Pierce Friedman couldn’t help but pop a smile as he walked off the mound at Whitehouse Field Saturday night.
After getting pulled in the seventh inning during Harwich Mariner's debut, his new teammates cleared the bench to congratulate him on dominate performance.
Behind him in right field, zeros lit up the scoreboard next to the visiting Brewster Whitecaps.
As a Swampscott, Massachusetts native, he dreamed of one day pitching in the Cape Cod Baseball League, but he did not expect this scene in his first game.
“ [It’s] special,” Friedman said. “Coming off the mound to a standing ovation isn't something I expected or even imagined. But when it happens here, especially in the Cape, it's a good experience.”
The rising senior at the University of Maine threw 6.2 no-hit innings as a part of a combined one-hitter win over the Whitecaps. A ninth inning home run ruined the no-hitter and shutout, but Harwich prevailed 7-1, securing home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
What a wild week it’s been for Friedman.
On Monday, he made his 45th outing for the North Shore Navigators in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL). Playing across three summers, he set the franchise's record for appearances. He finished this season with a 1.23 ERA.
Little did he know he was going to set records five days later.
After his final outing with North Shore, he texted his pitching coach at Maine, Cejay Suarez to see if could make the trip over the bridge.
“ It's my last year in college baseball. I want to pitch as much as possible,” Friedman said. “And he said, ‘Let me talk to (UMaine head coach) Coach Derba.’ And 45 minutes later I was here in Harwich.”
Friedman arrived Wednesday, finding himself in the middle of a playoff push.
Starting his first game in two years, his 6.2 innings were the longest start by a Cape League pitcher this summer.
With a new cutter he’s worked on over the past few months, Friedman threw six strikeouts. When his pitch count reached 94, field manager Steven Englert made the pitching change after a walk put a man on first with two outs.
“It’s a great shot in the arm for the staff,” pitching coach Ryan Parker said. “You can’t ask for a better debut. He really trusted his stuff.”
Cohen Feser came in with a guy on first and got out of the inning with a first-pitch fly ball to keep the no-no alive. He got the final seven outs of the game to seal the win.
His sole mistake came with the lead-off hitter in the ninth inning. Pinch-hitter Carson Tinney pulled a no-doubt home run to left field. The no-hitter and shutout were ruined, but nothing was stopping the Mariners.
"You're rooting for history," Parker said. "But it doesn't change the game that much. Cohen was able to bear down there at the end."
As with many (almost) no-hitters there has to be a gold-glove caliber play.
In the top of the eighth, Brewster designated hitter Colin Priest hit a deep shot to right field. Ryan Gerety turned his back to the infield and sprinted toward the fence.
Doing his best Dwight Evans impression, Gerety turned at the last second, threw his glove above his head and made the catch as he crashed into the wall.
“I knew it was smoked,” Gerety said. “I didn’t know where the fence was so I decided to jump and put up my glove.”
It was a full-circle moment for Gerety, who was teammates with Friedman on the Navigators in 2023.
Half an inning before, the Northeastern Husky blew the game open with a bases-loaded triple. While it was an easy night for the offense, the big hit helped take pressure off the pitchers. Meanwhile, the trio of Niko Brini, Patrick Fultz, and Matt Conte each collected two hits.
With two exciting back-to-back wins, Harwich is building momentum for the playoffs.
Moving forward:
After securing home field for the first round, Mariners close out the 2025 regular season Sunday night against the Anglers. A win and a Orleans loss will secure the top playoff spot.
