by Evan Barber (Living the Dream Blog)
Interview by Evan Barber and Andrew Brooks: Coach Roberts, Chris Beck, Alex Yarbrough, Coach Pickler
July 22, 2011
YARMOUTH – It took almost three and a half hours and ten innings before the game was finally settled as a tie. The game was dominated by the Cotuit Kettleers but the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox kept level heads and fought their way out of the loss column.
With darkness looming and the Kettleers leading by one in the 10th inning the Red Sox looked for a little life to spark a win. Connor Harrell (Vanderbilt) drew a lead off walk and advanced to second when Jacob Lamb (Washington) dropped down a sacrifice bunt. Bennett Pickar (Oral Roberts) was the life needed as he hit a ball to the gap for a double that tied the game. After intentionally walking James Ramsey (Florida State), the Kettleers ended Y-D’s threat to win with an inning ending double play. The game was called a tie due to darkness after ten innings.
The Red Sox rallied in the 8th, giving them the chance to extend the game. With Chris Beck (Georgia Southern) on the hill, Ramsey hit a lead off home run to make the score 6-2. Then back-to-back hits ended Beck’s night and put runners on first and second for Brian Johnson (Florida) who singled to center to score Matthew Reynolds (Arkansas) from second and move Stephen Piscotty (Stanford) to third. Piscotty scored on a wild pitch from Bobby Wahl (Mississippi) and all of a sudden it was 6-4. Chris Taylor (Virginia) hit a routine ground ball to first that got through the legs of first baseman Ryon Healy (Oregon) and got into the outfield. Johnson moved to third. Two batters later Harrell hit a fly ball to his college teammate Mike Yastrzemski (Vanderbilt) that scored Johnson from third. Wahl ended up striking out Lamb to end the inning and any threat of a tie.
It was the Kettleers however with a high scoring inning of their own that forced a late game rally from the Red Sox. With one out and nobody on base in the third. Micah Johnson (Indiana) doubled to left field. Kyle Wren (Georgia Tech) then singled to center to score Johnson and it was 1-0 Cotuit. Alex Yarbrough (Mississippi) then singled to center. With runners on first and second, the big man Victor Roache (Georgia Southern) came to the plate. Roache sent the ball to the deepest part of the yard and it found a way over the fence for the three-run home run. After Jordan Leyland (UC Irvine) was caught stealing, Deven Marrero (Arizona State) singled to center. Healy moved Marrero to third on a single of his own. Yastrzemski then hit an RBI single to make it 6-0 Kettleers.
Yarbrough added to the Kettleers’ lead when he hit a lead off solo shot in the 7th inning. With a 1-0 count Yarbrough saw fastball that he liked and sent it out of the park.
“I made sure to get my foot down a little early because I was almost positive he was gonna throw me a fastball, and he threw me a fastball low and in and thats where I like it left handed and I was lucky enough to catch it pretty good.” said Yarbrough of his home run.
Chris Beck had a solid start for the Kettleers. Beck pitched seven plus and gave up three earned on seven hits. Beck struck out five and walked none. Two of Beck’s earned runs came in the eighth before he was pulled.
Y-D started Daniel Gibson (Florida) who hadn’t started all year. Gibson looked lights out in the first 2 1/3 sitting down the first seven batters he faced. Then the Kettleers put up eight straight hits in the third and ended Gibson’s night. Gibson ended up going 2 ⅔ innings giving up five earned on the 8 straight hits.
With the tie the Kettleers earned a point in the standings but still sit in last place with a 12-20-3 record. They take on the Hyannis Harbor Hawks tomorrow in the final game of the Patriot Cup, and a chance to take on the top team in the Western division.