After a 3-0 loss to the Wareham Gatemen, all the Hyannis Harbor Hawks could do was wait.

The Cotuit Kettleers and Falmouth Commodores were tied going into extra innings, with a Cotuit win or tie securing a playoff spot for Hyannis. A Falmouth win would send Hyannis home for the summer.

The remaining crowd at McKeon Park erupted when Cotuit secured the 6-5 win over Falmouth. As the Cotuit victory song played over the speakers, the Harbor Hawks had just clinched a playoff spot.

“I am so glad that Cotuit pulled through,” said shortstop Charlie Bates. “Weird that I am saying that. I have never cheered for Cotuit before, but I found myself really doing so in that moment.”

With the Kettleers win, the fourth-seed Harbor Hawks locked in a matchup with the top team in the West Division, the Bourne Braves. Hyannis won three of the five matchups with the Braves this summer and is looking to avenge a first-round loss to them last summer, when they were the West Division champions and Bourne was the fourth seed.

As one of the eight players remaining from the opening day roster, Bates recognized that the Hawks have another battle in front of them as they enter the postseason.

“We matched up with Bourne a couple times, and it has been a dogfight every time,” said Bates. “I think one of the things that makes them so strong is that they have a lot of guys who have also been here from the beginning. They have been steady, and we have been steady.”

Catcher Brody Briggs, another one of the players who has been a Harbor Hawk from day one, believes they have as good a chance as anyone at making a run at the championship now that they’ve made the playoffs.

“It’s a new life, that is a dangerous thing,” said Briggs. “I think we have the team to do it, and I think we are going to get hot at the right time.”

With a playoff spot officially secured, let’s take a look at how the Harbor Hawks got here.

In June, the Harbor Hawks were flying high. Led by strong play from Chris Rembert, Jaxon Willits, Andrew Williamson, and Matt Miura at the plate, plus Evan Blanco, Tyler August, Ryan Speshyock, and Tsubasa Tomii among others on the pitching staff, the Hawks had a 8-4-1 record at the end of the month.

They had the second-best run differential in the Cape League, and they were one of the best teams in the league at drawing walks and stealing bases. It was a big part of their identity, as they would routinely single or walk, steal second base, and then score on another hit to put pressure on their opponents.

Once the calendar turned to July, the trials and tribulations began.

The Harbor Hawks were still at the top of the West Division entering play July 11 after a win over the Falmouth Commodores July 9. They have gone 5-12-1 since, including 0-3 in August.

With so many players departing the team throughout the month, the Hawks went through a 7-14-3 July that tested the team’s resolve over and over again. A lot of their best baserunners and power bats had departed. The Hawks were getting runners on base, but they had trouble bringing them in.

The pitching staff took a hit as well, with their entire season-opening starting rotation and most of the bullpen having departed as well. They had to piece together a brand new pitching staff on the fly, and they struggled as a result.

With a chance to clinch a playoff spot August 1 against Harwich, Hyannis couldn’t get it done and lost in walk-off fashion to the red-hot Mariners. They then coughed up a 6-3 lead against Orleans a day later and also lost via walk-off, but were able to clinch on the final day of the regular season thanks to some help from Cotuit.

Now that they’re in, the Hawks have as good a chance as anyone. Harwich was the last team into the playoffs last season, and they went on a run and won the Cape League championship.

On the pitching side, Carson Jasa, Max Stammel, and Eddie Copper give the Hawks three reliable starting pitching options. Stammel and Copper in particular have been stellar lately and will follow Jasa in the rotation, who is likely to start game one against Bourne.

Boosted by new additions Connor Kelley, Chris Diaz, Sam Garewal, and Andrew Wertz, the Hyannis bullpen has some high-leverage arms they can depend on late in games, particularly Kelley and Speshyock, who have been splitting time as the closers for the Harbor Hawks. The strong pitching of Wertz and Garewal have put them into valuable setup arms as bridges to Kelley or Speshyock in the eighth and ninth innings.

At the plate, Ryan McKay has been a mainstay for the Hawks at second base since opening day, and enters the playoffs with a .300 batting average, .374 on-base percentage, and seven extra-base hits in 35 games. Complimenting him in the infield is Jake Schaffner, who has been a steady defensive presence at shortstop in recent weeks while giving the lineup good at-bats all summer long.

Jeff Lougee has been another reliable bat in the middle of the order for Hyannis, hitting .288 entering the playoffs while splitting time between second base, left field, and designated hitter.

In the outfield, Owen Prince’s speed in center field and on the basepaths has been a valuable asset for the Harbor Hawks since arriving in the middle of July. He is flanked by returning Harbor Hawk Parker Brosius, Devin Mitchell, Lougee, and Bates, and the group has provided strong defense in the outfield all summer while adding some occasional pop with the bat.

Briggs and Deiten Lachance have been splitting time as the team’s catchers. Briggs has had his struggles offensively, but is a steady hand defensively, throwing out 14 potential base stealers and collecting 24 assists behind the plate. Lachance has two home runs, 11 RBIs, four doubles, and a .462 slugging percentage in 13 games.

While the regular season was certainly filled with challenges for the Harbor Hawks, they did what they had to do — make the playoffs. Now, they’re in, and we’ll see what happens from here.

Michael Najarian can be reached at mikenajarian379@gmail.com and on X @MichaelNaj3.