The Harwich Mariners dropped their final contest with the Chatham Anglers of the 2024 regular season, a 5-4 loss at Veterans Field. For the second night in a row, the Mariners played a game with serious playoff implications, and with both teams knowing what was at stake, the game had a serious playoff aura around it.
After trading runs back and forth, the Anglers tied the game at 4 in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Robin Villenueve crushed a solo home run onto the hill in right field.
That's where the score stayed until the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Chatham offense proved to be just a little bit too much for Harwich on Saturday night, as it capitalized on a prime scoring chance in the eighth inning. Jayden Davis led the inning off with a double to right field, putting the game-winning run on second base with no outs.
Jordan Williams came up with the game-winning hit after Harwich pitcher Joseph Hauser got the first out of the inning. Williams hit a ground ball up the middle that slowed down in the outfield grass too much for Matt Scannell (Wake Forest) to get to it in time to attempt to throw Davis out at home.
Harwich attempted to rally back in the ninth, but Danny Dickinson got thrown out attempting to steal second base with two outs to end the game.
Mariner fans spent the day scoreboard watching as Orleans and Brewster played in games that impacted the East Division standings. Orleans had a doubleheader and dropped both games, meaning that no matter the outcome of the Harwich-Brewster game Sunday night, the Mariners will secure a playoff berth.
A Harwich win will put it in the three seed for the playoffs, where it would take on Chatham in the first round, while a loss and an Orleans loss would put it in the four seed, where it would take on Yarmouth-Dennis in the first round.
First pitch against the Brewster Whitecaps at Whitehouse Field on Sunday is slated for 5:30 p.m.
