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2009
Cotuit Kettleers Game Recaps
... full
season stories
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Kettleers
back in Championship Series after 18-4 rout of Y-D
in semi-final Game Three
story by Steve McCarthy
August 10, 2009
SOUTH YARMOUTH - The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox cruised
through the Cape Cod Baseball League regular season
building a record five points better than their
nearest challenger, but were sent home stunned
Monday following an 18-4 disaster in Game Three of
their semi-final series against the heavy underdog
Cotuit Kettleers at Red Wilson Field.
The visiting team won each of the first two games of
the series, bringing the fate of both teams to a
pivotal point under the scorching afternoon sun. The
Kettleers earned a trip to the Cape League
Championship Series for the second straight season.
They were swept in 2008 for the Arnold Mycock trophy
by the Harwich Mariners. Game One of the
Championship Series is scheduled for Tuesday at
Doran Park in Bourne against the Western Division
Champion Braves at 7 p.m.
“Sometimes I’m never ceased to be amazed
sometimes in the game of baseball what can
happen,” Cotuit manager Mike Roberts said. “We
all know anybody can win one game. We were just
fortunate to win that game today.”
Everything that could go wrong for the Red Sox
eventually did as poor pitching and five fielding
blunders sent the Kettleers circling the bases. All
but one Cotuit player crossed the plate at least
once.
Kevin Patterson (Auburn), a returning player from
the 2008 Kettleers team scored four runs and drove
in three from the third spot in the batting order.
Cameron Rupp (Texas) crossed three times and drove
in three. Cotuit’s All-Star catcher Cody Stanley (UNC-Wilmington)
started in the outfield for the third straight game
as the Kettleers are left with nine positional
players and scored three runs from the cleanup spot
and drove in two.
“Y-D’s been good all year,” Patterson said.
“They’ve had good pitching and good offense all
year long. It’s just kind of an aberration it just
happened to be in a playoff game, an elimination
game.”
The Kettleers tallied 14 hits and drew 10 walks. One
of the more bizarre plays seen all season was
Cotuit’s Chris Bisson (Kentucky) ending up at
third base after a strikeout in the fifth inning.
Strike three in the dirt got by Y-D catcher Ben
McMahan (Florida) and his attempt to throw Bisson
out at first ended up well down the right field
line.
Y-D started right-hander Greg Peavey (Oregon St.) on
the mound, a pitcher with normally pinpoint command
who walked just seven batters in 36 innings thrown
this summer. Peavey walked five in three plus
innings Monday and left when the score was a
manageable 4-1. He left a runner aboard for reliever
Chase Dempsay (Houston), who served as a batting
practice pitcher for the Kettleers, allowing nine
runs in an inning and one-third.
Dempsay was tagged for four two-out runs in the
fourth inning and five more in the fifth after
recording a leadoff out. Rupp ended his day
with a no-doubt two-run blast to center field.
The play that started the fourth inning rally was an
infield single by Stanley that gave Patterson
thoughts of scoring from second, but as he rounded
third he thought better of it, drawing a throw to
third by Y-D second baseman Tyler Hanover (LSU).
Hanover’s throw flew into the bleachers left of
third base, allowing Patterson to score and Stanley
to take third.
Matt Little (Kentucky) stopped the bleeding with a
pair of strikeouts to end the fifth inning, but
headed back to the dugout with a 13 run deficit for
the Y-D offense to overcome.
Cotuit’s Texas tandem made Little pay in the
seventh inning, as Rupp was hit by a pitch and Keyes
feasted on an offering left up by sending it into
the trees behind the center field fence.
Y-D shortstop Blake Kelso botched consecutive plays
in a three error eighth that saw Cotuit’s final
two runs scored. Neither were charged to Red Sox
reliever Nick Serino (UMASS).
Scott Lyman (UC Davis) pitched a scoreless ninth for
Y-D.
Cotuit starting pitcher Jeff Walters (Georgia)
worked a pair of quick innings before the Red Sox
loaded the bases with none out in the third inning.
Walters allowed a run scoring sac-fly by Caleb
Ramsey (Houston), but that was the only Y-D run to
cross in the inning as Craig Fritsch (Baylor) came
in and struck out the first two batters he faced.
Fritsch earned the win (1-1), tossing 5 1/3 quick
innings and was charged with one earned run, a solo
shot by Brian Hernandez (UC Irvine). He allowed
three hits, struck out four and walked one. With the
game out of hand, Y-D added a two more runs to their
credit in the eighth inning with help from a pair of
Cotuit errors. One was made by relief pitcher Matt
Grace (UCLA) who gave right fielder Kevin Keyes
(Texas) a rest at the end of the game.
“It’s always hard pitching with a lead, and
(Fritsch) did a phenomenal job just staying focused
and throwing a lot of strikes,” Patterson said.
Ben Rowen (Virginia Tech) retired the four batters
he faced to end the blowout.
“A lot of guys have left for whatever reason, but
we’re a close group,” Patterson said. “We’ve
been up here all summer so we might as well win
it.”
Cotuit’s most glaring question heading into the
best of three Championship Series will be the
pitching staff, as none of their regular starters
will be available Tuesday. Roberts plans to start
either Vanderbilt right-hander Navery Moore (1-1,
7.88 ERA) or Connors State Junior College southpaw
Andres Caceres (0-0, 4.91 ERA) in the opening game.
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