Hyannis stumbled out of the gate Sunday night at Judy Walden Scarafile Field, falling 9-1 to the red-hot Chatham Anglers. Despite the lopsided loss, Harbor Hawks manager Mitch Karraker remains confident in his roster and understands there is plenty of baseball left to be played this summer.

"We built our team on really good pitching and defense first and foremost because we feel like that's the foundation of a good baseball team,” Karraker said.

Both Chatham and Hyannis entered the game 3-4, before Chatham moved back to .500 after the win. Chatham’s burgeoning offense stayed in control as the Anglers scored five runs in the first five innings.

However, four of their first five runs were off of errors from Hyannis in the field. Karraker does not plan to make it a pattern.

"We had some bad first steps and misplayed some balls, which is kind of uncharacteristic for our guys,” Karraker said. “I think we've been playing really good defense the last few games."

Hyannis scored their first run in the seventh inning and has experienced some offensive difficulties a week into the season.

The Harbor Hawks have struggled through the season's opening games hitting just .202 with 20 RBIs, both marks ranking among the bottom two in the Cape League.

Karraker is not happy with the offensive production, but knows he recruited the right squad and it’s only a matter of time before they start producing.

"This league's tough and we've had some ups and downs,” Karraker said. “Offensively we're making progress. It's hard to see it sometimes, but we've hit some balls hard right at guys the last few games. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the roster."

The Harbor Hawks caught Chatham at the wrong time. After opening the season with a four-game losing streak, the Anglers have responded with four straight wins, a feat they never accomplished during the 2025 season.

Their lead only grew with the game as the Anglers made it 9-1 in the ninth after Cooper Neville hit a deep solo shot to right field.

Neville has had an exceptional start for the Anglers and has played a huge role in their early-season turnaround.

Neville isn’t the only top performer on this Chatham squad. Before the game, Gabe Fraser was officially announced as the Cape League player of the week, the first to win the league-wide award this season.

Fraser hit .458 with two home runs through the first week. Fraser’s excellent first week is something he’s been waiting for.

"I try to keep a wood bat in my hand throughout the spring season just to be comfortable and ready to go when I get to the summer,” Fraser said.

Fraser hit .303 for the Florida State Seminoles in the spring, and is carrying that production over into the summer.

Although Fraser was hit by a pitch and tweaked his leg running to first in the fourth inning, the third baseman has played a huge role in Chatham’s lethal infield.

Anglers pitchers kept the Harbor Hawks hitters in check, inducing three double plays. Fraser and Neville are forming the perfect storm in the infield.

"It's awesome. Everyone knows the job they need to do,” Fraser said. “Cooper's a great captain over there at shortstop. We got a good crew that can trust each other, you can throw a ball anywhere and make a play."

The Anglers made many plays and held Hyannis to just five hits. One Harbor Hawk that flew above the errors was Trey Hawsey.

Hawsey, currently hitting .259, enjoys having such an efficacious presence like Karraker in the dugout.

"Mitch is really positive on us and puts it on us that we should play and just play as long as we can, so it's pretty awesome.,” Hawsey said.

Hawsey sees a difference between the Hawks and other teams around the Cape. Karraker built a squad based on defense, pitching and collegiate finds.

“We're a bunch of mid-major guys, so we play hard and we know how to play like we've always played,” Hawsey said.

Although Karraker’s squad has many promising players, the 3-5 Hawks are soon receiving an early-season boost.

“We have a couple guys coming in next week,” Karraker said. “Guys that played in super regionals that just need a little bit of a breather before coming out here.”

With the College World Series wrapping up, reinforcements will soon be en route to Hyannis.

Despite the Hawks’ offense struggling to find its footing, Karraker remains confident that a few key additions and continued advancements from his lineup can transform the Harbor Hawks into a true summer contender.