Orleans was a perfect 6-0 against its East Division counterparts heading into Wednesday’s game with Harwich.
The streaking Mariners wouldn’t let the Firebirds get to seven.
Harwich won for the sixth time in seven games, riding another solid pitching performance and a late-inning offensive burst to a 7-2 victory. The Mariners are now 8-4 and sitting atop the East. They’re the third team in the league to get to eight wins, joining Cotuit and Hyannis.
Nick Howard (Virginia) was great on the mound on his pitching debut. Facing off against his Cavalier teammate Josh Sborz, Howard struck out eight and allowed two runs in 5.2 innings.
The bigger key was the bullpens. Michael Costello (Radford) went 3.1 scoreless frames for Harwich, striking out three and not giving up a single hit. In the meantime, Harwich got to the Orleans pen with a five-run eighth inning. Aaron Barbosa (Northeastern) doubled, starting a parade of key hits. Mark Zagunis (Virginia Tech) had an RBI single, Ben Moore (Alabama) had an RBI single, Brendon Hayden (Virginia Tech) drove in a run with a double, Ryan Lindemuth (William & Mary) knocked one in with a single, and finally – in his second at-bat of the inning – Barbosa brought a run home with a base hit.
Just like that, a 2-2 game has turned into a 7-2 game, and the Mariners were well on their way.
Barbosa finished 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI, while Lindemuth went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Everybody in the Harwich lineup reached base at least once.
Chris Marconcini (Duke) hit a home run for Orleans – his third – but the Firebirds managed only six total hits. They dropped to 6-6 on the year.
The Harwich-Orleans game was the only one on the schedule yesterday.
What to Watch
The top two teams in the East square off in Harwich at 7 p.m. as the Mariners welcome Chatham to town. Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State), who’s been good in relief, will make his first start for the Mariners. Lukas Schiraldi (Navarro College), a 35th-round pick who’s committed to Texas next year, will make his third start for Chatham. He has a 2.79 ERA with eight strikeouts in 9.2 innings.