Five-run eighth inning propels Harwich past Y-D, 7-6

By Ben Strober

Yarmouth-Dennis appeared completely in control in the eighth inning. A pivotal four-run fourth inning had the Red Sox in complete control for most of the game.

Y-D’s eastern division rival wasn’t ready to go down. After Harwich plated a run, Red Sox field manager Scott Pickler turned to his consistent left-hander in Landon Beidelschies.

Beidelschies inherited two baserunners and in a flash, Harwich turned the game on its head.

Harwich’s Kevin Keister cranked out a game-tying three-run homer, the first Beidelschies has allowed all summer. Two batters later, Devin Obee lashed out a go-ahead homer. Like that, a 6-2 Y-D lead evaporated into a one-run deficit.

The Red Sox couldn’t overcome the Mariners’ five-run eighth as Harwich left with an improbable 7-6 win.

The loss becomes just the second time Y-D lost a game this season that Smith Pinson started. Pinson was once again, excellent, allowing just two runs in five innings.

The bats broke away early with a four-run fourth inning and that put the Red Sox in control until the meltdown in the eighth inning.

Pinson suffered a one-out double in the first, which amounted to nothing thanks to a nifty pickoff move by the right-hander.

Y-D then implemented runners on the corners and Manny Garza’s check swing resulted in a questionable strike three call to end the inning.

Following a perfect second from Pinson, Ryan Jackson gifted his pitcher support with his run-scoring single.

Hunter Hines said his plan for the game was to go out and just have fun. Well, that mindset sparked a single then a mammoth solo homer in his first two at-bats.

Hines’ 11th homer made it 2-0 Y-D through three.

Harwich’s Elijah Lambros lined a double past Zander Darby at third to cut Y-D’s lead in half in the fourth. A balk then moved two into scoring position, which led to a Mariner game-tying grounder.

RJ Austin single-handedly put the game firmly back into Y-D’s control. After Jackson’s second RBI on a grounder, Austin shot a two-run single to make it 5-2 Y-D. 

It gets even better; a grounder from Braden Montgomery saw a mishandle at short, and thanks to Austin’s unbelievable speed, he scored all the way from second on a ball that didn’t even leave the infield.

The game took a wild turn late.

Will Armbruester entered the game in the sixth following Pinson’s departure and kept up the pace.

Armbruester went two innings scoreless until Harwich struck back with a run off him in the eighth. Pickler went to the bullpen and grabbed one of his reliable arms in  Beidelschies. 

Beidelschies inherited two runners on base when he took the ball and Harwich’s Kevin Keister took him deep instantly to tie the game at six.

The bleeding didn’t end though. Two batters later Devin Obee cranked out the go-ahead blast. A 6-2 Y-D lead morphed into a shocking 7-6 Mariner lead.

Obee continued to haunt Y-D in the back half of the frame. Darby nearly hit a leadoff game-tying homer, but a miraculous leaping catch from Obee robbed the third baseman of at least extra bases.

Two walks from the Mariners in the ninth put the winning run on first, but Hines watched strike three whiz past him to end the game.