By Zach Kaplan
Penn State University
July 29, 2018
BOURNE– Anyone who has spent time around the Kettleers this season knows just how much better they are as ballplayers when they are able to settle down mentally and just do their jobs.
Ryan Lefner (St. Louis) got the win on Sunday as Cotuit defeated Bourne 8-2.
While the 2018 Kettleers have a way of making things interesting in a number of their games, they continue to shut the door on their opponents when it matters.
Peyton Burdick (Wright State) went 3-for-3 with four RBI’s, Duke Ellis (Texas) added an RBI and three hits of his own, and Ryan Lefner (St. Louis) got his second win of the season as the Kettleers knocked off Bourne 8-2 on Sunday at Doran Park.
“This group has kind of jelled on their own, said Mike Roberts postgame. “I’m just sitting back and watching them play and its really fun. This team right now is doing a great job.”
After a scoreless first inning, Cotuit would get on the board in the second. Duke Ellis (Texas) led off with a single, advanced to second on a grounder to first, and scored on an RBI double by Burdick, giving the Kettleers a 1-0 lead.
Burdick would step up again in the fourth inning in similar fashion, hitting an RBI single to left field to score Ellis again and make it 2-0.
Bourne would answer in the bottom half of the fourth, as Ashton Bardzell (Hartford) drove in Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) with an RBI single, cutting the lead to 2-1.
Cotuit would build up their lead in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, Michael Salvatore (Florida State) knocked in Will Robertson (Creighton) on a fielder’s choice, making it 3-1. In the next at-bat, Ellis drove in Michael Toglia (UCLA) with an RBI single.
Peyton Burdick (Wright State) had a big game on Sunday, going 4-for-4 with four RBI’s.
With two runners on, Burdick drove in his third and fourth RBI’s of the night with a two-RBI triple that nearly cleared the fence in dead center field, as Cotuit made it a 6-1 lead.
Bourne had a big-time threat in the sixth inning, with the bases loaded and only one out. As Tyler Fitzgerald stepped to the plate, Ryan Lefner (St. Louis) managed to only give up one run in the inning on a grounder to shortstop, as Cotuit mantained a 6-2 lead after six.
Yet again, Bourne had two runners on in the seventh inning, but Joey Walsh (BC) shut the door on the Braves, coming on to get three consecutive outs and retire the side.
The Kets set aside any hopes of a Bourne comeback in the eighth, as Will Robertson (Creighton) drove in Zach Humphreys (TCU) and Brady Smith (Florida) with a two-RBI double, putting the score at 8-2 and the game out of reach.
Cotuit will head back to Lowell Park tomorrow, hosting the Brewster Whitecaps in a makeup game that was rained out on Saturday. The Kettleers are 2-1 against Brewster this season. First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m.