By Jon Mettus
June 14, 2015
YARMOUTH-DENNIS — Matt Albanese (Bryant) caught a fly ball in right field and fired a throw to the plate. The ball took one hop before Tim Susnara (Oregon) snagged it and lunged toward Red Sox shortstop Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State), tagging his foot as Walton slid home.
The umpire waved his arms, signaling that the runner was safe, and Jonathan King (Georgia Tech) raised his arms in the air from the dugout, questioning the call. Albanese turned toward the outfield fence and pounded his fist into his glove.
Michael Paez led Cotuit with three hits on Sunday, but the Kettleers fell to Yarmouth-Dennis in both games of a doubleheader. Photo by Brigitte Rec.
The Kettleers had just given up four runs in the bottom of the third inning.
A four-run outburst by the Red Sox was too much for Cotuit again. The Kettleers (3-4) lost 4-0 to Yarmouth-Dennis (3-4) in game two of a doubleheader at Merrill “Red” Wilson Field on Sunday, continuing a three-game losing streak.
Cotuit fell in the first game, 4-1, after the Red Sox scored four runs in the fifth inning.
Kettleers’ starter Austin Sexton (Mississippi State) only gave up one hit through the first two innings, but allowed a single to Ryan Noda (Cincinnati) to start the third. Brady Conlan (Cal State Dominguez Hills) hit a chopper to short, but the Kettleers couldn’t turn two and Noda moved to second on the ground out.
Then Cole Billingsley (South Alabama) launched a double deep to right field that landed just in front of the fence, plating Noda. Billingsley came home when Tommy Edman (Stanford) hit a line drive into center for a single.
The Cotuit bench didn’t even react.
Walton hit a ground ball to the left of short, which Stephen Alemais (Tulane) grabbed, but his throw didn’t reach first and runners were safe at the corners. A walk loaded the bases before Stephen Wrenn (Georgia) hit a liner into left-center.
Gene Cone (South Carolina) ran to his right and dove to make the catch, but the ball tipped off his glove and another runner scored. Connor Wong’s (Houston) sacrifice fly to Albanese tacked on the final run of the inning.
The Kettleers’ best chance to thwart the shutout and make a comeback came in the top of the sixth. Keenan Innis (Georgia Tech) singled and Michael Paez (Coastal Carolina) walked. A Cone ground out put runners on second and third until Alemais out to end the inning.
“We didn’t have that timely hitting that we needed,” Paez said.
Cotuit was only able to get four hits in game two — half of which game from Paez.
“It’s kind of frustrating, especially since we had two games today and it’s only seven innings (per game),” Paez said. “The end of the game closes in quick. You can’t wait until the seventh or eighth to get your runs. It definitely ate us up a little bit.”
The Kettleers (3-3) return to action on Tuesday to face Hyannis (6-1) at Lowell Park at 5 p.m.