Chris Anderson tossed five solid innings for Y-D Tuesday night before faltering in the sixth against Hyannis.
By: Andrew Constant / @andrew_constant
HYANNIS ? A 7-1 lead wasn?t safe Tuesday night, as the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (8-8) fell to the Hyannis Harbor Hawks (4-12) 9-8 in 10 innings. Brandon Trinkwon singled in Blake Austin with two out in the bottom of the tenth off Joey Donato, completing a monster comeback for the host Harbor Hawks, who dug themselves a big hole in the second inning.
Hyannis starter Sasha Kuebel only got five outs, giving up six runs, all earned, on six hits. The Red Sox battered him around in the second frame, capped off by a three-run home run by third baseman Carlos Asuaje. Asuaje, who hit five homers at Nova Southeastern University this spring, hammered his first home run of the summer just well over the wall in dead center field.
Earlier in the inning, Justin Shafer knocked in Alex Blandino with a double to right field and Sean McHugh followed that with a two-RBI single of his own. After Tanner Mathis? walk and Asuaje?s home run, Robert Pehl reached on an error and Sam Travis, batting for the second time in the inning, singled to chase Kuebel.
Adam Moore replaced him on the mound for Hyannis and limited the damage, allowing just Sean Dwyer?s second home run of the summer in four solid innings, keeping the Harbor Hawks in the ballgame.
But it wasn?t until the sixth inning before the Harbor Hawks made a dent in the lead. Red Sox starter Chris Anderson breezed through the first five innings, allowing just one unearned run on three hits, before the wheels came off in the sixth. Anderson walked the leadoff hitter, which came back to haunt him. After a groundout, back-to-back base hits got Hyannis on the board and sent Anderson to the showers. Brian Gilbert was first out of the Red Sox bullpen, but he didn?t throw a strike in six pitches, hitting the first batter he faced and walking the second, the latter coming with the bases loaded. Manager Scott Pickler went back to the bullpen to get AJ Vanegas, who was making his first appearance of the summer.
But the sophomore from Stanford wasn?t greeted nicely by the Harbor Hawks, who quickly pushed three more runs across, the first two coming on a double to center and the third coming on a sacrifice fly to left. Vanegas got out of the inning by inducing a flyout to center, but the damage was done and Hyannis was officially back in the game.
After Dwyer walked in a run with a based loaded walk in the top of the seventh, the Harbor Hawks got the score back level in the bottom half. Blake Austin, Hyannis? catcher from Auburn, singled in the tying run, capping the comeback and getting Kuebel off the hook.
The score stayed tied for the next two and a half innings, thanks in large part to Donato?s pitching out of the Y-D bullpen. He mowed down the first six batters he faced, picking up three strikeouts and not having a single ball hit hard. But in the tenth, a one-out walk by Austin came back to be decisive. With two outs, Austin stole second base and after another free pass, he raced home when Trinkwon?s single eluded the glove of defensive replacement Josh Tobias at second base.
The two teams meet again on our nation?s 236th birthday, this time at Red Wilson Field. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
