The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox flashed their dominance with a 17-1 thrashing of the Hyannis Harbor Hawks that ended after seven innings.

Y-D has lost just one game all summer and Scott Pickler’s Sox aren’t scared of anyone on the Cape. One man stepped up to the challenge on Friday, Hyannis’ Kyle Alivo. If anybody can quiet the Sox, Alivo would be the man to do it.

“We always feel like we can win when we give Kyle the ball,” Hyannis manager Mitch Karraker said.

Alivo, the Milwaukee native, is leading the Harbor Hawks with a .562 batting average and 12 innings pitched. His two-way efforts have brought Hyannis back into many fights, but it takes a team effort to bring down the Sox.

Harbor Hawk Liam Barrett set the tone early with a leadoff first-inning home run to right field. Hyannis’ attempted mutiny was short-lived as the Red Sox did what they do best: plate runs.

Y-D responded with fury, almost offended at letting up a run. Spearheaded by player of the week Tommy Goodin, Y-D erupted in the first inning, jumping all over Alivo and sending a wave of hitters through the order to quickly flip Barrett’s leadoff homer into a 5-1 advantage before Hyannis could settle in.

“There are some things I didn’t like today. We didn’t execute pitches, and they did a really good job capitalizing on them,” Karraker said. “Offensively, we hit some balls hard, but we just couldn’t get anything going after the leadoff home run.”

Alivo survived just two innings, giving up 10 runs, seven of which were earned.

While Karraker did not get what he wanted from his team, the Harbor Hawks have experienced a massive reversal of their early-season form.

Hyannis was 0-7 against teams above .500, and Yarmouth-Dennis remains the furthest thing from losing baseball.

In June, the Hawks were dry at the plate and without a true ace. Nine of their hitters were below the Mendoza line and they were lacking power. Then Kyle Alivo happened.

“We like the guys we have,” Karraker said. “It takes time to get everyone in sync, but we feel like the personnel we have can compete in this league and give us a chance moving forward.”

Karraker brought in two Oregon players this week, Jonah Barkoff and Jax Giminez.
Giminez got the start in center field in his fourth game with Hyannis this summer. Giminez played two seasons at Oregon, with a career year this spring posting a .913 OPS.

On the opposite side of the field, Y-D was mashing.

Tommy Goodin, the Vanderbilt first baseman, splits the infield with fellow Commodore Brody Johnston. Goodin won player of the week last week with three home runs and a .302 average.

Goodin’s bat stayed smoking as a second-inning barrel to left-center field scored the runners from second and third, helping Y-D build an early multi-run lead.

The team chemistry here is amazing,” Goodin said. “Everyone wants to win, and nobody on this team doesn’t want to. We all pull for each other, pitching, hitting, everything. That’s what helps us win games.”

Y-D can’t stop winning. They are now 15-1-1 and their +79 run differential blows the Rest of the Cape out of the water. Pickler continues to add talent to Y-D and doesn’t plan on slowing.

“It’s just one game. It’s a different night, a different guy every night,” Pickler said. “Nobody has to carry the whole team, and they’re all pulling for each other.”

Pickler and the Red Sox showed no fear to the opposing squad, a trend they have echoed all season.

With the Y-D Red Sox, one day out from a trip to the home of the Boston Red Sox, they played like a team inspired.

Although Pickler’s Sox sit on a seven-point lead over the rest of the Cape, Pickler isn’t satisfied. As the saying goes, if you lose the last game of the season, nobody cares.

Y-D’s 2.17 ERA is by far the best on the Cape, and Easton Teel did not deviate from the pattern. The Oral Roberts pitcher worked through early traffic after Hyannis put multiple runners on in the opening innings but settled in to continue Y-D’s staff dominance.

Lucas Franco hit his first home run of the summer with a moon shot to center field. Y-D piled on the damage, making it 16-1 by the fourth.

The Red Sox ended with 17 runs on the board, forcing a mercy-rule finish after seven.

Pickler has won the last game of the season six times over his last 27 seasons on the Cape, and is focused more than ever on bringing another title back to Yarmouth-Dennis.

“We’re just going out and playing every day. That’s it,” Pickler said. “It’s too early to talk about the end of the season. We’re just trying to get better each day and see where it takes us.”

Until someone can top the Red Sox, they will continue with full confidence to break their ten-year title drought and win their 11th championship.