One run was enough for Hyannis on Wednesday. It wasn't on Thursday, as the Harbor Hawks fell 9-1 to the Falmouth Commodores.
Hyannis was held to four hits, with its lone run coming in the top of the ninth when a wild pitch plated Caden Miller (Texas-San Antonio) from third.
Thursday’s loss brings the Hawks to 9-12 on the season, placing them third in the West Division behind Falmouth (9-11-1) and Bourne (10-8-3).
Despite back-to-back quiet nights at the plate, Hawks manager Mitch Karraker isn’t concerned about his team’s offensive production.
“Obviously, we need to score more than that to be successful,” Karraker said. “But I like the effort from our guys. They’re doing the right things—it's just a matter of translating that into game situations. Unfortunately, this is how hitting goes sometimes. You have your ups and downs.”
Jonah Barkoff (Oregon) started for the Harbor Hawks, allowing four earned runs on five hits over three innings before turning the ball over to the bullpen.
After two scoreless innings to open the game, Falmouth broke through in the third with a two-run single to center by Brayden Jeffries (Michigan).
The Commodores continued to add on, with Carter White (Central Florida) and Ryder Woodson (Mississippi State) each delivering RBI singles to extend the lead to 4-0. Both White and Woodson finished the night 2-for-3 with three RBIs apiece to lead Falmouth.
Falmouth added another run in the fifth when White hit an RBI double to score AJ Putty (Illinois), who had drawn a walk earlier in the inning.
Control issues proved costly for Hyannis in the sixth, as the Commodores took advantage to put the game out of reach.
A walk, a single, and a hit batter loaded the bases before AJ Putty drew his second of three walks in the inning, forcing home Austin Mallee (Gateway CC) to make it 6-0. Ryder Woodson capped the inning with a two-run single to left, scoring Brayden Jeffries and Putty to give Falmouth a 9-0 lead after six innings.
With little time to dwell on the loss, the Harbor Hawks will look to turn the page Friday when they travel to Harwich for the second time this season.
“We’re taking it one game at a time right now,” Karraker said. “There’s no time to dwell on this one. We’ll show up tomorrow with a fresh bullpen, ready to go, and move on. Harwich will be a good challenge for us, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Friday’s matchup marks the third meeting of the season between the Harbor Hawks and Mariners, with Harwich winning each of the first two contests.
Raymond Olivas (UC Santa Barbara) is expected to start for Hyannis. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
