The end of the College World Series couldn’t come soon enough for the Harwich Mariners.
In need of an offensive boost in a tough first half of the season, the Mariners have gotten it from their recently arrived CWS finals participants. Antoine Duplantis (LSU) went 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI, Jonathan India (Florida) had two hits and a run scored and Josh Smith (LSU) had three hits and an RBI as Harwich beat Yarmouth-Dennis 7-3 Wednesday night.
Those three also had big nights Tuesday, with Duplantis homering and India and Smith getting a hit apiece as the Mariners snapped a five-game skid.
Back for a second summer in Harwich, Duplantis made his debut July 8 and went 1 for his first 11 in three losses before the recent breakout sparked two wins. He’s 7 for his last 9 with two homers and five RBI. Smith also arrived July 8 and is hitting .412 in the five games he’s played. India – also returning for a second summer with the Mariners – came back July 10 and is five for his first nine.
A week ago, Harwich was hitting .214 as a team. The average has climbed a bit to .228 now.
With the spark from the new guys, the rest of the Mariners joined in the fun against Y-D, as the team racked up 14 hits. Bradley Debo (NC State) had two hits, while Cobie Vance (Alabama) and Nick Dalesandro (Purdue) drove in one run apiece. On the mound, Jacob Billingsley (Mississippi State) struck out seven in five scoreless innings.
Harwich has a lot of ground to make up as it trails fourth-place Chatham by five points in the standings. But thanks to their Omaha arrivals, the Mariners have a better chance than before.
Bourne 4, Wareham 3
After all their one-run games early in the season, the Braves hadn’t played one in a while but brought the trend back in dramatic fashion Wednesday. Grant Williams (Kennesaw State) hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to give Bourne a 4-3 win over Wareham.
Final: Bourne 4, Wareham 3. Grant Williams' walk-off single wins if for the Braves pic.twitter.com/6CoSg8vcNa
— Justin Gallanty (@JustinGallanty) July 13, 2017
Williams had three hits and two RBI to lead the Braves. Grant Witherspoon (Tulane) had three hits and two runs scored. Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) had two hits and scored the winning run. On the mound, LSU star Zack Hess made his first Cape League appearance and and struck out three in 3.2 scoreless innings. Ryan Feltner (Ohio State) earned the win in relief.
Falmouth 4, Orleans 3
Orleans is 2-4 since its 10-game win streak ended, with Falmouth the latest team to get the best of the Firebirds. Joshua Breaux (McLennan CC) homered and Logan Davidson (Clemson) had two RBI to lead the Falmouth attack. Matt Mercer (Oregon) struck out six and allowed two runs in five innings for the win. Derrick Adams (Jacksonville State) earned the save. Orleans got two hits each from Stephen Scott (Vanderbilt) and Jaxx Groshans (Kansas) but never led. Falmouth got back to .500 at 12-12-1 with the win.
Brewster 9, Chatham 3
Chatham had moved within a point of Brewster for third place with a recent hot streak, but the Whitecaps pushed back with seven runs in the first two innings and an easy win at Veterans Field. Chandler Taylor (Alabama) hit his fifth home run of the summer and Justin Kunz (Gardner-Webb) knocked his second homer. Hunter Bishop (Arizona State) and Nick Dunn (Maryland) each had two hits and two RBI. Tony Locey (Georgia) allowed one run in five innings for the win and Matthew Beck (LSU) recorded a four-inning save.
Hyannis 3, Cotuit 2
Cotuit won the first two games in the Barnstable Patriot Cup series, the teams played to a 9-9 tie in the third game, and Hyannis fully turned the tables with a win in the fourth. A sixth-inning RBI single by Chris Proctor (Duke) proved to be the difference for the Harbor Hawks. Cotuit got one run back in the seventh, but reliever Christian Tripp (New Mexico) stranded the bases loaded. Ryan Weiss (Wright State) struck out the side in the ninth to finish off the win. Daniel Robinson (Central Michigan) had an RBI for Hyannis and Micah Coffey (Minnesota) had two hits. Zack Kone (Duke) homered for Cotuit.
What to Watch
Harwich faces a tough task as it tries to stay hot. When the Mariners visit Orleans, they’ll be up against Joey Murray (Kent State), who hasn’t allowed a run in his last three starts.
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