After scoring seven runs in their first game of the season, the Harwich Mariners offense went silent against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, losing, 4-1, Sunday night in Hyannis.
For six innings, the Harwich offense was nowhere to be seen. Just three batters reached base, with none of them advancing to second base. Harbor Hawks starting pitcher Trey Beard set the tone with a fastball reaching the upper-90s and striking out six batters in four innings.
“We had our chances, but we couldn’t get that big knock,” Harwich field manager Steve Englert said. “Our guys saw some velocity tonight.”
Down 4-0, Harwich’s offense showed signs of life in the seventh. After the first three batters reached base, second baseman Shintaro Inoue drew a walk to bring in Harwich’s first run.
Still with the bases loaded and just one out, Hyannis pitcher Isaac Williams struck out Maddox Molony and got Davis Baker to ground into a fielder's choice for the third out.
In the eighth, the Mariners looked to put together a two-out rally. After Harrison Feinberg walked, shortstop Eric Becker poked his third hit of the night to put runners on base. Unfortunately, a Matt Conte strikeout ended the threat.
Harwich struggled to make contact throughout the night, striking out 13 times against four Hyannis pitchers.
After starting as the designated hitter on Opening Night, two-way player Evan Dempsey made his first appearance on the mound for the Mariners.
The 2025 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year ran into trouble in the first inning, giving up two runs on three hits. In the third inning, after allowing a leadoff walk, the righty gave up a two-run home run to Andrew Williamson.
E.J. Nevills put together a solid outing in relief. The rising Amherst College junior came in for Dempsey and strung together three scoreless innings while striking out three batters.
“Overall, I found a way to get in the zone. I had a defense behind me,” the Westwood native said. “They did a great job. Matt Conte catching for me did a great job behind the plate. Things were firing on all cylinders.”
Recording a 2.40 ERA at the Division III level, Nevills didn’t back down from facing the best college hitters in the country.
“The game moves a lot faster. These guys are the best of the best,” he said. “Everything (is) faster. Guys throw harder, guys hit harder. Adjusting to that has been something we are working on. But it’s an opportunity to grow.”
Harwich heads to Falmouth on Monday to take on the Commodores. First pitch is at 6 p.m. Righty Freddy Rodriguez gets the start for the Mariners.
