It's been over two weeks since the Harwich Mariners and Orleans Firebirds faced off, but Orleans continues to have the upper hand in the East Division matchup.
Down 2-1, the Firebirds scored six unanswered to win their third straight game over the Mariners, 7-2. With the loss, Harwich has dropped four of its last five games.
In his first appearance with the Mariners, pitcher Josh Donegan was thrown right into the fire.
With the Mariners up 2-1 in the fifth inning, the Firebirds had men at first and second with just one out. Donegan stepped onto the mound against the heart of the Firebirds' lineup.
After a walk to load the bases, Donegan allowed a two-run double to three-hitter Elijah Ickes. Orleans added another pair of runs on a bases-clearing single by Ryan Kucherak. Orleans took a 5-2 lead and never looked back.
It was the Firebirds’ fourth straight win.
Gianni Gambardella got his first start for the Mariners since July Fourth. After giving up a run in the first inning, the righty dialed in to throw three consecutive scoreless innings. He finished the night with three strikeouts.
His night came to a quick halt in the fifth. After getting an out, he gave up back-to-back singles before handing the ball to Donegan.
It was Donegan’s first appearance since throwing an inning for Long Beach St. back in mid-May.
Field manager Steve Englert undertook throwing Donegan into a high-pressure situation right off the bat.
“We had two guys that came in who haven’t touched the mound in a long time,” Englert said. “You have to figure out what their roles are going to be, and how they are going to perform. You want to bump their rust off and get them in a competitive environment.”
TCU’s Cohen Feser also made his summer debut. After coming in for Donegan, Feser calmed down the Firebirds' offense. He struck out four batters in just 1 2/3 innings.
At the plate, Niko Brini was the sole source of offense for the Mariners. In the bottom of the fourth, with Matt Conte at first and Maddox Molony at second, Brini lined a triple over the head of Orleans left fielder Robbie Lavey. Both runs scored and Harwich took its first and only lead of the night.
The Mariners wasted opportunities thanks to poor baserunning. Harwich made three outs on the bases, ruining several scoring chances.
“We were unsure of ourselves, instead of having that aggressive mindset,” Englert said. “We were kind of in between there. That’s what cost us.”
Harwich is now 0-5-2 on games after off-days. While playing almost a week straight can be a grind, the Mariners did have their best stretch of the season when they went 4-0-2 where they played six straight days.
“We had two days off in a row last week. We had some momentum going and that kind of slowed it down,” Englert said.
Moving forward
Harwich (11-10-3) makes its second trip over the bridge Wednesday when it heads to Wareham (12-13-0). The Mariners take on the Gatemen at 6 p.m.
