Hyannis dropped another close one Sunday night, falling just short of a comeback in a 3–2 loss to the Wareham Gatemen. The defeat continues a frustrating stretch for the Harbor Hawks, who now sit behind Falmouth in the West Division standings. Hyannis (10–10–3) has found success this season when jumping out to large early leads, a pattern absent in Sunday’s matchup.
To win these low-scoring contests, the Hawks need either a red-hot offense or outstanding pitching; against Wareham (10-13), they got the latter thanks to right-hander Carson Jasa.
Jasa made his third start of the season, tallying seven strikeouts and allowing just two walks. In our writers’ Parking Lot Preview, Tym Brown, Mike Najarian, and I all agreed that Jasa’s key to success would be collecting early outs. Despite some trouble in the third and fourth innings, Wareham failed to capitalize, stranding multiple runners in scoring position.
The Nebraska Cornhusker used all three pitches in his arsenal, consistently fooling Gatemen hitters and showing noticeable improvement since his earlier bullpen appearances.
“My goal coming into my next start was just obviously to limit the freebies,” Jasa said, “and I think Stone [Lawless] kind of helped me get locked in for that before the game.”
Prior to Sunday, Jasa had allowed 11 walks compared to just 17 strikeouts. After five innings of dominance, his season totals now sit at 13 walks and 24 strikeouts, signaling a clear upward trend. Statistically, Jasa is beginning to hit his stride.
The difference maker may be a newly added pitch. After logging just two innings of Big Ten experience prior to arriving on the Cape, Jasa was focused on developing something new, and his cutter has quickly become a weapon.
“I’ve thrown [the cutter] before, but I threw it mostly out here,” he said. “I just started throwing it, and I thought it was a better pitch for me in my arsenal than my other slider, which is slower. This one just feels like it has more deception, and it feels good coming out of my hand.”
The off-speed mix allowed Jasa to keep Wareham off balance through five innings. Still, Manager Mitch Karraker made the call to pull Jasa, sticking to his game plan.
“Yeah, I think we're at that point where we're not gonna push a guy that much, especially in summer ball,” Karraker said. “He was really good, and we felt good about the bullpen. Chris Diaz getting his feet wet was really, really good, and I even thought Graves did a good job.”
But a one-run lead wasn’t enough. A solo home run in the eighth inning and an RBI single proved to be the difference for Wareham, handing Hyannis another narrow defeat.
Offensively, Hyannis struggled to provide support, knocking in just one run despite several hard-hit balls and competitive at-bats. Karraker credited Wareham’s pitching for limiting opportunities.
“I thought their left-hander was really good… The right-hander in the eighth was really good. I thought that was a tough lefty [in the ninth inning] against the string of left-handers, and our guys put some really good at-bats together to give us a chance.”
Karraker referenced Jake Schaffner, Ryan McKay, and Jeff Lougee—all left-handed hitters who have stepped up recently. Schaffner continued his excellent defense at shortstop, snagging a ball up the middle for an out just a couple innings earlier. McKay and Lougee have both provided timely hitting and reliable defense throughout the summer with Ryan Mckay being one of the Hawks' All-Stars.
One run won’t win many ball games in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The Harbor Hawks have pitched efficiently, but without stronger run support, that success may not hold.
Hyannis now trails Falmouth in the West and will look to bounce back in their next outing.
Hyannis plays Cotuit at 6:00 p.m. EST on July 13.
Wareham hosts Falmouth on the same evening.
Reach Matt Ford-Wellman
X: @MattFW_4
Gmail: mfordwellman.media@gmail.com
