Friday, Aug. 8:

No. 4 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 5, No. 2 Harwich Mariners 0 (YD leads 1-0)

The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox entered Game 1 of the East Divisional Finals well-rested, as they swept Orleans in Round 1. Harwich, on the other hand, was laboring after a neck-and-neck series against Brewster.

The Y-D offense picked up right where it left off. Ryan Niedzwiedz, who stood out at the plate in the first round, picked up his first RBI hit of the game, a single that put Y-D up 1-0 in the third.

More damage was done the following inning. Will Baker capitalized on a two-out walk, doubling in Y-D’s next run. Chris Hacopian and Niedzwiedz continued the hitting spree, pushing the lead to four runs.

With Clay Hendry on the mound, the Red Sox cruised through the first seven innings. Hendry put together one of the best pitching performances of not just the playoffs, but the entire season. In seven innings, he allowed just a single hit, a walk and struck out six.

Although Harwich found itself in a four-run deficit, Ryan Reich impressed on the mound. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed just one run out of the bullpen.

Reich almost escaped the seventh, but a triple from Baker led the Y-D offensive attack with a game-best four hits, a home run away from the cycle. Niedzwiedz added three hits of his own.

The Red Sox turned to Drake Frize to close it out, and he did so without allowing a hit and struck out two.

The Mariners head to Y-D looking to even the series, and Y-D goes home with all the momentum in the world. With a win Saturday, Y-D would return to the championship for the first time since 2016. Game 2 begins at 4 p.m. from Red Wilson Field.

Saturday, Aug. 9:

No. 4 Yarmouth-Dennis 6, No. 2 Harwich Mariners 6 (YD leads series 1-0) GAME SUSPENDED

Game 2 of the series at Red Wilson Field is so tightly contested, there wasn’t enough daylight on Saturday to finish it. The game was suspended due to darkness following 12 innings of play.

After recording just one hit in Game 1, the Harwich Mariners knew the key to success and sending the series back home would be applying offensive pressure early. With Bryan Matuschat on the mound, the Mariners were riding with their new right-hander.

Scoreless through two innings, Y-D catcher Thomas McAndrews stepped up to the plate and blasted a home run to left-center field. After their outburst at the plate last night, the Red Sox were primed for another big game to clinch a spot in the championship.

The next half-inning, the script flipped. After multiple singles, a walk and a hit-by-pitch, the Mariners threatened to score their first run of the series. With 2025 Thurman Munson Batting Champion Aiden Robbins at the plate, his first game back after a finger injury, he singled in the game-tying run.

The damage was far from done, however. Base hits from Ernie Echevarria and Sam Harris, coupled with a Y-D defensive miscue, brought in four more Harwich runs. The Mariners were pouring it on, and a sacrifice bunt from Tanner Marsh tacked on one more run for Harwich before the end of the inning.

Although Y-D fought back with an RBI single from Yomar Carreras bringing the score to 6-2, Matuschat impressed on the mound. He pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed just two runs against a potent Y-D offense. Matuschat struck out five, and the Mariners turned to one of their best relievers in Adam Arthur to follow.

Y-D wasn’t going to roll over though, and a two-out rally brought it right back into the game. Jacye Tharnish stayed hot with a double, and with runners on second and third, Will Baker reached on an error that allowed two runs to score. The next inning, a Jack Bell double brought Y-D within one. Michael Catalano’s 5 2/3 innings out of the Y-D bullpen, striking out eight, had given them a chance to win.

As it has been from the start of the playoffs, Y-D was relentless at the plate. With their backs against the walls, they rallied in the ninth. An RBI single from Chris Hacopian tied it at 6-6, and Red Wilson Field burst with excitement.

The game moved into extras and was at a deadlock through 12 innings. The game was suspended for darkness, so they’ll pick back up at noon at Red Wilson Field on Sunday, with Game 3, if necessary, at Whitehouse Field in Harwich on Sunday evening at 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 10:

No. 2 Harwich Mariners 7, No. 4 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 6 (Series tied 1-1)

The Mariners woke up on Sunday morning not ready for their season to end. After 12 innings that took over three and a half hours on Saturday, Harwich only needed one on Sunday to force a deciding Game 3 later in the day back at Whitehouse Field.

Left-hander Ryder Brooks came on for Y-D to pitch the top of the 13th inning where the game resumed. Ryan Gerety led off for Harwich and beat out a ground ball for an infield hit to set the table. After Matt Conte lined out, Patrick Fultz hit a line drive that was deflected into shallow center for a single. Gerety tried to advance to third, but center fielder Jayce Tharnish threw him out at third for the second out.

The chance was then left to 2025 Thurman Munson Batting Champion Aiden Robbins. He hit a fly ball to deep right field. Right fielder Will Baker misjudged the ball, coming in on it as it sailed over his head for extra bases. Fultz scored from first, and that run proved to be the difference.

Lefty Tyler Muscar pitched the bottom of the 13th for Harwich and got the Red Sox 1-2-3. Fultz made a nice grab at third to end the game.

There will be no rest for either team, as the deciding Game 3 of the series is later Sunday in Harwich. The Mariners take the momentum back to Whitehouse Field with first pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 10:

No. 4 Yarmouth-Dennis 7, No. 2 Harwich Mariners 1 (YD wins 2-1)

Just hours removed from their heartbreaking loss at home, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox returned to Whitehouse Field with a vengeance. Meanwhile, the Harwich Mariners were coming off a season-saving 13-inning victory, taking back home-field advantage.

Immediately, Ryan Niedzwiedz, who’s been one of the hottest hitters in the playoffs, put Y-D on the board with a sacrifice fly in the first. Harwich starter Tanner Duke settled in though, and cruised through the next three innings, allowing no runs.

The Mariners still had to assert themselves at the plate, however. Sam DeCarlo stepped up to bat in the third and plated Jake Koonin from second after a single followed by a throwing error.

The game had reached a 1-1 stalemate until the Y-D offense tripled twice in the span of three at-bats in the fifth inning. Nick Costello and Will Baker had given the Red Sox a 3-1 lead, but they weren’t done there.

Chris Hacopian, Armando Briseno and Jack Bell all recorded RBI hits over the next few innings, increasing Y-D’s run count to seven.

With Evan Mobley and Joshua Landry combining to pitch all nine innings for Y-D, Harwich wasn’t able to get anything going as it had early in Game 2. The offensive deficit was too much to overcome, and the Mariners’ title defense was cut short while Y-D had just clinched a spot in the Cape League Championship Series for the first time since 2016.

Scott Pickler, already a six-time champion, now has an opportunity for his seventh — the Red Sox are looking for their 11th title. They’ll face off against Bourne in the Championship Series for the first time ever, with Game 1 set to be played at Doran Park on Monday at 6 p.m.