BREWSTER, Mass. — The Bourne Braves played a strong game early, but a nine-run seventh inning by the Brewster Whitecaps cost the Bravos a chance to win their second straight. The Braves lost with a final score of 10-7.
Heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Braves found themselves up 5-1. Bourne was coming off a three-run top of the seventh, highlighted by an RBI double from 1B Luke Costello (South Carolina) and a two-run base knock by LF Cal Sefcik (USF).
“I was really trying to be aggressive early in the count,” said Costello, who finished the game with three hits and four RBI. “I try to have a really good plan going into at-bats. It’s all a preparation thing.”
When the bottom of the frame came around though, the Whitecaps came out white-hot. The first three Brewster batters hit singles to load the bases before recording an out. After getting the next batter to pop out, Bourne would walk home the Whitecaps’ first run of the inning. From there, Brewster strung together five hits and two walks to continue the rally. By the time the inning was over, the Braves had used three relievers and the Whitecaps had a 10-5 lead.
“We just had one bad inning,” said Field Manager Scott Landers about the seventh. “We stayed off the barrel the whole inning, but the balls fell and went in places that we weren’t. I tip my cap to them.”
Before the seventh, the Whitecaps and Braves traded blows in the fifth and sixth innings. Brewster was the first on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning following a Michael Torres (Miami) RBI single. Half an inning later, Bourne responded. DH Trent Caraway (Miami) and CF Matt Bolton (Binghamton) opened the frame with walks, and RF Luke Costello (South Carolina) drove in the Braves’ first run of the contest. The Bravos’ drove two more walks in the inning, the second coming with the bases loaded to force in a second run and give Bourne the lead.
The Braves’ pitching staff was solid throughout the day until the seventh. LHP Will Whelan (Minnesota) made the start on the mound, allowing just one run over five innings of work. RHP Landon White came out of the bullpen to start the sixth inning, and threw a 1-2-3 frame with two strikeouts.
“I was just staying loose out there,” said Whelan about his third start of the year. “I was prioritizing getting ahead, trusting everyone behind me, and getting quick, efficient outs.”
“He competed,” said Landers about his starter. “Kept them off balance. When he got into a little bit of a lull and was spraying it, he came back and competed.”
WHAT IT MEANS
Both the Braves and Falmouth Commodores suffered defeats tonight, meaning Bourne still is still the leader of the West Division. The loss puts the Braves at 6-6-3 through the first 15 games of the year.
BOURNEBRAVES.ORG PLAYER OF THE GAME
Luke Costello is tonight’s Player of the Game. The Braves’ right fielder had three hits in tonight’s game, the most in his Braves’ career. All three of Costello’s hits came with runners in scoring position, helping him reach 4 RBI on the night. Costello is the second Brave this season to reach 4 RBI in a game, joining Mark Quatrani’s June 16 performance at Hyannis.
NEXT UP
The Braves have one more game before the off-day on Thursday, heading back to Doran Park to take on the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET.
