The Y-D Red Sox won their sixth straight game on Wednesday, defeating the Harwich Mariners 3-1. Both teams combined for only seven hits, with Harwich’s three errors costing them in the end.
Pitching was the key to the first four innings, with Carson Ballard only allowing two hits in his four innings of work. The one run he allowed was unearned, although it was self-inflicted due to an error that he committed in the third inning. Ballard showed excellent command of his changeup, mixing it with his fastball to keep the Harwich lineup off balance.
Luke McNeillie (UF), the starting pitcher for Harwich, threw four no-hit innings. His fastball consistently sat around 94 miles per hour, hitting 95 on multiple occasions. On top of that, his slider showed extreme movement and impressive velocity. He was removed from the game after those four innings, having thrown just 54 pitches.
Both offenses went down quietly in the first inning, with the biggest highlight coming from Cody Miller’s impressive double play. He forced Bristol Carter (Auburn) out of the baseline before quickly firing to first to retire Aiden Robbins (Seton Hall).
Harwich opened up the scoring in the third inning, with Jake Koonin (Princeton) scoring on a double play. Y-D’s offense remained quiet through the first four frames, only reaching on a walk taken by the recently-activated Jake Bell (TCU).
AJ Soldra, one of the hottest hitters in the Cape Cod Baseball League, drew a six-pitch walk to begin the fifth inning. Garrett Wright, making his first start in almost a week, doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Yomar Carreras singled to drive in a run, tying the game at one run apiece. Michael Catalano struck out the side in the bottom half of the inning, the first three hitters he saw on the night.
Catalano threw three innings on Wednesday, only allowing one hit while striking out six. He handed the ball to Ricky Ojeda, who continued his impressive summer with another scoreless inning.
A Chris Hacopian walk started things for Y-D in the top of the ninth, looking to take the lead before it was too late. Cider Canon pinch-ran for Hacopian, and immediately got to third base on a throwing error by Harwich’s pitcher Ryan Reich (Seton Hall). Soldra hit a two-out double to score Canon, giving Y-D a 2-1 lead. Wright walked to keep the inning going, allowing Carreras to drive in his second run of the night with another RBI single.
Bo Rhudy closed out the game in the ninth, recording his second save of the season. His nine-pitch outing lowered his ERA to 1.80 for the summer.
The big winning streak for Y-D cements them as the sole owners of first place in the East Division, owning the best record in the whole league. On top of this, their run differential of +23 is also the best in the CCBL, with Brewster seven runs behind them at +16.
“It’s been a real competitive act,” Brady MacNeil, a member of Y-D, said on Wednesday after the game. “We’re coming out here every day, having fun and winning games. We’re ready to get more on Friday.”
After an off day on Thursday, Y-D will face Cotuit on Friday at Red Wilson Field.
