story by Steve McCarthy
July 26, 2010
ORLEANS - Kolten Wong did a little bit of everything
for the Orleans Firebirds Monday night. The Hawaii
second baseman hit a two-run double, an RBI single,
legged out a bunt single, stole two bases, and made
several plays with his glove as the Firebirds shut out
the Cotuit Kettleers 6-0.
Wong went 3-for-4
with three RBIs as the Firebirds (18-18-1) got back to
.500 with their third straight victory. They trail
Harwich by one point for third place in the Cape Cod
Baseball League's Eastern Division standings.
I played really
well tonight and I just try to do everything for the
team, Wong said. We're kind of hot right now, so
I'm trying to do whatever I can to help the team keep
winning.
Cotuit (17-15-2)
maintained its lead in the West by two points as
second-place Bourne also lost. The Kettleers will play a
make-up game against Wareham on Tuesday at Lowell Park.
Matt Koch (Loyola
Marymount) also had three hits in support of Orleans
starting pitcher Matt Sisto (2-1, Hawaii), who
surrendered Cotuit's only six hits over six innings.
Sisto walked just his second batter in 37 innings
pitched this summer.
The 6-foot-5
righthander allowed a one-out baserunner in five of his
six innings but pounded the strikezone with 56 strikes
of 86 total pitches and allowed his error-free defense
to work for him.
Once I got a
runner-on, I really got focused, Sisto said. I
didn't want to give up any runs tonight. It was kind of
a close game for a while, so I had to bear down.
The offense which
exploded for 12 runs Sunday against Brewster escaped the
Kettleers as well as their torrid baserunning. Cotuit
was successful on just two stolen base attempts Monday.
We try to
disrupt their timing because we know they like to run a
lot, Sisto said.
Orleans produced 10
hits in the game but fanned eight times against Cotuit
starter Matt Murray (2-1, Georgia Southern). Murray did
not walk a batter and needed 80 pitches to get through
five innings but was dealt the hard-luck loss.
Wong's two-out
double opened the scoring in the third inning as he
plated Koch and Shon Roe (Loyola Marymount).
I was just
trying to get something going, Wong said.
A fielding error by
Cotuit third baseman Levi Hyams (Georgia) allowed Matt
Newman (Arizona St.) to cross from third in the fourth
inning before Murray struck out two of his final three
batters faced.
The Firebirds
rallied for their final three runs in the seventh inning
on four hits. Wong and Roe each drove in one with
singles and Jayce Boyd (Florida St.) lofted a sacrifice
fly to center to push the last across.
Cotuit reliever
Brooks Pinckard (Baylor) was responsible for the final
three runs after leaving two baserunners for Matt
Andriese (UC-Riverside) with one out in the seventh.
Andriese finished the game.
Nolan Belcher
(South Carolina), Jack Leathersich (UMass-Lowell), and
Kenny Long (Illinois St.) each worked an inning out of
Orleans' bullpen.
Deven Marrero
(Arizona St.) had two of Cotuit's hits
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