Friday, Aug. 8:
No. 4 Yarmouth-Dennis 5, No. 2 Harwich 0 (YD leads series 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.
