FALMOUTH, Mass. — Momentum. Falmouth hasn’t built much of it this year. It entered its 11th game of the season Friday versus Harwich without a single winning streak on the year.
On Friday, after defeating Bourne 5-3 on Wednesday, Falmouth had another chance to stack wins together. Infielder Justin Osterhouse expressed after beating the Braves that the ‘Dores needed to turn their offensive surge into momentum to move back over .500.
“Our bats were really good. Our offense, we needed that,” Osterhouse said. “Hopefully that just gets us moving and gets us on a roll the rest of the season.”
Falmouth took Osterhouse’s words to heart. The Commodores (5-6) downed Harwich (5-5-1) 3-1 Friday. Their pitching dominated, with the pairing of Grayson Saunier (Texas) and TJ Coats (Nebraska/transfer portal) combining to allow just four hits and post 12 strikeouts. With the duo’s stardom, Falmouth’s three runs were more than enough to notch its second consecutive win.
Last time out versus Bourne, everything finally went right for Falmouth. Its offense started clicking at the same time as its pitching, helping the Commodores snap their three-game skid.
But producing their first winning streak Friday was easier said than done. Harwich had already blanked Falmouth 6-0 earlier in the season, when the Commodores went 0-4 with runners in scoring position.
Friday’s contest was completely different. This time, the Mariners were the team that couldn’t hit a beach ball.
“Everyone keeps tabs in this league,” shortstop Adrian Lopez said. “To be able to come through tonight when you know they already got us earlier in the season, that’s what we do.”
Harwich boasted the second-best ERA (2.53) in the Cape Cod Baseball League and trotted out South Carolina’s Jake McCoy, who hadn’t allowed an earned run in his first two appearances. That didn’t faze the ‘Dores.
Falmouth did what it couldn’t last time versus Harwich instantly. And the offense came via its top threats. After a Lopez first-inning single, Maika Niu laced a double into right center to score Lopez. Niu has been one of Falmouth’s best hitters this season, with his double marking his fifth extra-base hit in 11 games.
The Commodores pounced again in the second. This time, Antonio Morales came through. McCoy looked to have settled in after Falmouth’s hot start, getting two strikeouts to end the first and two quick outs in the second.
But Chris Newstrom and Osterhouse walked and singled, and Morales took advantage. The Maryland transfer entered with a .324/.457/.378 slashline and added to his totals by lining an RBI single into center, doubling the ‘Dores’ advantage.
Falmouth looked like it’d run away with the game. But despite the early scoring frenzy, it quieted down after the second.
Still, Saunier held the lead. Harwich entered the game ninth in the CCBL with a .566 OPS, allowing Saunier to post his best start of the summer. He surrendered two runs in both of his first two starts but kept Harwich scoreless with two hits on Friday. He tossed just 23 pitches in the first and second innings, sitting down Bristol Carter, Aiden Robbins and Maddox Molony on strikes.
In the third, Saunier faced trouble for the first time, allowing three straight walks. But he expertly worked through it without allowing a run after Lopez produced a nifty unassisted double play. He ended his stellar day in the fourth the same way — with Lopez feeding to Osterhouse at second to turn two.
“(Saunier) started us off really well,” Lopez said. “It's really easy to play defense when somebody's gonna pound the zone with those strikes.”
But McCoy and reliever Adam Arther kept Falmouth at bay. McCoy struck out the side in the third to cancel out a Niu leadoff double, then got Morales to pop out after an Osterhouse two-out single in the fourth. Arther, who entered in the fifth, escaped a first-and-third jam after the Commodores couldn’t execute a double steal.
On the other side, Falmouth manager Jarrod Saltalamacchia also went to his bullpen. Coats, though typically a starter, followed Saunier. Coats stifled the Mariners in the two’s first meeting, yet allowed four runs in his last start versus Wareham.
Friday was more of the first. Coats fanned Dee Kennedy and Sam Harris to open the fifth, then induced two easy groundouts in a 1-2-3 sixth.
But Harwich wouldn’t go quietly. Robbins, in just his second game with the Mariners, led off the seventh by drilling a solo homer to left center to cut the ‘Dores’ lead in half, 2-1.
Falmouth’s offense immediately made the blast irrelevant. After looking lifeless for four innings, the ‘Dores reappeared at the perfect time. Morales walked, then scampered home after Bear Harrison drilled a screamer off Kennedy’s glove at third.
With their momentum back, all the Commodores needed to do was close the game out. And Coats finished the job, allowing zero baserunners to shut the door in the eighth and ninth.
Falmouth hadn’t had a single winning streak entering Friday. That changed against Harwich. Saunier and Coats diced through the Mariners’ lineup, providing the ‘Dores some much-needed momentum as they try to move back over .500.
Noah Nussbaum is the beat reporter for the Falmouth Commodores. You can read all of his articles on the Commodores here.
