By: Sean Bailey, Writing Intern, Providence College
August 9, 2013

Two wins down. Four remaining. Four wins separate Cotuit from a coveted Cape Cod League Championship, a sixteenth in their storied history.

Cotuit took a giant step towards that goal, as they fought past the Falmouth Commodores, securing a spot in the Western Division Finals.

Bourne, the fourth seed, upset the number one see Harbor Hawks to punch their ticket to the Western Finals. The Braves ousted the Kettleers last year as a four seed in the first round.

Here is a look back at the season that was between the Kettleers and the Braves.

Bourne 8 Cotuit 0

June 22

Cotuit- The first meeting of the season between the two Western Division Finalists could not have went any worse for the hometown Kettleers. The Kettleers were no hit by three Braves, the only no hitter on the Cape League this season.

Alex Haines (Seton Hill) got the start for Cotuit and pitched well, hurling five innings and striking out seven. Cotuit held the Braves scoreless through seven innings before imploding in the eighth, allowing all eight runs in the final two frames.

Mike Ford (Princeton) hit a high chopper to first, but the ball was misplayed by the first basemen in the seventh. The play was originally ruled a hit but it ultimately was reversed following the conclusion of the contest.

Bourne 4 Cotuit 3

June 29

Bourne – The second matchup between the teams was nearly as ugly as the first for Cotuit fans.

Cotuit held a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. But there two errors erased the lead, and the Braves were able to walk off on the Kettleers. It started with a double, then an errant throw from second scored one Brave. Then another error at first perched runners at the corners where a single tied the game, and another single won it for the Braves.

Haines got the start again and went four scoreless for Cotuit.

Cotuit 6 Bourne 1

Cotuit – Cotuit finally extracted their revenge on the Braves in the third matchup of the season.

Christian Cecilio (University of San Francisco) got the start and dominated. He went 7 1/3 innings, and forced 15 ground outs.

Cotuit grabbed one run in the second inning off a bases loaded ground out. Kevin Bradley (Clemson) would then grab his second RBI of the game in the fourth with a double that scored Tim Kiene (Maryland) from first. Jake Fincher (NC State) worked a bases loaded walk to score another run in the fifth. Logan Ratledge (NC State) also hit a solo shot in the sixth, and Cotuit tacked on two more runs to secure the win.

Cotuit 2 Bourne 1

July 16

Cotuit – The Kettleers were able to even the season series at two in a pitchers duel at Lowell Park.

The game was an old fashioned pitchers duel. Jared Walsh (Georgia) got the start, dealing a scoreless 4 1/3 innings, including four innings of no hit baseball. Joel Seddon (South Carolina) tossed 2 1/3 innings only allowing one run, while Brian Miller (Vanderbilt) slammed the door shut on the Braves.

Logan Ratledge (NC State) hit a sharp grounder to third for a single, then advanced to second as the throw from the outfield went home to narrowly nab Drew Jackson (Stanford) at the plate. Jake Fincher (NC State) drove in Ratledge with a double down the right field line in the first inning. Yale Rosen (Washington State) drove in the game winning run in the sixth, with a squeeze bunt to score Danny Diekroeger (Stanford).

Cotuit 8 Bourne 5

July 22

Bourne – Cotuit would snap a four game winless streak at Bourne in the fourth matchup of the season between the teams.

Wiseman knocked a three run homer to give Cotuit a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning. Mark Payton (Texas) also had a two run double in the eighth to blow the Kettleers lead to 7-2.

Walsh got the start again, and while he gave up two earned runs, he collected his first win of the season.

Adam Ravenelle (Vanderbilt) came in with the bases loaded in the eighth and escaped the threat with a 7-5 lead. Ravenelle collected the save as he pitched a flawless ninth.

Bourne 2 Cotuit 0

August 1

Bourne – The Kettleers would drop the final contest of the season against the Braves, evening the season series to a split at three wins apiece.

For the Kettleers the shut out was their second in three games. The lack of offense spoiled Dalton Potts’ (University of Tennessee Martin) splendid debut on the mound. Potts went five innings, striking out five and only allowing two runs.

Potts is slated to be the game one starter this Saturday at Lowell Park at 4 p.m.