HARWICH, Mass. — It wasn’t a picture-perfect day for the Opening Day of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
It was a cool 60 degrees with small puddles of rain surrounding Whitehouse Field as a drizzle came down — it didn’t stop the excitement for the start of the season for the dedicated fans that braved the elements. Attendees were bundled up in jackets and winter hats, attire typically not desirable for June 14, due to the cloudy gloom that hung in the sky, but it didn’t stop the smiling faces and banging of the cowbells from both fan bases as the start of summer baseball on Cape Cod commenced.
Opening Day on the Cape featured a rematch of last season's championship series. The Braves had their chance to three-peat as Cape Cod Baseball League champions a season ago, though they fell short as the Mariners emerged victorious in Game 3 by a score of 4-3. And on Saturday, the Braves couldn’t get their get back 10 months later as they dropped the opener to Harwich, 7-5.
“It would have been good if we got a win and it was a little warmer, but it feels good to get back out here and playing some baseball with some new guys,” field manager Scott Landers said.
It was tough sledding for Bourne to start, as Harwich starting pitcher Jake McCoy (South Carolina) diced up the top of the order for the Braves, striking out the side. A half-inning, two errors, two walks, two hits and a passed ball later, the Mariners left the first inning with a 6-0 lead after a tough opening frame by Braves starter Josh Gunther (Wake Forest).
“We made two crucial errors, balls thrown away — wet ball,” Landers said. “We have to do a better job with that. We('ve) got to throw more strikes. Gunther just got here yesterday, so we had to spot start him in an emergency. But overall, I thought we were, after that first inning, we were good. We played pretty well.”
Bourne methodically chipped away at Harwich's lead after the first inning, putting runners on in the next six innings, including the leadoff man in four straight.
Three runs were cashed in through those innings, starting with an RBI double by Weber Neels (Minnesota) that drove in Jon LeGrande (St. John’s) in the second inning. A force-out hit by Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) in the fifth inning scored Ryker Waite (Vanderbilt).
The sixth inning presented a golden opportunity for the Braves, as they had runners on first and second with nobody out, but LeGrande got caught stealing third base, where he would’ve scored on the ensuing at-bat from a single by Jimmy Keenan (Wake Forest). Bourne managed not to lay a goose egg on the scoreboard, as a Waite sacrifice fly scored Neels from third base to bring the Braves within three, 6-3.
“I thought we strung some at-bats together after the third inning and played pretty good,” Landers said. “We just left a lot of guys on base in scoring position.”
Tre Broussard (Houston) became the fourth Mariner to get hit by a pitch, which ended up adding insurance to the Harwich lead. After Broussard stole second and a wild pitch by Louis Marinaro, a single by catcher Matt Conte (Wake Forest) had Broussard touching home plate, boosting the lead for the Mariners to 7-3.
Bourne answered right back in the bottom of the frame. Keenan doubled to score LeGrande, who also recorded a double. Holcomb then had the bases fully juiced with two outs, but the Mariners escaped the inning unscathed.
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There was life in the top of the ninth inning for the Braves, as left fielder Logan Hughes (Texas Tech) ripped the first home run of the season for Bourne over the right-field fence. Despite the solo blast to start the frame, the Braves couldn’t string together a ninth-inning surge, falling to 0-1 to start the 2025 campaign after the 7-5 defeat.
“We have to get the kinks out,” Landers said. “The first inning didn't go so well on either end, but we battled the rest of the game, and honestly, we settled down and played a pretty good game other than the first.”
Bourne Braves Player of the Game
Webber Neels was a spark out of the No. 7 spot in the batting order, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a run.
“He swung the bat well today,” Landers said. “He was in the DH slot today. He came out in his first at-bat and hit a hard ball down the line, and then he got sawed off a little bit and beat it out. But he got on base three times, and that's the name of the game.”
A look ahead
The Braves will make their season debut at Doran Park on Sunday, hosting the Chatham Anglers following their 1-0 loss on Opening Day against the Falmouth Commodores.
Anglers pitcher JT Quinn (Georgia) was dealing, boasting a 10-strikeout performance, but Chatham’s bats couldn't notch any runs against Falmouth’s pitching staff, led by a productive day from Kaden Echeman (Northern Kentucky). The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Follow Lyle on X, @lalenstein. Feature photo by Isabel Swindall.
