COTUIT, Mass. — Going into Sunday’s matchup with Cotuit, It had been over a week since the Bourne Braves won a game. Right when it looked like that streak would end, the Kettleers produced a magical seventh inning to defeat the Braves 4-3 in a shortened season finale.
The loss was the Braves’ 19th of the season, giving them a losing record for the first time since 2019. Their current seven-game losing streak is also the longest losing streak by Bourne since 2012, when the Braves lost eight straight from June 17-28.
“They’re giving a great effort and we’re doing some good things, but it always seems to be something,” said interim Field Manager Ed Blankmeyer, who has covered for Scott Landers the past two games, about his team’s performance during the losing streak. “Whether it’s pitching, whether it’s not hitting in the clutch, or whether it’s not defending the field properly, something is always not working for us.”
Unlike most games during the losing skid, the Braves scored before their opponents. After two hitless innings to start the game, C Brice Estep (South Carolina) had a one-out base hit into center. Estep moved to second on a wild pitch during the next at-bat, and scored on an RBI single by SS Ryker Waite.
Bourne kept its momentum rolling into the fourth. First baseman Gabriel Milano (Miami) and DH Ryan Piekutoski (West Virginia) both reached base to lead off the inning, putting runners on first and third. Hunting for a second run, 2B Eliot Medlock (Quinnipiac) laid a bunt down to the right side. Milano came home to score on the play and Medlock beat out the play at first. With runners on the corners once again, the Braves’ new catcher Cam Papetti (Bryant) collected his first hit of the summer on a ground ball through the left side to bring in Bourne’s second run of the inning.
“I was just trying to get something in play and get the run in,” said Papetti about his RBI hit. “The scouting report was this guy threw a lot of fastballs, so I was sitting on it. I missed the first one, but got another one and was able to put it in a spot the infielders weren’t.”
Now with a 3-0 lead in the fifth, the game slowly fell out of the Braves’ grip. The Kettleers got a leadoff walk to start the frame, and Landon Beaver (UAB) came through with a two-run home run to make it a one-run game.
After a clean sixth inning, the Braves went into the bottom of the seventh looking to end their streak. Still down one run, the first Cotuit batter of the frame lined out to shortstop. Now just two outs away from a win, the Braves surrendered back-to-back base hits to put the Kettleers’ winning run on base. That would cost Bourne greatly, as Sam Christiansen (Alabama) took a 3-1 pitch into the gap in left center. Both Cotuit runners came around to score, and the Kettleers kept their postseason dreams alive.
“We can’t seem to get across the finish line,” said Blankmeyer after the loss. “We just have to keep playing and working. Hopefully we can solve the problem come playoff time.”
WHAT IT MEANS
The loss doesn’t affect the Braves’ postseason situation, as they were locked into the two seed in the West before the game. The Kettleers, however, will advance as the four seed in the West following their win and a loss by Wareham.
BOURNEBRAVES.ORG PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ryker Waite is tonight’s Player of the Game. The Braves’ shortstop delivered an RBi single in the third inning to give Bourne an early lead. Waite now has hits in five of his last six games and is one of the Braves’ biggest offensive weapons going into the postseason.
NEXT UP
As the second seed in the West, Bourne will host Game 1 of the 2026 Cape Cod Baseball League Playoffs, presented by Readers Hardwood Supply. They will face off against the Falmouth Commodores on Tuesday, with first pitch set for 6:00 p.m. ET at Doran Park.
