Cotuit, MA- The Cotuit Kettleers got back in the win column with a 6-1 win over the Hyannis Harbor Hawks on Friday night. After a 45-minute lightning delay, only six innings were completed before the game was called due to darkness. The win snapped Cotuit’s five-game losing streak. Head coach Mike Roberts was thrilled to be back in the win column. “This feels real good. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a stretch like that here in Cotuit. We’re thankful to be back in the win column,” said Roberts.

Moments that mattered:

Kettleers take early lead with three-run frame

The Kettleers’ strung singles together in the third inning to get the offense rolling. Nathan Martorella (California) led off the inning with a line drive single up the middle. After a Matthew Donlan (UConn) single, Ryan Ritter (Kentucky) tied the game at one with a base knock over the shortstop’s head. Jace Grady (Dallas Baptist) laid down a perfect bunt to plate Donlan and take the lead. Luke Gold (Boston College) capped the inning with a two-out, RBI-single into left field.

Roberts couldn’t hold back a smile after watching his offense string some hits together. He said, “My heart was jumping inside because we needed to do that, we haven’t done that in a very long time. Hopefully we can be a little more aggressive and we’re hoping that a more consistent lineup will help us.”

Mathews allows one over 4.1 IP

Quinn Mathews (Stanford) made his third start as a Kettleer tonight. Mathews ran into quick trouble with the bases loaded and no outs in the first inning. The southpaw limited the damage to one run on a sacrifice fly. From that point, Mathews settled into a groove on the mound. The Stanford product posted 1-2-3 innings in the second and fourth. He also stranded two runners in the third with an inning-ending strikeout.

Roberts was impressed with strides that Mathews had made since his last start. The head coach said, “I saw a much more directional pitcher. He had spent a lot of time in the bullpen and doing flat grounds and he was dramatically better tonight. His fastball was the same, just down more, and the breaking ball I thought was sharper. But the real key to me was that his changeup was much better.”

Mathews came out of the game with one out in the fourth inning. Harrison Cohen (George Washington) entered with two on and one out. With a runner on the move, Eric Brown Jr. (Coastal Carolina) snagged a weak liner and tossed to second for an inning-ending double play.

Cotuit uses productive outs, Hyannis miscues to plate three after delay

After a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth, the game was paused due to lightning in the area. Once the weather cleared, the Kettleers’ offense went back to work. Following a hit-by-pitch, Grady swiped third and crossed the plate after a throwing error. After a fly-ball moved a runner to third, Noah Bridges (UNC Wilmington) dropped a sac-bunt to extend the lead to four. Brown Jr. finished the scoring as he scored from third on a throw-down to second.

Notables:

Mathews: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 R

Martorella: 1-1, 1 R, 1 BB

Ritter: 1-2, 1 RBI, 1 R

Gold: 1-2, 1 RBI

Cohen: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Up Next: The Kettleers will be back at home on Saturday to face the Falmouth Commodores. Cotuit is 2-0 vs. Falmouth this season. Jake Brooks (UCLA) will get the start on the mound. Brooks, a 2021 Cape League All-Star, has compiled a 1.42 ERA over 25.1 innings pitched this summer. First pitch will be at 5:00 PM from Lowell Park.