By: Sean Bailey, Writing Intern, Providence College
June 17, 2013
(Kettle Talk with Alexa Galloway: PREGAME and POSTGAME)
(Video Highlights of the game by Connor Sullivan HERE)
Karch stymied the Whitecaps with his blazing fastball, sharp curve and changeup. Photo by Joe Cavanaugh
BREWSTER – Baseball is a sport of failure. A good batting average is when a hitter only succeeds 3 out of 10 times. A perfect game for a pitcher is extremely rare. (23 in Major League Baseball history.) Even as a team it is hard to achieve the trifecta of good pitching, good hitting and good fielding. However, the Cotuit Kettleers are in a stretch where they have been flirting with achieving the trifecta, as they won their third straight game overall, topping the Brewster Whitecaps 6-1.
“They did a great job of throwing strikes on the pitching side, and offense was great. Guys were aggressive swinging the bats and aggressive on the base paths as well,” said Assistant Coach Brian Scott, who picked up his first win as a Cape League manager in the process.
The Kettleers got it all this game. There was excellent pitching started by Eric Karch (Pepperdine) who went 5 innings, striking out four with three hits allowed, picking up his second win of the season in the process. Karch stymied Brewster hitters mixing a blazing fastball with a sharp curve and changeup. Joel Seddon (South Carolina) and Trevor Seidenberger (TCU) each pitched two innings not allowing a run for Cotuit. Seidenberger mixed a chilling changeup with an explosive fastball to strike out three of the seven batters he faced. Not to be outdone Seddon pitched a perfect two innings, en route to securing another one run performance. Cotuit’s pitching staff has only allowed two runs in their last two games.
The pitchers were the beneficiaries of another offensive explosion. Bradley Zimmer (University of San Francisco) ignited the game by lacing a double down the first baseline to open the contest. Then Hunter Cole (Georgia) worked a seven-pitch walk. A passed ball moved the runners over to second and third with nobody out. Mike Ford (Princeton) launched a bomb into right field that fell just shy of the fence, but it was more than deep enough to score Zimmer and move Cole to third. Yale Rosen (Washington State) came up a couple batters later and knocked a long fly ball to the right field fence where it was caught, but it was enough to score Cole and give Cotuit an early 2-0 lead.
After tacking on a third run in the third off a passed ball, the Kettleers pushed ahead two more in the sixth inning. It started with an infield hit by Galli Cribbs Jr (Clarendon College). Zimmer followed with an infield single as well, with Cribbs narrowly beating the throw to second with his exceptional speed. Cole then dropped a beautiful bunt down in between the third baseman and the pitcher for another infield hit. After an out, Connor Castellano (Sante Fe) rocketed a single to plate Cribbs and Zimmer, who made a terrific slide to avoid the tag. It was Castellano’s fifth RBI in the last two games.
Zimmer led the eighth with a monster homerun to right center. Photo by Joe Cavanaugh
The offense was not done though. Zimmer led the eighth with a monster homerun to right center, which swelled the Kettleers lead to 6-1.
“I just tried to simplify my approach. I was looking for a ball middle in and I got it,” said Zimmer.
Cotuit’s fielding was outstanding as well with several great plays. None was sweeter than Cribbs who made a diving catch at shortstop as he ranged to his left robbing Keaton Aldridge (Memphis) of a line drive hit through the middle in the second inning.
“Our defense is playing well. We are swinging the bat well; our pitchers are making good pitches.” Zimmer said.
The Kettleers look to continue their hot play Tuesday at Lowell Park against the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. The game begins at 5:00 p.m.