With the game tied at four in the bottom of the ninth and two outs, the Hyannis Harbor Hawks needed their runner on third to find his way home. Jayce Dobie stood in, making the Hawks’ last attempt at a win in regulation a battle at the plate. Inevitably, it wasn’t a hit that drove in the winning run, but a wild pitch.
Pinch-hitter Gabe Camacho dashed home on a ball that got away from the catcher, scoring the winning run to give Hyannis a 5-4 walk-off win over the Bourne Braves on Thursday night at McKeon Park. The win moved the Harbor Hawks (15-18-4) back into third place in the West Division, just in time for the playoff push.
Camacho entered the game late and needed to get ready quickly in order to find success.
“Yeah, you got to get hot quick,” Camacho said. “You don’t really got that much time. I went down with the bullpen, did a couple stretches. But at that point, it was just reaction — just going up there, see ball, hit ball. There’s not much you can do.”
After reaching base in the ninth, Camacho scored on a two-strike wild pitch to end it.
“Yeah, I mean, with two strikes you’re always looking for something down,” he said. “Coach Mitch said he’d be aggressive, something in the dirt happens to be an easy one. I was hoping my boy Dobie would get it done. But, I mean, he did — so either way, we’re good.”
While the walk-off was out of the ordinary, Hyannis manager Mitch Karraker emphasized the team’s full nine-inning execution and success.
“It was a good game. I mean, those are the fun ones for me,” Karraker said. “The 11-0 wins are great, but to me, that’s the most fun type of game, where one pitch can really affect one side or the other.”
Karraker credited the offensive resilience and the effectiveness of the bullpen.
“Offensively, it was a tough night. They threw some really good arms at us, but we stayed consistent. I felt like we were really tough outs tonight, one through nine,” he said. “To get two late ... that’s a testament to just the toughness of this team.”
Hyannis used a staff-day approach, with Brandon Olivera and Chris Diaz combining for the first five innings. “Max [Stammel] is dealing with a little something, so we pushed him back,” Karraker explained. “Brandon [Olivera] did a really good job, especially with the bases loaded and nobody out — getting out of that with just two runs was really impressive.”
The pitching staff has changed the most recently and frequently as this regular season wraps up. The Hawks will need to rely on their arms in order to make a playoff run.
With three games left before the playoffs, Hyannis is focusing on momentum, coupled with clutch moments like the ones on Thursday night.
Hyannis starts August playing the reigning CCBL champion Harwich Mariners in Harwich on Friday night. A Hawks win and a Bourne loss would put Hyannis into second place in the West Division.
