BREWSTER, Mass. -- The Harwich Mariners defeated the Brewster Whitecaps 3-2 at Stony Brook Field on Wednesday night in the final game of the regular season. The victory marks the first win of the season for the Mariners at Brewster and the two teams will finish the season series with three victories each.
Harwich finishes its season with a record of 20-23-1, good for 41 points and a third-place finish in the East Division.
Trailing 2-1 in the top of the eighth inning, the Mariners were running out of time to pick up their final win of the regular season. Needing a run to tie the game, Kevin Keister (Maryland) got the inning started with a double to immediately provide a threat for the M’s. Jackson Brinker (St. Lawrence) came in to pinch run for Keister and was subsequently driven in by Cam Leary (Boston College) on a single to right field.
Now all tied up and with Leary on second base after an error from the Brewster right fielder, Harwich had its best opportunity of the night to retake the lead.
Leary then made the decision to steal third base, a decision that paid off as the Brewster catcher made a throwing error in his attempt to cut down Leary at third, allowing him to come in and score unimpeded.
Randall Alejo (St. Rose) came in and shut down the Whitecaps on the mound in the bottom of the eighth and ninth to finish off a season-ending victory for the Mariners.
The Mariners sent four pitchers to the mound Wednesday night, three of whom made their first appearances of the season for Harwich. Randall Alejo picked up the six-out save, while Cole Stallings (Stetson) and Will Jones (Northeastern) combined for nine strikeouts in six innings while only allowing two runs.
“It was tremendous, all three of them pitched great,” Englert said. “That’s a tough thing to do, you come into a new team and your first experience on the Cape; those guys did a great job.”
The Mariners will have tomorrow off to prepare for the playoffs which will begin on Friday. The Mariners will match-up with the Orleans Firebirds in the first round of the Eastern Division Playoffs. Game one of the best-of-three series will be at Eldredge Park on Friday night with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. Harwich will host game two at Whitehouse Field on Saturday starting at 5:30 p.m.
“New season starts Friday,” Englert said. “Whole new ballgame. We got into the tournament, it’s up for grabs, it’s a war of attrition.”
