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Falmouth takes Game 1 of West Division finals

08/10/2014 8:57 PM

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     Commodores 3, Kettleers 1: Cotuit struggled to figure out a dominant Alex Young (TCU), who nearly went the distance tossing eight innings and striking out eight while allowing just four hits and one earned run en route to the win in Game 1 of the best-of-three 2014 Cape Cod Baseball League West Division finals, presented by Rockland Trust.

     The Commodores will look to continue their undefeated playoff run and advance to the CCBL championship while the Kettleers will fight to stay alive and win another comeback series Monday at Lowell Park in Cotuit at 4 p.m.

     This win leaves the West Division second-seeded Commodores as the only undefeated team remaining in the 2014 CCBL postseason. Falmouth reached the finals as one of just two teams to sweep the first round with its back-to-back wins over the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.

     Following a scoreless first, the Commodores came out swinging in the bottom of the second as Boomer White (TCU) and Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts) each singled to put runners on first and second. White stole third preceding a Sam Gillikin (Auburn) strikeout in the next at-bat, but it wouldn't make a difference as all-star Matt Eureste (San Jacinto) came up with two outs and two aboard to belt a home run into right-center field and give his Falmouth team a 3-0 lead.

     Young cruised through the first six innings without allowing a run and enjoying his three-run cushion before briefly stumbling in the seventh and allowing a Jeremy Taylor (East Tennessee St.) single that drove in Cotuit's only run.

     Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) came on to close the door for the Commodores in the ninth, but following an errant throw to first on a routine play and a single, found himself in a jam. The runners would advance to second and third on a fielder's choice with the tying run just 180 feet away and the go-ahead run at the plate with just one out. Eckelman got the job done and picked up his second save of the postseason.

     Falmouth's Boomer White was one of only two players to finish with multiple hits as he and Cotuit's Brendan Hendriks (San Francisco) each finished 2-for-4.

     Logan James (Stanford) pitched well for the Kettleers, settling down after giving up the home run and finishing with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings, but the one mistake to Eureste cost him and he was saddled with the loss.