The Hyannis Harbor Hawks are in a healthy habit of scoring quickly to begin games. In a 5-1 win over the Falmouth Commodores, the Harbor Hawks (8-3-1, 5-1 West Division) continued this habit. This matchup was limited to five innings as Commodores (5-7, 1-3 West Division) fielders initiated a weather delay for excessive fog, ultimately cutting the game short.
“I don’t know how to explain it, they like to score early,” Hyannis manager Mitch Karraker said. “We’ll take runs anywhere we can get them. For whatever reason, we’re scoring them early, which is great, that gets us into the bullpen a little bit sooner. Hopefully, we can continue that and have more consistent scoring going throughout the game.”
In the third inning, the Harbor Hawks put up five runs, cracking the scoreboard before their opponent for the 10th time this season.
With one out, a Jeff Lougee walk and a Brody Briggs single put runners on the corners for Matt Miura. The Hawaiian outfielder knocked a ground ball toward the gap on the right side of the infield. A sliding effort from Falmouth second baseman Ben Royo stopped the roller in shallow right field, but not in a timely enough fashion for a play to be made.
Andrew Williamson got the next opportunity with two runners in front of him, smacking a single into left field. As the leather and laces tumbled its way to Justin Osterhouse, the Commodores’ left fielder booted the ball off his glove, allowing Miura to score from first behind Briggs. With three runs already scored in the frame, exponential confidence oozed from Hyannis hitters.
Williamson moved up to second on the misplay, but didn’t stay there long as Jaxon Willits struck a double down the right field line. A Gabe Camacho ground out moved Willits to third, where he was knocked in on a smooth first-pitch single by Ray Velazquez.
The fifth run finally drew out Falmouth manager Jarrod Saltalamacchia as he optioned Zach Johnston out of the bullpen. The left-hander from Wake Forest ended the inning with a strikeout, stopping the home team’s scoring at a crooked five runs.
Though the ending to this contest came with unforeseen circumstances, the Harbor Hawks' theme of scoring early has repeatedly proven successful throughout the season. In games where Hyannis scores in the first three innings, its record is 8-3.
The two losses came against the Brewster Whitecaps on June 16 and June 25, as well as against the Wareham Gatemen on June 20. The only game where the Harbor Hawks did not score in the initial three innings of the game was a 7-7 tie with the Chatham Anglers on June 17.
In both of its matchups with the Whitecaps, Hyannis did not score after the second inning, putting up just two runs on June 16 and a season-low one run on June 20. These deflated offensive outputs could be considered outliers as the Harbor Hawks average over five runs scored per game so far this season.
Against the Gatemen, Hyannis gave up 12 runs on 17 hits while putting together a 6-run, 14-hit effort offensively. This stands as the season-high in runs allowed for the Harbor Hawks as they average just over four runs allowed per game in 2025.
Regardless of these atypical offensive and defensive outputs, Hyannis’ routine of starting an offensive flow early has led to success. Though it may seem like a straightforward strategy, it’s hard to achieve consistently, especially in a league where many hitters are facing pitchers they’ve never seen before daily.
The top of the Harbor Hawks' lineup has the initial opportunity to figure out these new faces, and has done so effectively.
“Miura has obviously been up there quite a bit and done a really good job. [Ryan] McKay, gave him an off day today, but he’s been really good,” Karraker said. “Williamson has kind of bounced back and forth, he’s started going really good again. I feel like we can shuffle this lineup a lot of different ways, and it can be deadly.”
Hyannis now looks to figure out a new opponent, facing the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox for the first time this season at Red Wilson Field on June 29 at 6 p.m.
Tymothy Brown can be reached at tymbrown12@gmail.com or followed on X @tym_brown1
