Mariners Hold Off Anglers For Third Straight Win

HARWICH – The Harwich Mariners are starting to play their best baseball at the right time.

After struggling throughout the first month and a half of the season, Harwich is finally starting to hit its stride with just over a week remaining in the regular season.

The Mariners earned their third straight win Monday night when they held off East Division rival Chatham for a 5-2 victory at Whitehouse Field. With the win, Harwich improved to 13-22 and moved into third place in the East.

“We kind of shored up our rotation,” longtime Harwich manager Steve Englert said. “It was really three weeks of trying times, now it’s time to settle and get some good, quality starts. We got some new guys that have really come in and helped us out and hopefully we can keep this going.”

Harwich’s toughest stretch came at the start of July, when the team posted a 2-17 record during a 19-game span that included a 1-16 stretch from July 4 to July 24.

That seems like a distant memory for the Mariners, who earned a 2-1 victory over Brewster on July 25 before upending Wareham, 6-3, one night later. Monday’s victory made it three in a row for Englert’s squad, which continued to believe even during its lowest points of the season.

“I’ve been saying it all year — we might not be the most talented team, but these kids play hard every single night and I love coaching them,” Englert said. “I love coming to the park every day, even when we were on our big skid.”

Harwich jumped on Chatham early Monday after Cade Kurland (Florida) hit a solo home run off Anglers starter Garrett Helsel (Southern Illinois-Edwardsville) in the bottom of the first inning.

In the second, Helsel walked in his second run before allowing a two-run single to Aiden Robbins (Seton Hall) that extended Harwich’s lead to 4-0.

With a lead intact, Harwich starter Bryson Bales went into cruise control. He earned the win after surrendering just two hits, one unearned run, walking three and striking out nine in five-and-one-third innings of work.

“Getting a two-spot in the third definitely helped and gave me confidence to go out there and cruise,” said Bales, a lefty from Division III Hendrix College who is in the transfer portal.

Bales was untouchable at times, including during the third and fourth innings when he struck out five Anglers in a row.

“He was really good,” Chatham interim manager Eric Beattie said of Bales. “His fastball was good, his breaking stuff he was keeping low, and his command was in and out. He competed really well.”

Cam Maldonado (Northeastern) scored on a bunt single by Jake Ogden (Miami) to give Harwich a 5-1 advantage in the sixth. Chatham made it 5-2 in the eighth after Will Bermudez (UC Irvine) crossed home on a double steal, but that was all the Anglers could muster before the Mariners’ bullpen closed the door.

Jack Bowery, a lefty from Northeastern, entered the game with one out in the ninth and earned his first save of the summer after striking out Cambell Smithwick (Ole Miss) and getting Kyle Lodise (Augusta State) to fly out for the final out of the game.

Although this is the time of year that many players begin to depart the Cape to return to their college programs, Englert said he believes the Mariners are in good shape heading into their last five games of the regular season.

“It turns into a war of attrition down the stretch here,” Englert said. “I think we’re in pretty good shape, maybe one or two arms are approaching their innings limit. These kids are unbelievable grinders and they love playing baseball. Hopefully we can sneak in [the playoffs].”