Nothing feels more right than Fourth of July baseball—especially on Cape Cod. On Independence Day, Red Wilson Field hosted the third meeting this season between the Hyannis Harbor Hawks and the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, and this one came down to the wire. Both teams had multiple chances with runners in scoring position, but in the end, Yarmouth-Dennis (11–4–2) emerged victorious with a 2–1 win. Hyannis (9–6–2) has now gone 1–3–1 over its last five games, hitting a bump after a strong start to the season.
Hyannis pitchers Tsubasa Tomii and Mason Russell kept the best offense in the Cape League quiet, allowing just two runs while commanding the zone and living in the corners. The Harbor Hawks’ staff worked out of key jams in the third and fourth innings, leaning on their defense to escape unscathed. Russell recorded seven ground-ball outs, and the staff combined for 12 on the night.
Hyannis manager Mitch Karraker praised his pitchers for keeping the game close.
“Pitching was tremendous. I only gave up two runs, you know, unfortunately, those two runs were both walks. But overall, I mean, they were really, really good. They made some really good pitches there. They kept us in the ball game the whole way.”
Hyannis found ways to manufacture offense all night, even when nothing came easily. The top of the eighth appeared promising: Gabe Camacho and Stone Lawless reached first and second with two outs. Outfielder Sawyer Black, making his CCBL debut on Independence Day, had already walked and struck out earlier in the game. With his final at-bat, Black beat out an infield grounder that seemed set to load the bases.
However, a miscommunication at third left Camacho stranded and picked off, ending the inning and halting Hyannis’ best scoring opportunity of the night.
“I didn't stop Gabe there. I probably assumed that he was going to stop on that infield single, and he didn't, and that's all on me. So who knows how that game plays out if we have bases loaded, two outs there.”
Karraker took full responsibility for the miscue, but also pointed out that Hyannis left nine runners on base and hit just 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position. The Hawks' at-bats were competitive, but situational hitting never quite clicked.
“We had some really good at-bats, and then we had some at-bats like in those middle innings. We just missed pitches, and I don't know if that's an approach thing or they just made some good pitches. So it’s kind of 50/50. I thought overall I was pretty pleased with it.”
Karraker quickly turned the conversation to what lies ahead. This weekend, the Hawks have back-to-back games against Orleans and Brewster, home and away, respectively.
“We're trying to win and just trying to get better every single day, which I think our guys are going to do a really good job of.”
Hyannis will look to bounce back against the Orleans Firebirds (7–10), who sit last in the CCBL East standings and are hungry to flip their season. The last time these teams met, the Hawks outslugged Orleans 11–8. With Hyannis on a minor slide, Friday’s matchup at McKeon Park could mark either a turning point or another step in the wrong direction.
Hyannis plays the Orleans Firebirds at McKeon Park on July 5th at 6:00 p.m. EST.
Reach Matt Ford-Wellman
X: @MattFW_4
Gmail: mfordwellman.media@gmail.com
