By Dylan Wolter
July 10, 2015
COTUIT – The duo of Jack Anderson (Penn State) and Justin Dunn (Boston College) has formed a deadly combination that excels in pitching out of jams and finishing games. While Jonathan King (Georgia Tech) had a solid start, it was Anderson and Dunn who shined against the Bourne Braves in the Kettleers 4-3 victory.
King, who’s been one of the most consistent starters for Cotuit, got his pitch count up early. He tossed 4.2 innings pitched, striking out six, walked two, and allowed two earned runs. King put his team in a position to win.
The Kettleers bats would strike first in the third inning. Will Haynie (Alabama) got on base following an error, immediately followed by a single from Cole Fabio (Bryant). With two outs Brett Stephens (UCLA) cleared the bases by lacing a double into the left center field gap. Stephens came up big for the Kettleers with players such as Jack Klein (Stanford) and Matt Albanese (Bryant) not in the game.
Brett Stevens hit a base clearing double in the third. Photo by Brigitte Rec
“It always feels good to get a two out RBI hit,” mentioned Stephens. “That’s where you win and lose games in this league. It was good to get a couple big two out hits and ended up being enough to win the game.”
The other big hit came off the bat of Branden Berry (Cal St Northridge). Michael Paez (Coastal Carolina) would knock an infield single up the middle that set up runners at the corners. After Paez stole a base, Berry lined a single between third base and shortstop allowing both runners to score. The Kettleers were set up with a comfortable 4-0 lead.
The Braves would retaliate in the fifth inning, chasing Jonathan King from the game after loading the bases with two outs. Jack Anderson came in and forced a ground ball that Spencer Gaa (Bradley) could not come up with at second base. With the score now 4-1 and the bases still loaded, Anderson threw an inside fastball that hit the leg of Max McDowell (Uconn). McDowell not only didn’t attempt to get out of the way of the pitch, but leaned his leg into it. With the Cotuit lead now cut in half, a furious Mike Roberts got in the face of the home plate umpire. No player is allowed to lean into a pitch in order to take first base, a point Roberts made in the altercation. The call stood and the lead was 4-2.
Anderson was excellent in the next two innings, making them quick and painless. Anderson, who earned the win against the Braves, has become a staple of the Kettleers bullpen. Neither Anderson nor Manager Mike Roberts are afraid to leave him in for more than one frame, pitching multiple innings in his last few games.
“Whatever Roberts asks from me, I’ll do,” Anderson remarking on his commitment to Roberts decisions. “I was a pretty versatile at school, a late inning guy, but if they need more than that I would try and provide it. I’m just trying to do the same thing here.”
Jack Anderson, versatile late inning guy. Photo by Brigitte Rec
Anderson has excelled so far this season as one of his manager’s favorite go-to relievers. Roberts loves Anderson’s submarine action and his ability not only to get right handed hitters out, but lefties as well. Anderson did get into some trouble in the eighth, leading off the inning with a walk and a hit by pitch. Coach Roberts called on Justin Dunn to get a six out save.
When Coach was asked why he brought in Dunn before the 9th inning, his response was simple, “I wanted to win.” Dunn is used to pitching more than one inning both in Cape Cod and at school. Dunn did give up an RBI single in the eighth but that was the only base runner he allowed and the run was credited to Anderson.
With a 4-3 lead, Dunn did not mess around in the 9th inning. He got two quick fly outs to centerfield and then struck out the final hitter on a fastball up. Dunn’s lighting stuff and sharp command make him a perfect fit to close out ballgames for the Kettleers. Cotuit improved their record to 10-16 in part to strong pitching and timely hitting. The formula of Anderson and Dunn is lethal, one that is proven and should only grow as the season goes along.
“Oh yeah I love it,” a thrilled Dunn talking about the duo. “It’s a different look when you got someone coming from the ground and then somebody straight over the top. It helps both of us.”
The Kettleers will look to get another victory against the Wareham Gatemen (11-14-1) in Wareham at Spillane Field on Saturday, 7:00.
You can find action photos of every Kettleers game HERE and photos of every player HERE.