Strong Pitching Powers the Harbor Hawks to a 3-1 Victory over Falmouth
By: Matt Coates
Cam Smith powered the Hyannis Harbor Hawks to a 3-1 victory over the Falmouth Commodores Monday night.
The Harbor Hawks (7-6-1) wasted no starting their game against the Commodores (3-10-2). On the first pitch of the night, designated hitter Smith came out swinging, launching a homer to left field. This is the second straight game that Smith has been in the leadoff, and the second game he’s hit a homer in the first inning.
“[Smith’s] a really dangerous hitter,” assistant coach Eric Luksis said. “When he gets hot that ball is going to go a long way.”
Hyannis starting pitcher Simon Miller did his part to maintain the lead. In his three innings, he got four strikeouts without allowing a run. Luksis pointed to Miller’s slider as a key to his dominant start.
“[Miller] gave us three strong innings today,” Luksis said. “That was exactly what we were hoping to get out of our starter today.”
Overall, the pitchers were great for the Harbor Hawks tonight. They only allowed one run and six hits over the entire game.
“The pitching staff was phenomenal tonight,” Luksis said. “Every single guy that threw, their stuff was amazing.”
In the top of the third, Hyannis added a second run to the board. Bradke Lohry opened the inning with a double, putting a runner in scoring position with no outs. After he advanced to third base, first baseman Austin Kelly hit a sacrifice fly to score Lohry. That run would end up being the game-winner, as Falmouth only managed one run over the full game.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Commodores got on the scoreboard. Kyle DeBarge got a single off Jay Driver to score Travis Bazzana. The Hawks escaped the inning by only allowing one run, holding a lead of 2-1 after five innings.
Billy Amick finished the scoring for the Harbor Hawks in the top of the eighth inning. With Smith on third base after roping a leadoff triple, Amick hit into a fielder’s choice, allowing Smith to waltz across home plate.
A pitching combination of Ethan Lanthier and Michael Rodriguez shut down Falmouth from the seventh inning through the ninth. Each pitcher allowed a hit apiece and prevented the Commodores from scoring a run.
This game against Falmouth was the debut for two Hyannis players. Both Nick Mitchell (Western Illinois University) and Elijah Hainline (Washington State University) were in the lineup. Mitchell earned the start in right field while Hainline started at shortstop.
With this win, the Harbor Hawks sit one game above .500. Even so, Luksis is not satisfied with that record.
“We’ve been here before,” Luksis said. “We’ve got to string a couple in a row now, get on a little run.”
Hyannis will enjoy a day off on Tuesday. They will be back in action on June 28, as they travel to Harwich to face the Mariners at 6:30 p.m.
Matt Coates can be reached coatesm@misericordia.edu or followed on Twitter @MattCoates14
