story by Steve McCarthy
June 27, 2010
HARWICH - After losing 3-2 on a walk-off hit for the
second time in four games, the Cotuit Kettleers willed
out an 8-7 win in the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader
in Harwich.
The Kettleers
stranded Harwich baserunners on first and second in the
seventh and final inning after losing nearly all of
their eight run lead built in the first two innings.
The twinbill paired
the last place teams in the two Cape Cod Baseball League
divisions. With the split, Cotuit (4-9-1) advanced one
point ahead of Wareham in the Western Division, which
had its second game of a doubleheader at Chatham fogged
out. Harwich (5-9-0) trails Orleans by two points in the
East.
“The first game
was a tough loss, but it happens. It's part of
baseball,” Cotuit's Jordan Leyland (UC-Irvine) said.
“The second game, we came out in that first inning and
slugged it, and that's the way we should play every
game.”
Cotuit right-hander
Matt Andriese (UC-Riverside) had been used only in a
starting role this summer, but adapted his normal
bullpen day to complete a 2.1 inning save. Andriese came
on to get a critical third out with Harwich's tying run
on third base in the fifth inning and allowed one hit in
the outing.
“I came on one
time this spring in relief," Andriese said.
"It was a game with the bases loaded, same
situation like that. I kind of just settled down a
little bit and threw strikes.”
Andriese was the
West Coast Collegiate League's Pitcher of the Year last
summer and worked 103.2 innings at school this spring.
He has thrown 15.1 innings through three appearances for
Cotuit.
“My body actually
feels good. My arm feels very well,” Andriese said.
“Hopefully it just holds together the rest of the
summer.”
Cotuit's bats came
out firing in the second game as they posted six runs in
the first inning. The Kettleers jumped all over Harwich
starting pitcher Kyle McKenzie (0-1, Tulane), who got
just one out and saw his 7.72 ERA balloon to 27.00 in
the loss.
Cotuit sent eleven
batters to the plate in the opening frame and C.J. Cron
(Utah) recorded two base hits in the inning. Levi Hyams
(Georgia) drove in the first two runs with a line drive
up the middle and Michael Faulkner (Arkansas St.) hit an
RBI single.
Leyland and Joey
Hainsfurther (Baylor) singled in the second inning to
push across what proved to be valuable insurance runs.
“We've got good
speed in our lineup now with some new guys coming in,
and we've got great power,” Leyland said. “There's a
lot of protection all around the lineup.”
The Mariners
steadily chipped away at the deficit, scoring three runs
in the second inning and two in the third and the fifth.
Cotuit starting
pitcher Joe Robinson (Southern Nevada JC) surrendered
five runs, of which four were earned, in two-plus
innings. Reliever David Colvin (2-0, Pomona-Pitzer)
worked the same amount and picked up the win, despite
allowing Harwich's final two runs.
Kyle McMillen (Kent
St.) faced three batters in the fifth inning before
Andriese entered.
In the first game,
Cotuit took a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning only to see
Harwich's Clint Moore (Army) pull out a two-run
game-winning single in the seventh.
Cotuit's Brooks
Pinckard (0-1, Baylor) inherited a 2-1 ballgame in the
home half of the sixth and blew the save.
The Kettleers
scored both of their runs in the fourth inning, which
was enough of a cushion for starting pitcher Matt Murray
(Georgia Southern). Murray struck out nine through five
and one-third innings and was not responsible for
Harwich's first run.
Leyland and Cron
hit RBI doubles as part of Cotuit's five-hit output.
Three of the hits came in the fifth inning.
Harwich's three
runs were scored on four hits.
Daniel Burawa (St.
Johns) ended up with the win for the Mariners, pitching
an inning in relief of starter Andrew Leenhouts
(Northeastern), who struck out seven.
Cotuit has an off
day Monday before traveling to Chatham on Tuesday for a
7 p.m. game.
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