BREWSTER, Mass. — Campbell Swithwick (undecided) ripped a single with one out as the Braves trailed 4-3 in the top of the eighth.

In typical fashion of field manager Scott Landers and his aggression on the basepaths, he sent pinch-runner Peyton Bonds (Rutgers) stealing — a throwing error got Bonds not only to second base, but to third. A flyout by Jimmy Kennan (Wake Forest) wasn’t deep enough to score Bonds, so he stayed at third with two outs and Caden Dulin (Pitt) at the plate.

Dulin couldn’t find any magic, as a pitch from Justin Shadek (Rutgers) caught the outside corner for the strikeout, sparking a painful look from Dulin to the umpire and a passionate cry from Shadek as Brewster kept its 4-3 lead. Just like on Monday, the game concluded after eight innings due to darkness, as Stony Brook Field doesn’t have any lights.

“We got behind,” Landers said. “We wanted to come back, and it was just too late.”

The Braves got out to an early lead thanks to the long ball in the top of the second inning. Noah Franco (TCU) settled into the left-handed batter’s box on a 1-1 count and connected. The crack of the bat made Stony Brook Field go quiet as the ball flew into deep right field, but the Bourne dugout and fans exploded seconds later as the ball cleared the fence for a home run that had the Braves get out to a 1-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for Brewster to answer, as Collin Priest (Clemson) started the momentum in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff walk. A tumble by Kade Lewis (Wake Forest) on a fielded ground ball at third, that didn’t have him try to make the play at first, resulted in a Blake Cyr (Florida) single. Then Alex Sosa (NC State) ripped a single right after to load the bases.

The Whitecaps got their scoring started in the next at-bat, as Carson Kerce (Georgia Tech) pierced a single to score Priest and Cyr. A hard hit ball by Josiah Ragsdale (Boston College) off the glove of Logan Hughes (Texas Tech) gave Brewster a 2-1 lead.

Bourne threatened in the third when Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) made his way to third following a single from Hughes. The life got sucked out of the Braves’ opportunity when Holcomb got called out on a back-pick, sparking an emphatic argument from hitting coach Jeff Limoncelli saying Holcomb was safe.

“Calls are going to happen,” Landers said. “Some are going to go our way. Some are not going to go our way. But those couple that we went out and argued really killed us in that inning, took us out of a big inning. But you got to play baseball.”

The ensuing half inning, Brewster added to its lead, as Daniel Cuvet (Miami) walked, Priest got hit by a pitch, Cyr singled, and then a two-run double by Sosa extended the Whitecaps' lead to 4-1.

Bourne later would have the chance to rewrite the story about its struggles with runners in scoring position.

Trailing 4-1 in the top of the seventh inning, the Braves loaded the bases for a chance to get right back in the ballgame. Lewis started the scoring with an RBI single with the bases loaded that advanced everyone on base to the bag in front of them. Holcomb got the job done with an RBI force out with the bases loaded. With runners on second and third shortly after, Hughes had a chance to tie or put the Braves in front but struck out swinging on a ball in the dirt.

In the eighth inning, the Braves were in position to cash in with Bonds reaching third, but once again, the offense couldn’t capitalize with a runner in scoring position. Bourne was unable to give Brewster its first loss of the year, falling, 4-3.

“We'll play baseball. We just got to eliminate free passes and eliminate the errors and giving guys runs,” Landers said. “All four runs came on guys that were walked or we had an error, and we can't do that.”

Bourne Braves Player of the Game

Jonathan Stevens (Alabama) made his 2025 debut in relief, going two scoreless innings with a trio of strikeouts. He appeared in one game for the Braves last season, dialing up three strikeouts in 3 ⅓ innings of shutout ball as the starter.

Key moment

Kade Lewis taking a spill at third base after fielding a ground ball was an unfortunate turn of events for the Braves. It gave Brewster a runner at first and second with nobody out, which sparked a two-run inning.

Lewis has been clean in the field so far through four games, but it was a tough break for both him and the Braves, as it shifted the momentum in favor of the Whitecaps.

>> ALSO SEE: Bourne Braves top photos of the week (June 14-15)

A look ahead

Bourne will be off Wednesday but not fully removed from baseball, as players will have the opportunity to showcase their abilities at Fenway Park in front of scouts.

The Braves (1-2-1, 3 points) will return to action Thursday against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks (2-1-1, 5 points). Hyannis is coming off a 7-7 tie against the Chatham Anglers that went to 10 innings.

First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at Doran Park.

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Follow Lyle on X, @lalenstein. Feature photo by Isabel Swindall. Follow her on Instagram, @iswindall.jpg.