HARWICH — Just in case there was ever any doubt, the Harwich Mariners proved once and for all they really are “on the grind, all the time.”

Fighting fatigue and frustration, the Mariners lived up to their self-professed slogan and ended a four-hour and 26-minute marathon with a wild 1-0, 18-inning victory over Orleans to capture the East Division championship at Whitehouse Field Sunday night. 

“I’ve never been part of a game like this before. I’ve never even watched a game as long as this before,” marveled Harwich first baseman Brandon Belt. “It was crazy, but it was well worth it.”

Harwich’s 2-0 series sweep over the Cardinals gave the club their first East Division title since 1997. The Mariners face West champion Cotuit in a best-of-three battle for the CCBL title. Game two, today (Thursday), is at Harwich at 7 p.m

“It feels unbelievable to be East champs,” said outfielder Brian Kemp. “I’m on cloud nine. I couldn’t be happier.”

In a game that featured nearly flawless fielding and a CCBL season-high six double plays, it was, ironically, an error that decided the outcome.

With his centerfielder and shortstop converging on him, Orleans left field Angelo Songco dropped a fly ball hit off Belt’s bat that allowed Brian Kemp (2-for-5) to score from second.

“I feel bad for Songco, he’s a good player and he had a great summer,” Harwich Field Manager Steve Englert said. “You hate to win like that, but a win is a win and you’ll take it any way you can.”

Only a fraction of the 4,629 fans remained until the operatic end at 11:27 p.m., but those who stayed all 386 minutes saw a total of 29 strikeouts and a scoreboard so replete with zeroes it resembled a computer code. 

Harwich’ s Billy Bullock and Orleans’ Matt Thompson set the tone with spectacular starting pitching. Thompson allowed three hits and struck out eight over seven-and-a-third, while Bullock allowed five hits and issued only one walk over nine fabulous frames. 

“Orleans has seen me a few times this season, they know my fastball,” said Bullock. “My change-up saved my life tonight.”

So did the right arm of Tommy Medica. The Mariners’ left fielder gunned down Songco on a potential sacrifice fly to keep the game scoreless in the seventh. So stellar was Medica’s hurl home that Cape League Commissioner Paul Galop called it the most major league throw he’s ever seen.

Opportunities abounded for both teams in the ensuing innings, but nothing materialized, as Harwich stranded a total of 13 runners, while Orleans left nine aboard. 

Mike Murphy and Travis Tartamella hit two-out singles to rally the red birds in the 10th, but reliever Willie Kempf struck out Shaun Kort to turn Orleans away. 

The Cardinals threatened again in the 11th when Matt Brown was hit by a pitch and Alex Hassan singled to right. But Steve Kalush, on the first pitch he threw, got Nate Freiman to hit into a 4-6-3 double-play, one of four twin-killers the Mariners recorded.

Harwich loaded the bases in the home half of the inning when Kemp doubled, Medica (2-for-7) was intentionally walked and Joe Sanders drew a free pass. But Adam Wilk struck out DH Andrew Giobbi to force another frame. 

The Cardinals wasted another chance in the 12th after Kyle Spraker, who doubled and later advanced to third, couldn’t come home. Harwich squandered a good shot of its own in the inning, as Hassan, who started the game in centerfield and entered in relief, got a strikeout and a ground out to retire the side with two runners on base. 

The war of attrition continued, with Hassan, who struck out five over six-and-two-thirds, and Kalush, who allowed only one hit in five-and-a-third, facing the minimum number of batters in the 14th and 15th innings. 

The Cardinals last best chance to score came in the 17th when Hassan (2-for-6) drew a leadoff walk and was sacrificed to second by Songco. Harwich righty Sean Black got Gary Brown to fly out to left, however. 

In the 18th, Kemp’s two-out single to left followed by Medica’s infield single seemed like it was just another tease, especially after Belt hit a lazy fly ball to left. Songco appeared to secure the sphere at first, but a second later, it slipped out of his glove, giving Harwich the lone digit it was looking for. 

Prior to that, Harwich was held for 25 consecutive innings without a run, dating back to the team’s four-run first in their 4-3 win over Orleans in game one of the East championship series Saturday night. 

Desperate for a run, the Mariners tried every ordinary and eccentric off-the-field antic they could imagine. They wore rally caps and their jerseys backward, they even donned Dixie Cups on their ears while twirling Twislers. 

“We’re nuts, our team is messed up in the head,” joked Bullock. “We tried it all, but I think that’s a testament to the will of our guys who never give up.”

The resilience of both clubs resulted in the longest CCBL post-season game in recent memory, and the two teams came within two innings of repeating their 20-inning affair in 2003, the longest game in the modern history of the Cape League, won 3-2 by Harwich. 

“The whole game we didn’t quit,” said Englert when asked how his team was able to pull through. “This game is exactly the way our whole season has gone. We’re on the grind all the time, and we found a way to win.”

Earlier in the night, Falmouth beat Cotuit to force a third and decisive game of the West championship series, which gave Harwich a much-needed day off Monday.

“I’m going to sit on the beach all day and do nothing,” said Englert. 

Make that “on the grind” 99 percent of the time.