Hyannis dominated in all facets of the game, remaining on top of the Cape Cod Baseball League West Division. Led by a strong pitching staff, the Hawks offense bested the Chatham Anglers, 6-1, Sunday and will play them again July 17.
Chatham (2-4-1) couldn’t catch up to the early lead posted by the Harbor Hawks, later failing to capitalize when possible. The Anglers remain stuck in last place in the East Division. Despite solid offensive numbers, Chatham has stayed out of the hunt for first place.
Southpaw Evan Blanco took the mound for the Hawks and, in similar fashion to his last appearance, completely took over the Hyannis (4-2-1) defensive unit. The Virginia Cavalier managed to toss five full innings, only giving up one earned run — a solo homer by Daniel Jackson. Aside from one mistake, Blanco competed in every at-bat and found ways to escape his troubled innings.
“Yeah, later in the game, I kind of ran out of gas, almost like I had a spaghetti noodle for an arm and just kind of got a mentally toughen it out and that's kind of what separates a good outing from a great outing… I go out there, and while I'm out there for my 80 or so pitches, I give everything I have (to) each one.”
Another quick offensive start for the Hawks forced the Anglers to play catch-up. Chatham was held in check by the Hyannis pitching staff and struggled to get runners across home plate for the entirety of the game. Hayden Federico knocked his first homer of the season to right-center field on the first good pitch he saw.
“The biggest thing for me is I just want to hit the ball hard, and anything I can handle over the plate, I'm gonna go after, and I'm gonna get a good swing off.”
Federico has totaled six walks this season, tied for the seventh most in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Equipped with a great approach and a short swing, the Ole Miss infielder has found early success. Unconventional experiences have contributed to Federico's well-rounded game.
“When I started switch-hitting, I kind of struggled a lot at first, so I got to see a lot of pitches and I understood the strike zone well. And it's just kind of always been one of my tools, and I try to keep the walks higher than the strikeouts.”
The Hawks lead the CCBL in walks with 48 total. Baserunners create pressure, and defenses have felt it when facing Hyannis. Stolen bases and walks have kept pitchers off balance, and it showed in the number of pickoff attempts Chatham made Sunday. Head coach Mitch Karraker commented on how impactful the free bases have been.
“We want to get guys on base, we want to put pressure on the defense, and a lot of these guys are really good at doing both of those things, and it showed tonight. We are a really good baserunning team, probably better than we were last year, and we were really good last year, so it's just fun to watch these guys wreak some havoc on the field.”
The Harbor Hawks have wreaked havoc everywhere they’ve gone so far this season, looking to continue the success of the first week at Falmouth on Wednesday. Hyannis has yet to name a starter, but expect lefty Jack Berg to take the ball against the Commodores come hump day. The midweek matchup could mark a third straight loss for Falmouth since its win Friday. As the Hawks try to keep the momentum going, the Commodores will look to reverse their weekend woes.
