Commodores Can't Withstand Harbor Hawks Rally, Drop Game One in Hyannis

Falmouth looked impressive early in Friday night's playoff opener at Hyannis, but the Harbor Hawks had the last laugh, coming back from a four-run deficit to take game one and put the Commdores one loss from elimination.

The game was Falmouth's in the early going, with the Commodores posting two runs each in the second and third innings. Jake Rodriguez led off the second with a double, then tagged and went to third on a drive to deep right by Barrett Barnes. After a walk by Jared King and a lineout to short by Max White, Spencer Kieboom doubled to left to bring both runners home.

Falmouth kept the pressure on in the third, which began with a walk by Billy Ferriter, and an RBI triple by Reid Redman. With one down following a lineout to second by Jeremy Baltz, Rodriguez put down a bunt that gave Hyannis starter Jon Moscot nowhere to go but first, and Redman raced home to complete the squeeze, and widen Falmouth's margin to 4-0.

But that was all the scoring the Commodores would manage on Friday night. Meanwhile, the powerful Hyannis offense was just getting started. The momentum shifted—for good, as it turned out—in the bottom of the fourth, when the Harbor Hawks took control of the game with a five-run outburst.

The inning began innocently enough, with a flyout to center by Joey Rickard. But Austin Elkins walked, and Kevin Plawecki doubled to put runners on second and third. Falmouth's defense, which has been shaky at times this season, was exposed during the next two at bats, as back-to-back errors, the first by Ferriter on an RBI single to center by Chadd Krist, the second by Eric Garcia on a Dan Gulbransen grounder to short, cost the Commodores two unearned runs, which, with Elkins' earned one, put the score at 4-3.

With a man on first, Falmouth starter Andrew Heaney struck out the next batter, Jon Frost, and was on the verge of escaping with the lead still intact, but Justin Gonzalez crushed those hopes, along with the first pitch he saw. The ball soared over the fence in right, and the Hyannis was in charge, 5-4. The damage done, Heany struck out Zach Vincej to end the inning.

Hyannis tacked on an insurance run in the fifth, on another double by Plawecki, which scored Elkins from second. But it was unnecessary, as the Hyannis pitchers had all they needed to secure the win. Ryan Gibson took over in the seventh and posted two perfect innings, and closer Nick Wittgren finished things off without drama by retiring the Falmouth side in order in the ninth.

The series moves to Falmouth's Guv Fuller Field for game two on Saturday night, a must-win for the Commodores in this best-of-three series.