HARWICH, Mass. — No one has had a more interesting August than Bourne. The Braves started the month with three losses, their sixth and seventh straight to end the regular season. Now, they’re on the doorstep of another championship win.
The Braves took care of business again in Game 1 against Harwich, picking up a crucial 7-3 victory. The reigning champs are now just one win away from successfully defending their title and becoming back-to-back champions for the second time this decade.
“We’re just playing a really good brand of team baseball right now,” said 1B Max Farrell (SDSU), who led the Braves with a two-hit night. “We’re getting runners into scoring position, getting them in with two outs. We’re making big pitches, making plays in the field. We’re just playing clean baseball.”
While Bourne has had outstanding offensive and defensive performances this postseason, they put it all together on Sunday night.
On the offensive side, the Braves’ win was characterized by patience at the plate. Bourne batters drew a season-high 11 walks in the game, allowing them to capitalize often when they did come through with hits.
More than half of their walks came in one inning: the sixth. The Braves’ self-control at the plate gave Mariners’ reliever TJ Ziermann (UNCW) trouble on the mound as he struggled with command. Without having a hit, Bourne scored two runs off of five walks by Ziermann. The pitcher to follow for Harwich also walked the first batter he faced, giving Bourne another run.
“At that moment, we weren’t swinging the bat,” said Field Manager Scott Landers after the game. “We just let him put himself into the situation that he did.”
That inning would prove to be a crucial turning point in the game. Before the sixth, Harwich had controlled the game. The Mariners scored three runs in a second-inning rally to give them an early lead. The Braves responded in the top of the third with RBI hits from SS Ryker Waite (Vanderbilt) and 2B Rustan Rigdon (Vanderbilt), but still found themselves trailing 3-2 heading into the fateful sixth.
After the walk-filled sixth inning gave Bourne a 5-3 advantage, they never let go of the lead. It stayed a two-run ballgame until the ninth, when pinch-hitter Eliot Medlock (Quinnipiac) provided another spark: a two-run double.
“I was really happy to come through for this team in a big moment, especially in the championship series,” said Medlock after the win. “It means a lot to me, especially growing up coming to these Cape Cod games. Doing this in a championship setting is a dream come true.”
On the defensive side, the Braves’ bullpen showed out like they have all summer. Following the three-run second given up by starting pitcher Camron Seagraves (UNC), the pen made sure Harwich had no shot to win. Lefty Josh Surigao (West Virginia) was the first to enter the game, relieving Seagraves with two outs in the second. Surigao recorded the final out to stop the bleeding and went on to pitch three more shutout innings.
“Today was one of the first days I felt like I had all my pitches,” said Surigao, who was credited as the winning pitcher. “I had a lot of confidence in what Coach Landers and Brice [Estep] were calling, so I just trusted them.”
After him, it was RHP Colton Starling’s (Western Carolina) turn. Having made just one other appearance for Bourne this summer, Starling turned in two clean innings. For the final two frames, the Braves called on LHP Connor Lehman (Alabama). Though he struggled at times this summer, Lehman kept the Mariners off the board to record his second save of the playoffs.
WHAT IT MEANS
The Braves are just one win away from being named the 2026 Cape Cod Baseball League Champions. They will have the opportunity to clinch the series win tomorrow night at Doran Park.
BOURNEBRAVES.ORG PLAYER OF THE GAME
Max Farrell is tonight’s Player of the Game. The Braves’ first baseman had his second multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a walk and a run scored. Farrell was also a wall defensively at first base, making crucial plays throughout the night to keep Harwich’s bats quiet.
NEXT UP
Game 2 of the Championship Series in the 2026 Cape Cod Baseball League Playoffs, presented by Readers Hardwood Supply, will be hosted by the Braves at Doran Park. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET.
