Dominant Hyannis pitching stifles Y-D, fall 8-0 in Hartford

By Ben Strober

In the top of the eighth inning, Hyannis’ Evan Whiteaker served as the third spotlight from a dominant Harbor Hawk pitching staff. Although the score was a hefty 8-0 in Hyannis’ favor, Whiteaker inherited a lot of added pressure.

Whiteaker allowed a leadoff double from Brady Day. That double wasn’t a typical base knock; it broke up a combined no-hitter.

How did Whiteaker respond? He promptly fanned the side like nothing even happened.

That moment indicated how the day went for Y-D’s bats, as Hyannis’ pitching staff dominated from start to finish.

The Harbor Hawks flirted with perfection and even a no-no, but ultimately their offense also did their job as Hyannis defeated the Red Sox at Dunkin’ Donuts Park, 8-0.

Hyannis starter Mason Nichols retired the first 16 batters he faced until finally allowing a walk in the sixth inning.

Nichols’ prolific start carried over to the bullpen, as they nearly completed a combined no-hitter and kept Y-D off the board completely.

Hyannis scored in three-straight innings in the middle, including a five-spot in the sixth, making it almost impossible for Y-D considering how Hyannis threw it.

The loss becomes Y-D’s second-straight loss following a dominant four-game upswing. Both losses came to the league’s two best teams in Cotuit and Hyannis.

Following a 1-2-3 first from the Red Sox’s bats, Hyannis wasted no time getting on the board. Zachary Yorke’s 4-3 putout was all the Hawks needed to score a runner on third.

Hyannis nearly added more, but a diving snag from Zander Darby at third salvaged the frame for Bucknam.

 Nichols was untouchable through the early innings. Nothing worked offensively for the Red Sox despite Bucknam’s serviceable work on the hill.

A Braden Montgomery inning-ending fly-ball in the fourth was the closest Y-D came to sniffing a baserunner through the first 12 batters.

Hyannis put pressure on Bucknam again in the fourth. Two hits put runners on the corners with one down for Brandon Eike, who lined a sac-fly to make it 2-0 Hawks.

Nichols’ dominance revealed no intention of stopping. The fifth inning saw him carve right through the heart of Y-D’s lineup. At this point, the Red Sox started flirting with the danger of getting sent home by way of perfection.

Bucknam allowed a leadoff double in the fifth’s back half, and a balk moved the runner to third. And for the third time this summer, the back-pick throw to third resulted in another run-scoring error. Manny Garza’s errant throw mimics a few others from his teammates this summer.

After retiring his 16th straight, Nichols finally slipped and walked Casey Cook to end his bid at perfection. RJ Austin roped a ball over 100 mph at short and looked to have perhaps notched Y-D’s first hit, but the scorers marked it as an error on Hyannis’ shortstop. Nevertheless, that was the end of Nichols’ miraculous start.

Hyannis’ Trey Lipsey punched a single through the middle in the seventh, making it 4-0 Hawks.

The Wheels continued to come off the track for Y-D reliever Connor O’Hara. A walk prompted the bases loaded for Zach Erhard, who drove in another two. Cam Smith then made it 8-0, splitting the gap in right-center. There was no doubt, it was a dominant day all around for the Hawks.

Finally, Day lined a leadoff double off the wall to end Hyannis’ no-hit bid after a complete seven innings.

That hit became the lone bright spot of the day for the Red Sox as they finished the game quietly.