Another walk-off for the Harbor Hawks as they take down the Bourne Braves 4-3

By: Jason Boué

A tie would have been an extremely anticlimactic ending to Saturday night’s game. Zach Yorke made sure that didn’t happen.

With the so-called Manfred runner on second, Yorke came up to the plate to lead off the bottom of tenth. He watched one strike whiz by. He didn’t watch the second one. Instead, the lefty sent it pull-side down the first base line, deep into right field. By the time it landed, the winning run was rounding third, the walk-off imminent. Four wins in a row for the Harbor Hawks, this one especially sweet.

“Anytime you beat Bourne, it’s a big win,” manager Eric Beattie remarked post-game.

It may not be immediately apparent from the box score, but tonight’s 4-3 win over the Bourne Braves (15-14-1) was one of the most high-intensity games the Harbor Hawks (17-12-1) have had all season. The fact that there was not the usual pre-ninth inning fan exodus should tell you all you need to know. The stands were nearly as packed in the tenth as they were in the first, a testament to the West-Division rivalry that took place at McKeon Park.

The action kicked off right away. Bourne hoped to take advantage of any potential victory hangover that Hyannis might’ve had from its 15-6 blowout win over Chatham the night before, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

But the Harbor Hawks must’ve drank their Liquid IV, because they swiftly responded in the bottom half of the frame. A clinical two-out rally from Cam Smith and Yorke meant the game was tied after the first inning.

The Braves threatened to take another lead in the third, loading the bases with only one out. Luckily for the Harbor Hawks, shortstop Elijah Hainline bailed his pitcher out by turning two, allowing Zachary Voelker to escape the inning unscathed.

Things quieted down from there until the sixth inning, when another two-out rally gave Hyannis the lead. Yorke reached base on a one-out single, and, following a popout, Elijah Hainline advanced him to second with a single of his own. Brody Donay, not to be out done, roped another single, this one deep enough to allow Yorke to score from second. Feeling left out, Eric Snow added another single for good measure, and Hainline thanked him for bringing him home. A strikeout ended the inning, but the Harbor Hawks were up 3-1.

Bourne wasn’t going down without a fight though, scoring one in the eighth to cut the lead to one, and tying it in the ninth to force the Cape League’s sole extra inning. The Braves nearly took the lead in the top of the tenth, but an impressive defensive effort from Hyannis ensured that wasn’t the case. A leadoff single to left sent the runner from second toward home, but Nick Mitchell thwarted his plans, gunning him down at the plate for the first out. The second out was more routine, a simple fly out to right, but the third was far more lively. Bourne’s Caden Bodine found himself in a rundown, and first baseman Alex Lane pulled out the ol’ fake throw, tricking Bodine into turning back to first, right into Lane’s waiting glove.

A crucial part of tonight’s victory was the pitching. Following five no-hit innings last time out in Wareham, Zachary Voelker returned to the mound and was nearly as dominant, a first inning run being his only blemish. In the fifth inning the bullpen took over, dominant as usual until allowing their first run in 11 innings in the eighth. Overall, the pitchers kept a dynamic Bourne offense in check, allowing the offense the opportunity to walk it off.

“I thought the competitiveness of the pitchers tonight from [first to tenth inning] was as good as we’ve seen,” Beattie said. “The pitching was really good tonight.

As the team looks to extend its winning streak to five Sunday night in Harwich, Coach Beattie is more focused on keeping their minds in the right place.

“[We need to make] sure these guys aren’t taking for granted that they’re in Cape Cod playing baseball.

Right now, it just seems that they’re making the most of it.

Jason Boué can usually be found with a backwards hat and a toothpick. You can reach him at jason.boue@icloud.com or follow him on Twitter @JasonBoue

Tonight’s Box Score:

Winning Pitcher: David Case (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO)

Losing Pitcher: Ryan Free (0.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO)