FALMOUTH, Mass. – That Falmouth Commodores offensive spark showed itself when Jaxon Willits (Oklahoma) hit a single to put up the first two runs of the night to take the lead, 2-1, over the Harwich Mariners in the bottom of the third on Sunday night.
That spark turned into a fire when Zion Rose (Louisville) hit a triple to punch in one more run to extend the Commodores' lead to 3-1 and to put himself in scoring position. Henry Cooke (Virginia Tech) followed with his second homer of the season to send himself and Rose home to make it 5-1.
The Mariners needed a change to stop the Commodores. Haiden Leffew (Wake Forrest) replaced Harwich starting pitcher Blake Morningstar (Wake Forrest) on the mound to finish the job.
Falmouth stayed hot in the top of the fifth, looking solid defensively putting Harwich away. The Commodores’ scoring drought continued through the bottom of the sixth with no runs since the third-inning burst.
The game was quiet for three innings, but the Mariners made some noise loading the bases in the top of the seventh. Ryan Weingartner (St. Joseph's) hit a grand slam to tie it up, 5-5, with zero outs on the board.
The Falmouth defense scrambled trying to contain Harwich’s momentum. Tommy Barth (East Tennessee State) punched in a run for the Mariners to take their second lead of the night, 6-5, then Michael Anderson (transfer portal) hit the second home run of the inning to push it to 7-5.
The top of the seventh was all Harwich, but Falmouth got itself out of a crunch with a flyout from Kollin Ritchie (Oklahoma State). Willits clocked in another run in the bottom of the seventh to make it a one-run game, 7-6.
Off the bat, Robbie Burnett (transfer portal) put up the third home run from Harwich, then Jake Ogden (UNC Greensboro) followed with another home run for the Mariners to extend it to 10-6.
Commodores closing pitcher Tate McKee (Georgia Tech) recorded a strikeout and got backup from his infield to send them back to bat hoping to get a last-minute rally together.
Rose sent a ball past the fence to bring him and Isaiah Barkett (Stetson) home to cut the Mariners' lead in half, 10-8. Ultimately, the late rally wasn’t enough to get the save to clinch a win over Harwich.
The Commodores (1-7) have an off day Monday but will be back in action Tuesday at Lowell Park to take on the hot, four-game winning streak Cotuit Kettlers (5-3) with the first pitch set for 5 p.m.
You can get live game updates on Instagram and X @FalCommodores or tune into the live radio broadcast featuring Aiden Blanc and MJ Newsom on YouTube @FalmouthCommodores.
