The Cotuit Kettleers have taken first place in the Western Division of the Cape Cod Baseball League with recent wins over Wareham and Bourne.

On Sunday the Kettleers faced their opponents in the contest for the Division, the Wareham Gatemen, stopping their run with a 6-4 win. 

Mike Cisco pitched seven solid innings, fanning eight and allowing just one walk during his first-ever Cape League victory.

Cisco allowed only four runs, three of them earned, before getting assistance from Tim Ladd and closer Corey Gearrin. Gearrin picked up the save in the one inning he pitched.

The victory placed Cotuit four points ahead of Wareham in the Western Division standings, and also marked the team’s third straight win. 

Their streak continued Monday night when the Kettleers faced the Bourne Braves in what was nearly a shutout with a score of 8-1.

Jim Simmons kicked off the game with a quick succession of outs, letting Bourne know what they were up against. 

The magic number in the game was four as that’s when the Kettleers bats lit up. Justin Smoak clobbered a line drive past first base, almost clocking Jeff Rea on his way to second. After a walk from Reese Havens, which left the bases loaded, Kyle Russell walked in the first run, followed by a hit from Matt Angle that brought in two more.

Another walk by Eric Farris, the bases were again loaded. An error allowed Russell to score, and a sacrifice bunt from Brett Lilley brought in another run to bring the tally to five for the Kettleers. 

By the end of the inning, Cotuit had netted three more runs, leaving the Braves deep in a hole they couldn’t escape. A last-ditch run in the eighth inning brought the final score to 8-1.

Simmons was stellar, pitching eight strong innings before turning the reins over to Dan Runzler in the ninth. Simmons has 21 strikeouts under his belt for the season. 

On Tuesday the Kettleers ended the second match of the week against Bourne in a 3-3 tie as darkness stopped the game.

Bourne took an early lead as Cotuit starter Shane Matthews struggled to contain the Braves’ attack. Matthews regained his focus after the first three innings, allowing Cotuit to battle back on the offensive.

In the bottom of the fourth, Kyle Russell served up his second homer of the season, much to the crowd’s delight.

Although Bourne maintained a two-run lead, a pitching change was necessary as Bourne’s Kyle Walker threw more than 100 pitches in just five innings. Unfortunately relief pitcher Chris Salberg wasn’t able to hold the lead, allowing two runs. 

The remainder of the game was a pitcher’s duel with only a few random hits among a number of strikeouts. Darkness crept over the field, ending the outing at 3-3.

Cotuit travels to Hyannis tonight for Game 4 in the race for the 

Barnstable Patriot Cup, in which the Kettleers have a 2-1 lead. 

By Kathleen Szmit Manwaring
kmanwaring@barnstablepatriot.com