by Zane Moses
The Falmouth Commodores ended their season on Sunday in an extra inning loss against the Bourne Braves, missing the playoffs by one game despite an incredible late season run.
The Commodores finished their 2015 season with 16 wins, 27 losses and a tie.
Despite the record, the team fought hard and put themselves in a good position to sneak into the playoffs. Going into the last game the Commodores won three games in a row, scoring 30 runs in the process and granting themselves control of their own destiny. All the Commodores had to do was win their last game and they would be in the playoffs. Unfortunately, despite tying the game in the ninth inning, forcing it into extra innings, they could not overcome the Braves.
The final game was indicative of the entire year; a year that would be best defined by the old saying, ‘close but no cigar.’ Head coach Jeff Trundy could not be more proud of his players, and the fight they were able to show at the end of the year.
“Once again I think our guys showed the perseverance and resolve they have shown all season and they never once gave in, but things didn’t necessarily bounce our way,” Trundy said.
Trundy also understood that this league means so much more than wins and losses and the bonds that have formed and what the players have learned this summer means so much more than a playoff berth. He admitted that he dreads the end of the season because it is hard to say goodbye to these players who work so hard.
“You build such strong relationships here,” Trundy said, “and then all of a sudden it is, kind of, yanked away from you in a hurry so it’s really, really hard to say goodbye to everybody.”
The end is just as hard for the players, who have formed fast and strong friendships with their teammates and coaches all summer, all the while improving their craft every day.
“Overall this has been one of the best summers that I have ever had, by far, I’ve gotten to learn a lot of new things and I’ve gotten to meet a lot of new people,” said Texas A&M pitcher Turner Larkins.
The standout players of the summer would be the two big hitters J. J. Matijevic from the University of Arizona and Heath Quinn from Samford University, according to the Commodore broadcaster Michael Tricarico.
“It is hard to look at this team without looking at Matijevic and Quinn,” Tricarico said.
Quinn quietly was the most consistent batter of the team, hovering around a .300 batting average mark all season. Tricarico noted that he almost pushed the Commodores into the playoffs with his two home runs in the final game. Meanwhile Matijevic ended the season with a 21 game hitting streak and he was within the top five hitters in the league, despite a slow start. It is hard to deny that Matijevic was one of the hottest hitters in the league in the later part of the season, Tricarico raved.
However, every player had their chance to shine this season and every player worked hard to improve their baseball playing ability, which is what the Cape Cod Baseball League is all about. The pitching coach Mike Landry could not say enough about the experience of playing in the CCBL.
“I mean with this organization, and these people that work here, and the players that play here, it is no wonder why I keep coming back,” Landry said, “The summer, the baseball, the Cape, there is just no better place to be.”
The Commodores season might have ended early, but the Commodores did not go down without a fight. Even though it is with a heavy heart the players leave Cape Cod, saying goodbye to their friends and teammates, they can each look back on this summer with pride.
The Commodores Corner 