RIGHT FIELD FOG

Even when they’re not doing it with home runs, the Harwich Mariners are catching a lot of eyes.

Harwich did hit two more home runs last night, but the real story was its ninth inning rally. West leader Falmouth went into the bottom of the ninth with a 6-4 lead on the Mariners. With closer John Simms (Rice) coming in, it looked like Falmouth was well on its way to its second victory of the year over the nation’s No. 1 summer collegiate team.

But Simms had to get through the middle of Harwich’s order. And that is proving to be a very difficult task this season.

With an error and a walk opening the door, the Mariners seized the opportunity. Austin Wilson (Stanford) doubled home a run to make it a 6-5 game before Brian Ragira (Stanford) smacked a single off the glove of a diving Jon McGibbon (Clemson) at first, allowing two runs to score and giving Harwich a 7-6 victory.

The Mariners haven’t needed a lot of heroics this season. This was their third one-run victory out of 12 wins. They’ve averaged about a four-run margin in their other wins.

But they got just what they needed on this night. The meat of their order is about as intimidating a group as I remember on the Cape. Whether the balls are flying out of the park or not, that group is a very tough one to deal with.

Harwich’s two home runs came early on, with Wilson and Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) both hitting their fifth of the season. Matt Reida (Kentucky) went 3-for-5 at the top of the Mariner order.

Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) led Falmouth with two hits and two RBI. Before Harwich’s ninth-inning rally, the Commodores got great relief work, with Ryan Moore (UConn), John Colella (Holy Cross), Kyle Ruchim (Northwestern) and Sam Paterson (Montana State-Billings) combining for six innings of one-hit, shutout baseball.

Elsewhere

Orleans turned in one of the most impressive all-around games of the season with a 12-0 dismantling of Brewster, the team’s second win in a row since two straight losses on Thursday and Friday. Kevin Brown (Bryant) hit a grand slam in the second inning on his way to a huge six RBI night, and the Firebirds blew the game wide open with six runs in the fourth. J.T. Riddle (Kentucky) had three hits for the Firebirds, while Daniel Aldrich (College of Charleston) and Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) each had an RBI. On the mound, Jarrett Arakawa (Hawaii) turned in his third impressive start in as many tries, allowing just two hits and striking out four in five shutout innings. That line is identical to the line from his last start. Arakawa now has a 0.60 ERA. The bullpen was also impressive, with Karsten Whitson (Florida), Dylan Covey (San Diego), Pat Christensen (La Salle) and Kyle Crockett (Virginia) giving up just one more hit in four innings.

Y-D also blew past an East rival, powering past Chatham 12-2. The win puts Y-D into a tie for third in the East with Chatham. The Red Sox finished with 11 hits, including three home runs. Robert Pehl (Washington), Alex Blandino (Stanford) and Justin Shafer (Florida) had the blasts, with Blandino and Pehl both finishing with two hits. Wayne Taylor (Stanford) added two RBI. For Chatham, John Martinez (Michigan State) hit a home run, but the Anglers didn’t get much else. Y-D starter Alex Gonzalez (Oral Roberts) allowed two runs in four innings before Anthony Montefusco (George Mason) and Joey DeNato (Indiana) finished it off.

Cotuit and Bourne have both had their struggles this season, but they were duking it out for 12 innings last night. The Kettleers eventually prevailed 7-4 thanks to a rally in the top of the 12th. James Roberts (USC) cleared the bases with a two-out double to give Cotuit the 7-4 lead. Jacob Stone (Weatherford College) then tossed his second straight scoreless inning to seal the victory, which moved Cotuit to 6-8. The long game happened despite strong starting pitching performances on both sides. Kevin Ziomek (Vanderbilt) struck out nine and allowed just a run on three hits in 6.1 innings for the Kettleers. He now ranks third in the league in strikeouts. On the other side, Bourne’s Chad Green (Louisville) struck out eight and allowed two runs on three hits in 5.1 innings.

Wareham pulled off a comeback win over Hyannis for the second time in three days. On Friday, Wareham had rallied from a 6-2 deficit against the Harbor Hawks with two in the eighth and three in the ninth. This time the Gatemen posted a 4-3 victory thanks to two runs in the eighth. A two-run home run by Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) was the difference, and Cole Sturgeon (Louisville) pitched a scoreless ninth once his team got the lead. Claude Johnson (Arkansas State) also had two RBI for the Gatemen, who finished with just four hits. Hyannis was also limited to four hits. Brandon Trinkwon (Cal) had a hit and an RBI to lead the Harbor Hawks.

What to Watch

Just two games on the slate today. Bourne visits Cotuit at 5 p.m. in a rematch of last night’s 12-inning affair, and Hyannis travels to Chatham for a 7 p.m. start. If you’re looking for a pitcher to watch, Chatham starter Eric Stevens is your guy. The Boston College righty struggled in his last start, but his first time out, he was perfect through five innings.

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.

Harwich and Phillip Ervin have taken a lot of the headlines in the Cape Cod Baseball League this season. Chicks dig the long ball, and apparently so do Cape League fans.

But this is shaping up to be a very offensive summer, and it’s not all because of Ervin and his crew with the Mariners. We shouldn’t lose sight of the other stand-outs.

Robert Pehl and the Y-D Red Sox are at the top of that list.

Pehl went 2-for-3 last night and got on base to start two rallies as the Red Sox beat Orleans 11-10. Pehl is now hitting a league-best .447 with 13 RBI, and the Red Sox have a league-best .318 team batting average. The next closest teams are Harwich and Falmouth at .274.

The Red Sox haven’t quite hit their stride as a total unit yet. Despite having the fourth-best team ERA to go with the best batting average, they’re only one game over .500.

But they’re dangerous, and Pehl has been most dangerous of all.

Undrafted out of high school, Pehl just finished his freshman year at Washington, where he hit .293. He’s been on the Cape since the first day of the season, when he went 1-for-4, and he hasn’t slowed down. While everyone else’s averages have slowly trickled down into the reasonable range as we’ve gotten deeper into the season, Pehl’s has remained in the unreasonable range. He’s hit in five straight games, and four of those have been multi-hit performances.

When a player — and a team — hit that much, they’re not easy to put away, and the Firebirds found that out last night. Orleans, coming off the streak-busting loss to Harwich, seemed to be putting the Red Sox away when Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) hit a grand slam in the seventh to put the Firebirds on top 10-7.

But Pehl led off the bottom of the inning with a single and came around on a Sam Travis (Indiana) base hit. The Red Sox added another run in the eighth on a home run by Zak Blair (Mercyhurst).

Then in the ninth, with Orleans lights-out closer Trevor Gott (Kentucky) on the mound, the Red Sox kept swinging. Pehl walked, Alex Blandino (Stanford) singled and Travis brought pinch runner Tyler Sciacca (Villanova) home with a base hit. After a walk, Blandino raced home on a sacrifice fly by Blair to score the winning run.

The runs were the first ones Gott has allowed this season, and the blown save was just the second of his stellar two-year career. Interestingly, the only other blown save came in last year’s playoffs, in another 11-10 loss to Y-D.

The Red Sox finished with 14 hits, and six players had two each. Blair had four RBI, while Blandino and Travis had two apiece.

Elsewhere

Harwich had only three hits, but two were three-run homers and those were enough in a 7-2 victory over Cotuit, the team’s ninth in a row. Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) hit his fourth home run and Mike Connolly (Maine) hit his first. Both buried the Kettleers early. Jagielo’s blast was in the first inning and Connolly’s in the second. The Mariners now have 26 home runs, more than any team hit in 2010 and only two fewer than the league-leading total of 28 from last year. JaCoby Jones (LSU) had the only other hit for the Mariners, who benefited from seven Cotuit walks. On the mound, David Whitehead (Elon) allowed two runs in four innings. Eric Skoglund (Central Florida) pitched two perfect innings of relief for the win. Cotuit starter Kyle Finnegan (Texas State) struck out eight in four innings but four walks and the two home runs were his undoing.

Falmouth beat Chatham 2-1 for its third straight win. Sean Hagan (St. John’s), a 29th-round pick this year who had made only two relief appearances, got his first start and promptly went seven strong innings. He struck out five and allowed just one run on two hits. Johnny Magliozzi (Florida) delivered his second scoreless relief appearance since arriving from the College World Series, and John Simms (Rice) closed it out with his second save. Ryan Thompson (Franklin Pierce) matched Hagan for six innings, allowing a run and striking out five, but Falmouth scored the eventual game-winning run in the seventh on an RBI double by Coty Blanchard (Jacksonville State). Jon McGibbon (Clemson) had the other RBI for the Commodores, while Andrew Knapp (Cal) delivered Chatham’s only run with a homer.

Wareham rallied from a 6-2 deficit with two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth to beat Hyannis 7-6. Kyle Schwarber (Indiana) started the comeback with a home run, and Mott Hyde (Georgia Tech) had an RBI single to make it 6-4 in the eighth. In the ninth, Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) tied the game with a two-run single. With Schwarber on third, Horan broke for second on a stolen base attempt, and when Hyannis threw down, Schwarber raced home with the go-ahead run. Jonathan Holder (Mississippi State) slammed the door with a scoreless bottom of the ninth.

Bourne also won a close one, 8-7 over Brewster. Two runs in the bottom of the seventh were the difference, and both came on a two-run homer by Josh Dezse (Ohio State). Dezse then took the mound for the ninth and pitched a scoreless inning for his second save. Tyler King (Nebraska) got the win for the Braves. Chase McDonald (East Carolina) joined Dezse with two RBI and Colin Moran (North Carolina) to bring his average to .333. Jeff McNeil (Long Beach State) went 3-for-3 to lead the Whitecaps, while Trevor Mitsui (Washington) had two hits and two RBI. Tanner Nivins (Stony Brook) hit a home run in his second game of the summer.

What to Watch

Harwich and Hyannis are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of standings, but with Sean Manaea (Indiana State) on the mound for the Harbor Hawks, it should be a good match-up. Manaea has a 2.19 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 12.1 innings. Eddie Campbell (Virginia Tech) is scheduled to start for Harwich. The game is in Hyannis at 7 p.m.

If you’ve been following the Cape Cod Baseball League this season, you know the Harwich Mariners are just crushing the ball.

On the biggest stage yet, we shouldn’t have expected anything different.

Hosting first-place Orleans last night in the biggest marquee match-up of 2012, the Mariners hit four home runs in one inning on their way to a 5-3 victory over the Firebirds. It was their eighth straight win, it snapped the Firebirds’ eight-game winning streak and it moved Harwich into a first place tie.

In a season full of impressive showings, this one may have been the best for the Mariners.

I was watching the Harwich broadcast online and just shook my head when Philip Ervin (Samford) homered on a 1-2 pitch to lead off the fourth inning. He’s been ridiculous — seven home runs in 12 games. Seven is the number that won the Cape League home run title the last two years. And Ervin is there in about one-third of the season.

But that was only the beginning. After an out, Austin Wilson (Stanford) smacked a home run. Then Brian Ragira (Stanford) belted one on the very next pitch. Austen Smith (Alabama) followed with another home run.

A 2-0 deficit was now a 4-2 lead — and a season of long balls had its signature moment.

I don’t remember four home runs in an inning. I don’t remember one player hitting seven in the first two weeks of the season. I don’t remember a team averaging two home runs per game.

In short, Harwich may be the most powerful team we’ve seen on the Cape in a very long time.

And the Mariners are winning, too. Armed with the lead, the bullpen didn’t allow another earned run over the final five innings. Anthony Tzamtzis (North Carolina State) struck out the side in the seventh and C.K. Irby (Samford) did the same in the ninth to clinch the victory. That’s eight in a row, and Harwich’s only losses of the season have been to Orleans and Falmouth.

Wilson and Ragira each had two hits for the Mariners. Matt Reida (Kentucky) knocked in the only run that didn’t come via the home run.

For Orleans, Daniel Aldrich (College of Charleston) had a home run and a double.

In the midst of getting carried away with the Harwich love, we can’t forget that Orleans has the same record as Harwich, beat the Mariners in their first meeting and looks like a great team in its own right. It was a true showdown last night. I can’t wait for the next one.

Pitching In

Aaron Blair (Marshall) has won the first two Cape League Pitcher of the Week awards, in part because starters haven’t been turning in the best outings. But it’s also because Blair has been great.

And he may just win that honor again.

The Y-D righty struck out 10 and allowed one run on six hits in seven innings as the Red Sox beat Brewster 7-3 last night. Blair now leads the league in wins (3), strikeouts (25) and ERA among starters (0.50).

Blair was a late addition to the Y-D roster, but he has an impressive profile. He was a 21st-round pick out of high school in 2010 and he struck out nearly a batter an inning for Marshall this spring.

And now he’s turning into the best starting pitcher on the Cape.

Y-D’s victory snapped a three-game Brewster winning streak and got the Red Sox back to .500. Sam Travis (Indiana) went 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the offense.

Elsewhere

Chatham improved to 7-4 and kept pace with Orleans and Harwich thanks to a 5-3 victory over Bourne. Chad Pinder (Virginia Tech) had two RBI, bringing his season total to 14, while Mike Fransoso (Maine) had two hits. Mike Wagner (San Diego) made his second start and allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings. Three Chatham relievers didn’t allow a run. Jake Joyce (Virginia Tech) walked the bases loaded in the ninth but struck out Colin Moran (North Carolina) to end the game. That was the only time Chatham got Moran, as he went 3-for-4 with his first home run of the summer for the Braves.

Falmouth edged Wareham 5-4 to stay in first place in the West. The Commodores trailed 4-1 but scored four runs in the sixth and then held on for the win. Jared King (Kansas State) and Billy Ferriter (UConn) hit home runs for Falmouth, while Jon McGibbon (Clemson) drove in two runs. Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) went 3-for-4 after going 2-for-4 in his 2012 debut the night before. Craig Schlitter (Bryant) got the win in relief with two scoreless innings, and John Simms (Rice) had the save. Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) hit his third home run for Wareham.

What to Watch

Another good match-up in the East as Orleans visits Y-D at 5 p.m. Stony Brook star Brandon McNitt is scheduled to make his Cape League debut as he gets the ball for the Firebirds. Rick Knapp (Florida Gulf Coast), who has a 0.90 ERA in two starts, is slated to go for Y-D.

After rain washed out the full Cape Cod Baseball League slate on Tuesday, teams got back to action last night.

Orleans and Hyannis certainly made up for the lack of baseball.

The Firebirds and the Harbor Hawks played 14 innings at Eldredge Park, the longest game of the 2012 season so far. Orleans ultimately prevailed 6-5 to move to 10-1 on the year.

I wouldn’t have picked these two teams to stage a 14-inning classic. The Firebirds have the best record in the league, and the Harbor Hawks have the worst record — now 10-1 and 1-10.

But after Orleans tied the game in the fifth inning, nothing separated the teams for the next eight innings.

The Firebirds, who are no strangers to close games, finally broke through in the bottom of the 14th. Facing Jimmy Hodgskin (Troy), the eighth Hyannis pitcher of the night, Cody Kulp (Shippensburg) started the frame with a single. A bunt moved him to second before an error on a ball off the bat of Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) allowed Kulp to score the winning run.

It was the sixth one-run game the Firebirds, and their fifth win in those games. It was their first extra-inning game.

Hyannis actually took a 5-0 lead in the second inning. Brett Michael Doran (Stanford) hit a grand slam to power the burst. But Orleans quickly chipped away, getting two in the bottom of the second, one in the third and tying the game with two in the fifth.

From there, the bullpens dominated. Six Harbor Hawk pitchers combined to allow just three hits in nine scoreless innings, led by Carson Cross (UConn), who struck out five in three innings. That bullpen work is a bright spot for Hyannis, which had struggled in that department.

Seven Orleans relievers surrendered six hits in 10 shutout innings. Kyle Crockett (Virginia) carried a big load with six strikeouts in four innings. Dylan Covey (San Diego) picked up the win after getting the final out of the 14th.

Reed Gragnani (Virginia) and J.T. Riddle (Kentucky) each hit home runs to lead the Orleans offense. And as always, an extra-innings game delivered an odd line — Orleans leadoff man Jay Gonzalez (Auburn) went 0-for-2 with five walks, and he reached base six times. The sixth was on a dropped third strike.

Elsewhere

Another game, another win for Harwich — and two more home runs. The Mariners beat Y-D 4-3 and brought their league-leading home run total to 20. Philip Ervin (Samford) hit his league-best sixth and his college teammate C.K. Irby hit his first. Ervin is now one home run away from matching the end-of-season league-leading total from each of the last two years. Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame) and Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) added two hits each for Harwich. Making his second start for the Mariners, Aaron Nola (LSU) struck out five and allowed one run on three hits in six innings. His LSU teammate Joey Bourgeois allowed two runs in two innings before Zane Evans (Georgia Tech) came on for his second save. Sean Dwyer (Florida Gulf Coast) hit a home run for Y-D.

Brewster has quietly gotten right back into the Eastern Division mix. The Whitecaps beat Chatham 6-4 for their third straight win. They’re now tied for fourth with Y-D and are just a game back of Chatham for third. On this night, Brewster took a 4-0 lead in the third and never trailed. Trevor Mitsui (Washington) went 2-for-3 with three RBI, while returning all-star Jason Monda (Washington State) broke out of a slump with a 3-for-4 day. Dan Olinger (Minnesota) went 3-for-3. On the mound for the Whitecaps, James Leckenby (Washington State) was impressive in his first start of the summer, striking out seven and allowing just two hits in four shutout innings. Chatham chipped away against the Brewster bullpen, but Jake Kalish (George Mason) slammed the door with a scoreless ninth.

Wareham finally put a good offensive showing together with strong pitching performances in a 9-1 victory over Bourne. The Gatemen had lost two straight games by big margins, and before that, they scored a lot of runs but had to win a slugfest over Falmouth. This time, it all clicked. Daniel Palka (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-5 with a double and a home run while Mott Hyde (Georgia Tech) went 3-for-5. The Gatemen finished with 14 hits. On the mound, Brad Kuntz (Baylor) surrendered just a run on two hits while striking out six in five innings. Nick Rumbelow (LSU) and Joe Filomeno (Louisville) combined for four scoreless innings of relief. Wareham improved to 5-6.

It was also a lopsided affair in Cotuit, where Falmouth beat the Kettleers 9-2. The Commodores had 13 hits — and four home runs — on their way to their sixth win of the season, which gets them back over .500. Returning all-star Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) made his debut for the Commodores and gave them a big boost as he went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Jared King (Kansas State), Michael O’Neill (Michigan) and Brad Fieger (Miami) had the other home runs. Drew Dosch (Youngstown State) went 3-for-5 to bring his average to .341, and Jonathan McGibbon (Clemson) went 2-for-4. On the mound, Trey Masek (Texas Tech) scattered five hits and didn’t allow an earned run in five innings. Three relievers combined for four scoreless innings.

What to Watch

The big Orleans-Harwich match-up that was postponed on Tuesday is set for tonight, and with one more game in the books, the match-up looks just as exciting. Orleans is now 10-1 and has won eight straight games while Harwich is 9-2 and has won seven in a row. Rice standout Austin Kubitza is scheduled to get the ball for the Firebirds, while Kentucky freshman A.J. Reed will start for Harwich. The game is at 7 p.m. in Harwich.

Also, check back here later today for the second edition of the Right Field Fog Power Rankings.

Amid Orleans’s winning streak and Harwich’s early-season power explosion, you’ve got to do something pretty good to make headlines in the Cape Cod Baseball League these days.

This would qualify.

Hyannis picked up its first win of the season in dramatic style last night, walking off with a 7-6 victory over Bourne. Will Callaway (Appalachian State) singled to score Zac Zellers (Kentucky) with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, touching off a welcome celebration for the Harbor Hawks and the home crowd.

The Harbor Hawks came in with an 0-9 record, and they were the only winless team in the league. Struggling like that after last year’s run to the Western Division title I’m sure made it sting a little more for fans, coaches and the organization. It also didn’t help that six of nine games were decided by two runs or less. Hyannis was close, but just couldn’t get over the top.

This time, right when it looked like Hyannis might find more heartbreak, the win finally happened,

The Harbor Hawks led 6-1 after four innings, but as has been the case a few times this season, they let the lead slip. Bourne scored five runs in the eighth to tie the game.

It could have been a here-we-go-again kind of situation. Instead, Hyannis seized a chance to answer.

Zellers walked to start the bottom of the ninth. A sacrifice bunt by Brandon Trinkwon (UC Santa Barbara) moved him to second before Mitchell Garver (New Mexico) popped out for the second out. But Hyannis stayed alive when Brad Zebedis (Presbyterian) reached on an error. Callaway followed with a single to right field, Zellers raced home and the celebration was on.

Throughout the first week and a half of the season, I think most people have felt like Hyannis was better than their record. Now that the seal’s been broken, we’ll see if the Harbor Hawks can get it going.

For now, they’re just happy to be in the win column.

Elsewhere

Orleans ran its league-best record to 9-1 with a 7-0 victory over Wareham, its seventh win in a row. Jerad Grundy (Kentucky) struck out four and allowed just one hit in five shutout innings and he departed with his team already up 7-0. That lead was no trouble for the strong Orleans bullpen, as four relievers combined to finish off the shutout. As for the offense, Jake Hernandez (USC) and Austin La Bruna (Duke) had two hits each, while Reed Gragnani (Virginia) hit a home run. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) picked up his seventh RBI and Mike Montville (Maryland) grabbed his ninth. Orleans has won two straight shutouts and hasn’t allowed a run since the sixth inning of Friday’s game.

Harwich kept right on rolling, as well, winning its sixth in a row with another big offensive night. Facing Y-D — the other hottest-hitting team in the league — the Mariners trailed 3-1 in the fifth before scoring four unanswered on their way to a 7-3 victory. The Mariners hit three more home runs, bringing their league-leading total to 18. Philip Ervin (Samford) hit his fifth, whole Brian Ragira (Stanford) and Austin Smith (Alabama) each smacked their first. Eric Jagielo (Notre Dame), JaCoby Jones (LSU) and Zane Evans (Georgia Tech) added two hits apiece while Austin Wilson (Stanford) picked up his seventh RBI in just four games. On the mound, Corey Littrell (Kentucky) gave up three runs in 4.1 innings but the bullpen slammed the door. Clark Labitan (Virginia Tech) picked up the win with two scoreless innings.

Orleans and Harwich also picked up some distance on third-place Chatham, as Cotuit beat the Anglers 11-5. Raph Rhymes (LSU) paced the Kettleers with a 2-for-6, five RBI performance. Mike Ford (Princeton) went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Cael Brockmeyer (Cal State Bakersfield) and Derek Smith (Pittsburgh-Bradford) each had an RBI. The Kettleers also took advantage of four Chatham errors. On the mound, Kevin Ziomek (Vanderbilt) struck out eight and gave up two runs in four innings. Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) got the win in relief and Dan Slania (Notre Dame) got seven outs without giving up a hit for his second save. Cotuit is 5-5 and moved into a tie for first in the West.

Brewster is doing its best to keep pace in the East, and the Whitecaps moved to 4-6 with a 10-5 victory over Falmouth. Brewster was out-hit 12-7 but capitalized on five Falmouth errors and got some big hits when it needed them. Dylan Davis (Oregon State) went 2-for-5 with a home run and Matt Moynihan (Texas) went 3-for-4. Trevor Mitsui (Washington) had a hit and two RBI. On the mound, Tom Windle (Minnesota) allowed one run and struck out six in five innings. Michael Burchett (Sam Houston State) shut down any hopes of a Falmouth comeback with 1.1 innings of scoreless ball to end it.

What to Watch

The makeup of Friday’s rained-out game between Chatham and Bourne is the only thing on the schedule tonight. The teams will meet at 6 p.m.

At some point, you have to think it’ll even out a little bit.

But right now, teams from the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Eastern Division are doing a lot of winning. Even Mother Nature wants in on the act.

Last night, while Harwich and Orleans kept on winning, and while Y-D and Brewster picked up victories, Chatham trailed Bourne 3-0. Then a pop-up thunderstorm crossed over Doran Park and postponed the game before it could become official.

As a result, it was an undefeated night for the East, and that’s fast becoming the norm. Orleans is 8-1, Harwich is 7-2, Chatham is 6-2 and Y-D is 5-4. Fourth-place Y-D would be tied for first in the West, where Falmouth’s 5-4 mark is the best. Even Brewster, who’s 3-6 in the East, would be fourth in the West.

Last night featured an all East vs. West schedule, and it went like you’d expect based on those standings. Orleans won its sixth straight game in dominating fashion, rolling past Falmouth 14-0. Harwich blitzed Cotuit 9-2 for its fifth win in a row. Y-D slugged past Wareham 12-1. And Brewster slipped past winless Hyannis 4-3.

Those first two are the most impressive. Orleans and Harwich have looked like they’re a step ahead of everybody and the step is starting to get bigger.

Orleans was winning close ones early in the season and wasn’t swinging the bats all that well. Now, the Firebirds have scored eight, eight and 14 in their last three games. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) hit another home run last night after blasting two the night before, while Mike Montville (Maryland) and Austin LaBruna (Duke) also hit homers. The team’s leading hitter, Pi’ikea Kitamura (Hawaii) went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .351. Nine players drove in runs for the Firebirds.

Jarrett Arakawa (Hawaii) allowed just two hits in five shutout innings, and four relievers combined to allow one hit.

As for Harwich, the Mariners scored nine runs for the second night in a row. Slugger Austin Wilson (Stanford) hit two home runs and brought his average to .556 in three games. Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) and Brett Austin (NC State) also hit home runs. The Mariners now have a league-best 15 home runs, six more than Y-D, who’s next closest.

Harwich also got two hits from newcomers Brian Ragira (Stanford) and JaCoby Jones (LSU), while Philip Ervin (Samford) went 1-for-5.

On the mound, Eddie Campbell (Virginia Tech) allowed two runs in five innings, and the bullpen pitched 3.2 scoreless innings.

And if you’re wondering, Harwich and Orleans play each other on Tuesday. I guess something will finally give that night.

Elsewhere

Y-D’s victory was pretty impressive too, as the Red Sox scored 12 runs after scoring 13 on Thursday. They pounded out 17 hits this time, with a big day from Robert Pehl (Washington) leading the way. Pehl went 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBI. He now leads the league with 12 RBI. Mason Katz (LSU) also hit a home run, while Carlos Asuaje (Nova Southeastern), Alex Blandino (Stanford), Zak Blair (Mercyhurst) and Tyler Sciacca (Villanova) had two hits each. Andrew Thurman (UC Irvine) struck out six and allowed one run on two hits in five innings for the win.

Brewster bounced back from two straight losses and kept Hyannis winless with a 4-3 victory. Hyannis led 2-1 going into the eighth and looked well on its way to finally getting a victory, but the Whitecaps took the lead on a two-run double by Derrick Thomas (Memphis) and added an insurance run on a Dylan Davis (Oregon State) triple. Davis then came out of the bullpen in the ninth and made the lead stand up. Hyannis got a run on a Jeff Schalk (UAB) RBI single, but Davis got a groundout to end the game.

What to Watch

The top two offensive teams in the league meet in Harwich at 4 p.m., as Y-D comes to town to take on the Mariners.