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Cotuit Pitching Keeping Team in Season

07/16/2009 10:15 AM

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16 July 2009

Cotuit Pitching Keeping Team in Season
By Ashley Crosby, CCBL Intern

COTUIT, Mass.—Cotuit’s pitchers have been putting up impressive numbers lately, illustrating the Cape league’s reputation as a pitcher-dominated league. With returning stars Brandon Cumpton (Georgia Tech) and Seth Blair (Arizona), and newcomers like Jake Buchanan (NC State), Justin Grimm (Georgia), Chad Bell (Walters St CC), and submariner Ben Rowen (Virginia Tech) striking out a combined 110 batters in 138.4 innings pitched, the pitchers are holding their own amongst league pitching leaders like Bourne and Orleans.

     There’s Bell, who threw a no-hitter against Chatham this past week. There’s Buchanan, who threw a complete game in a win over Orleans. There’s Rowen, whose 21 strikeouts are third on the team only to Bell and Grimm, who are tied with 23. Bell and Blair both sit in the leading pitchers category in the league.

     “I think we have one of the best pitching staffs up here,” said Bell. “We’ve just got so many guys than can play any role, guys that can start a game, guys that can come in and relieve. I think we got more guys capable of doing all the roles than any other team.”

     The coaches agree that Cotuit has quality pitching these days. “Our pitching is doing outstanding,” said field manager Mike Roberts. “Everyone on our pitching staff has been consistently good.”

     “They go out there every day and they’ve got a game plan,” added assistant coach Scott Gurss. “Every guy is really getting into what Coach Roberts is preaching and that’s the main goal.”

     “Seth Blair is the type of guy that I know is going to go out there and do the best he can,” continued Gurss. “Him and Cumpton are both guys that know the Cape league, know Coach Roberts’ philosophy and can go out there and get outs every day. And Jake’s [Buchanan] doing great, he’s got great command.”

     The experience that Blair and Cumpton bring, having been on the team last year and learning how to pitch in a wooden bat league to get ground outs, has been an asset to the team. “They know what’s going on,” said Gurss.

     “It’s definitely a privilege to come up here and play in this league and go out and give you a lot of confidence,” said Blair.

     And confidence is important. “During the six game losing streak, I think everyone’s confidence was a little bit down,” said Bell. “We won the game the other night [against Chatham], we tied a couple [against Wareham], but hopefully it’s boosted everyone’s confidence up a lot and we can turn it into a winning streak and try to get back up near the top [of the division].”
 

Ashley Crosby can be reached at [email protected]
 

John Garner, Jr.
Director of Public Relations & Broadcasting
(508) 790-0394
[email protected] 

Brian Doyle
Web Editor
(508) 561-6284

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Interns: Chris Blake, James Chandley, Ashley Crosby, Phil Garceau, Michael Campbell, Katy Ann Fitzpatrick