By Ben Gainsboro, Stetson University
photos by Josh Muir, Endicott College
June 12th, 2019
The Cotuit Kettleers improved to 2-1 on the season with an 11-0 rout of Hyannis on Wednesday night. Let us take a look at some of the key pieces of the Kettleers commanding victory.
Cotuit Brings the Power
The Kettleers smacked a season high 13 hits on Wednesday night, with four of those hits going for extra bases. Though the power would come later, Casey Schmitt (San Diego State) got the scoring going with a Sac-Fly RBI in the top of the third, scoring Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State), who had reached via a walk. The RBI was Schmitt’s fourth of the season, a team high (at the time).
Oraj Anu (Kentucky) was the next Kettleer in the scoring column, mashing a 430-foot homer to right center in the top of the third inning. The home run was the Kettleers second of the season and was also the longest.
The fourth inning power continued when Mason Dodd (Belmont Abbey) launched a first-pitch home run over the fence. The homer was the Kettleers third of the season and the second of the inning, giving Cotuit its first multi-homerun inning of the year. The two RBI for Dodd were his first two of the season.
Later in the fourth, Cam Hill (Kentucky) and Nick Gonzales executed a double steal, with Gonzales advancing to second and Hill sprinting home. The steal was Hill’s fourth of the season and Gonzales’s second.
The strong fourth inning gave Cotuit a 5-0 lead at the time, and the Kettleers never looked back.
Player Spotlight: Sean Sullivan
Sean Sullivan (UC Berkeley) got the start for Cotuit on the day, pitching four strong innings to begin the game. The UC Berkeley freshman struggled at times in his first year with the Golden Bears over the spring, but looked like a whole different pitcher on Wednesday night. Sullivan still had 3 saves, a 2-1 record, and 29 strikeouts (26.1 innings pitched) for the Golden Bears as a freshman, nothing to scoff at.
Sean Sullivan throws a pitch against Hyannis on Wednesday night
That being said, his numbers on Wednesday night indicate that he is ready to have a different kind of season for the Cotuit Kettleers. The 6-1, 165-pound right hander threw four innings, allowing just one hit (his last batter of the game), and struck out a whopping six of the thirteen batters that he faced. An even three of the strikeouts were looking, and three were swinging.
Sullivan locked in early, and never looked back.
“I knew I had to throw my pitches with conviction and confidence,” Sullivan said. “Confidence is huge…you know I just went out there, had fun, and did my best and it worked out.”
Though mainly a reliever in his first season with Cal, Sullivan still recorded ten multi-strikeout performances out of the pen. With six strikeouts in four innings pitched as a Kettleers starter, it seems that his strikeout prowess will have no problem carrying over from the bullpen to the starting rotation.
Relievers Take the Kettleers Home
While the bullpen was a bit shaky in Tuesday night’s loss to Chatham, none of that was seen in game two.
Joey Walsh (Boston College) relieved Sullivan in the fifth and ended up being credited for the win. The Boston College product struck out two Harbor Hawks while walking just one. He also didn’t yield a hit.
Following that solid outing, Bo Hofstra (Purdue) took the ball from Walsh in the 7th and threw two solid innings of his own. The big righty kept his ERA at 0.00 on the season (two appearances) and struck out three across two innings pitched. He did allow a hit, but no damage was caused.
Finishing the game for the Kettleers was Richard Brereton (Emory). He only struck out one in his lone inning of work, but he didn’t allow a hit or walk. A division three pitcher in the spring, Brereton did not at all seem phased by facing some stiffer competition here in the CCBL.
Number Fire:
Cam Hill takes a lead off of first against Hyannis on Wednesday night
1: The number of walks Cotuit pitching allowed in this game
2: Hits Cotuit pitching allowed in this game
3: Home runs Cotuit’s offense hit in this game
4: Runs scored for Cam Hill in this game
5: Walks Nick Gonzales picked up in this game
6: Hundred and thirty feet, the distance of Oraj Anu’s fourth inning blast
7: Stolen bases Cam Hill now has on the season. He has only been caught once.
8: Strikeouts for Cotuit starter Sean Sullivan
9: Runs scored for Cam Hill in just three games so far this season
10: Runs scored for the Ketteleers in innings 3-5 of this game
11: RBI for the Kettleers offense combined in this game
12: Earned runs the Cotuit Kettleers pitching staff has surrendered on the season
13: Runs scored for the Cotuit offense on Wednesday night, its highest total of the season
What’s Next:
Cotuit has a day off Thursday before traveling to Brewster to face off with the Whitecaps (0-2) on Friday night. First pitch is set for 5 PM.