HARWICH — For the first time since 1997, they’ll be a playoff game at Whitehouse Field. Steve Englert, soaking wet, was proof of that.

The Harwich Mariners washed away the pain of an 11-year playoff drought by dumping a bucket of ice water on their beloved field manager following a 5-3 wildcard-clinching win over the Orleans Cardinals Wednesday night. 

“It was cold,” said Englert of the shower he received in centerfield, “but I’ll take it anytime.”

Harwich will head to Eldredge Park to take on the Cardinals on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the best-of-three East Division championship series. Cape League All-Star J.J. Hoover (1-0, 2.45 ERA) will get the start for the Mariners. 

Harwich and Orleans split the regular season series, 3-3, but the Mariners have beaten the Red Birds in the two previous meetings, both times by two runs. That means nothing, according to Englert.

“It’s a whole different season starting Saturday,” the skipper said. “Orleans has got a really good team and really good arms. It can go either way. It’s been a dogfight all year and I don’t think it’ll be any different in the playoffs.”

Wednesday’s win over Orleans was certainly hard-fought, but the Mariners managed to pull through thanks to clutch hitting and a couple of key miscues by the Cards. 

A two-out throwing error by Orleans shortstop Michael Olt put Harwich on top 2-1 in the sixth, and Shaver Hansen (3-for-4) followed with a two-run single to left. An error by catcher Hampton Tignor, who couldn’t catch Hansen stealing second, allowed Chase Leavitt to score easily from third, giving Harwich a 5-1 lead. 

Orleans fought back in the eighth with Angelo Songco’s RBI single and Alex Hassan RBI ground out, but Harwich closer Steve Kalush killed the Cardinals chances for a comeback with a perfect ninth. 

Kalush sandwiched two fly outs around a strikeout to secure the win and make a winner out of starter Chris Manno (3-0, 1.93 ERA), who kept the Cardinals off-balance with seven solid innings of one-run ball.

“I just tried to do what I’ve been doing all season, pound the strike zone and use a good off-speed pitch to keep the damage down,” said Manno. “Great offense and great defense behind me helped a lot.”

It’s been a season of swings for Harwich, which lost seven of eight games at one point last week (nearly blowing their eight-point lead on wildcard contenders Brewster and Chatham), but has now won three in a row. 

“We got a little comfortable coming down the home stretch, but we got a fire lit under our butts when everyone started catching up, so we had to turn it up again,” said Manno, adding that chemistry has been the key to the team’s success.

“I think we’re more of a team than anybody else. We’ve become friends in a short period of time and we’ve really molded together, so I like our chances in the playoffs.”

The feel-good victory not only snapped Harwich’s prolonged post-season absence, but also capped a terrific turnaround after the Mariners finished with a 14-28-2 record, dead last in the East Division last year. 

“In my 11 years up here, I’ve never had a group of guys who want to win more than they do,” said Englert. “This is the time when guys want to go home, but they’ve stayed in it, gone out and competed every day. This team has played hard all year and they deserve to be in the post-season.”