story by Steve McCarthy
July 20, 2010
HYANNIS - The Cotuit Kettleers advanced into a tie
atop the Cape Cod Baseball League's Western Division
Standings Tuesday night with a 4-1 win over the Hyannis
Harbor Hawks and help from a loss by the Bourne Braves.
The outright lead
will be decided on Wednesday when the Braves visit
Lowell Park at 5 p.m. The teams are six points clear of
third-place Falmouth. Cotuit's (15-13-2) last loss came
to Bourne (16-14) at Doran Park on July 15 before
starting a four-game winning streak.
Michael Yastrzemski
(Vanderbilt) hit his first home run of the summer
Tuesday and Jordan Leyland (UC-Irvine) launched his
second to put some distance ahead of Hyannis (12-19),
which was constantly threatening. The Harbor Hawks
out-hit Cotuit 13-8 but left eight baserunners stranded.
Yastrzemski went
3-for-5 with two runs scored and Leyland had two hits.
“Being able to
put a good swing on a ball in a key situation is always
one of the best moments in baseball,” Yastrzemski
said.
Cotuit starting
pitcher Matt Murray's (2-0, Georgia Southern) outing was
less than spectacular, but he benefited from an
error-free defense. The Kettleers' middle infield turned
an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in
the third inning, holding just a 3-1 edge at that point.
Hyannis left baserunners on second and third in the
eighth and ninth innings.
Murray scattered
nine hits and struck out just one, but walked a single
batter.
“It's always
tough when you have an outing like that, but it's real
good that he could get over his changeup and each hitter
he was throwing strikes,” Yastrzemski said.
Cotuit scored twice
in the first inning for the third-straight game. Chad
Wright (Kentucky) crossed on a Brooks Pinckard (Baylor)
groundout, and Yastrzemski scored on Levi Hyams'
(Georgia) single up the middle. The Kettleers had three
hits in their first at-bat off Hyannis starter Tyler Ray
(3-2, Troy).
“It gives the
pitchers a little extra relaxation on the mound,”
Leyland said. “When you get those first couple of runs
right away, pitchers get to do their actual thing and
not have to worry about holding it themselves.”
Leyland homered to
left in the third inning and Yastrzemski went the other
way in the fifth. Ray lasted six innings, allowing two
earned runs on six hits. He struck out two and walked
two.
The Harbor Hawks
rallied with four hits in the third inning, but it was
Cam Seitzer's (Oklahoma) sac-fly that pushed a run
across. Seitzer went 3-for-3 besides that with a double
and two singles.
David Colvin
(Pomona-Pitzer) earned the save (2) for Cotuit in three
innings of work. He struck out three, one ending a
two-out battle in the ninth inning with Hyannis' No.2
hitter A.J. Petterson (Minnesota).
Hyannis relievers
Cody Stiles (North Carolina) and Dallas Gallant (Sam
Houston) combined to hold Cotuit scoreless over the
final three innings.
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