Offense struggles as Hyannis loses season’s first matchup against rival Cotuit 6-1

By: Jason Boué

Close, but no cigar.

That was Wednesday night’s motto for the Harbor Hawks as they fell to the division-leading Cotuit Kettleers 6-1. Hyannis nearly matched Cotuit on hits, managing eight to the Kettleers’ nine, but it was not enough to match the home team in the runs column. This loss dropped Hyannis back down to .500 at 5-5, while Cotuit widened their cushion at the top of the division, improving to 8-2.

“They played better than we did,” acting manager Eric Luksis explained simply. “They were more aggressive than we were… they took advantage of our mistakes.”

Hyannis’ one run came in the top of the third, with Will Taylor knocking in Bradke Lohry during a brief two-out rally, but it was not the Harbor Hawks’ only opportunity to score.

Down 3-1 in the top of the sixth, Hyannis loaded the bases with no outs in prime position to take the lead against their Western Division rivals. As the final score indicates, the Harbor Hawks in fact did NOT take the lead. Trey Lipsey struck out looking for the first out, and then a 5-2-3 double play ended the inning.

Another two-out rally almost manifested itself in the eighth inning with runners on the corner. Zach Ehrhard had the chance to be the spark (and get his first hit of the summer). He put the bat on the ball well, but unfortunately for both Ehrhard and the team, it was hit right at a Kettleer, an affliction that had hampered Hyannis all night long.

“We had guys on all night, we just didn’t get the big hit,” Luksis said. "We need guys to settle down and… not make the moment feel too big. We can’t add pressure on us.”

One Harbor Hawk who thrives in pressure is pitcher Jamie Arnold, but his appearance tonight was outside of his usual high-leverage relief role. Arnold started the game for Hyannis, getting through 12 of the 15 batters he faced. His one slip-up was allowing a 2-run homer to Cole Mathis, which gave Cotuit the lead that it would hold on to for the rest of the night.

Hyannis won’t have to wait long for its chance at revenge, as Cotuit heads to McKeon Park for the reverse fixture tomorrow. The Harbor Hawks have until 6 p.m. to make their adjustments, because then, it’s “Play Ball!”

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: Janzen Keisel (5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO)

Losing Pitcher: Jamie Arnold (4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO)