ORLEANS, Mass. — After a quiet nine innings for each offense, the Bourne Braves came through in the tenth to secure a 3-1 win over the Orleans Firebirds at Eldredge Park.
After entering the tenth tied at 1-1, the Braves’ offense was finally able to do some damage. With an automatic runner starting at second, CF Matt Bolton (Binghamton) started the rally by beating out an infield single. With runners now on the corners, SS Blake Schaaf (Wake Forest) delivered a single past Orleans’ diving first baseman, allowing the Braves to take their first lead of the game.
“I was actually trying to elevate something, but luckily it got through,” said Schaaf after the game. “I was just trying to get a run in for the squad and help us stack wins.”
They weren’t done after the Schaaf single, though. With runners on the corners once again, 2B Rustan Rigdon shot a fly ball to center field, far enough for Bolton to tag up and score an insurance run for the Braves.
Going into the bottom of the tenth with a 3-1 lead, Bourne immediately faced a threat to their lead. A leadoff walk and steal surrendered by Bravos’ pitcher Nick Robert (Miami) put runners on second and third for the Firebirds with no outs, and the winning run up to bat. Robert fought back with a pair of soft ground balls that didn’t allow a run to score, and ended the game with a strikeout.
“It was a great fight,” said Field Manager Scott Landers about the game. “We did not have good at-bats. We struck out 18 times, so I tip my hat to Orleans, but we fought. Our pitching and defense held us in there, and then we got some timely hits when we needed them.”
Before the tenth, the game was a pitchers’ duel. Bourne starter RHP Brandon Shannon (Louisville) threw four innings in his first start of the season and allowed one unearned run. After Shannon left the game, the Braves’ bullpen stepped up and shined once again. RHP Owen Hancock (Ole Miss) made his first appearance of the season to throw two shutout innings in the fifth and sixth, and RHP Ben Dean (Duke) threw three hitless frames with five strikeouts to help force extra innings.
For the Firebirds, Casey Euper (Pepperdine) kept the Bourne bats quiet early in the game. Euper struck out 10 Braves hitters over 5.0 innings of work, allowing just four hits and one walk. Over ten innings of work against Bourne this summer, Euper has allowed just one earned run and struck out 17.
“He’s got a really good fastball, sitting at about 93-94 with ride, and he commanded it,” said Landers about Euper. “We just couldn’t do anything with it.”
“He was mixing his pitches well,” said Schaaf. “I felt like every time I was sitting on a pitch, I got the wrong one.”
Right after Euper was removed from the game, the Braves finally found the scoreboard. Bourne got runners on first and second to start the sixth inning, and DH Josiah Overbeek (Miss. State) took advantage. Overbeek shot a double to left center for his first extra-base hit and RBI as a Brave and tied the game at one.
“I was trying to have fun and stay loose at the plate,” said Overbeek about his first outing as a Brave. “Just trying to stay aggressive, and it just took care of itself.”
WHAT IT MEANS
Thursday's win counts for the Braves’ fourth-straight victory, their longest win streak of the season. It also allows Bourne to increase their lead in the West division to four points.
BOURNEBRAVES.ORG PLAYER OF THE GAME
Josiah Overbeek is tonight’s Player of the Game. In his first start for Bourne this season, Overbeek went 2-for-5 with a single and RBI double. Overbeek was a force for Army this past spring, hitting .316 with 17 home runs. He was also a two-way star for the Black Knights, making 15 appearances out of the bullpen, but Field Manager Scott Landers confirmed Braves’ fans won’t see him on the mound for Bourne this summer.
NEXT UP
The Braves will be on the road again on Friday, this time taking on the 17-2-1 Y-D Red Sox. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. ET.
