Colleen Loftus/Web Reporter
The Falmouth Commodores took one of their most thrilling wins earlier tonight against the Cotuit Kettleers, going extra innings and coming out on top by one run. As the score bounced back in forth between the two teams, the Commodores strung their hits together when most necessary and clinched the win with a walk-off single in the tenth.
Starting on the mound for Falmouth was righty Brad Labozzetta (Florida Gulf Coast), who pitched four innings with three swinging strikeouts. Labozzetta allowed only three hits and one run, as Cotuit’s Drew Jackson (Stanford) hit a RBI single in the top of the second to put the Kettleers ahead 1-0.
Falmouth responded with two power innings in the third and fourth. Conner Hale (Louisiana State) lined a RBI double into left field, tying the game at one. Audie Afenir (Oral Roberts) gave the Commodores the 2-1 lead with a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Kevin Newman (Arizona) from third. The Commodores held a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth, during which Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) knocked a two-run home run out of the park and put Falmouth up 4-1.
Unfortunately for the Commodores, this comfortable lead did not last long. The Kettleers dominated the fifth inning, scoring a total of five runs. Falmouth allowed seven hits, five of which were consecutive. Cotuit pulled ahead to a 6-4 lead after being down three runs, giving cause for frustration and desperation from the Falmouth offense.
Luckily for Falmouth, the team thrives best under pressure. Despite allowing one more run in the top of the seventh, making the score 7-4 in favor of the Kettleers, the Commodores worked their late inning magic in the bottom half of the seventh. A portion of their success was attributed to their alertness while on base. Relief pitcher Reagan Bazar (Louisiana Lafayette) recorded back-to-back balks, allowing Hale to reach home and Afenir to continue from first to third. The Commodores trailed 7-5 as Bazar walked Boomer White (Texas A&M) off a full count. White advanced to second off Jake Madsen’s (Ohio) sacrifice infield groundout to first, which scored Afenir and decreased the score gap to one run, 7-6. White then advanced to third off a wild pitch from Bazar, one of the four wild pitches recorded by the Kettleers tonight. Costello brought White home with a RBI single to right field, tying the game 7-7 and staging for another Commodores comeback.
The game was unable to be settled in nine innings; the two teams prepared to go head-to-head in the tenth. Cotuit managed two runs, as Logan Taylor (Texas A&M) crossed home off a Falmouth throwing error and Drew Jackson reached the plate off a sacrifice fly to center field. As the Commodores trailed two runs, they were determined not to produce a 1-2-3 inning and end the game down 9-7. Their victory was credited to their patience at the plate. Closing pitcher for the Kettleers, Jackson, walked three straight Falmouth batters. With bases loaded, replacement first baseman Shaun Chase (Oregon) knocked a RBI single to left field off his first pitch from Jackson. Afenir reached first off a fielder’s choice that tagged Chase out at second, but allowed Matt Eureste (Oregon) to reach home and tie the game 9-9. With runners on the corners, White stepped into the batter’s box. With a 0-1 count, he cracked a RBI single to center field, scoring pinch hitter Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) from third and giving the Commodores the walk-off 10-9 win over the Kettleers.
“I was actually looking for a fastball,” said White, “he hung me a slider, and I just saw it down the middle and hit it.”
As if the walk-off was not enough to end Falmouth’s regular season on a high note, history was also made at Guv Fuller Field earlier this evening. Kevin Newman went two-for-two at the plate in the early innings of the game, tallying a .380 batting average. Newman became the first Cape League player to ever win the Thurman Munson batting title twice, let alone in two consecutive seasons. Last summer, he was named the youngest recipient of the award as he was just finishing his freshman year at the University of Arizona. Despite missing eleven games in late June and early July to try out for Team USA, Newman worked his way back and found himself with the top batting average in the league once again. As tonight concluded the 2014 regular season for the Commodores, Newman ended with 46 hits in 122 at-bats.
“I’m very honored, [and] it’s a really great award to have,” commented Newman of his accomplishment, “I have great teammates and great hitters in our lineup that really set the table for me to get a lot of fastballs and base hits. It’s not all me. My teammates also helped as well.”
The Commodores end their regular season with a 26-17-2 record, and are seeded second in the Western Division heading into the Cape League playoffs. Falmouth’s first playoff game will be Wednesday, August 6, 2014, at Guv Fuller Field against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. For more information, visit the Falmouth Commodores’ website at www.falmouthcommodores.com.
The Commodores Corner 