By Ben Gainsboro
Stetson University
June 10, 2019
The Cotuit Kettleers defeated the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 4-3 on Monday night, opening up their 73rd season in the win column. The Kettleers outhit Yarmouth-Dennis 7-5 in front of an impressive opening day crowd.
Shouts of “have a hit Kettleers!” and “let’s go Kettleers!” were undoubtedly easy on the ears for the players inside the home dugout. Let us take a brief look at some key players and moments from Monday’s opener.
Chris Farrell Impresses
Chris Farrell (William & Mary) started the game and threw 4.1 innings. He allowed just one hit, a solo home run to Jack-Thomas Wold (UNLV) in the top of the fourth. He finished the game with 57 pitches.
The innings pitched for Farrell matched his spring season high with the Tribe of William & Mary. He pitched 4.1 innings against Charleston on May 4th, a game in which he was victorious.
Farrell also struck out five Red Sox hitters, while only walking two. The five strikeouts were distributed well, as he got three Y-D hitters with his curveball, one with his cutter, and one with a 91 MPH fastball in the top of the second.
Oviedo Delivers
With the Kettleers down 3-2, Cam Hill (Kentucky) got Cotuit started again in the bottom of the 7th, reaching base on a full-count walk to begin the inning.
Donta Williams (Arizona) continued the rally, reaching on an error to move Hill to second base.
With two outs in the inning, and runners on second and third, Adam Oviedo (TCU) delivered a huge 2-run single to plate Hill and Williams and give the Kettleers the lead back at 4-3.
Even more impressively, Oviedo was down in the count 1-2, waiting for the right opportunity to take a pitch he could handle and drive it into the outfield. The 2019 Big-12 Honorable Mention figures to play a huge role in the success of the team this season.
Kyle Nicolas Shuts the Door
Cotuit never looked back, with Kyle Nicolas (Ball State) recording the save across 2 lights-out innings of work.
Nicolas racked up three strikeouts in the 8th and 9th, two coming from fastballs and one coming from his cutter. The two punch-outs with his fastball were registered at 96 MPH and 92 MPH, respectively. The cutter was registered at 88 MPH.
The Ball State junior figures to be an integral part of the Kettleers bullpen this season. Though his ERA was a bit up this year with the Cardinals, he still struck out a whopping 82 batters in just 55.1 innings pitched. With three more in just two innings of work Monday night, Nicolas could end up being a strikeout machine for Cotuit as the season progresses.
A Few More Notables
Mike Schmitt (San Diego State) went 1-4 with a run scored.
GeonHyoung Kim (Boise State) went 1-2 with a run scored.
Colin Davis (Wofford) registered the only extra-base hit of the night for the Kettleers, a two-strike double that began the bottom of the 8th.
Cam Hill had a quietly impressive day at the dish, going 1-2 with a run scored, an RBI, and two walks. Solid production out of the 8-spot for the Kentucky Wildcat.
Joey Walsh (Boston College) struck out three across two innings of work, with all three strikeouts coming from off-speed pitches.
Bo Hofstra (Purdue) was credited with the win. Though he only threw 12 pitches in the brief outing, the 2019 All-Big 10 Third team member figures to find his role in this rotation sooner rather than later. The sophomore registered a stellar 1.62 ERA this spring with the Boilermakers.
What’s Next?
Cotuit returns home Tuesday, June 11th, to take on the Chatham Anglers. Chatham is coming off a 5-4 win against Hyannis Monday night. First pitch is set for 5 P.M.