Wins have not been easy to come by for the Harwich Mariners this summer, but when victories have been within reach the last few days, the Mariners have gone out and grabbed them.
After a walk-off win over Brewster on July 4, the Mariners rallied for two runs in the eighth inning to beat Wareham Monday night.
The comeback wins have helped keep the Mariners within striking distance in the East. Had the comebacks stalled, Harwich could easily be sliding. Three losses in their last five would have turned into a five-game losing streak without the rallies.
Monday, they trailed the Gatemen 2-0 in the sixth but cut the deficit in half on a Sheldon Neuse (Oklahoma) RBI single. Two innings later – with the bullpen keeping it a 2-1 game – Harwich and Neuse were at it again. Base hits by Adam Pate (North Carolina) and Johnny Adams (Boston College) set the table for Neuse and he delivered with a double to score Pate. Adams came around in the same sequence, on an error by the centerfielder.
Armed with a lead, Luke Scherzer (Virginia Tech) tossed a scoreless ninth for his league-best sixth save.
Neuse finished 2-for-4 with the two RBI. Adams and Preston Palmeiro (NC State) also had two hits apiece.
Harwich is now 11-11-1, good for third place in the East.
Brewster 5, Falmouth 3
Brewster is also doing its best to keep pace in the East and its win Monday further tightens the race. Second-place Chatham and fifth-place Y-D are two points apart, with Harwich and Brewster in between. The Whitecaps again had their league-leading offense going, knocking 13 hits to beat the Commodores. Falmouth tied the game in the eighth before Brewster plated a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Nick Senzel (Tennessee) went 3-for-5, his second three-hit game in five days. J.C. Escarra (Florida International), Robbie Tenerowicz (California), Toby Handley (Stony Brook) and Nico Giarratano (San Francisco) all had two hits. Tyson Miller (California Baptist) didn’t factor in the decision, but went six strong innings, allowing just one run. Trent Paddon (Oregon) got the win and Thomas Hackimer (St. John’s) the save. For Falmouth, J.J. Matijevic (Arizona) went 3-for-3 with a home run.
Cotuit 4, Bourne 3
The Kettleers rallied from a 3-2 deficit with two runs in the top of the ninth to beat Bourne 4-3. Kort Peterson (UCLA) started the ninth-inning rally with a triple and Spencer Gaa (Bradley) had a pinch-hit, RBI single to tie the game. Matt Albanese (Bryant) followed with an RBI single that put Cotuit ahead. Justin Dunn (Boston College) worked around a one-out single to toss a scoreless ninth for the save. Albanese finished with two hits to pace the Cotuit attack. Branden Berry (Cal State Northridge) homered. For Bourne, Nick Solak (Louisville) went 4-for-5 and took over the league lead in hitting with a .350 average.
What to Watch
As if Orleans needed any help, Boston’s sixth-round pick last month, Travis Lakins (Ohio State), will make his first start for the Firebirds tonight when they visit Falmouth. Lakins, a draft-eligible sophomore, had a 3.75 ERA with 84 strikeouts this spring. Last summer, he tossed the first perfect game in Prospect League history.