11 July 2007

Mariners finally end skid

By Matt Rice
GateHouse News Service
Wed Jul 11, 2007, 06:49 AM EDT 

Harwich - After enduring a rough nine-game losing streak which all but dropped them from playoff contention, the Harwich Mariners bounced back with a 4-3 record last week, including wins over West division leader Bourne and local rival Brewster.

    Facing division leader Y-D on Monday, starter Brett Jacobson pitched well, giving up four earned runs in six innings pitched.

    The Red Sox got a run in the first off a homerun by Gordon Beckham and two more in the second, before Harwich answered with two of their own in the fifth to pull within a run. But in the battle of the bullpens, Y-D, which has the second best pitching in the league with a team ERA of 2.46, pulled away with another run in the fifth and two more in the eighth.

    The Mariners used some late inning heroics to give the Harwich fans something to cheer about on Sunday against Falmouth. With the Commodores up 3-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Mariners took advantage of some bad pitching, scoring three runs on only one hit and one walk to tie the game at three.

    The damage could’ve been worse but Alex Avila was thrown out at home trying to score from second on a double by T.J. Wise to end the inning. 

    With the game tied in the ninth, Steve Strausbaugh came through with a game winning single, driving in Kyle Day, who had walked and stole second to start the inning.

    Reliever Danny Farquhar was the difference on the mound for the Mariners in their win against the Commodores. After taking the hill trailing by three runs in the sixth inning, Farquhar pitched three plus scoreless innings, giving up only two base hits while walking only one. 

    On Saturday, Harwich could only muster one run on five hits against a host of Chatham pitchers who combined for the 2-1 win. Despite the loss, starter Ryan Kulik pitched well, giving up two runs on three hits in six innings.

    The Mariners secured their first two-game streak since the first week of the season on Thursday and Friday last week. They defeated Wareham 1-0 behind a combined shutout by starter Corey Young and Evan Crawford on Friday night.

    On Thursday, against West division leader Bourne, Harwich pounded out nine runs on only 11 hits during a 9-3 win. Bourne committed four errors and allowed seven unearned runs in the loss. 
After losing their ninth straight to start the week, the Mariners finally got on the winning track last Tuesday thanks to a combined shutout by starter Brett Jacobson and Evan Crawford. 

    The pair combined for a seven hit shutout of the Brewster Whitecaps as they won for the first time in weeks.

    The Mariners will travel to Brewster today and Bourne tomorrow before hosting Cotuit on Friday.