The Harwich Mariners traveled to Bourne to face the Braves for the final meeting this season. This was the first of two games for the Mariners Saturday after Bourne's game was originally scheduled for Wednesday but after a massive rainstorm the league decided to cancel all games. The afternoon game between the two was only seven innings because of schedule restrictions. The Mariners are coming off a 8-2 to Hyannis and are currently in third place in the East division.
Tommy Mitchell was the starter for Mariners Saturday. Mitchell has been great for Harwich this season having a 2-0 record and a 2.57 ERA.
Harwich came out the gates hot Saturday afternoon. It all started after Niko Brini struck out but because the ball went past the catcher, Brini was able to reach base safely.
Four out of the first five Mariner batters had a hit. With runners on second and third, Cade Kurland launched a ball to deep left field. Bourne’s Max Ferrell was playing in left-center and had no chance at making the catch on the high fly ball. Both Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe and Niko Brini were able to score to give Harwich a 2-0 lead.
A Sean O’Leary line drive right up the middle would strike Bourne’s starting pitcher Noah Scott. The 100 mph comeback brought Scott to his knees and looked unlikely that the pitcher would be able to finish the inning.
Two more runs came in for the Mariners in the top of the first to give the Mariners a 4-0 lead.
Mitchell’s start for the Mariners only lasted two innings but in that time the left hander from Elon was dominant. Only two Braves earned a hit off Mitchell and zero were able to score. Mitchell also had a solo strikeout in his start.
The Mariners would extend their lead in the top of the fifth inning after a string of singles and walks loaded the bases. A Cade Kurland five pitch at-bat would bring the fifth run of the game for Harwich.
Christian Rodriguez came out of the bullpen after Mitchell's dominant start to hold the Mariners lead. The usual Harwich closer had an earlier call from the head skipper Steve Englert to eat some innings in the middle of the game. Eating innings was exactly what Rodriguez did, the hard throwing righty didn't give up a single hit in his three innings of work.
"For me, it was just staying under control. The walks have been a little high lately, and I've been spraying the ball, so today the focus was attacking the strike zone and trusting my stuff. Tommy Mitchell gave us a great start and put us in a good position, especially after we got some early runs. My job was just to come in, pound the zone, work quickly and get the ball back to our offense," said Rodriguez.
The Braves were able to twice, once after a solo homerun but Harwich was ultimately able to hold on to take down the number one team in the West division.
"The biggest thing is just staying in rhythm. We want to keep playing clean baseball and make sure everyone feels comfortable in their roles heading into the playoffs. These last couple of games are about building confidence and carrying good momentum into Game 1, because that's when everything really starts to matter," said assistant coach Marc Thibeault.
What’s Next?
The Mariners are not done Saturday because they will face the Chatham Anglers for the last meeting of the regular season.
First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
