The Harwich Mariners picked up their first win at Whitehouse Field in the month of July on Thursday night, emerging victorious in a gritty pitchers' duel with the final score tilting 2-1 in favor of the Mariners. Harwich got its longest outing from a starter this season out of Donovan Burke (James Madison), who went seven full, before Sam Tookoian (Ole Miss) came in and shut the door in emphatic fashion in the final two innings.
Burke infused life into his team on Thursday night with a dominant pitching performance, snapping the Mariners out of a seven-game losing streak. Burke only got two runs of offensive support, but that was all he needed, as he struck out four batters and only allowed one run on four hits through his seven innings of work. He effectively mixed his pitches and consistently got Whitecaps batters to take off-balance swings that resulted in weak contact.
"That was the best outing we've had all year, we really, really needed that one," Harwich manager Steve Englert said of Burke. "[Burke] came out and he answered the bell, man, he pitched great."
"To get a win against a divisional team is big for us,” Burke said. “We're in a pretty tight race here, we're not out of it at all. Hopefully we can use this as momentum moving forward and get on a little winning streak. [Englert] keeps preaching to us that the baseball gods owe us one, so hopefully this is it."
Not to be overshadowed by the phenomenal start from his predecessor, Tookoian delivered arguably the most dominant two innings of relief work from a Mariners pitcher this season.
Tookoian set down all six Whitecap batters that came to the plate in the eighth and ninth innings, mowing down all but one of them by way of the K. The stress of a one-run game didn’t faze the 6-foot-5 right-hander, as he only needed 26 pitches to get through the top six batters in a dangerous Brewster lineup.
"That was big, man. We've got seven left, we're 1-0 with seven to go, so let's just keep grinding,” Englert said. "Pitching showed up, if we keep competing and getting pitching performances like that, we're in good shape."
Michael Anderson (Arkansas) delivered all of the Harwich offense with one swing of the bat in the second inning, crushing a two-run double over the head of Brewster left fielder Nick Dumesnil.
Anderson was 2-for-2 on the day, with a walk and the two RBI, a good sign for a guy who has struggled in the month of July along with the rest of his team.
"Huge double for [Anderson], so happy for him, he's in a little funk right now but he's a good hitter and hitter's are going to hit,” Englert said.
The Mariners are back on the diamond Friday night with a trip across the bridge to Wareham for the final time this season. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
