By: Sean Bailey, Writing Intern, Providence College
July 9, 2013
(Kettle Talk with Alexa Galloway PREGAME and POSTGAME)
(Audio Podcast recap of the game with Greg Mroz and the Wareham broadcasters HERE)
(Postgame audio interview by Greg Mroz with Yale Rosen. To Listen CLICK HERE)
Chris Ellis’ fastball hit 94 with electric movement. Photo by Leeann Brothers
COTUIT – Chris Ellis (Ole Miss), Joel Seddon (South Carolina) and the rest of the Kettleers are quickly losing friends in Wareham. And it is not for foul play, or trash talk. It is for their domination of the Wareham Gatemen. This continued on Tuesday, when the Kettleers beat the Gatemen for the fourth time in four tries, 2-1.
“We didn’t get (Ellis) a lot of run support, but their pitcher (Andro Cutura of Southeastern Louisiana) did a fantastic job pitching eight innings,” said Manager Mike Roberts following the game. “Between him and our three guys, we had a pitchers duel in a 2-1 game.”
The Kettleers relied on Ellis and Seddon again to dismiss the Gatemen. Last time out against Wareham, Ellis and Seddon shut out the Gatemen 3-0, and their mastery of the Gatemen did not cease on Tuesday.
Ellis did a terrific job attacking hitters, throwing a fastball that hit 94 on occasion, with electric movement. He got ahead in the counts and pitched to contact, only tallying two strikeouts in his six innings where he allowed one unearned run.
“I told him when he came out that he adjusted right back to the outstanding pitcher he had been all season,” said Roberts about Ellis following the game. “I thought his velocity was good, and he was aggressive.”
Seddon and Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) did a superb job in relief of Ellis. Seddon went 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball, adding to what is now a 15 1/3 scoreless innings streak to start the season. Miller came in with runners on first and second and two outs in the top of the eighth with Trevor Podratz (Hawaii) at the plate.
Podratz has had two homeruns off Kettleers pitching this season. He strode to the plate with Cotuit nursing a 2-1 lead. Miller outdueled him though, striking him out on a superb curve to dismiss the threat.
“I think (Will) Schawnke (Arkansas) is the most consistent hitter,” said Roberts. “The decision was made two hitters before that. Get Miller up, see where it went. That is why I love him so much in that situation.”
The Kettleers got their runs in the third inning. Drew Jackson (Stanford) ignited the rally with a double to the gap in left center. Nolan Clark (Concordia) dropped a sacrifice bunt in front of the mound to move the speedy Jackson to third. After a pop out to short, Jake Fincher (N.C. State) was drilled by a pitch to get runners on first and third. Mike Ford (Princeton) was walked on three pitches to load the bases with two outs. That is when Yale Rosen (Washington State) came up clutch with a single past a diving Brett Pirtle (Mississippi State) at second base. That scored two runs, but an errant throw to the plate rolled to the backstop. Ford tried to score from first but was tagged out at the plate to end the inning.
It proved to be all the runs Cotuit needed behind their great pitching. The only run surrendered by the staff was in the sixth, and it went unearned. It started with a bloop single to center. A bunt down the third base line proved trouble, as Ellis’ wild throw to first drew Rosen off the bag, but on his tag the ball squirted out into shallow right, which advanced the runner to third. He then scored on a ground ball to second. But that was the only damage the Gatemen could get against the Kettleers.
The win pushes Cotuit’s record to 14-9, their second straight win after losing four of their previous five. Cotuit will look to continue their success at Brewster on Wednesday at 5 p.m.