Wareham faces its biggest test of the summer.
The Gatemen, the current fifth seed in the West Division, visit the fourth place Kettleers. The tiebreaker will most likely come into play over the next 10 days at the end of the Cape League calendar as just four squads in each division qualify for the CCBL postseason.
Wareham takes its final trip to Lowell Park of the summer: its first was over a month ago on Cape Cod Baseball League Opening Day, a matchup that Cotuit would sneak by and win.
Starting Pitchers: Brissey vs. Bivens
Wareham: Another Gatemen Razorback, Peyton Lee, was phenomenal on Thursday in Brewster: he didn't allow a single hit or run over four innings of work. Now Mark Brissey (Arkansas) looks to compile a similar stat line and give Wareham some momentum from the start in this critical divisional showdown. His last outing came from the bullpen, only allowing a single hit, but Brissey makes his third start of the summer in Cotuit.
Cotuit: The Kettleers have played the top team in each division over the last two days, the Braves and the Red Sox, and have 14 runs over that span. Grady Bivens (Troy) can tighten things up defensively for Cotuit against a Wareham lineup he faced earlier this month, only now it's at Lowell Park. He is one of 12 Kettleer arms to reach double-digit strikeouts on the summer, and fanned a pair of Gatemen batters back in early July.
Players To Watch:
Gatemen: Although Wareham’s success at the plate was few and far between in a tight defensive battle, Connor Cuff (Southeastern Louisiana) tallied the first hit of the ball game and extended his streak of base knocks to five games: he has only played 11 Cape League contests so far. Cuff came into the CCBL and had immediate success in a league that most hitters struggle early on.
Kettleers: Cotuit only racked up three runs on Thursday, and Landon Beaver (UAB) provided one of those scores with a second inning homer. He also later doubled in the fourth frame to start a rally and eventually came around to score to tie the ballgame at three. Beaver’s 19 base knocks on the summer rank third amongst Kettleer batters.
First pitch in Cotuit is set for 4:30. Fans can attend free of charge, or tune in from anywhere on Cape League TV.
