Tuesday, July 12, 2022 – Harwich Mariners
On our first full day on Cape Cod, we hit up some tourist shops, ate a delicious lobster roll that was definitely the best I’ve ever had (and I paid for that privilege, LOL), and of course another cup of chowder. But the main course on the day was our first game of the week as we traveled a short distance from our rental house in Osterville to Harwich to see the Mariners host the Orleans Firebirds at Whitehouse Field.
Tucked in a wooded area just off the campus of Monomoy Regional High School in Harwich, this was an excellent first start to our baseball adventures. A packed-in crowd was on hand for the 6pm game, and we again got to see our 2019 All-813Preps Hitter of the Year Brock Wilken in action. In 2021, Wilken was the youngest player in the invite-only league and turned in a stellar season after his freshman year at Wake Forest, where he tied the school record for freshman home runs, earning the Cape Cod League Most Valuable Player honors. Hitting third for the Mariners, Wilken reached in 3-for-4 at-bats, with a single, a run scored and an RBI double. Wilken also spent a week this summer trying out for the USA Baseball Team.
Prior to Wilken’s final at-bat, I was standing by the Orleans coaches as they debated bringing in Orleans pitcher and Newsome alum Cole Stallings (Stetson) but they decided to hold off. A few pitches later, Wilken sent a line drive down the left-field line for an RBI double, stretching the Mariners lead to two runs. The Firebirds scratched one run back in the next inning, and Orleans then called down to the bullpen for Stallings, who fired a scoreless inning, striking out two and getting a broken-bat groundout for the third out of the inning.
While standing around the crowd taking photos, we ran into Stallings father, Greg, who was visiting his son for a week with around 15 family members.
Wilken and Cole Stallings, both 2020 grads of their neighboring Hillsborough County Schools, also grew up playing together including playing as teammates with the Ostingers Baseball Academy.
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- Brock Wilken as a junior at Bloomingdale.
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- Cole Stallings during his junior season at Newsome.
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- Greg Stallings greets Brock Wilken with a big hug.
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- Stallings and Wilken talk with Cole’s parents.
Wilken finished his summer with five homers, 15 RBI, and 17 runs scored, while Stallings made 10 appearances, posted a 3.86 ERA and had 16 K’s in 14 2/3 innings.
Final: Harwich 7, Orleans 5
Chowder Count: 2
