The Red Hot Hawks Walk Off the Gatemen for Third Straight Victory
By: Matt Coates
For the first time in seven long days, the Hyannis Harbor Hawks hosted a game at McKeon Park. Although trouble stuck early against the Wareham Gatemen, the Harbor Hawks (24-13-2) did what they have as of late: win. In a back-and-forth game that had three lead changes, Hyannis came away with the walk-off victory. This team is no stranger to walks-offs, as this is the fifth time the Harbor Hawks have won by walk off this summer.
“Wasn’t our greatest game all together,[but] winners win,” head coach Eric Beattie said. “We found a way to win.”
Winners win, and the Harbor Hawks are certainly winners. This is their third straight victory, making them 8-1-1 over their past 10 games.
With three straight hits to lead off the game, the Gateman (14-23-2) scored first. They crossed home plate again in that inning, as Bennett Thompson overthrew Cam Smith on an attempted steal of third base, allowing that same base runner to come home.
However, the Harbor Hawks stayed confident and remembered what they were capable of as a team. They were not looking to give up after one half-inning, especially in the middle of a late-season push to improve playoff seeding.
Hyannis wasted no time fighting back. After making a diving catch to end the top half of the inning, Zach Ehrhard led off the bottom of the first with a single past the third baseman. Smith hit a single two batters later, putting runners on the corners with one out. Ehrhard plated the first Harbor Hawks run of the evening, advancing home after a Will Taylor shot was too hard for the third baseman to handle.
Ehrhard was excellent in the leadoff spot for Hyannis tonight. He was 4-5 with three runs scored and a stolen base in this matchup.
“Zach’s really hard to get out right now,” Coach Beattie said. “We want him up to bat as many times as possible.”
Ehrhard’s turnaround this season has been phenomenal. After starting his summer 0-25 at the plate, he has bumped his batting average up to .288. Since earning his first hit of the season, Ehrhard is batting a phenomenal .379.
Zach Ehrhard
After getting through the top of the second unscathed, Hyannis loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning. Nick Mitchell grounded into a fielder’s choice but beat out the double play attempt at first base, helping Jon Jon Gazdar score to tie the game at two.
Next in the box was Mr. Reliable: Smith. With runners on the corners and two outs, he sent a 108-mile-per-hour missile over the centerfielder’s head, giving Smith his 12th double of the season. That shot brought home two runners and gave the Harbor Hawks a 4-2 lead.
Wareham would respond in the top of the third inning, scoring on a wild pitch, cutting down the Hyannis lead to one run.
After that run, pitchers hunkered down for the middle third of the game. The Harbor Hawks bullpen anchored down, not allowing a run through the sixth inning. It started with Christian Becerra, making his first appearance on the Cape this summer. The California-Berkeley product came through and shut down the fourth inning, only giving up one hit and earning a strikeout.
David Case then came in for the fifth and sixth inning. He shut down the Gatemen, only needing to face seven batters with two strikeouts.
Unfortunately, the good times did not last forever. After walking three runs in the top of the seventh inning, Wareham took advantage. A grand slam falling over the fence in right field completely changed this game. The Gatemen earned their first lead of the night, taking a 7-4 advantage into the seventh-inning stretch.
To no one’s surprise, red-hot Hyannis would not relent. Will Taylor drew a walk with the bases loaded to make the score 7-5, which set the stage for Gazdar in the box with the bases juiced and two outs. The situation was not too big for the Austin Peay shortstop, as he drove a ball right over second base for a single, which scored Nick Mitchell and Brandon Eike to tie the game.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Hawks put themselves in a position to earn their third straight win. Ehrhard doubled for his fourth hit of the night, before advancing to third on a wild pitch with one out. A Nick Mitchell ground out gave Ehrhard a chance to scurry home, giving Hyannis an 8-7 lead with a chance to close out the game.
After shutting down Wareham in the top of the inning, Kros Sivley was given the ball for the ninth inning. Coach Beattie would take the ball from Sivley in favor of the birthday boy Cade Obermueller. Unfortunately, the first batter Obermueller faced hit the ball hard to the corner in left field, allowing the tying run to score. The next two batters went down swinging, giving the Harbor Hawks a chance for some walk-off drama.
And walk off they did. Newcomer Thompson hit a single down the third baseline to bring home Trey Lipsey, walking off the Gatemen for the third straight Hyannis victory. In only his third game as a Harbor Hawk, Thompson delivered in a big way.
The Harbor Hawks will look to earn their fourth straight victory on Saturday afternoon, as they travel to Cotuit to face the Barnstable rival Kettleers. This game has massive implications, as Hyannis is 1.5 games back of Cotuit for first place in the West Division. The first pitch will be at 4:30 p.m. in Lowell Park.
Matt Coates can be reached at coatesm@misericordia.edu or followed on Twitter @MattCoates14
