FALMOUTH, Mass. – The Falmouth Commodores fell 11–7 on Tuesday night, as a big sixth inning by the Harwich Mariners was the difference in the ballgame.
The ’Dores had a 7–3 lead after five innings of play, but a six-run sixth inning by the Mariners shifted momentum in the contest. The Commodores’ pitching staff gave up 11 runs on 15 hits, while the club’s defense made a pair of errors. Pitching coach Mike Landry said that he was impressed by how the club competed during the game, despite giving up some key hits.
“We were in a pretty good position there,” Landry said. “[Philip Abner] had a good outing, and we just kind of ran into some bad luck. It seemed like they found a lot of holes that we couldn’t find in those middle innings, and a couple errors here or there … and they were able to tack a few more runs on.”
Philip Abner started on the mound for the ’Dores, allowing three runs during four innings of work. Luke Malone was the first pitcher out of the bullpen, yielding five earned runs in 1.2 frames. Reliever George Arias then made his team debut, giving up a run without retiring a batter. Brayden Matthews was the next hurler to enter the game, holding the opposition to a run in two innings on the hill. Evan Harmon then gave up a run in the ninth.
Falmouth’s bats had a solid evening despite falling short, scoring seven runs on 11 hits. First baseman Jacob Walsh drove in a pair of runs, going 2-for-5. Left fielder Jace Bohrofen also had a productive night, as he went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The Mariners got the scoring started early, taking a 1–0 lead over the ’Dores in the top of the first inning. Third baseman Brock Wilken lined an RBI single to right field, driving in Ethan O’Donnell.
Falmouth crossed the plate in the bottom half of the frame, evening the score at 1–1. Bohrofen lined a two-out double to right field. He then stole third base and Harwich catcher Bryan Arendt overthrew the bag when attempting to throw him out, allowing Bohrofen to score.
The Mariners took the lead back in the top of the second, making it a 2–1 ballgame. Second baseman David Smith hit a ground ball to third base and reached on a fielder’s choice, plating Kalae Harison.
The Commodores promptly responded in the bottom of the second inning, taking a 3–2 lead. Catcher Daniel Neri hit a bloop, two-run single just in front of the diving attempt of O’Donnell in center field, bringing home Drew Brutcher and Anthony Mackenzie. The catcher said he has been working on his approach at the plate, and he was happy to deliver a key hit for the club.
“I’ve been trying to do a better job of hitting earlier in the count, attacking pitches early and putting myself in situations to get hits more often,” Neri said. “So, I didn’t necessarily crush that one that I hit the single … But, the goal was to put the bat on the ball and give myself a chance to let something good happen, and that’s what happened.”
The ’Dores tacked on a run in the bottom of the third, extending their lead to 4–2 against the Mariners. Designated hitter Peyton Stovall lined an RBI single up the middle, scoring Colby Halter.
Harwich got a run back in the top of the fifth inning, narrowing its deficit to 4–3. First baseman Hunter Stokely hit an RBI groundout to second base, plating Tommy Seidl.
Falmouth posted three runs in the bottom half of the frame, taking a 7–3 lead. Bohrofen powered an RBI double to center field, driving in Halter. Walsh then grounded a two-run single up the middle, allowing Bohrofen and Andrew Pinckney to score.
The Mariners took the game back in the top of the sixth, taking a 9–7 lead after a six-run frame. O’Donnell hit an RBI single to right field, scoring William Hamiter. Seidl then brought home Arendt with an RBI groundout to shortstop. Wilken later drove an RBI double off of the left field fence, plating O’Donnell. Stokely followed this by lining a two-run single to right field, driving in Joe Vetrano and Wilken. Hamiter then came up to the plate for the second time in the frame, allowing Harrison to cross the dish after grounding an RBI single up the middle.
Harwich scored another run in the top of the seventh inning, prompting Falmouth to trail 10–7. Seidl drove a sacrifice fly to left field, plating Smith.
The Commodores loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but the club was ultimately kept off of the scoreboard in the frame.
The Mariners added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, extending their lead to 11–7. Smith grounded out to third base with Arendt on second, and the catcher attempted to advance to third base on the play. Walsh threw the ball to third after recording the out, but the ball was thrown out of play and allowed Arendt to score.
This would hold as the final score, as the ’Dores were kept scoreless in the bottom half of the frame.
The loss drops Falmouth’s record to 17–18–3 on the season. The Commodores will return to action at 6 p.m. July 27, as the team will host the Chatham Anglers at Arnie Allen Diamond at Guv Fuller Field.
Note: Featured image by Joe Cavanaugh.
Click here for Tuesday 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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