BOURNE, Mass. — It was win-or-go-home for the Braves for the second straight game.

Coming into the Thursday night tilt against Hyannis, Bourne was riding all the momentum after coming back in the ninth inning the day before to force a Game 3 in the first round of the playoffs.

The Braves stayed on that high in a do or die scenario, getting to the Harbor Hawks early and keeping the lead, knocking them off 5-3 on the way to the west division finals.

Jon Legrande (St. John’s) started the scoring spree in the third, reaching on a double, then getting to third base on a sacrifice fly poke into the outfield by Gavin Kelly (West Virginia). An RBI single from Kade Lewis (Wake Forest) started the scoring in his return from a one-game suspension, cashing in LeGrande.

The RBI from Lewis was followed up by a pair of singles from collegiate teammates in Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) and Ryker Waite (Vanderbilt). After the duo reached, it created a bases loaded opportunity for Cal Sefick (Cincinnati).

He put in work at the plate, adding another run to the Bourne total on an RBI walk to score Lewis. An RBI sacrifice fly hit by Sebastian Mexico (Louisiana Tech) would be the last tally added to the scoreboard in the frame, as the Braves left with a 3-0 lead.

Hyannis then got on the board in the fourth, as Owen Prince (Virginia Military Institute) walked, then found himself standing on third after an errant pickoff attempt by Rhys Bowie (Wake Forest) sailed past Lewis. An RBI sacrifice fly hit by Jayce Dobie (Nevada) cut the deficit to 3-1.

Bowie was once again efficient in his second start as a Brave, ending his day with five innings pitched, keeping the run total at one with two hits allowed, also tossing a pair of strikeouts.

Bourne extended its lead in the sixth, as Mexico got to second after a single and a balk by Henry Chabot (Chapman) on the mound. Mexico then took third on a single by Mark Quatrani (Notre Dame).

The tandem both touched home to give the Braves some more cushion, as Kelly scored the pair on a two-run triple that had the crowd at Doran Park on their feet, making the score 5-1.

The Harbor Hawks then stormed back with life in the eighth, with the rally starting via a walk and a steal from Prince. Dobie then reached first on a fielding error by Holcomb at third, which in turn had Prince on third.

A single from Ryan McKay (Michigan State) scored Prince, and another error from Holcomb at third on a catch allowed Dobie to score. After Packy Bradley-Cooney (Miami) got two batters out, he was subbed in for Will Whelan (Minnesota) after 2 ⅔ innings tossed. Whelan got the lone batter out in the frame, with the score reading 5-3 in favor of Bourne.

In the last regular season matchup against Hyannis, Whelan allowed a walk-off wild pitch. This time around, he showcased how dominant of a pitcher he can be, shutting the door to give the Braves a spot in the next round of the playoffs.

Bourne Braves Player of the Game

Rhys Bowie got the job done as the starter, not letting the significance of the moment get to him, pitching five innings with two strikeouts, two hits, two walks and one run.

Key moment

Gavin Kelly's two-run triple ended up being the difference-maker, as the two runs that cashed in off his swing was the separation that Bourne needed.

A look ahead

The Braves will return to Doran Park on Friday for Game 1 of the west division finals against Cotuit. The last time the two teams met Bourne won 7-4.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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