Written by Kathleen Szmit
 
It began with the weather, shining sun and clear blue skies. Next came the hum of mowers on grass at Barnstable’s two Cape Cod Baseball League fields. Finally, the crack of bats and the cheers of the crowds signaled that baseball in Barnstable was indeed back.

With its return comes the annual battle between the Mets and the Kettleers for the Barnstable Patriot Cup.

This year’s race begins in Hyannis on June 24 when the Kettleers and defending champion Hyannis face each other in Game 1 under the lights at McKeon Park.

At press time the Cotuit Kettleers boasted a slightly better record than their rival Hyannis team, with three wins and one loss at this season’s start, to Hyannis’ 2-2.

The Kettleers have just two returning players – pitcher-catcher Robert Stock, who was an All-Star player in 2007, and outfielder Mike Bianucci, who opted to return to Cotuit after being chosen late in the MLB draft. 

Fans, however, should certainly not count out new members of the team. Many come with strong performances in high school and college, as they have been proving since opening day.
Nick Hernandez, Danny Meszaros and Brandon Cumpton have been stellar on the mound for the Kettleers, while the bats of Jeff Kobernus, Bianucci and Brett Jackson have been on fire.
On the Hyannis side of the plate, the Mets have four returning players from the 2007 season: catcher Dale Cornstubble,infielder Ryan Jackson, outfielder Joey Gonzalesand right-handed pitcher Austin Hudson.

Bringing some pitching heat has been southpaw Ashur Tolliver, who has wowed crowds with his speed, and Drew Muren, who helped Hyannis win their season opener against Chatham on June 14. Andrew Carraway also had a strong game on June 16, recording his first shutout of the season, 1-0 against Falmouth. 

Created in 2004, the Patriot Cup recognizes the fact that Barnstable is the only town on Cape Cod with two CCBL teams. 

Near the end of each season, the Cup trophy is awarded to the Barnstable team that wins the most of their six head-to-head matches throughout the season (i.e. games played against each other). Naturally, there are rules in case of a tie. 

In the event that the teams are tied at three games each following the final game between the two, one of three tiebreakers will be held: 

1. Fewest runs allowed – the team that allowed the fewest runs during all Hyannis-Cotuit games will be named champion. If this doesn’t work, it will be followed by
2. Most strikeouts – the team with the most strikeouts wins. If a tiebreak is still necessary then 
3. There will be a baseball bat toss by the team captains. 

We’re still hoping to see that bat toss!