Tuesday, Aug. 5:
No. 4 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 4, No. 1 Orleans Firebirds 1 (YD leads 1-0)
The East Division champion Orleans Firebirds came into the first night of the playoffs as hot as a team could possibly be. They closed out the regular season with the best record over the last week, won the East Division and were presented the President’s Trophy pregame. On top of that, right-handed pitcher Steele Murdock was named the 2025 Russ Ford Outstanding Relief Pitcher, and Kelly Nicholson took home his fifth Mike Curran Manager of the Year award.
However, a sense of calm swept over the Yarmouth-Dennis dugout when 2025 Cape League All-Star starter Brady Hamilton took the mound. He pitched a terrific 5 1/3 innings, striking out five and allowing just one run. He was aided by early run support from Jordan Crossland in the first and Jayce Tharnish in the second, and Y-D jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead.
Landon Harrison put Orleans on the board with a solo shot in the third, but that would be the only run the Firebirds could muster. Ryder Brooks and Tyler Pitzer came out of the Yarmouth-Dennis bullpen and shut down the Firebirds, sealing a 4-1 victory for the Red Sox.
Billy Morris, despite the loss, pitched four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits out of the Orleans bullpen.
The top seed in the East will now have to win back-to-back games to keep their season alive, as they travel to Yarmouth-Dennis on Wednesday to play Game 2 at 4 p.m.
No. 2 Harwich Mariners 10, No. 3 Brewster Whitecaps 2 (HAR leads 1-0)
The Harwich Mariners had the bases loaded with no outs in a 2-2 game in the top of the ninth on Sunday night against Chatham in the last game of the regular season. Had they scored a run and recorded three outs, they would’ve been crowned East Division champions. Instead, the Anglers walked them off in the 10th inning, knocking Harwich down to the No. 2 seed and resulting in a matchup with Brewster in the first round.
Harwich, not making the same mistake twice, wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Matt Conte and Patrick Fultz both recorded RBI hits in the first, and Jake Koonin and Kyle Wolff followed suit in the third. Just as Troy Dressler was settling in on the mound, Harwich led 5-0.
In his five innings, Dressler struck out six, allowing just three hits and one run. Scott Doran followed Dressler and pitched the remaining four innings, similarly allowing just three hits and one run.
Although they responded with two runs of their own, the Whitecaps weren't able to keep up with the potent Harwich offense. Jack Koonin capped off his big night at the plate in the eighth, blasting a solo home run.
Harwich now heads to Brewster for Game 2 on Wednesday at 4 p.m. with a chance to move on to the next round.
Wednesday, Aug. 6:
No. 4 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 9, No. 1 Orleans Firebirds 2 (YD wins 2-0)
The Firebirds arrived at Red Wilson Field with their backs against the wall, knowing they’d need to win on the road in order to send the series back to Orleans on Thursday. With JT Raab on the mound, confidence was high, as he’d posted a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings during the regular season.
However, Jayce Tharnish led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, the first of his four-hit performance. Chris Hacopian later singled him in to give Y-D a 1-0 lead, and the Red Sox were off to the races from there.
Armando Briseno, Ryan Niedzwiedz and Jack Bell all recorded RBIs in the third. In Niedzwiedz’s next at-bat, he roped a double, tacking on two more RBIs. In his last plate appearance, he drove in another run on a sacrifice fly, bringing his total to four in the game.
Like the prior evening, Orleans couldn’t get anything going on the offensive side against the Y-D pitching staff. Michael Malki and Chris Downs each pitched four innings, limiting the Firebirds to five hits and just two runs — both pitchers struck out three.
Tharnish led the way with his four hits, Hacopian had three of his own, and Jack Bell and Will Baker had multihit games as well.
Yarmouth-Dennis, claiming the victory by a score of 9-2, now moves on to the East Divisional Finals. The President’s Trophy award winners in Orleans are knocked out early by Y-D once again. Y-D awaits Thursday’s Game 3 between Harwich and Brewster to see who it'll play on Friday.
No. 3 Brewster Whitecaps 7, No. 2 Harwich 3 (Tied 1-1)
The comforts of home, Stony Brook Field, have been nice to the Brewster Whitecaps all season long. They were tied with the Bourne Braves with 12 home wins, most in the Cape League. When Game 2 kicked off in a win-or-go home situation for the Whitecaps, they knew the task ahead of them.
After Edwin Alicea escaped the top of the first with a clean frame thanks to a picked-off runner, Brewster exploded for four runs. Maddox Milihalakis crushed a two-run homer, and Carson Tinney and Colton Coates capped off the inning with RBIs of their own.
Harwich starter Gianni Gambardella was knocked out of the game after just 1 2/3 innings, paving the way for Tom Chmielewski. Although Harwich found itself in a 6-0 deficit, Chmielewski pitched brilliantly out of the bullpen, finishing 6 1/3 innings — saving the Harwich pitching staff for a winner-take-all game Thursday.
Brewster was held scoreless until the eighth when Cape League stolen base leader Adam Magpoc drove in a run on a sac fly. The damage was done though, and its six runs in the first two innings held up.
Edwin Alicea pitched five strong innings of one-run baseball for the Whitecaps, and Nate Brittain completed a four-inning save.
The two teams head back to Harwich on Thursday night for Game 3. Harwich’s title defense is now in jeopardy, as Brewster comes in with momentum. With Yarmouth-Dennis waiting in the wings to face the winner, all eyes in the East Division will be on Whitehouse Field.
Thursday, Aug. 7:
No. 2 Harwich 6, No. 3 Brewster Whitecaps 5 (HAR wins 2-1)
From the moment fans began packing the stands at Whitehouse Field in Harwich, the tension emanating from the field was palpable. The Mariners turned to starter Olin Johnson to keep their season alive, and the Whitecaps did the same with Spencer Seid.
Each starter held the opponent scoreless through the first two innings, until current Cape League Player of the Week Dalton Wentz roped a double to center field in the third, putting the Whitecaps on top 1-0.
The following frame, Harwich fired back with three runs of its own. Brewster’s Kyle Kipp pulled two pitches with Niko Brini at the plate, allowing runs to score on back-to-back wild pitches. Brini then knocked in another run with a single to right field.
Harwich extended its lead to 4-1 in the fifth, but the game was far from over. Harwich sent Olin Johnson back out for the sixth, and Brewster loaded the bases, albeit with two outs. Two subsequent RBI walks brought the Whitecaps within a run. The Mariners brought in a new pitcher in Tyler Muscar, and with a 1-2 count, Adam Magpoc connected on a fastball at the bottom of the zone and singled in two runs, putting Brewster on top 5-4.
The drama wasn’t nearly over, as the next inning Brewster allowed the third Harwich run to score on a wild pitch, tying the game.
The matchup entered the ninth inning still tied, and Christian Rodriguez, who struck out seven in the game, pitched a clean frame for the Mariners.
The bottom of the ninth started with a single and a walk for Harwich, putting the game-winning run in scoring position. Patrick Fultz stepped up to the plate, and laid down a beautiful bunt. The Brewster third baseman couldn’t field it cleanly and made a throwing error, allowing Ryan Gerety to trot home and send Harwich to the East Divisional Final.
Harwich and Y-D will now face each other in Game 1 on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at Whitehouse Field in a rematch of last year’s Divisional Series. Harwich extends its championship defense, and fourth-seeded Y-D aims for its second straight upset.
