Falmouth, MA- The Cotuit Kettleers capped off a day of Fourth of July festivities with a nail-biting 4-3 victory over the Falmouth Commodores. The Kettleers jumped out to an early lead and never trailed as they snapped a two-game losing streak to get back to a game under .500. After a full day of festivities and an important win, coach Mike Roberts was brimming ear-to-ear. On finishing the busy day with a win, Roberts said, “It was very important… it puts a smile on my face.”
Moments that mattered:
Meis tosses gem
Justin Meis (Eastern Michigan) made his third start of the season and turned in a gem. The right-handed pitcher faced just three batters over the minimum in five scoreless innings. The Eastern Michigan product struck out seven and allowed just one hit. He struck out the side in the second inning as six of his first seven outs were by way of the K. Meis picked up his first win of the season with the dominant performance. He finished with a final line of 5 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 7 K, 0 R, and 67 pitches.
Meis mentioned after the game that he felt that all three of his pitches were working on the night. “I felt really good. Changeup was pretty good tonight; I had a good feel for that. The defense was really good behind me and it always helps to pitch with the lead,” said Meis.
Coach Roberts was thrilled with Meis’ performance and ability to throw all three of his pitches for strikes. “Meis was really good. He used all his pitches and got ahead in the count. Just did a marvelous job and showed a lot of polish.”
Cotuit jumps out to four-run lead
The Kettleers got the Fourth of July festivities started early in Falmouth with offensive fireworks in the second and third innings. After a walk and a single started the second, Ben Rice (Dartmouth) drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly to right. Eric Brown (Coastal Carolina) doubled the lead with an RBI-single into center. The first two batters reached in the third inning as well. A wild pitch put two RISP with no outs and RJ Schreck (Duke) capitalized. Schreck drove a single into right to plate both runners and open an early 4-0 lead.
Schreck mentioned after the game that it was important to get ahead early after back-to-back losses. Schreck said, “It was huge to get out early and get some confidence. Meis threw an unbelievable five innings and gave us a lot of confidence.”
Granillo slams the door on Falmouth’s comeback
After the Kettleers jumped ahead early, the Falmouth bullpen held Cotuit’s bats quiet as Falmouth looked to claw their way back into the game. The Commodores pulled within run in the seventh inning before Mike Roberts turned to Andre Granillo (UC Riverside) out of the pen with two runners on and two outs in the seventh. Granillo froze a Falmouth hitter with a three-pitch strikeout to end the seventh. After a scoreless eighth, the right-handed pitcher stranded the tying run on third base in the ninth inning to complete a seven-out save, his first of the season.
Granillo was calm and collected in the tense situation. The reliever took the mound with confidence after being trusted by his coaches in the big moment. Granillo said, “I have all the confidence in the world when he trusts me with situations like that. I didn’t have the most electric stuff tonight, but I just try to trust myself and get the job done. It feels great.”
Roberts was blown away with Granillo’s performance. “Just wow, that was a really good performance. I love the way he throws the baseball and his poise on the mound. He’s really fun to watch pitch. I’m really glad he was out there tonight to close out the game.”
Notables:
Meis: 5 IP, 0 R, 7 K
Granillo: 2.1 IP, 0 R, 2 K
Brooks Baldwin (UNC Wilmington): 2-4, 1 R, 2 SB
Brown: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 SB
River Town (Dallas Baptist): 2-4, 1 R
UP NEXT: The Kettleers will travel to Bourne tomorrow for their second straight road game. Cotuit has lost their only official matchup with the Braves this season. Jake Smith (Miami) is Cotuit’s probable starter. Smith didn’t allow a run in his first official start of the season last week against Hyannis. First pitch will be at 6:00 PM from Doran Park.