On Saturday, July 20, ‘Christmas in July’ was celebrated in full force at McKeon Park, both off the field with Santa Claus, and on the field with a clutch Eric Snow (Auburn) home run.
The Hyannis Harbor Hawks defeated the Harwich Mariners by a convincing 6-0 victory for Hyannis' (17-11-1) second home shutout victory in a row.
"Any time you can sweep a team in the [Cape], it's really good," head coach Mitch Karraker said. "Proud of our guys, we played a really good game [Saturday], the same kind of game as [Friday]. We played some good defense and got some really big hits when we needed to, it was a good night for the Hawks."
Snow, ironically having a last name intertwined with the holiday, hit a towering blast off Mariner (10-19) reliever Cooper McGrath the second he was summoned into the game. Poked is an understatement for the ball Snow clubbed toward the opposite field, he torched it 98 mph and 366 feet. Snow’s second tank of the summer granted Hyannis a comfortable 4-0 lead at the time.
"It was awesome," Snow said of the homer. "It was a really fun moment, especially after [my] first two at-bats. The start of the game for me didn't go as planned, but it was a fun moment to be in and I'm thankful."
Offense was tough to find for both Hyannis and Harwich early on. Despite allowing two hits in the first inning, Blaine Wynk (Ohio State) worked around things and used his inaugural frame as momentum for a dominant outing.
As usual, the Harbor Hawks opened the scoring at McKeon Park. The club’s first hit didn’t come until the bottom of the fourth inning but proved to be a big one. Dalton Bargo (Tennessee) cranked a double off Justin Mitrovich to begin the frame. His Rocky Top teammate Cannon Peebles (Tennessee) singled him home to make it a 1-0 ballgame after four.
Hyannis also threw up a crooked number in the bottom of the fifth. Josh Tate (Georgia Southern) led off with a double and came around to score on a Bargo single. Snow followed the Tennessee utility man in the frame with his big home run.
"[Snow] is a really good hitter," Karraker said. "He's a consistent force in our lineup, which is awesome for us. You know, sometimes it's a dinky hit from him, but other times he loses one in the trees, so it helps that he can do it in lots of different ways."
Wynk was brilliant on Saturday night. The Hyannis starter twirled 4 1/3 scoreless frames. Using his power fastball from an unusual slot, Wynk bested the Mariner bats by scattering three hits and a walk with four strikeouts. With a great slider to boot, he lowered his ERA to a stellar 3.05 on Saturday, proving to continue his familiarity as a mainstay in the Hawks' rotation.
"[Wynk] was working on a curveball for the first time [Saturday]," Karraker said. "I think he struggled a bit through that first inning, but once he got comfortable with his fastball command it was huge. He knows exactly where it's going, and I think that sets up everything else for him."
Coming off a Friday night shutout, Hyannis’ pitching staff brought its momentum in full force on Saturday. After Wynk’s strong start, Maison Martinez (VCU) made his first CCBL appearance. The Rams’ debut was worth the wait, as he threw 1 2/3 innings of perfect baseball while striking out a trio of Mariners.
Dominick Carbone (Coastal Carolina) held the lead himself, as the southpaw also struck out three, carving two scoreless. All-Star closer Casey Hintz (Arizona) slammed the door to secure the victory.
"Well, you know, I think the [pitching staff] has finally gotten to a point where when they warm up in the bullpen, they are trying to make pitches," pitching coach Ray Korn said about his staff's recent stellar pitching. "The higher up you get, the smaller the strike zone gets, and these guys need to understand that ... we just need to keep competing on the mound, we've got a great defensive team behind us."
After Saturday night, the Harbor Hawks have completed a four-game sweep of the Mariners, winning two at McKeon Park and two on the road. The club travels to Bourne on Sunday to face the Braves in a West Division clash. First pitch is expected at 6 p.m.
"The (Snow)man showed up for Christmas," Karraker said.
Sam Fosberg can be reached at samfozsports@gmail.com and followed on Twitter/X @discussbaseball
