Harris Hammers Kettleers to Big Win Over Whitecaps

By Megan Kerr, Asst. Web Editor
July 3, 2005

COTUIT, MA – A 4-5, four-RBI performance at the plate by LSU’s Bryan Harris powered the Kettleers to a 10-3 victory last night at Lowell Park, while teammate Clay Dirks (LSU) picked up his second win of the 2005 campaign.

Harris hit the game-winning RBI with his second home run this week and second of the season in the fifth inning, as he paced the Kettleers to a 10-3 victory.

Cotuit now stands in second place in the Western Division at 9-6-1, just one win behind the first place Bourne Braves. Cotuit is 7-3 in its last 10 games and 6-1 in its last seven games.

The bats for the Kettleers came to life as the rest of the hitters followed the lead of Harris, which gave the Kettleers their third victory in a row. After the Whitecaps had jumped on the Kettleers with three runs in the second inning, Cotuit was able to sieze control of the game in the fourth inning when they scored two runs and put themselves right back into the game. This was made possible due to the solid pitching of Clay Dirks (LSU, 1 BB, 1 K), who won his second game of the season.

Dirks came into the game leading the league in ERA with a zero ERA, but this streak was snapped in the top of the second inning. With two outs and a runner on second, Ryne Malone (Florida State, 1 for 4 batting, 1 RBI) doubled to bring in the first run of the game. Kelly Edmundson (Tennessee, 2 for 4 batting, 2 RBI) then hit a home run to conclude the scoring for the Whitecaps. Though Dirks wasn’t as dominating as he had been in his previous starts, he was able to keep the Whitecaps hitters off-balance, which allowed the Kettleers to take over the game.

After having stopped the Kettleers attack for the first three innings, Conor Lalor (South Carolina, 3 Ks, 2 BB) gave up two runs to the Kettleers in the fourth and then two more in the fifth to give Cotuit the lead. J.P Padron (LSU, 1 for 3 batting, 2 RBI) hit a home run, his first of the season, to get two runs acorss in the fourth, and then Harris added another home run, his second of the season, in the fifth for two more runs. Harris has now surpassed Todd Davison (Delaware) for the team lead in RBI, as after this game Harris now has twelve RBI on the season, which is also the best in the league. Going into the sixth, the Kettleers owned a four to three lead which they never relinquished.

Insurance runs were provided in the seventh and eighth innings, which gave Chris Toneguzzi (Purdue, 2 Ks) a ten to three lead when he came on in relief for Dirks. That was more than enough as Toneguzzi easily pulled the game out for the Kettleers, earning his third save of the season. The Kettleers have equalled their longest winning streak of the season with the win, and they now own the second best record in the league. Cotuit is on a hot streak right now, which they will look to keep going tommorow against Falmouth.