The Hyannis Harbor Hawks came away with their first playoff series win since 2023 with a 7-1 victory over the Cotuit Kettleers at Lowell Park on Wednesday night.

The series sweep secures their spot in the Divisional Championship round and gives the team a day of rest on Thursday.

“To play with a group of guys that now feel like best friends, to get a big win like that is awesome. Especially to a crosstown team, this is a big win” Center fielder Jax Gimenez said.

Gimenez was among the big hitters for the night accounting for three of the runs scored, along with shortstop Matt Ineich and left fielder Nick Dromboski.

The bullpen only featured three pitchers for the night, with Raymond Olivas and Van Froling pitching for a combined eight out of the nine innings. Hyannis manager Mitch Karraker said there were two main reasons for keeping the pitchers on the mound for so long.

“It’s a two-way thing. This was their last outing, so we’re just trying to get the most out of those guys,” Karraker said. “And obviously to preserve arms because we got a lot of games still left to play.”

In their last game with the Harbor Hawks, the two pitchers contributed greatly to the victory with a combined nine strikeouts. Closing pitcher Mason Blasche capped the total count off at 10 with one last strikeout in the ninth inning.

The two pitchers certainly left their mark on the Cape League, as Olivas finished with the third most strikeouts on the team at 26, and Froling with 21. Olivas reflected on his time on The Cape and said he wanted to stick it out for the remainder of the playoffs but had to leave early due to school.

“I’m very sad to leave these guys. This group of guys are really special for me this summer,” Olivas said. “But you know I’m going to be watching the Hawks for the rest of the playoffs from home.”

Offensively, the Harbor Hawks stayed consistent, putting up the same amount of runs that they did against Cotuit the night before.

The first run did not come quietly, as Matt Ineich made a statement with a bomb to right center field for a solo homerun. However, the Kettleers quickly followed suit after designated Tito Keifer-Espinoza put a ball into play. A fielder error by third baseman Taylor Kirk and a wild pitch allowed him to advance to third, and a sacrifice fly by Dawson Santana tagged him home, tying the score 1-1 in the third inning.

The Harbor Hawks were able to take the lead back by one in the fourth inning after an RBI single by Nick Dromboski drove right fielder Henry Zenor home. The hit also moved Kirk to third, and a subsequent walk to Ineich left the bases loaded. That’s when Gimenez came up to bat and decided a one run lead wasn’t enough. With two outs, Gimenez seized the opportunity and hit a double to center field, scoring all three runners and securing a significant lead for the Harbor Hawks.

Despite Gimenez’s efforts to create separation from the Kettleers, the opposing team was determined to try and come back. The Kettleers were able to put themselves in the same situation with the bases loaded and two outs. With Olivas on the mound, he suddenly started to show discomfort in his hand, and frustration with the current situation.

“There was some adversity up there on the mound. Their guy was digging into the mound, and it just made it hard for me to throw on the side I’m comfortable with,” Olivas said. “I had to switch all the way to the third base side, so that was definitely some adversity right there. But I think it’s just important to bear down.”

And bear down he did, as Olivas would put faith in his defense and end the inning on a groundout to prevent any scoring for the Kettleers. The Harbor Hawks, however, weren’t finished just yet.

In the sixth inning, with Kirk and catcher Brody Briggs on base, Dromboski came up once again to finish the job and send Kirk home on a fly ball double to left field. Briggs would also try to score but was tagged out at home. This however, allowed Dromboski to advance to third. Ineich then came up to seal the deal, and a sacrifice fly tagged Dromboski home and ended the scoring for the Harbor Hawks.

With Karraker making a few defensive rearrangements and Froling shutting it down on the mound, the Kettleers were unable to put anything more on the board for the remainder of the game.

The win marks the Harbor Hawks first playoff series win since 2023 when they defeated the Falmouth Commodores. Similar to three years ago, the Harbor Hawks will now move on to face the Bourne Braves in the Divisional Championship. Although the Harbor Hawks would end up losing that series, and the Braves would go on to win the Cape League Championship, Gimenez said he has confidence in this 2026 group.

“We didn’t come this far to just win this one,” Gimenez said. “I want to keep winning. If we play well, we can beat anyone.”

The Hyannis Harbor Hawks will resume play on Friday as they return home to face the Bourne Braves in the first game of the Divisional Championship.