RIGHT FIELD FOG

They weren’t the hottest team or the coldest when the playoffs began. They didn’t have the best hitting or the best pitching. And they didn’t take the easy way on Saturday night.

But the Harwich Mariners are the 2011 Cape Cod Baseball League champions.

The Mariners clinched the title — their second in four years — with a wild 7-5 victory over Falmouth last night in game two of the championship series. Harwich had taken game one the night before, and this time, held off a 16-hit attack by the Commodores to win.

It was fitting that the clincher wasn’t smooth. Harwich looked like a contender early this season when it got out to a 10-4 start in the first two weeks, but the label wasn’t always sticking. The Mariners were a contender in the way everybody’s a contender, but they didn’t look like the best. They hit .238 as a team, second-worst in the league. Their team ERA was 3.35, good for only sixth in the league. And they never seemed to get on a roll — in one mid-season stretch, they were in a tight battle with Brewster for first place, but the way it went, it almost looked like neither team wanted to win the battle.

The playoffs got off to a rough start, too. Harwich dropped its first game to Brewster by a 3-1 score.

But Harwich didn’t count itself out.

“We were next-to-last in hitting and sixth in pitching,” manager Steve Englert told the Cape Cod Times. “They don’t have a column for (intestinal fortitude). If they had a column for it, we’d be No. 1.”

That’s not just something you say after you win, something to explain how you did it. Englert and anybody who saw the Mariners over the past week could see it.

After the first-game loss to Brewster, the Mariners didn’t lose again. They won two straight to take the series then swept Y-D for a spot in the finals. Matching up against a hot Falmouth squad, the Mariners found a way to win both games by narrow margins.

That’s probably the best way to sum it up — they found a way.

On Saturday, the way included three errors, 16 hits by Falmouth and a DH doubling as a pitcher for just the third time this season. Somehow, it worked.

Jake Davies (Georgia Tech), who had made two appearances in the regular season, got the start for Harwich and was charged with four runs in 2.1 innings. Only one of the runs was earned. Harwich trailed 4-3 when he left the game, handing it to the bullpen with a lot of game left.

In the fifth, Harwich got the lead when John Wooten (East Carolina) hit a home run, his second in as many nights. But Falmouth came back with a run in the bottom of the sixth to tie it.

But the final three innings — somehow, some way — belonged to Harwich. In the top of the seventh — against a pitcher, DeAndre Smelter (Georgia Tech), who hadn’t allowed a run in the playoffs — Darnell Sweeney (Central Florida) drew a walk and came around with the go-ahead run on a double by Davies. With Falmouth’s lights-out closer John Simms (Rice) coming in, Harwich still managed to add an insurance run as Mike Garza (Georgetown) plated Davies with a single.

Then the Harwich bullpen — a unit that’s been awesome this year — went to work. Even for them, it wasn’t a smooth path, but they managed to navigate it.

In the seventh, Falmouth loaded the bases with one out against Grant Gordon (Missouri State), but Blake Hauser (VCU) came in and got out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout against the top of Falmouth’s order.

In the eighth, Falmouth put two more on thanks to a walk and a single. With two outs, Chris Overman (NC State) replaced Hauser and struck out Ryan Moore (UConn) to end the inning.

Then in the ninth, Falmouth loaded the bases again on three singles, and this time did it with nobody out. On top of that, Falmouth’s hottest hitters were coming up.

But one more time, Overman and the Commodores found a way. Overman got Reid Redman (Texas Tech) to pop out then struck out Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s) on four pitches. Then, on a 3-2 pitch, Overman got Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) to hit a popup. Catcher Alex Swim (Elon) got under it and squeezed it for the final out.

Harwich could celebrate.

It was fitting, too, that Overman was the one to end it. He made 23 appearances this summer and didn’t allow an earned run. The spots he was in Saturday were some of his toughest — he had never allowed more than two hits in an outing and rarely more than one. But he found a way.

That was good enough for Harwich. And good enough for a championship.

Harwich may not have looked the part at every turn, but with the summer over, it’s official — the Mariners are the best.

If I were a betting man, I would have put some money on the team that could get a late lead in game one of the Cape League championship series. Both Falmouth and Harwich have bullpens that can turn the lights out quickly.

If I had known Blake Hauser would pitch like he did, I would have put a lot of money on it.

After John Wooten (East Carolina) gave Harwich a 5-4 lead with a solo home run in the sixth inning, Hauser (VCU) came out of the bullpen and absolutely slammed the door. He went the final three innings, allowed one hit and struck out five as Harwich held on for the 5-4 victory.

For the first time in a few years, my work schedule actually cooperated with the championship schedule, so I was able to make the trip down to Harwich. I was treated to a great back-and-forth game in front of an enormous crowd.

And Hauser stole the show.

His stuff was just nasty. You know the oohs and aahs a pitcher gets when he makes a hitter look particularly silly? Hauser got those seven or eight times. I can’t believe he actually gave up a hit. Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) somehow got his bat on a ball in the seventh and looped a double down the left-field line.

Hauser didn’t allow another hit, and needed just 19 pitches to get through the next two innings. You could see Hauser building on his own momentum, getting the ball back quickly and firing again. He was feeling it. Twenty-six of the 35 pitches he threw were strikes.

Chris Overman (NC State) started warming up for the ninth, but it was clearly a just-in-case situation. It was Hauser’s game.

And there would be no just in case.

In the ninth, Hauser struck out Eric Garcia (Missouri), one of Falmouth’s hottest postseason bats. After a groundout, he fell behind 1-0 on Reid Redman (Texas Tech), another hot hitter, before getting three consecutive swinging strikes to end the game.

It was quite a show, and it secured a 1-0 series lead for the Mariners.

Before Hauser came in, the game was a see-saw. Redman and Max White (Oklahoma) hit solo home runs in the first and second innings to stake Falmouth to a lead, but Harwich came back with two in the second. Harwich took a one-run lead in the third before the teams started trading runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Finally, with the score knotted at 4-4 in the sixth, Wooten smashed a 1-1 pitch deep over the fence in left-center to give Harwich the lead.

That was the only run Falmouth reliever Nate Koneski (Holy Cross) was charged with. He was impressive in four innings of work. For Harwich, Eddie Butler (Radford) was also strong out of the pen. He replaced starter Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern) in the second inning and ended up allowing two runs in 4.1 innings of work.

But the night belonged to Hauser. Harwich’s bullpen has been strong all year, but that was also due in large part to the presence of Carter Capps (Mt. Olive), one of the best arms on the Cape. Capps signed a pro contract earlier this week, so he’s gone.

Hauser made sure Mariner fans didn’t miss him.

With the 1-0 lead in the series, Harwich will travel to Falmouth for an 8 p.m. game on Saturday night.

Notes

Big, big crowd on hand. I got there about 6:15 and thought I was early. I was not. The bleachers were already packed. Attendance was listed at 4,272.

When Falmouth got the two early home runs, I thought Harwich might be in trouble, especially with Tyler Duffey (Rice) looking good on the mound for the Commodores. But Butler kept Falmouth in check when he came in, and the offense eventually came to life.

Butler’s biggest outs came in the fifth. Falmouth had scored one run and still had runners on first and second with one out. Butler and Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech) then squared off for a nine-pitch at-bat, but Butler won the battle and finished with a strikeout. He then struck out Jared King (Kansas State) to end the inning.

Falmouth may be down 1-0, but I would not count the Commodores out. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of separation with these two, and Falmouth’s pitching may still have the edge. Andrew Aizenstadt (Babson), who had a 2.46 ERA in the regular season, is scheduled to start game two.

Heading into the playoffs, there wasn’t a lot about the Falmouth Commodores that would have you think they’d make a playoff run.

Except for one thing: their pitching. They led the league in team ERA.

Now their pitching is taking them somewhere big.

On the strength of an impressive start by Andrew Heaney (Oklahoma State), Falmouth beat Wareham 6-0 last night to clinch the Western Division title and earn a spot in the Cape League championship series. Falmouth will visit Harwich for game one tonight at 7 p.m.

The way the Commodores have pitched, it’s no surprise that they’re in the championship.

They lost their first game of the playoffs when Heaney had a not-so-great start. Since then, they’ve won four games in a row and haven’t allowed more than two runs in any of them. Sean Hagan (St. John’s), Joe Bircher (Bradley) and Tyler Duffey (Rice) have all pitched well in starting roles, and the bullpen has been great. Falmouth’s playoff ERA is 1.60.

Heaney took the cake last night. He allowed six runs in 4.2 innings in that first playoff start, but this time, he was cruising. He went seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven. He also walked four but managed to get out of trouble whenever he needed to.

Taylor Sandefur (Western Carolina) came out of the bullpen in the eighth and finished off the shutout with two scoreless innings. He struck out two.

With the pitching taken care of, the Falmouth continued to provide plenty of support. The Commodores finished with 13 hits and used a five-run third inning to blow the game open. Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State) and Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s) each had three hits, and Rodriguez drove in two runs. Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech), Billy Ferriter (UConn), Max White (Oklahoma) and Eric Garcia (Missouri) also drove in a run each. Garcia, Rodriguez and Reid Redman (Texas Tech) are now all hitting above .400 in the playoffs.

The loss ended a strong summer for the Gatemen, who had won seven games in a row before the Falmouth series.

As for the Commodores, they get to keep playing, and their pitching appears to be lined up again. Duffey is scheduled to start game one tonight in Harwich.

Taylor Rogers was the hard-luck loser in Harwich’s playoff opener. The lefty from Kentucky allowed one earned run in 7.1 innings and struck out nine in that start, but Brewster got the better of him.

Harwich hasn’t lost since. And Rogers was just as good in his second start, without the hard luck.

Rogers got the ball last night and helped pave the way for a sweep of Y-D with eight strong innings. Harwich had enough offense to back him and won 4-2 to clinch a spot in the Cape Cod Baseball League championship series.

Rogers has consistently been the best ace in the league. Other people had lower ERA’s or more strikeouts, but I don’t think anyone else could be counted on for a quality start time and again quite like Rogers.

He did it again on the big stage last night. After a game-one loss the night before, Y-D was trying to regain the momentum from its first-round upset of Orleans.

Rogers was having none of it. He allowed just four hits in eight-plus innings of work, struck out six and didn’t walk anyone. The line is more impressive when you consider what he did in just the eight innings — he allowed two hits and carried a shutout into the ninth.

Y-D started to make a comeback in that ninth inning, getting singles by Derrick Chung (Sacramento State) and Chris Taylor (Virginia). Those hits chased Rogers, but Harwich reliever Chris Overman (NC State) made sure they didn’t cost him the win. One run came in on an error and another on a fielder’s choice, but Overman buckled to get the final two outs without further damage. He had to get two tough hitters to do so — Stephen Piscotty and Matt Reynolds — but he did it. Piscotty grounded into a fielder’s choice and Reynolds grounded out to shortstop.

Just like that, Harwich was into the finals, and Y-D’s playoff run — which looked so promising after the first-round sweep — was over.

Leading the Harwich offense, was Jake Davies (Georgia Tech), who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI. Austin Nola (LSU) added a home run, while Darnell Sweeney (Central Florida) and Austin Wilson (Stanford) each drove in a run.

The Mariners are now in the championship series for the first since time since they won it in 2008.

Falmouth takes game one

Even after its upset of Hyannis in the first round, I didn’t give Falmouth the edge in its series with Wareham. But the Commodores seem to really have something going right now.

Falmouth rallied from a ninth-inning deficit in last night’s game one, and then, with the game locked in a 1-1 tie in the 10th inning, the Commodores broke out for three runs and held on to beat Wareham 4-1 on the road for the 1-0 series lead.

The story for much of the game was the pitching. Falmouth starter Sean Hagan (St. John’s) went five shutout innings, while Wareham starter Jake Boyd (Stetson) allowed just four hits in eight shutout frames. Boyd would have been a storybook hero for the Gatemen — he’s a late addition to the team who was making just his second start of the summer. When Wareham scored a run in the sixth, it looked like Boyd might end up a winner.

Instead, Falmouth found a way. With two outs in the ninth and Wareham closer Konner Wade (Arizona) on the hill, Jared King (Kansas State) hit a 3-2 pitch up the middle for a base hit and Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s) raced home from second to tie the game.

Then in the 10th, a double by Spencer Kieboom (Clemson), a walk to Eric Garcia (Missouri) and a base hit by Billy Ferriter (UConn) set the stage for a three-run rally. The first two runs came home on an error, while Ferriter scored on a sac fly by Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State).

Wareham was looking for a rally of its own in the bottom half, but Falmouth closer John Simms (Rice) didn’t let them get anything going. He struck out the first two batters before getting a ground-out to end it. DeAndre Smelter (Georgia Tech) had pitched three shutout innings of relief before giving way to Simms.

Falmouth will try to clinch a spot in the championship when it hosts Wareham tonight at 7 p.m. The Commodores don’t have a probable starter listed. For Wareham, Luke Farrell (Northwestern) is scheduled to go. Farrell hasn’t pitched in the playoffs yet, but went four shutout innings in his final regular-season appearance.

It was a summer to remember in Hyannis, but it won’t end with a championship.

Fourth-seeded Falmouth completed an upset of the top-seeded Harbor Hawks with a 5-2 win in game three of their first-round playoff series last night. Falmouth had dropped the first game of the series but then came back to win on Saturday. After rain postponed game three twice, Falmouth came away with another victory last night.

Hyannis, the team with the best record in the league by a seven-point margin, is out, joining Orleans as a No. 1 seed making an early exit.

Falmouth got it done last night thanks to a big offensive day and a solid pitching performance. The team finished with 13 hits, jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first two innings and added two late insurance runs. Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s) and Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech) — two of the biggest bats in a depleted lineup — each had three hits. Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State), Eric Garcia (Missouri) and Reid Redman (Texas Tech) had two hits apiece.

On the mound, Joe Bircher (Bradley) got the start, which figured to give Falmouth the edge. He’s been great all summer and he did enough on this night, striking out six and allowing two runs in 4.2 innings of work. When he left the game, Hyannis seemed poised for a comeback, with one run in and two in the fifth.

But Falmouth reliever Nathan Thornhill (Texas) came on, got a strikeout to end the inning and never looked back. Thornhill allowed just two hits while striking out six in 3.1 innings. John Simms (Rice) then came on for the ninth and allowed a two-out single before sealing the victory with a strikeout.

Falmouth moves on to play No. 2 Wareham in the Western Division finals.

Elsewhere

While the West has a first-round series to finish up, the Eastern Division got its finals underway as Harwich hosted Y-D. The Red Sox came in hot, having swept Orleans, but Harwich put out the fire in a big way, winning 6-0. That’s an unlikely score, considering the fact that Harwich was starting Nick Routt (Mississippi State), who had a 7.91 ERA in the regular season. But Routt put those struggles behind him and went seven shutout innings, scattering six hits and striking out four. Caleb Reed (Mississippi State) and Blake Hauser (Virginia Commonwealth) finished off the shutout. As for the offense, Harwich got all it needed early, scoring two in the first inning and three in the second. Mike Garza (Georgetown) went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Ronnie Richardson (Central Florida), Darnell Sweeney (Central Florida) and Jake Davies (Georgia Tech) each had an RBI.

What to Watch:

Harwich may have the edge tonight as it starts ace Taylor Rogers in game two at Y-D. The probable starter for the Red Sox is Andrew Thurman, who had a 3.82 ERA in the regular season.

The Harwich and Brewster bullpens were their typical dominant selves last night. Thankfully for Harwich, its bullpen was pitching with a lead.

In game three of their first-round playoff series, neither Harwich starter Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern) nor Brewster starter Luke Bard (Georgia Tech) pitched past the third inning. But Harwich scored two big runs in the third to get a one-run lead. Nobody got anything else, with two Brewster relievers and two Harwich relievers dominating. The one-run lead stood up as Harwich won the series with a 3-2 victory.

Harwich got its lead in the third when John Wooten (East Carolina) singled in a run. On the same play, an errant throw allowed another run to score.

Then the bullpens went to work. For Brewster, Austin Voth (Washington) struck out nine and allowed only two hits in 4.1 shutout innings. But Harwich’s Eddie Butler (Radford) matched him. He went 5.1 shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out six.

Two of the hits came in the ninth, when Brewster threatened and put runners on first and third with one out. Chris Overman (NC State) relieved Butler at that point, though, and finished off the win with a strikeout and a ground-out.

Harwich now moves on to the Eastern Division finals, where it will meet fourth-seeded Y-D. Game one is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. in Harwich.

Hyannis-Falmouth postponed again

Despite a league-wide effort to get McKeon Park ready to go, game three of the Hyannis-Falmouth series was postponed last night. It has been rescheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. Assuming it gets in, the West playoffs will now be a day behind the East.