David Pierce picked up two late-inning RBI and scored a run for Hawkeye that turned out to be important runs as Norwell climbed back into the game.

Hawkeye was two outs away from ending the game against Norwell, by mercy rule in the fifth inning with a 14-3 lead, but Norwell scored three times in the fifth, sixth and seventh to cut the lead to 13 before Hawkeye could get the final out.

“We took our foot off the throttle a little bit,” head coach Rich Cogliano said. “It was the last game of the regular season and we were looking to the playoffs a bit too much.”

Hawkeye jumped out to a lead in the top of the first when Michael Dowd singled in Justin DeAndrade. Tim Cooney then knocked in Andrew Foster with a sac fly and Greg Mannke added an RBI single in the inning.

Hawkeye added more runs in the third inning with a bases-clearing triple by Leo Finnegan and an RBI single by DeAndrade.

David Pierce added an RBI single in the fourth and, after Cooney scored on an error, Mannke knocked in Pierce. 23 followed with another RBI to put Hawkeye up by eight runs.

Pierce got his second RBI of the game when he knocked in DeAndrade in the top of the fifth and a two-run double by Mannke made it 14-3.

“It seems like right up and down the order,” everyone put the ball in play,” Cogliano said. “They all hit the ball all night.”

Cogliano pulled Ryan Tartaglia in the sixth and Matt Newcomb came on and preserved the win, which gave Hawkeye a record of 13-6-1 after managing only seven wins last season and missing the playoffs.

“I think [the difference] was all coaching,” joked Cogliano. He added that the extra year of experience for the younger players and some key additions were the biggest reasons for the turnaround this season.

“With additions of players like Michael [Dowd] and players all a year older everyone just came together this year. We fought hard.”

Hawkeye has to wait for Plymouth and Sandwich to play a makeup game before they find out where they will sit in the standings, but will likely play either Rockland or Hingham in the first round. The playoffs will begin Friday night at Stonehill College and Cogliano said the team will be ready to go regardless of their opponents.

“At this point, we have home field advantage,” he said. “So either one is fine with us.”