By: Sean Bailey, Writing Intern, Providence College
June 15, 2013
(Kettle Talk with Alexa Galloway: PREGAME and POSTGAME)
(Video recap of game by Connor Sullivan HERE)
COTUIT – Baseball is a beautiful game. And for those fans at Lowell Park this Saturday evening, they got to watch a masterpiece of a game. The Cotuit Kettleers and the Wareham Gatemen engaged in an old-fashioned pitchers duel, with both teams surrendering little to the other. After the dust settled, it was the Kettleers who emerged victorious with a gritty 3-2 win over the Gatemen.
Mike Ford does his thing on the mound. Photo by Joe Cavanaugh
“Overall, when you win a ball game like that it is something I like to call finessics,” said Manager Mike Roberts after the game. “Good pitching and timely base running got us the win.”
The Kettleers relied heavily on the arms of Chris Ellis (Ole Miss) and Mike Ford (Princeton). Ellis started, and worked four innings of one run baseball striking out six. Ford, the winning pitcher, went the last five striking out four, while allowing a lone run.
“I try to do my thing on the mound. I attacked hitters and my changeup was working really well today,” said Ford following his first win of the season.
Ellis pitched around trouble in the early innings. In the second, he danced around runners reaching first and second with nobody out by striking out the next two Gatemen and getting the third to ground feebly to second. After giving up a home run to Trevor Podratz (University of Hawaii) in the third, Ellis dodged danger in the fourth. After loading the bases with no outs, Ellis reared back and blew fastballs by the next two hitters. He then recorded the third out with a weak grounder to second.
Wareham threw Fred Shepard (Amherst), and he mowed down the Kettleers lineup, facing the minimum amount of batters for the first four innings. Through his first five, it looked like the Kettleers would be unable to solve the puzzle that was Shepard’s slow curveball.
“We were not real good in regards to having good swings against their left handed pitchers, particularly the starter, who changed speeds real well,” said Roberts. “The slower he threw the slower our bat speed was. We tried to make the transition and we got a little lucky.”
Will Remillard came through in the clutch. Photo by Joe Cavanaugh
Cotuit would ultimately crack Shepard in the seventh though. Down 1-0 it all started with a Hunter Cole (Georgia) single through the hole between first and second. Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt) made his first plate appearance of the season for the team, getting hit by a pitch. Then with one out, both runners took off. The Gatemen’s throw to third was late, and the ball scooted by third basemen, Will Schwanke (Arkansas), allowing Cole to score to tie the game at one. Then Aramis Garcia (Florida International) drew a walk to put runners at the corners. After a defensive indifference moved Garcia to second, Will Remillard (Coastal Carolina) came through in the clutch lacing a single to left scoring both Garcia and Wiseman to propel the Kettleers to a 3-1 lead.
After that, it was Ford’s turn. And he quickly set down the Gatemen, as he scattered three hits while not allowing a walk. He allowed a lone run in the eighth. After giving up the run, Ford settled down and avoided losing the lead by retiring Brock Stewart (Illinois State) with runners on first and second.
The win pushes the Kettleers record to 2-1. The team travels to Falmouth for a 5:30 p.m. tilt against the Commodores.