FALMOUTH, Mass. – The Falmouth Commodores fell 5–4 on Thursday night, as some defensive miscues led to scoring opportunities for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.
The Commodores’ defense made a total of five errors, which led to all five runs being unearned. Chase Jeter was stellar in his start for the ’Dores, striking out three batters while giving up just one unearned run during five innings of work. Luke Malone was on the mound during 1.2 frames of relief when the opposition scored four runs, but each of these were unearned. Josh Stewart was dominant, striking out three batters in 1.1 hitless innings. Joey Ryan was the final pitcher out of the bullpen, tossing a shutout ninth.
Falmouth’s bats left a total of eight runners on base and struck out 11 times. Despite these struggles, the club scored four runs on 11 hits. Designated hitter Colby Halter went 3-for-5 during the contest, leaving the yard for the sixth time this summer. Shortstop Alex Mooney also had a productive game, going 2-for-5 with a run driven in.
Manager Jeff Trundy said that despite falling to Hyannis, he believes that the club can use this game as a way to improve moving forward.
“We didn’t certainly handle the ball well, defensively, and at times we didn’t run the bases properly,” Trundy said. “But, we’ll be better for it the next time we’re faced with similar situations. The way these guys are competing and the way they care, like I said, they’re going to learn and they’re going to be better for it.”
The Commodores got on the scoreboard first on Thursday, taking a 3–0 lead over the Harbor Hawks in the bottom of the second inning. Catcher Josiah Cromwick lined an RBI single up the middle, plating Jace Bohrofen. Mooney then drove an RBI single to left field, scoring Drew Brutcher. Halter followed this by grounding an RBI infield single to shortstop, bringing home Cromwick.
Hyannis got one of these runs back in the top of the fifth, narrowing Falmouth’s lead to 3–1. Third baseman Christian Moore tagged up at second base on a fly out to center field by Philip Matulia, but Moore was able to score after Travis Chestnut made an error by overthrowing third base.
The ’Dores responded with a run in the bottom half of the frame, extending their lead to 4–1. Halter drove a solo blast over the right-center field wall, moving into second place for the Cape Cod Baseball League lead in home runs. The long ball came while Halter was in a favorable hitter’s count.
“Anytime you get in a 3-1 count, you’re definitely looking to hit a fastball,” Halter said. “He just kind of left one up, and I put a good swing on it.”
Jeter turned the game over to the bullpen after the fifth inning, exiting the game with a three-run lead. Trundy said he was impressed with how the southpaw threw the ball during the contest.
“He’s locating really well [and] he’s changing speeds really well,” Trundy said. “When [you’ve] got a left-hander throwing the ball as good as he is, that’s very valuable.”
The Harbor Hawks took advantage of some defensive miscues in the top of the seventh inning, scoring four unearned runs to take a 5–4 lead against the Commodores. Matulia lined an RBI single to center field and the ball was mishandled by Chestnut, allowing Ildefonso Ruiz to cross the plate. Second baseman Rikuu Nishida then hit an RBI infield single on a ground ball to second base, driving in Jorge Corona. Shortstop Mitch Jebb followed this by lining a go-ahead two-run RBI double to left field, plating Matulia and Nishida.
Bohrofen nearly tied the game for Falmouth in the bottom of the eighth, driving a double off the top of the wall in center field. The left fielder attempted to stretch this into a triple, but he was ultimately thrown out at third base. The club got a pair of runners on base later in the frame, but the team was held scoreless.
The Commodores got the tying run to third base in the bottom of the ninth, as Jacob Walsh drove a pinch-hit double to center field and pinch runner Luke Boyers advanced to third on a wild pitch. However, the next three batters were retired to end the game. Halter said that despite dropping a game for the first time in eight days, the club remains positive and it is looking toward its next matchup.
“[It was] definitely a nail-biter at the end,” Halter said. “But, we’ll keep our heads up. We’ve been on a winning streak here, so that doesn’t change.”
The loss drops Falmouth’s record to 15–17–3 on the season. The Commodores will return to action at 6 p.m. July 22, as the team will travel to take on the Bourne Braves at Doran Park.
Note: Featured image by Meghan Murphy.
Click here for Thursday night’s box score.
For Commodores news and updates, follow the ’Dores on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click here for the 2022 Falmouth Commodores schedule.
Tommy Mumau can be reached at tmumau@ithaca.edu. Follow him on Twitter @tommymumau13.
The Commodores Corner 