Six, that’s the number of games Aiden Robbins watched from the dugout after dislocating his finger on a slide into second base against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.
With his team facing elimination in Game 2 of the Eastern Division Finals, the league batting champ wrapped up his middle finger on his left hand and was ready to go.
Robbins announced his return in the best way he knew how, getting clutch hits.
With the game tied 1-1, Robbins came up with the bases loaded and Harwich desperate for a timely hit. He pushed through the pain to push a single with enough power into center field to drive in a run and give the Mariners the lead.
After rounding first base, Robbins turned to his teammates, hit his chest and shouted, “Let’s go!”
The dugout roared. There was new life for the Mariners. Six batters reached base in the inning as Harwich took a 6-1 lead.
Unfortunately, Y-D worked its way back to tie the game in the ninth. The Red Sox scored two off Thomas Shurtleff to send the game into extra innings. Neither team scored through the 12th, at which point the game was suspended due to darkness with the score knotted at six.
Both teams will reconvene at Red Wilson Field on Sunday at noon. If Harwich wins, Game 3 will be played later in the evening at 6:30 p.m. at Whitehouse Field.
For the second straight night, the Harwich Mariners called on a late-season addition to start on the mound in a playoff game. With the season on the line, field manager Steve Englert put his faith in Bryan Matuschat.
The pitcher from Sacred Heart threw deep into the ballgame, going 5 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs.
While the six-run fourth should have been a sign for a big day for the Mariner bats, Harwich put up zeros for the rest of the game. It had only six baserunners during that stretch.
Still, the Mariners had Adam Arther and Shurtleff fresh out of the bullpen. Outside of Christian Rodriguez, nobody was more reliable than Shurt.
Y-D was not going to mail it for a third game. The Red Sox scored four runs, only two earned, in 2 2/3 innings against the duo.
Harwich’s Scott Doran and Y-D’s Tyler Pitzer battled on the mound in extras. The two righties went inning for inning from the ninth through the 12th, silencing bats all around.
When the game picks up Sunday, Ryan Gerety is scheduled to lead off the inning for Harwich.
