story by Steve McCarthy
July 17, 2010
COTUIT - The Cotuit Kettleers took the season series
with the Falmouth Commodores in a 5-1 win Saturday
night, stealing six bases and pounding out double-digit
hits for the second straight game.
Cotuit won the
final three games of the five game series against its
Western Division rival, including a 5-2 decision at Guv
Fuller Field on July 4.
Saturday's result
pushed the Kettleers (13-13-2) three points ahead of
third-place Wareham in the division race. They remain
two behind Bourne. Cotuit will travel to Wareham on
Sunday.
Falmouth (12-17)
fell into a tie for last place with Hyannis heading into
a Sunday home game against Orleans. Hyannis will host
Bourne.
Cotuit starting
pitcher Austin Wood (3-0, St. Petersburg JC) held the
Commodores scoreless through the first six innings and
the Kettleers' scoring came early. They scored twice in
the first and third and for a final time in the fifth.
“I didn't really
have my best day today,” Wood said. “Unfortunately,
my curveball wasn't working very well, but I went mostly
changeup-fastball and it worked out.”
Wood struck out
three and walked five, but allowed just four hits. A.J.
Achter (Michigan St.) helped him out of a no-outs jam in
the seventh inning with the lone run charged to Wood.
Achter earned the three-inning save (2).
“It's nice having
(Achter) behind you,” Wood said.
The Kettleers
chased Falmouth starter Matt Stites (2-2, Jefferson
County JC) after three innings. Seven Cotuit batters
stepped in in the first. Leadoff hitter Michael Faulkner
(Arkansas St.) came in on a Levi Hyams (Georgia)
sacrifice fly, and Jordan Leyland (UC-Irvine) plated
Chad Wright (Kentucky) with an RBI single.
Deven Marrero
(Arizona St.) drove in two with a line drive single to
left in the third inning. Marrero, Leyland, and Wright
had two hits each of Cotuit's 10 total. Leyland also
swiped three bases.
“I feel like
we're getting the confidence back in our swings,”
Wright said. “We're finally starting to pull things
together offensively.”
Leyland singled off
Falmouth reliever Nick Maronde (Florida) in the fifth
inning and stole second and third. His second attempt
induced a low throw by Falmouth catcher Andrew Susac
(Oregon St.) that skipped into left field and allowed
Leyland to score.
“We're finally
starting to realize what Coach (Mike Roberts) has been
teaching us all along,” Wright said of the Kettleers'
baserunning.
Susac and K.C.
Serna (Oregon) each had two hits to pace Falmouth. Serna
singled in Kyle Bluestein (Jacksonville St.) in the
seventh inning, during which the Commodores left the
bases loaded.
Falmouth stranded
three baserunners in the fourth inning and two in the
fifth, as Wood was able to escape damage with two outs
each time.
“I kind of like
getting in pressure moments like that,” Wood said.
Steven Gruver
(Tennessee) and Rob Chamra (NC State) combined to allow
just one Cotuit hit over the final three innings.
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