Kettleers' Season Ends in Game Two of Western Division Playoffs

Bourne Braves Defeat Cotuit, 5-2, After Big 8th Inning

August 11, 2005

By Megan Kerr, Asst. Web Editor

COTUIT, MA -- The season ended last night as Cotuit was unable to come up with a win to force a third game of the series as they lost to the Braves, 5-2. The Braves will now advance to the Championship series while the Kettleers will head home. It was a great season for the Kettleers, but with this game, everyone will be forced to go home on a sour note as it seemed for most of the game that Cotuit was going to win. The eighth inning proved to be the killer for the Kettleers as Bourne scored four runs to take a lead that they would never relinquish, which was disappointing for many fans as they thought for sure that there was going to be a deciding game three in the series. For Barret Browning (Missouri, 3 Ks, 2 BBs), the loss was even harder to swallow as he pitched a great game, but ended up with a loss instead of the win that he deserved.
After Browning was touched up for a run in the first inning, he didn’t allow the Braves to get anything on offense for the next five innings, allowing the Kettleers to take the lead. Cotuit tied the score right away off of Braves starter Forest Cory III (William and Mary, 3 Ks, 1 BB) as Todd Davison (Delaware) scored on a double by Brad Boyer (Arizona, 1 for 4 batting, 1 RBI), erasing the Braves lead. In the third inning, they then took control of the game when Julio Borbon (Tennessee, 2 for 4 batting, 1 RBI), who finished the season extremely well after a poor start, singled with one out to drive in the go-ahead run. A two to one lead looked very good for Cotuit as both pitchers were on and it seemed unlikely that any offensive explosion would take place, but in this line of thinking, we were wrong.
The wheels came off for the Kettleers in the eighth inning when Browning came on again as he had only thrown seventy nine pitches throughout his previous seven innings of work.. Unfortunately, Browning was unable to close down the Braves in the top of the eighth as he had the rest of the game as he allowed two runners to reach base, and with an error it was first-and-third with only one out. Coach Roberts realized that this was a very dangerous situation and therefore went right to the closer Chris Toneguzzi (Purdue) to try to end the inning. Toneguzzi did not get the call on a 2-2 count and on the next pitch Bourne's Ty Wright (Oklahoma St., 1-4, 2 RBI) popped a fastball into rightfield for two runs. Rattled he did not get the strike three call on the preceding pitch, Toneguzzi was ejected from the game for having words with one of the umpires.

    Charlie Blackmon (Young Harris, 2 Ks, 1 BB) then had to race to get loose in the bullpen but Bourne had gained the 3-2 lead and the momentum. Braves slugger Hernandez (Oklahoma St., 1-4, 2 RBI) connected for a two-run homer to put Bourne up 5-2 and the wind had left the Kettleers' proverbial sails in spite of a vailiant effort by Blackmon.

    The Braves went on to lose to the Orleans Cardinals, two games to one in the Cape League Championship Series, with Orleans downing Bourne 1-0 in game one and then 14-1 in game three.