The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox came back from a 6-1 deficit on Saturday, keeping their hopes of a Round 2 sweep alive.
Derek Schaefer got the call to start Saturday’s matchup, cruising through the first three innings. He logged four strikeouts and retired four more batters on fly outs in that timeframe. The right-hander from Arizona State had a 3.86 ERA in the regular season, with a 1.46 WHIP across 28 innings of work.
Thomas McAndrews blasted a 377-foot home run to lead off the third inning, his first long ball of the summer. The junior hit five home runs this past season at Fordham, finishing with an .824 OPS.
Harwich’s offense began gaining momentum in the fourth inning, jump-started by Niko Brini’s single to begin the frame. Brini quickly reached third base after a passed ball and a sacrifice bunt by Jake Koonin. Ryan Gerety brought him around with a second-pitch single and proceeded to steal second base.
Schaefer’s command began to falter after that single. He hit Matt Conte with a pitch and walked Patrick Fultz to load the bases. Aiden Robbins, whose regular season OPS of .936 led the league, dropped a single into center field to give Harwich a 2-1 lead.
Michael Catalano entered in relief of Schaefer, facing the bases loaded with only one out. Ernie Echevarria scorched a ball to shortstop, but it bounced off Armando Briseño’s glove and into left field. Both Conte and Fultz came around to score. Harwich wasn’t done yet, as Robbins touched home on a throwing error by catcher Connor Capece. Tanner Marsh’s sacrifice bunt scored the sixth run of the inning, as Catalano opted to trade an out for a run. Brini grounded out two pitches later, ending the six-run frame for Harwich.
Y-D began chipping away at the deficit right away, as Yomar Carreras singled to bring Briseño home. Luck fell on their side in the seventh inning, when Will Baker came up to the plate with two runners in scoring position and two outs. He grounded a ball to first baseman Sam Harris, who bobbled it, allowing both Nick Costello and Jayce Tharnish to score. Ryan Niedzwiedz and Jack Bell both doubled in the bottom of the eighth, cutting the Harwich lead to just one run.
Catalano’s outing lasted 5 2/3 innings, with no runs allowed after the fourth. He struck out nine batters, executing his slider to perfection for several of those punchouts. His 91 pitches marked his longest appearance of the season.
In the bottom of the ninth, Baker drew a one-out walk. Briseño followed with a single into right field, placing runners on the corners. On the first pitch of his at-bat, Chris Hacopian dropped a single into shallow right field, allowing Baker to score the tying run. That was the only run Y-D managed in the inning, sending the game to extras.
Tyler Pitzer, the top pitcher in the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer, took the mound for Y-D in the 10th. He worked three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit on 36 pitches.
Scott Doran (Coastal Carolina), who entered the game in the ninth for Harwich, threw 3 2/3 innings with only one hit allowed. He struck out four batters and didn’t issue a walk.
Due to darkness, the game was suspended after 12 innings. The 13th inning will resume at noon on Sunday. If necessary, Game 3 will take place Sunday night in Harwich.
