Commodores Extend Winning Streak to Four

Colleen Loftus/Web Reporter

The Commodores continued their winning streak tonight as they beat the Bourne Braves. Falmouth, once again, demonstrated its ability to place base hits in the holes of the outfield, providing themselves many on-base opportunities to score.

The first opportunity came right away in the bottom of the first, as Matt Eureste (San Jacinto) hit a lead-off single into center field. With two outs in the inning and a 1-0 count to Conner Hale (Louisiana State), Eureste stole second to put himself in scoring position. Hale cracked an RBI single into left field to score Eureste, giving the Commodores the early 1-0 lead. Audie Afenir (Oral Roberts) then approached the plate and sent a RBI double to the center field fence. Hale rounded third and slid into home just in time to extend the lead 2-0.

The Commodores continued their hitting spree in the bottom of the second. Shaun Chase (Oregon) drove a single into shallow right field, and was followed by Nick Ramos’ (Indiana) single to shallow left field. With two men on base, Steven Duggar (Clemson) sent a skidding ball to Bourne’s Sutton Whiting (Louisville) at second. Whiting fumbled the ball and recorded an error as Chase crossed home. The Commodores led 3-0.

Falmouth squeezed in two more runs in the fifth and seventh innings. Hale hit an RBI double to bring home a speedy Duggar from second. Afenir followed suit with a RBI double to the left field fence, allowing Kevin Newman (Arizona) to reach home. The Commodores held 5-0 lead heading into the final innings of play.

The Commodores’ pitching played an enormous role in the team’s win. Starting pitcher Kevin McCanna (Rice) made his sixth start of this 2014 season for the Commodores, pitching seven whole innings. McCanna took the mound with powerful assertiveness, striking out five Bourne batters. He allowed only one hit and two walks, pitching a 3.67 ERA.

Kyle Zimmerman (Wayne State) relieved McCanna in the top of the eighth. While he allowed the Braves’ only run of the night, Zimmerman also struck out one batter. He was replaced by Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) with two outs in the eighth and the bases loaded. He induced the next batter to fly out to center field.  With two outs in the inning, Eckelman struck out Allemand to end the game with the Commodores ahead 5-1.

Falmouth gelled well defensively throughout all nine innings. The Commodores retired the Braves within three batters in six innings, catching pop flies inside and outside the diamond. The Braves could not find the empty spaces in the infield to send hits, only having men on base in three innings. Lack of communication hurt the Braves in the top of the seventh, as the Commodores recorded a 8-3-1 double play. With Harrison Bader (Florida) on first, Zander Wiel (Vanderbilt) popped out to center. After an impressive catch by Duggar in center, Bader was unable to get back to first in time before he was tagged out by McCanna. In the final inning of play, Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) made two outstanding catches in right field, diving into the stands for a ball popped foul by Wiel. The Commodores appeared as a unit once more, and hope to continue their winning streak further.

Falmouth will host Chatham on Wednesday, July 16, 2014, at 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit the Falmouth Commodores website at www.falmouthcommodores.com.