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2009
Cotuit Kettleers Game Recaps
... full
season stories
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Kettleers
clinch playoff berth with 7-4 comeback win against
Orleans
story by Steve McCarthy
August 2, 2009
COTUIT - The Cotuit Kettleers negated a three run
deficit and pulled away for a 7-4 win Sunday against
the Orleans Firebirds. The win clinched a playoff
berth for the Kettleers, assisted by a
Yarmouth-Dennis win against Brewster. Four days
remain in the regular season to set the playoff
picture, but the Kettleers will at least earn a Wild
Card spot.
“Getting down 3-0 early, and then battling back
shows what kind of team we have,” Cotuit
catcher/designated hitter Cameron Rupp said.
“We’re never going to quit, and we’re going to
go after it as many innings as we get in every
night.”
Cotuit’s Zach Cone (Georgia) tied the game in the
fifth inning with one swing of the bat, drilling a
first pitch fastball from Orleans starting pitcher
Jimmy Reyes (Elon) into right-center field for a
double that emptied the loaded bases. “I always
think first pitch,” Cone said. “Whatever came
across I was swinging.”
Rupp sent a towering shot off Reyes into the trees
behind the left field fence in the following inning
to put the Kettleers on top 4-3. It was Rupp’s
second home run in three games. “He had good sink
to his fastball, good sink to his changeup,” Rupp
said. “He kind of left a breaking ball over the
plate and I went out and got it.”
The Firebirds tied the game in the seventh inning
when Jaren Matthews (Rutgers) stole third and scored
on the errant throw down by Cotuit catcher Cody
Stanley (UNC-Wilmington).
Cotuit resorted to small ball in the home half of
the inning and manufactured three runs, before
closer Daniel Tillman (Florida Southern) left the
Firebirds final at bat due to darkness unscathed.
Tillman left runners on first and third to earn his
fifth save.
With Cotuit runners on first and third, Orleans
pulled in right fielder Jeremy Gould (Duke) to cover
first base and give the Firebirds five infielders to
prevent a squeeze bunt. Cone then got caught in a
rundown between first and second, and Rico Noel
(Coastal Carolina) faked a break toward the plate
from third to draw a throw. Noel slid safely back to
third, and Cone into second. The call brought
Orleans manager Kelly Nicholson out to argue and an
eventual ejection.
After the dust settled, Stanley executed the squeeze
bunt the Kettleers were looking for to bring in
Noel. Cone scored on a sac-fly by Tony Plagman
(Georgia Tech), and Rupp sent an RBI-double down the
left field line to drive in Stanley. Orleans
reliever Brock Stassi (Nevada) was charged with the
three earned runs in the inning.
The Firebirds built the early lead with their own
version of small ball. Three infield base hits, a
bunt single, and a sac-bunt moved runners around the
bases. Seven base hits off Cotuit starting pitcher
Chad Bell in the first four and one-third innings
produced runs in the first, fourth, and fifth
innings. Just two of the runs were earned. “That
happens sometimes,” Cotuit manager Mike Roberts
said. “I’ll take ground balls, and (Bell) got a
lot of ground balls. They played the small game
pretty well.”
Kevin Muno (San Diego) scored the first run as a
fielding error by Cotuit third baseman Kevin
Patterson allowed him to score from third. Gould
scored on a fielder’s choice in the fourth, and
Muno’s safety squeeze bunt brought in Matthews
from third in the fifth inning.
Bell attempted to continue pitching after getting
drilled in the leg by a line drive, but was relieved
shortly after by Ben Rowen (Virginia Tech). Rowen
(4-1) took the game to the eighth inning and earned
the win. He allowed Orleans’ final run, but did
not surrender a hit. Reyes fell to 3-3 with the
loss. “Considering that (Bell) got hit, I thought
he did a fantastic job,” Roberts said.
Before the start of the game, the host families of
Cotuit’s players lined the left field line and
received an appreciative round of applause, as well
as a team autographed photo.
The Kettleers have a scheduled off day Monday. Their
final two regular season games - Tuesday at Yarmouth
Dennis, and Wednesday at Lowell Park against
Brewster will begin at 4:30 p.m.
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