By: Nick Solari, Writing Inter, Quinnipiac University
June 29, 2013
BOURNE – Saturday night’s game in Bourne featured one of the more prominent marquee pitching matchups of the Cape League thus far.
Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) took the mound for the Braves. He went 11-1 in his freshman year of college this spring with a 3.15 ERA, and threw a no-hitter against Oregon State. He had pitched 6.0 scoreless innings this summer prior to the game.
Alex Haines pitched 4 scoreless innings. Photo by Joe Cavanaugh
Alex Haines (Seton Hill) toed the rubber for Cotuit. He was 8-2 with a 2.35 ERA during this past year at school, and had thrown 9.0 scoreless innings on the Cape heading into the night.
Neither Kellogg nor Haines, however, were on the field when the game was decided.
With a runner on second base in the bottom half of the ninth, leadoff hitter Pat Kelly (Nebraska Lincoln) lined a single into left field that scored Bobby Boyd (West Virginia) as the Kettleers fell by way of a walk-off loss for the second time this season 4-3.
Cotuit led 3-1 heading into the bottom half of the final frame, but committed two of its four errors in rout to losing the lead and the game.
“We have been a poor defensive club,” coach Roberts said after the game. “We have excellent pitching. But excellent pitching isn’t excellent unless you play well behind them, and we struggled with that again tonight.”
Mason Robbins (Southern Mississippi) began the bottom of the ninth with a double to left off of Cotuit reliever Brian Miller (Vanderbilt). The next batter, Vinny Siena (UConn), hit a ball on the ground to second baseman Edwin Rios (Florida International). Rios made a sliding stop but then sailed the throw over first basement Yale Rosen (Washington St). Robbins came in to score on the play to make it 3-2.
Boyd was next in line for Bourne. He grounded a ball to Rosen at first, who couldn’t handle it. Then, with runners on the corners pinch-hitter Tyler Kuresa (UCSB) hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to tie the game at three.
“The two errors late really hurt us,” Roberts said. “If you can’t field a ground ball in the ninth inning, then you probably shouldn’t win. Tonight we didn’t.”
Kellogg went the first 5.0 innings for the Braves. He gave up five hits, one earned run, and struck out three.
Haines was equally solid, going 4.0 scoreless innings, giving up two hits, and striking out three. He has now gone 13.0 innings without surrendering a run.
Tim Kiene had two hits. Photo by Joe Cavanaugh
Tim Kiene (Maryland) and Will Remillard (Coastal Carolina) each had two hits for Cotuit. Kiene had an RBI single in the top half of the eight to drive in Jake Fincher (North Carolina St).
Fincher went 1-for-3 with a walk. He had an RBI bunt single to drive in Remillard in the third inning.
“I’m just doing what I’ve always done,” Fincher said of his performance. “I just came from college ball, so I’m just going to keep going at it.”
Bourne’s bullpen shut down the Cotuit offense late in the game. All nine of the outs they recorded from the sixth to the eighth inning were by way of strikeout.
With the loss the Kettleers are now 9-5 on the season, and Bourne improves to 7-7. The two teams meet again tomorrow (Sunday) at Lowell Park in Cotuit. First pitch is at 5 p.m.