If the Hyannis Harbor Hawks could find a way to get Will Callaway to the plate in the ninth inning every game, they might be in better shape this season.
The Harbor Hawks beat Harwich 9-6 last night on a walk-off three-run home run by Callaway (Appalachian State). That’s his second walk-off hit of the year, and his heroics have led to the Harbor Hawks’ only two victories. He had a walk-off single RBI single in a 7-6 victory over Bourne last week.
This time, Hyannis trailed the streaking mariners 6-5 going into the ninth, with Harwich closer C.K. Irby (Samford) on the mound. An error and a single put two men on, but Irby also struck out two, getting Hyannis to its last out. But Brad Zebedis (Presbyterian) came through on the first pitch he saw from Irby, hitting a single to score Brandon Trinkwon (Cal). Callaway then fell behind 0-2 before finding his pitch and crushing it for the game-winning three run homer.
It was a shocking way for the Mariners’ nine-game winning streak to come to an end. It looked for a lot of the game like they were going to find a way to win in a tough spot. Hyannis starter Sean Manaea (Indiana State) struck out 11 and allowed just two hits in 5.1 innings against the most intimidating lineup on the Cape. The Mariners bided their time, touched Manaea up for solo home runs by JaCoby Jones (LSU) and Brian Ragira (Stanford), and then hit two more home runs when Manaea left the game. Austin Wilson (Stanford) had one and Phillip Ervin (Samford) hit the other, his eighth of the summer.
When you’re 1-11 and you’ve just seen the best team on the Cape hit four more home runs, I think it would be easy to pack it in, but Hyannis kept coming, making it a one-run game in the bottom of the eighth before the ninth-inning heroics.
Hyannis, for all its struggles, has now beaten Harwich and pushed Orleans to 14 innings.
Elsewhere
Orleans moved right back into a tie for first with the Mariners thanks to a 5-1 victory over Bourne. The Firebirds broke open a 1-1 game with a run in the sixth, two in the seventh and another in the eighth. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) hit his fifth home run and J.T. Riddle (Kentucky) knocked in two runs. Jimmy Reed (Maryland) struck out eight in 5.2 innings and allowed just a run. Dylan Clark (Elon) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief and Chase Johnson (Cal Poly) got the save in the absence of Trevor Gott (Kentucky), who has left the Cape with an injury.
While the East’s top teams have had the spotlight, Falmouth has quietly won four games in a row to move to 9-5 in the Western Division. The Commodores continued the streak with an 8-2 victory over Y-D last night. Andrew Thurman (UC Irvine) struck out nine in six innings, but Falmouth managed to get three runs off him and then went to work against the Y-D bullpen, scoring five more runs. Mike O’Neill (Michigan) hit a grand slam in the seventh, while Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Ben Wetzler (Oregon State) made his first appearance of the summer and was impressive on the mound for Falmouth, striking out eight in six innings while allowing just one run.
It was a good night for Wareham as well, with the Gatemen rolling over Cotuit 11-2 for their second straight win. The Gatemen pounded out 17 hits, led by Cole Sturgeon’s enormous day. The Louisville sophomore went 5-for-6 with a double and two RBI, raising his average from .294 to .351. Tyler McFarland (James Madison) added three hits while Kyle Schwarber (Indiana), Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) and Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) all hit home runs for the Gatemen, who have averaged almost eight runs per game since getting shut-out by Orleans last Sunday. Pitching was also strong for Wareham as Jared Ruxer (Louisville) struck out seven and allowed just an unearned run in 4.2 innings. Nick Rumbelow (LSU) and Joe Filomeno (Louisville) finished off the win. Wareham is 7-7 while Cotuit fell to 5-8.
Chatham beat Brewster 6-5 in a 10-inning thriller to move to 8-5 on the year. After a Tanner Nivins (Stony Brook) home run gave Brewster the lead in the top of the 10th, Dante Flores (USC) had a two-run single to tie things up in the bottom half. An error on a ball off the bat of Pat Valaika (UCLA) then allowed Andrew Knapp (Cal) to score the game-winning run. Jake Joyce (Virginia Tech) picked up the win in relief after a quality start by Kurt Schluter (Stetson), who struck out six and allowed two runs in six innings. Brewster starter Sam Moll (Memphis) struck out eight in 4.1 innings but allowed nine hits.
What to Watch
West leader Falmouth travels to Harwich for a 5:30 p.m. start. The Commodores have won four in a row and they beat Harwich earlier this season. Benjamin Ballantine (Michigan), who struggled in his last start is scheduled to go for Falmouth against Harwich’s Corey Littrell (Kentucky), who has a 3.24 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 8.1 innings.
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