BOURNE, Mass. — The road back to the championship series started on Tuesday for Bourne.
After earning the No. 1 seed in the West Division, the Braves hosted Hyannis at Doran Park for Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, trying to reach their fourth straight Championship Series.
In a low-scoring affair with complete pitching on both sides, the Harbor Hawks got out to a 1-0 lead in the series, taking the opener in 3-1 fashion.
There was life from Hyannis early, as had runners in scoring position in its first two licks at the plate, including bases loaded with zero outs in the second. Matthew Shorey (Vanderbilt) was able to get out of the jam for Bourne, as Ryan Cooney (Oregon) hustled down the right field line in foul territory to make a catch to end the inning.
Just like the Harbor Hawks, the Braves had scoring chances early, as runners reached scoring position in the second, third and fourth inning, with Sebastian Mexico (Louisiana Tech) being the lone runner to reach third in the second.
Then the first runs cashed in — it was Hyannis that made it happen in the fifth. Owen Prince (Virginia Military Institute) ripped a single, which was followed up by a one-base knock by Jayce Dobie (Nevada).
Entering the contest, Deiten Lachance (Oklahoma) had gotten a hit against Bourn in his last seven at-bats. Despite getting out his first two times at the plate, he continued his hot streak against the Braves, drilling a two-run double to cash in Prince and Dobie to give his team a 2-0 lead.
That would conclude the day for Shorey, finishing with five innings pitched, six hits allowed with two runs as well as tossing two strikeouts.
Carson Jasa (Nebraska) and Chris Diaz (Florida Gulf Coast) combined for a scoreless six innings, but then the Braves got some life when Sam Garewal (Stanford) subbed in.
Bourne finally cashed in with a run in the seventh, loading the bases with one out after a pair of singles from Gavin Kelly (West Virginia) and Kade Lewis (Wake Forest) and a free pass from Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt).
An RBI groundout from Ryker Waite (Vanderbilt) knocked in Kelly, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Then Hyannis came right back in the ninth to extend its lead, starting with a Brody Briggs single (Arizona State) and a Prince walk. The pair advanced to second after a balk from Will Whelan (Minnesota), and Briggs scored on an RBI sacrifice fly from Dobie to make it 3-1.
Ryan Speshyock (Stanford) came in for Hyannis to shut the door, and he did just that, mowing the Braves down en route to a 3-1 win in the first game of the first round of the playoffs.
Bourne Braves Player of the Game
Drew Koenen (Virginia) made his first appearance on the mound in a playoff setting, tossing 3 1/3 innings with one run and a solo strikeout.
Key moment
The two runs in the fifth for Hyannis ended up being the difference-maker, giving it enough offense to leave Game 1 victorious.
A look ahead
The Braves will look to keep their season alive on the road on Tuesday at McKeon Park against Hyannis after dropping the opener, 3-1, to the Harbor Hawks.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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