For the first time this season, the Hyannis Harbor Hawks are above .500 after defeating the Cotuit Kettleers 5-2 Tuesday night at Lowell Park.

The victory improves Hyannis to 18-17 and clinches the organization's first Patriots Cup since 2015, awarded annually to the winner of the Battle of Barnstable season series between Hyannis and Cotuit.

"I'm just happy for the guys," Harbor Hawks head coach Mitch Karraker said. "They worked so hard to get to this point. Earlier in the year, it felt like we had some games that didn't go our way. It was really tough to get through some of that adversity, and it's good to see us get rewarded for all the hard work we've put in. All the credit goes to the players. These guys are playing really good baseball right now."

Hyannis limited Cotuit to five hits while using just three pitchers in an efficient outing, led by the Southern Mississippi duo of Sam Mitchell and Bruce Littleton.

Mitchell (Southern Mississippi) got the start for the Harbor Hawks, allowing one earned run while striking out three over three innings. The right-hander needed just 41 pitches to complete his outing.

Littleton (Southern Mississippi) entered in the fourth inning and delivered another dominant relief appearance, striking out six over 2 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit. The right-hander improved to 3-0 and lowered his ERA to 2.31.

Karraker said Littleton's drive to improve has been one of his greatest strengths throughout the summer.

"The best part about Bruce is he always feels like he could have been better," Karraker said. "He's always striving for perfection, which is hard to do, of course, but it's great to see. He's got an electric fastball and found a breaking ball there in his second inning, which kind of locked him in and opened up more options. Like I've said before, our guys just continue to get better with every outing, so I'm excited to keep rolling with our staff."

Clay Thompson (James Madison) got Hyannis on the board in the top of the third, lining an RBI single to center that scored Matt Iniech (West Virginia) and answered Cotuit's solo home run in the previous inning to tie the game at 1.

Two batters later, Tyler Lang (South Carolina Upstate) gave the Harbor Hawks a lead they would not surrender with a two-run double to right, driving in Thompson and Charlie Bates (Stanford), who had drawn a four-pitch walk earlier in the inning, to make it 3-1.

Hyannis added another run in the fourth after loading the bases with no outs. Jax Gimenez (Oregon) grounded into a double play, allowing Brody Briggs (Arizona State) to score from third and extend the lead to 4-1.

Gimenez added to his productive night in the sixth, delivering a two-out RBI single to left that scored JC Davis (Rice) from second and pushed the Harbor Hawks' lead to 5-1.

Following the game, Gimenez credited his recent offensive success to staying disciplined at the plate and sticking to his approach.

"Recently, I've just been trying to stay within my game, swinging at strikes and taking balls. That's been the biggest thing. Getting the pitches you want — and the pitches I've been getting have been good — and not chasing when they're not. Just sticking to my approach and really getting the pitches I can do damage with early in the count has been helping me," Gimenez said.

Just one night after clinching a postseason berth, the Harbor Hawks know there is still work to do before returning to the playoffs next week. While Hyannis has won eight of its last 11 games, Karraker said the team's recent success has come from staying focused on the present rather than looking ahead.

"There's still a lot to be decided, so I think it's important for us not to worry about what the future holds and just take it one day at a time," Karraker said. "That's kind of been our mentality the last week, and it's worked out pretty well for us. The bats are coming alive a little bit, which is always good to see. We're executing the small ball and running the bases really well. I feel like our pitching and defense are exceptional right now."

Sitting 1 1/2 games behind first-place Bourne in the West Division, Hyannis will look to extend its three-game winning streak as it opens a four-game homestand Wednesday against the Falmouth Commodores.

Falmouth enters the matchup just one game behind the Harbor Hawks in the division standings, making Wednesday's contest another pivotal game in the postseason race.

Jonah Barkoff (Oregon) is the expected starter for Hyannis, while Falmouth has yet to announce its starter. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m., weather permitting.