A blend of scorching bats and standout pitching earned the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox an 8-1 win against the Brewster Whitecaps on Friday to improve to a 9-1 record.
Y-D’s bats were loud, and the usual offensive contributors contributed. John Beverley (Georgia State University) went 2-for-2 with a double in the seventh and an infield single; Mateo Serna (University of Alabama) went 2-for-4 with one double and an RBI single; and Brock Ketelsen went 1-for-4 with one walk.
It was also a game for a new guy to show what he can do for Y-D, that was, Lucas Franco (Texas Christian University).
Although it was predetermined that the rising sophomore would fit in with Y-D on a personal level, as joined his former college roommate Brady Dallimore on the roster, his performance on Wednesday determined that his bat fits right into the Y-D lineup as well.
Franco went 2-for-4 with two base hits to right field. He was satisfied with the performance.
“It felt good to get back out there, you know, get some live at-bats” Franco said. “I thought I saw the spin really well from the righties, didn’t chase them when they were low. I obviously saw the fast ball as well, it’s what I got the hits on.”
Aside from also being excited to hit with a wooden bat again due to its different barrell, like he did in multiple high school summer leagues, Franco also spoke to Y-D’s team chemistry.
“I got here three, four days ago. All of them have been really welcoming. It’s a lot of fun. I love all of these guys.”
Aside from Franco’s Y-D debut and offensive showings, the game was also a testament to Y-D’s bullpen depth.
Brewster’s only run was a home run from Jacob Lee (Virginia Commonwealth University). Other than that big hit in the fourth inning, Y-D’s pitching staff kept Brewster’s bats quiet.
Danny Nelson (Clemson University) started on the mound, and stayed there for 3 and ⅔ innings. Despite giving up the solo shot to the Whitecaps, Nelson’s performance was otherwise smooth. The right-hander totaled six strikeouts and only allowed two hits.
In the fourth inning, following a Brewster double, Ethan Sutton (University of South Florida) entered the game. Over 2 and ⅔ innings, the right-hander recorded no hits, one walk, and six strikeouts, and was eventually credited with the win.
Sutton, who left tonight’s outing with a 3.86 ERA, entered the game with a runner on second. He broke down his thought process at this moment.
“You just got to have a lot of belief in stuff,” Sutton told Olivia Lambert, Y-D’s sideline reporter. “When you go up there and you know you got two outs, you got to make one pitch, and when you make that one pitch, you get out of the inning, so just trusting in that.”
Then, Cooper McMullen (Kennesaw State University) pitched for 1 and ⅔ innings and only allowed one hit before Cade O’Leary (Florida State University) finished the game with no hits or runs allowed.
Y-D will go for a 10-1 record on Friday at 6:00 pm EDT, away, against Hyannis.
