BOURNE, Mass.—Over 6,000 fans packed into picturesque Doran Park for the first game of the Cape League Championship Series to witness the Bourne Braves defeat the Cotuit Kettleers 15-5 in a fog-shortened six-inning game.
Cotuit came in fresh off of an 18-4 drubbing of the Y-D Red Sox. Unfortunately for Ketteleers fans, the tables turned on Tuesday night. The Braves sent 12 men to the plate in the first inning for a total of seven runs on five hits. The attack was spearheaded by Kyle Roller (East Carolina) andPierre LePage (Connecticut) each of whom walked and singled to keep the merry-go-round moving.
Production dropped off for the Bourne offense in the second when they only sent 10 men to the dish. They struck for another six runs including a double by Roller that drove in two. Although Bourne was hitting well and watching pitches patiently, they had only eight hits in the two monstrous innings. Cotuit pitching issued eight free passes and a hit batsman in the first two innings alone.
While Andres Caceres (Connors State) and Navery Moore (Vanderbilt) struggled for Cotuit in the early going, Alex Wimmers (Ohio State) was impressive in his starting role for Bourne.
He gave up four hits in the three innings he pitched (he was lifted after three because Bourne seemed to have the game well in hand). Wimmers struck out seven batters in those three innings and allowed just one run.
Wimmers would be lifted for Michael Dimock (Wake Forest) who also pitched well. Bourne would tack on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, the last time they would see the bat on the night. When Cotuit came up in the top of the sixth, it was 15-1.
Although the Ketteleers slapped the ball around in the sixth for four runs, it felt like too little, too late. In fact it would be, but not because their offense ran out of steam. Heavy fog rolled into Doran Park as the Kettleers were putting on their fireworks display.
There were two separate breaks taken in that same half inning in hopes that the fog would pass. When it finally became apparent that it would not relent, there was a meeting of the minds in foul ground behind home plate. Commissioner Paul Galop and Umpire-in-chief Sol Yas were joined by the umpiring crew, the managers and the general managers of the two teams.
“We basically let the two teams come to a decision and they decided it was best for the players and for everyone if we just call it a game,” said Galop after the game was called. “I think they made the right call.”
The game will be recorded officially as a 15-5 victory for Bourne. The two teams will meet Wednesday at Lowell Park for game two of the three game set. Should Cotuit win, they would return to Doran Park on Thursday for a decisive game three. If the Braves win, they will hoist the Arnold Mycock championship trophy on Cotuit’s field.
