Patience at the plate and hitting for contact have been some of the hallmarks of a Hyannis Harbor Hawks at-bat this summer.
It’s only fitting that those two things helped the Harbor Hawks win for the first time in six days. Using those tools in the ninth inning, the Hawks broke a 5-5 tie with the Falmouth Commodores and picked up a much-needed 9-5 win on the road Wednesday night.
Hey, if Dolly Parton can make 9-5 work, so can the Harbor Hawks.
“We feel like we have not won a game in forever,” Hawks manager Mitch Karraker said after the game. “(We) got up early and then gave it back to them again, (but) to put up four in the ninth, it was really, really good.”
Hyannis and Falmouth entered the night tied for first place in the West Division after the Hawks had gone 3-5-2 in their last 10 games as opposed to Falmouth’s 6-3-1 mark. When Ryan Speshyock struck out Maika Niu in the ninth, the Hawks retook sole possession of first in the West and improved to 10-8-3.
All season, Karraker has put a big emphasis on the Hawks limiting free bases in the field and maximizing free bases at the plate. They won the battle Wednesday, with their pitching staff walking just three Falmouth hitters, while Hawks hitters worked five walks off Falmouth pitching.
The game started off as a pitchers' duel, as Hyannis’ Richie Roman and Falmouth’s TJ Coats each threw four scoreless innings to start.
The Hawks struck first in the fifth inning. Charlie Bates, continuing the strong run he’s been on the last few games, drove in Stone Lawless with a single to left field. With Bates and Hayden Federico on base later in the frame, Sawyer Black hit a 368-foot, three-run home run over the right field fence, and the Hawks opened up a 4-0 lead.
It was a welcome sight for Black, who has struggled at the plate in his brief time in Hyannis.
“I was talking with coach earlier before the game, and we were talking about picking zones on where to hit,” Black said. “That one got into my zone, so I was able to get it out.”
Roman allowed a Falmouth run to score in the bottom of the fifth on a wild pitch but turned in his best start of the summer despite that. He allowed two hits and walked one hitter while turning in a season-best six strikeouts.
“The breaking ball was elite,” Karraker said. “The fastball playing off that was really, really good. He had everything working for him tonight, he pounded the strike zone.”
Roman was focusing on first-pitch strikes against a tough Commodores offense, and the results speak for themselves.
“My heater was working real well today, it was riding pretty well,” Roman said. “I was trying to get ahead with the heater, and then just try to finish them off with a curveball, that was my goal today.”
After Roman left, Hunter Dietz was the first man out of the Hyannis bullpen. He allowed one run in the sixth on an RBI double. In the seventh, he threw a wild pitch that brought a run home and walked in another with the bases loaded, forcing Zach Edwards into the game.
The tying run then scored immediately after the change after Charlie Bates couldn’t get a handle on a ground ball hit by Adrian Lopez. It felt like the same movie was replaying itself once again for the Hawks.
Then, the ninth inning happened.
With Zach Johnston pitching for Falmouth, Bates started the inning with a single. Federico walked on four pitches. Jake Schaffner, pinch-hitting for Black, laid down a bunt, and Johnston decided to throw to third. He couldn’t beat Bates to the bag, leaving the bases loaded with no one out.
Jason Walk and Ryan McKay were walked back-to-back, bringing in Bates and Federico to put the Hawks ahead 7-5. Jeff Lougee came up a few batters later and laced a single to left field, scoring Schaffner and Walk to put Hyannis up by four.
Karraker has been impressed with Lougee in his early days with the team, and this night was no different.
“The bat-to-ball skills are good, he hits it to all parts of the field, he has got great plate coverage,” Karraker said. “We feel really good when he is in the box because we feel like he can hit a lot of different slots, pitches, that kind of stuff. He showed it tonight.”
Speshyock punctuated the night by making quick work of the top of Falmouth’s order to secure the win, the second in July for the Hawks.
After a day off Thursday, the Hawks return to the friendly confines of McKeon Park on Friday night for a grudge match against the Orleans Firebirds, who they tied, 8-8, at home Saturday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Michael Najarian can be reached at mikenajarian379@gmail.com and on X @MichaelNaj3
