BOURNE, Mass. — Scott Landers didn’t exhibit any signs of panic before game two of the West Championship Series. Down 1-0 in a best-of-three series against the Cotuit Kettleers, the vibe around Doran Park didn’t indicate the Bourne Braves’ season could end within two hours.
This calm demeanor was shared by the entire team. Catcher Chase Meggers (Oregon) joked with his peers during batting practice. Outfielder Chris Stanfield (LSU) chatted with coaches and interns alike while lefty Zach Crotchfelt (Auburn) beamed as he and his fellow pitchers had a toss about 30 minutes before the first pitch.
To anyone watching, it was business as usual.
That’s exactly what was going through Crotchfelt’s head as he faced a jam with two runners in scoring position and two outs in the seventh. He was already responsible for two earned runs that narrowed Bourne’s lead from 5-2 to 5-4, and was intent on keeping his team ahead, even though second baseman Jarren Advincula (California), the regular-season batting champion who already had three hits in the series, stood 60 feet away at the plate.
Crotchfelt proceeded to strike out Advincula in four pitches, preserving the Braves’ one-run lead. That sequence proved vital, as Bourne added two insurance runs and shut down Cotuit to win game two 7-4, evening the best-of-three series at one game a piece.
“There’s a lot of outside noise going on,” Crotchfelt said. “I was really just trying to stay locked in up there through it all and go to battle for the guys, just get ahead of hitters and do my thing.”
Right-handed pitcher Tyler Fay (Alabama) was dominant early, as he had his fastball, sinker and curveball going for strikes from the get-go. In a 12-pitch opening frame, he fanned two and coaxed first baseman Tanner Thach (UNC Wilmington) into an inning-ending flyout that outfielder Chris Stanfield (LSU) handled with ease.
Bourne had a chance to strike first in the second when first baseman David Lewis (Virginia Tech) and designated hitter Davis Gillespie (Southern Mississippi) each singled, putting two runners on for second baseman Camden Kozeal (Arkansas). However, facing a 2-2 count, he grounded into a 4-6-3 double play that stranded both runners.
With Stanfield and outfielder Ethan Conrad (Wake Forest) singling in succession to kick off the third frame, shortstop Marek Houston (Wake Forest) didn’t let another opportunity go awry. He attacked the first pitch he saw, which fell almost squarely in the middle of the zone, and pulled a single into left that drove in Stanfield.
Third baseman Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) then drew a walk to juice the bases still without an out recorded in the frame. While Meggers struck out, Lewis increased the Braves’ lead with a sacrifice fly into center field. They could’ve done more with ducks on the pond and no outs, but scoring the game’s first runs proved crucial.
“It’s always good to get out to a lead,” Landers said. “[Cotuit is] a good ballclub, and they responded… It’s all about momentum shifts, and we had more of them today, which is good.”
On the other side of the ball, Fay continued to deal through 4.2 innings, facing the minimum twice, relinquishing three baserunners but fanning seven. Overall, he got ahead in counts often with 11 first-pitch strikes and commanded all of his pitches, as 38 of his 52 landed inside the zone.
None of that mattered in the fifth, though, when third baseman Temo Becerra (Stanford) beat out the throw to first after grounding to Houston at short for an infield single. While Fay got the next two outs, he then surrendered a two-run shot to outfielder Brandon Compton (Arizona State) that evened the score, 2-2.
“[Fay] pitched a great game up to that point, he made one mistake,” Landers said. “Honestly, I didn’t think a ball would get out of here today. But Compton did a really good job of hitting it.”
Even after taking a punch to the gut, Bourne stole the momentum right back in the sixth.
Righty Zach Duenas began the frame by walking three straight Braves — Meggers, Lewis and pinch hitter Cam Nelson (Wake Forest) — to load the bases with no outs, spelling the end of the pitcher’s night. The first batter to face right-hander Brycen Parrish (North Alabama), Gillespie fell behind 0-2, but quickly evened the count before lacing a two-RBI single into left field.
“It was obviously a high-leverage at-bat there,” Gillespie said. “Went down 0-2 pretty quick, ended up working it to 2-2 and then [Parrish] was throwing a lot of sliders, and I happened to get my barrel out on the 2-2.”
Although Cotuit brought it back to a one-run game in the seventh, the Braves answered during the bottom of the frame, taking advantage of two fielding errors that allowed Houston, who lined a leadoff single, to score. An inning later, Stanfield wore the first pitch of his at-bat, stole second, and was driven in by a double from Conrad. Twenty-four hours removed from totaling four hits in its game-one loss to the Kettleers, Bourne exploded for 10 on Thursday, outpacing Cotuit on offense.
Right-hander John Abraham (Florida State) entered the game to begin the eighth and was lights-out, working around a leadoff single in his first inning of work by inducing three consecutive outs, and fanning the last two batters he faced.
It was almost the same scenario in the ninth, as Compton drew a leadoff walk to give his team a chance. However, Abraham shut the door, receiving some help from Houston’s diving catch to get the second out. From there, he struck out outfielder Charles Davalan (Arkansas) swinging to seal the win.
A Look Ahead
Bourne will head back to Lowell Park on Friday for a chance at their fourth straight berth in the Cape Cod League Championship Series, facing the Kettleers in a winner-take-all game three.
Lefty Joe Ariola (Wake Forest) will likely be the starter for Landers’ squad in its second straight elimination game. Through eight appearances and a team-high four starts during the regular season, he accrued a 5.09 ERA and 28 strikeouts across 23 frames. Ariola’s last start was on August 2 at Hyannis, when he tossed five innings, striking out four while surrendering an earned run in a strong performance.
Cotuit’s starter is to be determined. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.
Notes
Right-handed pitcher Max LeBlanc, a member of the Braves’ 2023 championship team, threw out the first pitch before game two of the West Division Championship Series on Thursday… 1,627 fans took in Bourne’s win over Cotuit… Conrad’s hitting streak is now at 16 games, as he went 3-for-5… Houston also extended his on-base streak to 18 games with his own three-hit night… Fay’s seven strikeouts on the night are the second-most any pitcher has tossed this postseason… Conrad and Houston are tied for the second-most hits (5) during the playoffs.
