Hyannis comes from behind to walk it off, beating Yarmouth-Dennis 4-3

By: Jason Boué

He may not be Writers’ Player of the Game, but Nick Mitchell is the unsung hero of Hyannis’ 4-3 victory over the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.

With the two squads tied at three apiece in the bottom of the ninth, Nick Mitchell entered the game as a pinch runner, replacing Zach Yorke, who just knocked a single to lead off the frame. It took Mitchell one pitch to advance into scoring position after his attempt to steal second ended up with him standing on third thanks to an errant throw. Austin Kelly then sealed the deal, lining a sac fly to right that allowed Mitchell to go the final 90 feet.

“The great teams find a way to win, and these guys are finding ways to win,” manager Eric Beattie remarked post-game.

While Hyannis (14-12-1) may not be considered a great team yet by most, the team’s resilience cannot be questioned. July 11’s 16-7 loss to Cotuit had the potential to be extremely demoralizing, but Coach Beattie preaches a short memory. The Harbor Hawks heeded his advice, locking in tonight to focus on the task at hand.

Hyannis fell behind in the fourth after a no-doubt two-run bomb was cranked by national champion Paxton Kling, the only blemish on starter Darin Horn’s night.

Operation: Score First was a failure for Hyannis, but the Harbor Hawks retaliated quickly. In the bottom of the fourth, a beautiful bunt from Zach Ehrhard stayed just fair, loading the bases with no outs. Will Taylor then connected on one, sending it deep to center field. The centerfielder happened to be there, but Zach Yorke was still able to trot home comfortably to put Hyannis on the board.

The Harbor Hawks found themselves with the bases loaded for the second inning in a row in the bottom of the fifth. This time there were two outs rather than none, but there was still the opportunity nevertheless for Hyannis to take the lead. That opportunity was squandered though, as Hyannis was unable to convert and remained trailing 2-1.

Y-D tacked on another run in the sixth, and time was starting to run out for Hyannis. Then in the seventh, for the third time in four innings, there was a Harbor Hawk on first, second and third, yet again with no outs. Kelly brought the first runner around following a controversial play that saw his grounder bobbled near second, but everyone was safe, and Hyannis now trailed by one. Ehrhard then flew one out to center, allowing Jon Jon Gazdar to cross home, tying the game. Hyannis was unable to plate anymore, but it was right back in the game regardless.

The backend of Hyannis’ bullpen was shutdown, with Eli Trop and JB Middleton combining for three scoreless innings of relief, allowing only one baserunner in the process. Their hold allotted the offense the opportunity to come back, ultimately setting the stage for the walkoff.

This win, which was a rescheduling of the July 4 rainout, was Hyannis’ sixth game in a row, and there are still five games to play until the next off day. Not an issue for the Harbor Hawks, however.

“We’re just trying to stay loose,” Coach Beattie said. “Keep the guys smiling… We just have to keep showing up.”

Hyannis is back on the road tomorrow, traveling to Brewster for a 5 p.m. contest against the Whitecaps.

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: JB Middleton (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO) 

Losing Pitcher: Leighton Finley (2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO)