It was an eventful evening at Lowell Park in Cotuit on Saturday. Not only did the Kettleers play their last home game of the regular season, but they also honored the League’s host families in a pre-game celebration and were awarded the Barnstable Patriot Cup following the game.

At 4 p.m. prior to the start of their match against Hyannis, Kettleers players called on their host families to take the field where they were thanked profusely for their hospitality during the season. 

Bruce Murphy, general manager of the Cotuit team, lauded the kindness and generosity of the many families, noting that the bonds that form between them and the players they host last forever.

Following the celebration, Murphy announced Cotuit’s MVP’s. Pitcher James Simmons who led the Kettleers with 44 strikeouts and a 1.18 ERA in more than 53 innings played, earned the non-position player golden glove trophy while Justin Smoak and Eric Farris shared the honor of MVP for a position player. Smoak was the League leader with 11 homers during the season and Farris led Cotuit in average and stolen bases at .308 and 16 respectively.th victory of the season.Barnstable Patriot Publisher Rob Sennott for the presentation of the Barnstable Patriot Cup.Patriot sportswriter David Curran, is presented to the Barnstable team with the most wins earned in their standard six season games against one another. This year the defending champion Kettleers beat the Mets 4-1 to retain the coveted prize, which includes the trophy and a $300 donation for the team. Barnstable Patriot Cup champs was a trip to the CCBL playoffs, which began Tuesday. 

At 4:30 the game got under way with Cotuit pitcher Jay Brown taking the mound. Although the Mets got on the scoreboard early, the Kettleers were determined, netting three runs in the fifth inning.

With one out on the board, Kellen Kulbacki garnered a single off Mets All-Star starter Charlie Furbush. Tony Thomas Jr. then followed with another single that put the Kettleers in scoring position. James Simmons, taking the stage as Cotuit’s DH, proved to the crowd that his swing is as mighty as his pitch when he clocked a solid double to put the Kettleers ahead by one run.

Getting into the swing of things, Farris put forth a squeeze bunt to bring in Matt Angle. Angle’s nice slide put the Kettleers up by two.

There was some serious drama late in the game when Hyannis put in a strong rally that had Cotuit fans fearing a comeback. Hyannis quickly loaded the bases in the ninth when Ramon Corona approached the plate, turning out a single. 

It appeared that the Mets would tie things up until Kellen Kulbacki made an impressive throw to catcher Sean Gaston, who was able to snag the runner at home plate and end the game on a high note. The win marked Cotuit’s 26

By Kathleen Szmit Manwaring
kmanwaring@barnstablepatriot.com