From the very beginning of the summer, Hyannis has been playing well. The Harbor Hawks won their first three games and five of their first six, serving notice that this year might be different.
Because it’s been a while in Hyannis. The franchise hasn’t finished a season with an above-.500 record since they 2003, when they were still the Mets and they went 21-19-4. They’ve finished in last place the last two years and they won only 14 games last season.
On Monday — Independence Day — the Harbor Hawks celebrated their newfound independence from that past.
Hyannis beat Y-D 4-1 for its 14th win of the summer, the same total it finished with a year ago.
And something tells me they won’t stop there.
The Harbor Hawks are now 14-6 and holding the best record in the league. They’ve won five out of six again after their only brief skid of the season. They have an eight-point cushion in the standings and are the only team in the West with a winning record.
To reach 14, they delivered another strong effort. Hyannis fell behind 1-0 in the top of the third but tied it immediately, took the lead in the fifth and never looked back. Dylan Floro (Cal State Fullerton) allowed nine hits in eight innings but struck out six, didn’t walk anybody and surrendered just one run. The no walks is big for Floro, who previously had walked almost as many as he had struck out.
Nick Wittgren (Purdue) struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his third save.
On the offensive side, Eric Stamets (Evansville) had three hits out of the leadoff spot while Justin Gonzalez (Florida State) went 2-for-4 with a home run. Kevin Plawecki (Purdue) and Cal Towey (Baylor) also had two hits apiece, and Dan Gulbransen (Jacksonville) delivered an RBI.
Hyannis will try to keep the good times rolling today when it visits Harwich in a battle of first-place teams.
Elsewhere
What to Watch
Game: As mentioned above, Hyannis and Harwich get together for a match-up of first-place teams at Whitehouse Field at 7 p.m. The teams have split their first two meetings.
Player: Eric Stamets (Evansville) has been a steady force atop the Hyannis lineup all summer. He leads the team with a .329 batting average.
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