Writers' Player of the Game vs Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox: Austin Kelly
By: Ben Pope
Capping off the recent homestand with a bang, Austin Kelly walked it off for the Harbor Hawks Wednesday night, snagging himself the latest edition of Writers’ Player of the Game.
The Hyannis first baseman left his mark on the Harbor Hawks’ 4-3 victory over Yarmouth-Dennis, putting forth a 2-3 day with two RBIs.
After recording a base hit and a walk earlier in the contest, Kelly stepped to the plate in the seventh with Hyannis threatening in a bases-loaded situation. With the team down 3-1, the Lipscomb product came through with an infield hit up the middle that couldn’t be corralled.
Kelly entered in another key spot in the ninth, with Nick Mitchell on first as the winning run. Understanding the situation at hand, Kelly took the first pitch, giving Mitchell the chance to steal second base. The runner did just that, stealing the base and reaching third after an errant throw from the Red Sox catcher Connor Dykstra.
This set the stage for Kelly, who lined a sacrifice fly deep enough in right field to score Nick Mitchell, winning the game for the Harbor Hawks. This win marked Hyannis’s fourth in their last five games.
“I had an idea of how they’d pitch me,” Kelly said of his 9th inning AB, “…I had a better plan at the plate the last few at-bats and ended up helping me get in the winning run.”
The 5-11 first baseman has become somewhat of a regular in the Harbor Hawks lineup in the last couple weeks, which Kelly attributes to some of his recent success.
“Playing every day and getting used to the wood bats, it helps a lot. Figuring out what plan you have the plate every night, I’m just feeling good right now.” Kelly said post-game.
Ben Pope can be reached at bpope9202@gmail.com and can be found on Twitter @bope016.
