Cotuit’s Bats Power the Way to Victory in Season Opener

By Megan Kerr
June 16, 2006

COTUIT – Behind eight innings of solid pitching by Dan Delucia (Ohio State, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks) and sixteen hits by his surrounding cast, Cotuit routed Brewster for an easy victory in its opening game of the season. Delucia fooled the Whitecaps batters for eight innings as they only managed two runs off of him, one of them unearned. The first of these runs came in the fourth on a home run with two outs by right fielder Colin Cowgill (Kentucky, 1 for 4, 1 RBI) with the Kettleers already leading by five runs. Cotuit bounced right back though, as they scored two more runs in the fourth inning to stifle any hopes of a Brewster rally.

Dan Delucia pitched eight solid innings on opening day

Though Cotuit had already scored five runs off of Colt Hynes (Texas Tech, 13H, 1 BB, 1 K) by the bats of Brett Lilley (Notre Dame, 2 for 2, 1 RBI), Matt Angle (Ohio State, 1 for 3, 1 RBI), Tony Thomas (Florida State, 3 for 5, 2 RBI), and Tony Delmonico (Tennessee, 4 for 5, 1 RBI, 1 E), they continued to press the issue in the bottom of the fourth to stifle any momentum for the Whitecaps from Cowgill’s homerun. Thomas singled to lead off the inning, and then reached second on an errant throw by the pitcher. With one out, second baseman Eric Farris (Loyola Marymount, 1 for 4, 1 RBI) singled to again put the Kettleers up by five runs. Kellen Kulbacki (James Madison, 4 for 5, 1 RBI) then doubled to drive in Farris, providing the Kettleers with an insurmountable lead as Brewster was never able to seriously challenge Delucia.

Brewster was able to get another run off of an error made by Cotuit shortstop Delmonico, but they went into the ninth inning down by six runs. Having thrown close to a hundred pitches, Delucia was relieved in the ninth inning by Shane Mathews (East Carlolina, 3 BB, 1 K). After having made quick work of the first two batters, Mathews got himself into trouble by walking the next three batters to load the bases. With the count two and two to the Whitecaps catcher Adam Laplante (Wheaton, 0 for 4, 2 K), Mathews was able to get out of the tight situation and secure the victory for Delucia by striking Laplante out to end the game.

  Cotuit’s bats hope to stay hot against the visiting Hyannis Mets in order to secure another victory before they play their first game on the road. An eight to two victory was just what the Kettleers wanted in their season opener as they look to start the season off in a good manner.