The rain continued to fall on the Cape League season Wednesday and the make-up game slated between the Cotuit Kettleers and the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox was postponed once again.

Tuesday, the Kettleers saw some fireworks in Hyannis as the Mets knocked out 11 hits in a 6-1 Fourth of July victory, handing Cotuit just their fifth loss of the season. Tim Ladd (Georgia Tech) went one and one-third innings, allowing three runs on two hits before turning it over to Bobby Bramhall (Rice), who gave up a run on five hits in three innings of work. Shane Mathews pitched the final four and two-thirds, allowing two runs on four hits. Ladd was tagged with the loss.

The Mets jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings, but Kettleers got on the scoreboard in the third, when Matt Angle (Ohio State) put one over the right field fence.

With the count full, Charlie Furbush (St. Joseph’s) dished Angle a high inside fastball and the Ohio State centerfielder took Furbush deep.
“It was probably a ball,” Angle said of the pitch. “That’s the first one I’ve hit in college.”

Angle did not homer in either his freshman or sophomore season with the Buckeyes. He hit with wood last summer in the Great Lakes League with the Delaware Cows, but regardless—aluminum or wood—the third inning shot was a landmark hit for Angle.

“So far this summer has been great,” the Whitehall, Ohio, native said. “It has been a little rainier than some folks said it would be, but other than the rain, I love it here. The team is great, and the coaching staff and the competition have been great. As of now, I can’t ask for anything more.”
Hyannis added runs in the sixth and ninth innings.

The Kettleers finished the day with seven hits and three errors.

Two runs in the top of the ninth on Monday gave the Kettleers a 5-3 win over Hyannis. Wilson Tucker (Belmont) and Eric Farris (Loyola Marymount) scored in the final frame, with Farris and Jeff Rea (Mississippi State) picking up the RBI.

Cory Gearrin (Young Harris) got the win in relief, allowing just two hits in four innings. 

Wareham had a 6-0 lead after six and a half innings Sunday. Cotuit scored twice in the bottom of the seventh but the rally failed to ignite as the Gatemen went on to claim a 6-2 victory.

David Duncan (Georgia Tech) went six frames allowing five runs on six hits in the losing effort. Dan Runzler (Cal State Riverside) pitched the final three and giving up one run on three hits. Both Cotuit runs came in the seventh on a two-RBI shot over the right field fence by Kyle Russell (Texas).

“Basically, when I go up to the plate I focus on see the ball, hit the ball,” Russell said. “To be honest, I don’t know what kind of pitch it was other than it was an inside pitch. Coach has been teaching me how to get around on that inside pitch, and I think that has helped out a lot.”
Russell is no stranger to the long ball, having hit 10 homer runs for the Longhorns.

“I’ve had some experience with wood,” he admitted, “but I’m not 100 percent confident with it like I am with metal. I like the wood; it gives you a clear crisp feel unlike metal. I love it here on the Cape, both inside and outside of baseball. The weather is amazing, and the baseball is great. Down south in Texas, it’s about 100 degrees outside right now and I’m here in 80 degrees for the whole summer. The guys here are great and we’re gelling as a team. I couldn’t ask to be anywhere better than here right now.”

The Kettleers opened July with a 4-0 win over Chatham. Christian Staehely (Princeton) got the start and went five and two-thirds innings allowing just two hits. Mathews came on in the sixth for two and one-third frames, turning it over to Gearrin for a 1-2-3 ninth.
The Kettleers scored three times in the eighth and once in the ninth, giving Mathews the win. Justin Smoak (South Carolina) and Angle both finished the night 2-for-3, to which Smoak added an RBI and a run scored. Chatham pitching issued 10 walks, and the Kettleers stranded 10 base runners.

Mike Cisco (South Carolina) pitched five and two-thirds scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over Harwich on Friday. Jay Brown (Young Harris) took care of the last three and one-third innings without giving up a hit to get the win. Angle and Farris were each 2-for-3 and Rea finished the night 2-for-4 with an RBI.

As of Wednesday, Rea leads Cotuit in hits (19), triples (2), RBI (10), walks (12) and stolen bases (5). He is hitting .317, slugging .400, and has an on-base percentage of .438.

“This has been a great experience so far,” Rea said of his Cape League summer. “I’m playing with guys who have put up great numbers at great colleges. It’s everything that it’s cranked up to be here. I think I’ve made the adjustment to the wood bat well; it has been fun.”

Two summers ago Rea played in the Central Illinois League with the Danville Dans, a wood bat league.

“We have a great team here this summer,” he added. “I think we have every aspect of the game covered. We can run, hit, throw well, and we have power and can drive guys in.”

Team USA announced its final roster July 2. Julio Borbon (Tennessee) and Daniel Moskos (Clemson) will remain with the national team for the summer, while shortstop Tony Delmonico (Tennessee) returns to Lowell Park and the Kettleers. 

Justin Smoak of the University of South Carolina is the Coca-Cola Player of the Week, making it three Gamecocks in three weeks, and a sweep of the player pitcher spots this week. Reese Havens was the Coca-Cola player of the week in the second week of the season. Now South Carolina teammate Justin Smoak shares the honor, along with Jay Brown of Young Harris who has signed with Coach Ray Tanner and will be playing for the Gamecocks this fall.

Dan Delucia (Ohio State) was the week one Coca-Cola pitcher of the week giving the Kettleers the honor four times in three weeks.
Cotuit Coach Mike Roberts recruited Cotuit’s South Carolina trio early last fall.

“I like players from Coach Tanner,” Roberts said. “We have a similar philosophy. The first thing you want is good young men. You want young men who love the smell of the grass, are interested in getting better, and are very cooperative on and off the field. Here’s Smoak, a wonderful young man and definitely a potential outstanding professional player, and he comes to the park early every day to hit; Havens does the same thing. Mike Cisco also is a phenomenal competitor; you just have to look at him to see it.”

All three Carolina Gamecocks plan on enjoying their summer on the Cape, facing the tough competition and for Smoak and Havens, swinging a wood bat. Together, they all cite hard work and dedication as something they believe they’ll need to reach the professional ranks, something they have demonstrated in abundance and are prepared to continue to do. For Jay Brown who joins the Gamecocks this fall, getting to know Cisco, Havens, and Smoak will make his adjustment that much easier when he arrives in Columbia after the Cape League season ends.

“This is a big thrill for all of us,” Cisco smiled. “This is a great league with top-notch players. I’m honored to have been asked to play here. And when you have people you’ve known your whole life with you (Havens and Smoak), it makes coming here a whole lot easier. Plus playing on a team, with them behind me, makes me pretty comfortable.”