In each of the past four summers, the Hamilton Generals and Manchester Essex Mariners have met in the best-of-5 championship series to close out the season.
And in each of those past four summers, the Mariners have come up short.
This year, manager Cory Burnham and his re-tooled roster hope to snap that streak.
After opening the new campaign with a perfect 7-0 record, the Mariners went into last week’s two-game slate with their rivals from Hamilton with hopes of setting the tone. In Game 1, they suffered a similar fate as years past, dropping a 7-2 decision. But Manchester rebounded in Game 2 the very next night, securing a 5-2 victory to get back in the win column.
The Mariners then fell to Ipswich on Monday before a rematch was postponed the following evening due to rain, but the team still sits at an ITL-best 8-2 nearing the midway point of the year.
“We’re confident heading into the second half of the season,” said Burnham, his team holding a slight lead over second-place Rowley (6-3) and third place Rockport (5-4) at this point. Hamilton, meanwhile, is starting to come alive a bit after a slow start and no holds a 4-6 record.
“I’m still waiting on the bats to really come alive, but I think we’re close,” continued Burnham. “Our starting pitchers Zach Abbott, Brett Moore and Caz Ostrowski have carried us thus far, but we have a good mix of veterans and new guys to balance out the lineup.”
In Game 1 against Hamilton — undoubtedly a clash Manchester had circled on the calendar heading into the season — Generals’ ace Ryan Hutchinson was on his game to shut them down. The 2021 H-W graduate would cruise through six innings, with the Mariners scattering a couple of hits before finally getting on the board in the final inning. But at that point, it was too little, too late.
“He tossed an absolute gem and they made big plays in the field every time we threatened while he was on the mound,” admitted Burnham. “(But) it was good to see the team show some fight all the way to the end.”
Twenty-four hours later, Manchester was back with a vengeance.
The aforementioned Ostrowski was dominant on the mound — “he was in total control the whole game,” said Burnham — throwing a complete game while striking out 10, walking two and allowing just three hits.
Offensively, Manchester got some aggressive baserunning from Theo Massella to help lead the charge.
“(Massella) has been another great addition to the team playing in the middle infield splitting time between second base and shortstop,” added Burnham.
But it was Ostrowski who truly carried the Mariners to victory in his first start following another complete game, one-hit shutout against Rowley a week earlier.
He’s been a work horse for us really settling into the pitching rotation, and he really brought it,” said Burnham.
Against Ipswich, Manchester was admittedly a bit understaffed, but Burnham wouldn’t use that as an excuse. He instead chose to credit the upstart Chiefs (4-5), who have really come on as a formidable opponent this year.
“That’s what makes this league fun. Some nights you have to out there with guys out of position and give it your all,” explained Burnham. “Ipswich is no longer a punching bag and they made us pay for it.”
As good as the pitching has been for Manchester this season, new starting catcher Theo Ostrowski deserves a ton of credit for managing great games behind the dish and building chemistry with his team’s slew of arms. The Mariners continue to get strong contributions from the likes of Caulin Rogers, EJ Field, Lukas Albano, Nick Glass, Nico Alves and others, too.
Next up, Manchester has a big three-game series with Rockport, which includes a make-up game from an early season postponement. Game 1 gets underway on Sunday at 6 p.m. in Rockport.
