BOURNE, Mass. — For the sixth-straight summer, the Bourne Braves will be a part of the Cape Cod Baseball League Championship Series.

The Braves eliminated the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in game two of the West Division Finals on Saturday night, with a final score of 3-0. The win was Bourne’s first shutout victory of the postseason.

It also secured Bourne Field Manager Scott Landers’ fifth straight appearance in the CCBL Championship Series. Since joining Bourne for the 2022 season, Landers has yet to miss the pinnacle of the postseason.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Landers after the win. “It was a tough road to get here, but it’s what we set out to do as a group, as a coaching staff, and as a community.”

Unlike the Braves’ first three postseason wins, Saturday’s success could be mostly attributed to the pitching staff. In the biggest moment for any Bourne pitcher this summer, the Braves called on RHP Will Harrigan (Columbia) to make the start. Harrigan, primarily a relief pitcher in college and this summer, stepped up when his team needed him the most.

“I felt great out there,” said Harrigan after the win. “I’ve got a good defense behind me. I just went out trying to throw strikes, and it worked.”

The righty delivered the longest performance, six innings, of any Braves pitcher since 2023. Harrigan relied on a five-pitch mix to baffle Harbor Hawks’ hitters, allowing only three hits and two walks. Most importantly, he was efficient. Bourne’s starter threw over two-thirds of his 75 pitches for strikes, and got seven Hyannis hitters to either ground out or fly out on the first pitch.

“It was a huge performance. He threw strikes and kept them off balance,” said Landers about his starter’s performance. “He pounded the zone and had a lot of confidence in his pitches.”

After six scoreless innings, the Braves’ coaching staff opted to bring in LHP Aiden Stillman (Vanderbilt) to begin the seventh. The opposite of Harrigan, Stillman began the year with Bourne primarily as a starter before transitioning into the bullpen. When he got on the mound Saturday night, it didn’t matter. Stillman picked up right where Harrigan left off, getting through the seventh and eighth innings cleanly to preserve the shutout.

The ninth, however, was a different story. The Braves’ reliever struggled to command his pitches and surrendered two singles and a walk. With the bases loaded, no outs, and a spot in the championship on the line, Landers once again went to the bullpen.

The pitcher called on was RHP Maddox Webb (Mississippi State). During the regular season, Webb struggled out of the bullpen and gave up runs in each of his three appearances. That didn’t happen Saturday night. To preserve the shutout, the Braves’ reliever struck out the first batter he faced and got the next to ground into a game-ending double play.

“I knew he was going to get us out of that no matter what,” said Brice Estep (South Carolina), Bourne’s catcher in the shutout win. “The whole pitching staff had a great night and got us the win.”

While Bourne’s pitching staff dominated on the mound, the offense did just enough to earn the win. Centerfielder Matt Bolton (Binghamton) delivered an RBI single in the first inning to score 2B Rustan Rigdon (Vanderbilt) and give the Braves a 1-0 lead. Two more runs would come in a gritty sixth inning where they picked up a bases-loaded hit by pitch and a sacrifice fly from DH Gabriel Milano (Miami).

WHAT IT MEANS

The Braves are West Division champions for the sixth straight season and the seventh time in the last nine years. After two-game sweeps of both the Falmouth Commodores and Hyannis Harbor Hawks, Bourne will advance to the CCBL Championship Series. There, they will face the Harwich Mariners, who took down the top-two seeds in the East.

BOURNEBRAVES.ORG PLAYER OF THE GAME

Maddox Webb is tonight’s Player of the Game. With the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the ninth, the Braves called Webb’s number and he delivered. The outing was his second-consecutive scoreless appearance, after throwing two scoreless frames against Falmouth on Wednesday.

NEXT UP

Bourne will travel to Harwich for game one of the Championship Series. First pitch is set for 5:30 at Whitehouse Field.