top key moments of each game are shown alongside their change in win probability. Below are the five biggest momentum swings in Kettleer games so far, and whether or not Cotuit came up successful in the big moment.

Seojun Oh (Missouri) single, 6/19 at Y-D, top 9th, 38.6% gain:

One of two moments on this list from an incredibly tense game, this one comes first both chronologically and in impact. To set the stage, Cotuit had runners on second and third from a single and a walk as well as an out from a sacrifice bunt that moved the runners over. Oh is called to pinch-hit for Jesse DiMaggio (Dallas Baptist) because he is a left-handed hitter.

Oh takes a strike low and away, then sits on a ball even further low and away to make it 1-1. Then, the pitch comes. A fastball down the middle. Oh slaps it into right-center field, scoring two runs and turning a one-run deficit into a one-run lead. Two outs away from a defeat, the Kettleers now have a lead on the undefeated Red Sox going into the bottom of the ninth.

This run became the winning one in a very tight game, although it somehow was not even the most significant event in its own game. This hit merely put one foot in the door of victory.

Dominic Cadiz (UCLA) grounds into double play, 6/26 vs Orleans, top 8th, 41.6% gain:

Similar to a play that will be discussed later, this one sees Cotuit up by a run but in a vulnerable position to lose it all. When Cadiz stepped to the plate to face Truitt Manuel (NC State), runners stood at the corners with just one out in a 3-2 ballgame.

Manuel and Cadiz battled the entire at bat. Manuel took the lead early, throwing two strikes before Cadiz fouled off the third pitch. But Cadiz fought back, taking two balls away to give him some leverage in the count. Finally, the sixth pitch came nearly right down the middle. Cadiz hit it hard, but he hit it right to Noah Coy (Notre Dame). Coy seized the moment, flipping the ball to Dawson Park (LSU) who threw down to first to complete the double play and seal the victory.

This victory snapped a four-game losing streak by the Kettleers, giving them some well needed momentum that they used to have a three-game unbeaten run.

Edward Yamin IV (LSU) double, 6/27 at Brewster, bottom 10th, 44.1% loss:

After getting a run in the top of the tenth on a Landon Beaver (UAB) single, Cotuit was in position to win. But with CCBL overtime rules placing a runner on second to start the inning, the Kettleers were still vulnerable. Still, two quick outs put pitcher Kyle Kipp (Boston College) one pitch away from the win.

The only thing standing between Cotuit and victory was Yamin, who was 0-3 on the day. But he navigated the at-bat well, taking three balls high to set up a hitters count with Kipp. Between a rock and a hard place, Kipp threw a fastball down the middle. Yamin wasted nothing, nearly eclipsing the fence in left-center field for an RBI double. All of a sudden, the Whitecaps were in the position to win.

The game actually ended in a tie as Kipp forced a groundout from the next batter. Yet, the win probability swing was real as the Kettleers went from one pitch away from victory to one pitch away from defeat.

Ty Mainolfi (Boston College) lines into double play, 6/19 at Y-D, bottom 9th, 46.5% gain:

If Oh’s hit put one foot in the door of victory, this play pushed the Kettleers all the way through. Despite having a one-run lead, a Cotuit victory was in doubt due to pitcher Luke McGrath (James Madison) allowing two free passes to open the inning. With just one out, the runners stood at the corners.

McGrath wasted no time challenging Mainolfi, delivering a pitch towards the top of the zone. Mainolfi accepted the challenge and laced a line drive to the right side. If Hunter Warren (NC State) had been in any other position, Mainolfi’s ball hits the outfield grass and scores the tying run. Instead, Warren was in the perfect position to catch the line drive and throw the ball to first base, doubling off Zach Russell (South Carolina) and ending the game 4-3.

Y-D has still only lost one game all season, and the play made by McGrath and Warren sealed that lone blemish in a big win for the Kettleers.

Nolan Traeger (Arkansas) home run, 7/1 at Chatham, bottom 7th, 51.6% loss:

The most recent and most devastating play on the list, this home run completely turned a game upside down. Entering the bottom of the seventh Cotuit was cruising. They had a 3-2 lead and led the hit battle 10-4 over the Anglers. But, one of the four hits had come from Traeger when he put a no-doubter over the right field wall.

Chatham had two runners on and two outs when Traeger stepped up again to face Manuel. Few scenarios could have been more decisive. Get an out, and the lead stays intact. Allow a hit and that lead could disappear. What happened next certainly fell into the latter category.

Manuel missed high on the first pitch of the at-bat, but earned a strike with a pitch at the top of the zone. The third pitch, which could not have sat more in the middle of the strike zone, was obliterated. Traeger put the ball right where he did in his previous at-bat, turning a one-run lead into a two-run deficit which the Kettleers would never return from. By the end of the inning it was 7-3 and the game finished 8-5 Anglers. While a power outage literally flipped the power at the game, Traeger’s home run did so figuratively.