Hyannis has had some very good teams in the last few years, winning or sharing the regular season division title in 2011, 2013 and this year. But for all that success, playoff runs proved elusive. In 2015, the Harbor Hawks have broken through. They’ll play for the Cape League title for the first time since 2000 thanks to a 4-2 victory last night that clinched a sweep of Bourne.
The Harbor Hawks’ berth means we’re halfway to another first in a while — two No. 1 seeds meeting in the finals. It hasn’t happened since 2005. But it didn’t happen last night, either. No. 1 Orleans and No. 3 Y-D staged a 13-inning thriller in game two of their East division finals, and the Red Sox prevailed 2-1 to force game three.
Hyannis 4, Bourne 2
The Harbor Hawks had barely been challenged in starting the playoffs 3-for-3. Friday, that changed. Behind a strong performance from starter Alex Robles (Austin Peay), the Braves carried a 2-1 lead into the top of the ninth inning at Doran Park, three outs from forcing a third game.
With Austin Conway (Indiana State) on the hill, that seemed a foregone conclusion. The Cape League’s co-relief pitcher of the year saved 10 games this summer and did not allow an earned run. The only unearned run he surrendered came in his first appearance of the summer. Conway has also saved three games against Hyannis.
Friday, Conway came on in the eighth to protect the slim lead. It was business as usual with a scoreless frame.
But in the ninth, Hyannis found some magic.
Blake Tiberi (Louisville) walked, Matt Thaiss (Virginia) singled and Ryne Birk (Texas A&M) continued his red-hot postseason with an RBI single that tied the game. Conway was on the verge of keeping things tied, getting Corey Bird (Marshall) down 0-2 with two outs, but Bird then ripped a triple to score two more runs.
It’s about as stunning a rally as I can remember in the Cape League playoffs.
Aaron Civale (Northeastern) made it stand up with a scoreless bottom of the ninth and the Harbor Hawks were on to the championship.
It’s their first appearance there since 2000, and they lost on that trip. Hyannis hasn’t won the Cape League title since 1991.
A rally like Friday’s makes you think something special might happen this year.
Y-D 2, Orleans 1
The Red Sox scored a run on an error in the fourth inning. Kyle Lewis (Mercer) tied it for Orleans with a solo home run in the seventh. The teams would play six more scoreless innings before a wild pitch brought in the winning run in the bottom of the 13th.
Orleans, with the league’s best record since 2007, is headed to a game three for the second straight series.
Y-D had lost 4-0 in game one and didn’t have a ton more offense Friday, but capitalized on Firebirds miscues. A double by Dallas Carroll (Utah) set up the run-scoring error in the fourth.
Orleans starter Tanner Tully (Ohio State) was otherwise dominant, giving up nothing else in six innings. Y-D starter Cory Malcolm (Arkansas Little Rock) was just as good, with Lewis’s home run is only blemish. Interestingly, Tully and Malcolm both attended Elkhart Central High School in Indiana.
Though the next two pitchers had no such connection, they matched each other, too. Chandler Blanchard (Pepperdine) pitched six innings of no-hit, shutout ball, with six strikeouts. Ben Bowden (Vanderbilt) allowed two hits in five shutout innings for Y-D.
It all came down to the 13th, when Y-D loaded the bases against reliever Jared Carkuff (Austin Peay) on two singles and a walk. After a force-out at home for the second out, the Red Sox had Mike Donadio (St. John’s) at the plate. He was down in the count 0-2, when the wild pitch allowed Gio Brusa (Pacific) to race home.
Just like that, the Red Sox were alive.
The teams will return to Eldredge Park tonight at 7 p.m. for game three.
