FALMOUTH, Mass. – The Falmouth Commodores’ ninth inning rally fell just short on Friday night, as the club was defeated 5–4 by the Hyannis Harbor Hawks at Arnie Allen Diamond at Guv Fuller Field.
Falmouth’s bats had a solid night at the plate, crossing the dish four times and recording seven hits. Right fielder Drew Brutcher went 1-for-4 in the game, hitting a clutch three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. The blast brought the tying run to the plate for the ’Dores during the final inning of play.
The Commodores went to six pitchers during the contest, allowing five runs on 10 hits. Starting pitcher Chase Jeter kept the club in the game, allowing just two runs on three hits during four innings on the mound. Grayson Hitt and Garrett Coe then recorded scoreless frames in relief. Cam Minacci yielded three runs and one earned run while retiring just one batter. Ryan Slater then fanned a couple of batters in 1.2 shutout innings. Joey Ryan also struck out two, working a scoreless ninth.
Manager Jeff Trundy said that despite the club being edged out on Friday, he is proud of the way the team battles and the energy it plays with each night.
“There’s a lot of fight in this team,” Trundy said. “The single most important thing is they want to be here, and they want to play the game with their teammates and have fun together. And, that pleases me to no end. But, I think their competitive spirit is not only going to serve them well this summer, [but] it will serve them well in the future as well.”
The Harbor Hawks opened the scoring in the top of the second inning, taking a 1–0 lead against the ’Dores. Left fielder Tito Flores hit a ground ball to the left side of the infield, but a throwing error by third baseman Colby Halter allowed Cole McConnell to score.
Hyannis added a run in the top of the fourth, extending its lead to 2–0. Right fielder Philip Matulia drove home Jacob Campbell with an RBI groundout to second base.
Harbor Hawks’ starting pitcher Magdiel Cotto impressed during the ballgame, striking out seven batters in 5.1 innings of work. The southpaw blanked the Commodores until the bottom of the sixth inning when shortstop Alex Mooney got the club on the scoreboard by crushing a solo homer over the left field fence. The blast trimmed Falmouth’s deficit to 2–1 and marked the second time the Duke University product has left the yard this season.
Hyannis added some insurance runs in the top of the seventh, taking a 5–1 advantage. McConnell hit an RBI groundout to second base, allowing Mitch Jebb to cross the plate. Third baseman Dom Pitelli then grounded an RBI single through the right side of the infield, driving in Nolan Schanuel. The scoring was capped off by Cambell hitting a ground ball just in front of home plate, and a throwing error by Falmouth catcher Josiah Cromwick plated Janas.
The Commodores didn’t go down quietly in the ninth inning, rallying to trim their deficit to 5–4. Brutcher powered a three-run blast to left-center field, bringing home Cromwick and Andrew Pinckney.
The Commodores’ bench was at the top step of the dugout throughout the inning, attempting to will the team to a comeback. Brutcher said he was impressed with the way the team competed in the ninth inning, and he partly attributed the rally to the spirit of the team.
“[There’s] a lot of energy from the dugout, some players get up [and] get us going,” Brutcher said. “We just go up there and battle … [and] string some hits together.”
Trundy said he was pleased by how the club continued to put solid at-bats together in the ninth, giving the ’Dores an opportunity to even the score.
“I always feel it’s so important just to be able to try to get that tying run to the plate,” Trundy said. “I thought that was a good example because you never know what’s going to happen. … Drew puts a good swing on it, hits the ball the other way and all of a sudden you’re down in a one-run game.”
This would ultimately hold as the final score, as Jackson Nicklaus would then strike out to end the game.
The loss drops Falmouth’s record to 9–13–2 this summer. The Commodores will return to action at 5 p.m. July 9, as the team will travel to take on the Brewster Whitecaps at Stony Brook Field.
Note: Featured image by Joe Cavanaugh.
Click here for Friday night’s box score.
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Tommy Mumau can be reached at tmumau@ithaca.edu. Follow him on Twitter @tommymumau13.
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