Bourne, MA- The Bourne Braves entered Monday night with a 0 in the loss column but finished the night with a 0 in the run column as the Cotuit Kettleers handed the Braves their first loss of the season. Four Kettleers pitchers combined to toss Cotuit’s first shutout of the season. The Kettleers’ second straight win moved them back to .500 and solely into second place of the West Division. Coach Mike Roberts was pleased with the development of his team over the last two nights. Roberts said, “Last two nights, our team has really improved against Falmouth and Bourne with two individual wins. It was just a great game and we were just fortunate to get a big swing.”

Moments that mattered:

Smith stays spotless on the mound

Jake Smith (Miami) tossed a gem for his second straight outing tonight. Smith repeated his five scoreless innings from his first start of the season. The right-handed pitcher allowed just one hit and walked one batter against Bourne tonight. The Miami product cruised through five innings with just 79 pitches. Smith is yet to allow a run through 10 IP this season. Smith finished with a final line of 5 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 K, and 0 R.

Roberts was blown away with Smith’s performance through two games as a Kettleer. “Oh my goodness, he’s just a premium college pitcher. I just like his maturity. I like the way he goes about the mound.”

Garriola’s power shines in big moment

The Kettleers had nothing going through the first three innings. Nick Zwack set Cotuit down in order through the first three innings. A Luke Gold (Boston College) single opened up the door for Andy Garriola‘s (Old Dominion) power to shine. Garriola smashed his second homer of the season well over the center field fence to give the Ketts a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning.

Garriola said, “I just try to get ahead in the count and get a good hitter’s count and see the ball well. I got in a 2-0 count and he gave me a fastball low and in and put a good swing on it. That’s what happens when I see good pitches.”

Cable closes out game, bullpen combines for four scoreless

The Kettleers bullpen was nails in a one-run win last night. The bullpen was up for the task again in Bourne. Alaska Abney entered the game in the seventh inning after a leadoff single. Abney shut the door on a potential rally with three straight strikeouts on 13 pitches. Zach Cable (Oklahoma State) entered the game in the eighth inning for his first appearance as a Kettleer. Cable worked around a one-out single in the eighth for a scoreless inning. The right-handed pitcher closed out the win with a scoreless eighth inning to close out the shutout.

Cable was excited to toss two scoreless innings in a big moment in his first game with Cotuit. “Super exciting. I’m just glad I got the opportunity to do it. My splitter was working for me tonight, it was the go-to and really worked for me late in counts,” said Cable.

Notables:

Garriola: 2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Smith: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 0 R

Zachary Fruit (Eastern Michigan): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R

Abney: 1.0 IP, 3 K, 0 R

Cable: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K

UP NEXT: The Kettleers will be back at home tomorrow for a 5:00 PM game against the Wareham Gatemen. Jake Brooks (UCLA) is the probable starter for Cotuit. Brooks tossed 5.2 scoreless innings last week against Hyannis. Wareham is 4-6-2 so far this season after a loss to Harwich Monday night.