In a game that wasn’t going their way for most of the night, the Bourne Braves fought to the very end and secured a 3-3 tie with the Falmouth Commodores after ten innings of play.
“We grinded,” said Field Manager Scott Landers after the game. “We grinded to get a tie. We had opportunities, but we didn’t do the little things to win a baseball game.”
Bourne fell into a bit of a hole early, going down 3-0 after four innings. The Braves, however, inched their way back into the game before eventually forcing a tenth inning and a tie.
The first sign of struggle for the Braves came in the second inning. Back-to-back walks from LHP Madden Clement (Transfer Portal) put a pair of runners on to start the inning. Clement was able to get the runner on second into a rundown, but the Braves’ botched the play and allowed runners to reach second and third. The Commodores’ next batter, Nick Venteicher (Creighton), put the ball in play to second and brought home the game’s first run.
Falmouth took advantage of a leadoff walk again in the fourth. After Commodores’ third baseman Pearson Riebock (Baylor) led the inning off with a free pass, Ty Kaunas (Maryland) rocketed a fly ball to the 395 sign in center field that scored Riebock and landed him on second. The Braves switched to RHP Nick Robert (Miami) on the mound, but after a walk the Commodores singled in another run to make it a 3-0 ballgame.
From that point on, Braves pitching shut down the Commodores. After Clement was removed one out into the fourth inning, the Bravo bullpen threw 6.2 scoreless innings to aid the comeback. Nick Robert led the way, striking out five of the nine batters he faced, while RHP Dominic Mauro (Cincinnati) and RHP Adam Buczkowski (Cincinnati) each had four punchouts.
“We executed on the mound after the fourth inning. They kept us there,” said Landers. “They were competitive and pounded the zone.”
The Braves scored their first run of the game in the fifth. LF John Stuetzer (Florida State) led off the inning by slashing a single through the right side, and stole second base to get into scoring position. After CF Matt Bolton (Binghamton) moved him to third on a groundout, DH Andrew Costello (Wake Forest) brought Stuetzer home on a ground ball to shortstop that cut the Falmouth lead to 3-1.
The comeback attempt continued for the Bravos in the seventh, powered again by Stuetzer and Costello. Stuetzer led off the inning again, this time reaching on a throwing error after hitting a ground ball to third. Following Stuetzer’s second steal of the game, Andrew Costello beat out an infield single to shortstop. The Commodores’ shortstop threw the ball past the first baseman while trying to make the play, so Stuetzer trotted home as Bourne narrowed it to a run-one contest.
“I was doing whatever it took for us to get the win,” said Andrew Costello in a postgame interview. “Just trying to get a barrel on the ball and see what happens.”
After failing to score in the eighth inning, the Braves entered the bottom of the ninth down a run. With one out, Andrew Costello singled for his fourth hit of the night to get the Bravos a baserunner. C Mark Quatrani (Notre Dame) popped out in the next at-bat as Bourne’s hopes dwindled, but 1B Garrett Michel (Arizona State) hit a single on a sharp ground ball to first base that kept them alive. Down to the Braves’ last out, 3B Luke Costello (Wake Forest) belted a line drive into right field and the tying run came around to score. RF Derrick Pitts (Cincinnati) had a chance to walk it off as the next batter, but Falmouth’s center fielder made a diving grab on a shallow fly ball from Pitts to send the game to extras.
Despite an automatic runner starting on second base in the tenth, neither team could capitalize. The Commodores got runners on second and third with one out, but Buczkowski struck out the next two. The Braves got runners on first and second, but a double play ended the game in a tie.
WHAT IT MEANS
After their second tie of the season, Bourne moved to 3-1-2 on the summer. The Braves haven’t lost a game since last Sunday’s loss to Harwich, and will look to avoid their second loss of the year when they go on the road to play Y-D tomorrow.
KEY PLAY
With the Braves down to their final out in the bottom of the ninth, Luke Costello lined a single into right field to bring home pinch-runner Cal Sefcik (Cincinnati) and force extra innings.
BOURNEBRAVES.ORG PLAYER OF THE GAME
Tonight’s Player of the Game is RHP Adam Buczkowski. Buczkowski came in for the ninth inning and ended up throwing two innings with four strikeouts. Two of those strikeouts were the final two outs of the tenth inning that stranded a Commodores’ runner at third to secure the tie.
NEXT UP
Bourne will go back on the road Saturday, taking on the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox at Red Wilson Field. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m. ET.
