The Harbor Hawks have lived and died by their starts all season long. On Sunday evening, they found a way to get it done despite the challenges. Just five points out of first place in the Western Division and sitting in third place, Hyannis is knocking on the door of a late-season comeback.
Hyannis squawked out a win in Wareham 2–1 behind a composed start from Eddie Copper III and a standout escape act from Chandler Dorsey in the sixth inning. The Harbor Hawks are built on rhythm and resilience, and got both on a night where every pitch mattered.
Copper III opened the night on the bump, tossing four scoreless innings and leaning heavily on early-count execution and weak contact. “My best part [of my game] was getting ahead early,” Copper said postgame. “Using the fastball away to righties and spinning the slider off it; that’s what got swings and misses.” He scattered two hits and a pair of walks while striking out five, keeping the Gatemen off the board and his team on the game.
Harbor Hawks manager Mitch Karraker appreciated the nerves of steel his team demonstrated, especially when jams arose. “[Copper III] didn’t get passive in those moments—he actually got more aggressive,” Karraker said. “He just kept trusting his stuff and letting the defense work.”
That defense backed him up cleanly, and when Copper III's night ended, the Hawks turned to a bullpen that’s been touch-and-go this season. Hyannis’ bullpen has the worst batting average against in the CCBL at almost .250, but when it mattered, they stepped up when it counted.
The moment of the night came in the sixth. With Wareham threatening—bases loaded, two outs—Dorsey faced Cape League All-Star Hayden Yost in a full-count battle. A walk would’ve tied the game. A hit might’ve changed it entirely.
Instead, Dorsey buried a breaking ball that Yost couldn’t touch. Strike three. A gut-punch to Wareham; a small victory for Hyannis.
“Yeah, those guys, they all have really good stuff, you know, [Chandler] Dorsey, [Ryan] Speshyock to [Carson] Kelly. I mean, that’s about as good as it gets for us. Those guys have not only good stuff, but they threw a ton of strikes tonight… Dorsey specifically getting out of a couple of jams was massive and so, you, we’d like to see that continue as we move forward.”
From there, it was the bullpen’s show. Speshyock locked down the seventh and eighth, and Kelly earned his second save of the season with a clean ninth. All told, four Hawks pitchers held Wareham to just four hits and one run.
Offensively, the Hawks didn’t blow anyone away—but they didn’t need to. Jeff Lougee knocked in Parker Brocius in the first giving the Hawks an early lead. Jeff Lougee walked, bringing in the winning run in a complicated 9th inning. Some small ball, base knocks and solid gritty baseball brought home Hyannis’ winning run.
Copper, who’s shifted from reliever to starter this summer, continues to settle into the role. “I’ve started most of my life, so I feel at home out there,” he said. “But the biggest thing I want to improve on before playoffs is getting out of innings cleaner. Especially with two outs, fewer deep counts, fewer walks.”
Hyannis improves to 14–17–3 on the season and stays locked in the fight for a playoff berth. After six straight losses, the Hawks have now won two of their last three
“It doesn’t have to be pretty,” Karraker said. “As long as it’s a win, we’ll take it. What matters now is showing grit, showing pride, and showing up for each other.”
The Harbor Hawks will rest Monday before a crucial stretch run. They return to action Tuesday night at McKeon Park against the Cotuit. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. EST.
