Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

Article By: Andrew Fantucchio

One-run games may be the norm for the Falmouth Commodores. After only being outscored by a single run and held winless through the first two days of the 2023 Cape Cod Baseball League season, Falmouth captured its first victory of the year Monday night at Whitehouse Field, 2-1, over the Harwich Mariners.

“This game can jump up and bite you at any time, but we want to keep competing,” said Falmouth manager Jeff Trundy. “I think if we can do that then usually good things will happen.”

The hometown Mariners never found the one big hit they needed to break through against Falmouth’s arms. Starter Carson Dorsey took up residence in the upper half of the strike zone in his first outing of the summer, working his way into, and then out of, a few tough situations through four innings on the hill.

The same can’t be said for Harwich, though, whose three errors in the game gave Falmouth more than one second chance to steal the slim victory.

A throwing error by shortstop Kaelen Culpepper on a ground ball up the middle extended the top of the first for Harwich and gave Falmouth a 1-0 lead as Gavin Kilen crossed the plate for the game’s opening run. In the sixth, catcher Ross Highfill drove in first baseman Charlie Condon to give the Commodores the lead for good.

Antoine Jean threw a pair of scoreless innings in relief for Falmouth before KC Hunt entered in the seventh and took over the rest of the way, picking up his first save of the season. The Mariners threatened to even the score in the bottom of the ninth with two out, but stranded the tying run at first base as Hunt caught Jacob Humphrey looking to end the game for his seventh punch out of the evening.

“I had a lot of confidence going in,” Hunt said. “I knew Ross was behind me. He's been catching me the whole year in college. The fastball is working, the cutter is working, and three off speed pitches for strikes, so that helped a lot.”

Tom Chmielewski took the ball for Harwich and was hung with the loss despite a solid outing in which he tossed two strikeouts and only allowed two runs on two hits in six innings of work. Jean was credited with the win for Falmouth.

The Commodores improve to 1-1-1 in the season's early going while the Mariners fall to 2-1 as Steve Englert remains at 399 career Cape League wins.

He and Harwich will try to win no. 400 on Tuesday when they travel to play the Wareham Gatemen, while Falmouth sets its sights on the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox at home.