BOURNE, Mass. — Extended time off can be both a blessing and a curse in summer baseball.
Following their win over Cotuit last Friday, the Bourne Braves enjoyed two days off for the All-Star Break before their game against the Orleans Firebirds was canceled due to field conditions. Another off day on Tuesday marked nearly 96 hours since Bourne had last played a game.
It goes back to the age-old rest vs. rust debate — time away from baseball was surely welcomed by a Braves team that had played six games in seven days heading into the break, but could have also resulted in a slow start once it returned to action against the Wareham Gatemen on Wednesday.
The Braves (17-16-2) didn’t show any signs of rust, though, hitting two early home runs in a convincing 8-3 victory over the Gatemen (20-15-1), their third win in a row. Bourne is now above .500 for the first time since opening night on June 15.
“I’ve said it all along, you’ve just got to stay the course,” field manager Scott Landers said. “We’ve done it in the past, these guys believe in that. You’ve just got to play your best baseball at the end of the season, and hopefully we’re going to do that.”
Right-hander Chase Meyer (West Virginia) shut down the opposition in his first inning on the bump — a foreshadowing for how the rest of the night went — striking out two and retiring the Gatemen in order, needing only nine pitches to do so.
In total, Bourne held the Gatemen to only three hits on the night, stifling a lineup that has posted the highest OPS in the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer. Despite walking six batters, the Braves also struck out a combined 11, solidifying a dominant performance on the mound.
“We pitched really, really well,” Landers said. “[Meyer] pitched phenomenal in his start… I’m pleased with the way we pitched tonight, and we’ve just got to carry over to the next.”
Wareham starter Tate McGuire (Arkansas) didn’t experience the same fate as his adversary.
After shortstop Marek Houston (Wake Forest) struck out to start the bottom of the first, outfielder Ethan Conrad (Wake Forest) lined a single into center field, putting a runner on for third baseman Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt). Holcomb unloaded on the second pitch he saw, smashing a two-run shot that traveled 393 feet into center field, his second home run in as many games.
An inning later, Wareham got a run back thanks to a solo shot from first baseman Eli Putnam (Davidson), but Bourne responded during the bottom of the frame. With two outs and first baseman Garrett Michel (Virginia Tech) on first, outfielder Isaiah Jackson (Arizona State) and Houston walked before Conrad put a run across with a walk of his own.
Holcomb then picked up his third and fourth RBI of the game by slapping a single into center field. While he’s been a consistent hitter all season long — posting a .327 average through 32 games — the Florida native has found a new gear in his past three contests, going 6-for-10 with two home runs and nine RBI.
“I’ve just been hitting a lot of balls hard,” Holcomb said. “If I’m hitting the ball hard, the home runs will come, so it was just more of the fact that I kept putting the same swing on the ball, and when I lift it, it’s going to go.”
The Braves tacked on another run in the fourth, 6-1, as outfielder Tristan Bissetta (Clemson) concluded a seven-pitch at-bat by crushing a 400-foot, 101 mph solo shot into center.
Meyer ensured his team kept its sizable lead intact, going five innings and fanning six. Putnam’s solo shot was the only negative component of his outing, as he was only responsible for two other baserunners and filled up the zone, only throwing 19 balls all night.
While lefty Kyle LaCalameto (Houston) put up a zero through an inning of work in his Braves debut, right-hander Packy Bradley-Cooney (Alabama) ran into some trouble in the eighth. After working around a two-out walk to keep Wareham scoreless in the seventh, he put himself in a precarious position by issuing two walks to start the eighth frame.
Bradley-Cooney then conceded an RBI single, and a walk issued to shortstop Bayram Hot (Marist) marked the last straw. He was then replaced by righty Cameron Padgett (North Carolina), who got out of the inning despite surrendering another run that was charged to his predecessor.
However, Padgett and right-hander Griffin Hugus (Miami) closed out the game’s final two innings, and Bourne tacked on two more runs to secure its first win over Wareham this season.
Pivotal Sequence
Bourne countered Wareham’s two-run eighth with a two-spot of its own during the bottom of the inning in an unexpected way.
Outfielder Davis Gillespie (Southern Mississippi) reached on a throwing error and catcher Chase Meggers (Oregon) walked to give outfielder Mason Neville (Oregon) an opportunity to cause more damage, albeit with two outs.
Neville did just that, jumping at a pitch in the middle of the zone and sending a line drive into right field that got beyond outfielder Reese Chapman’s (Tennessee) glove and to the wall. This allowed both Gillespie and Meggers to score, and Neville too had his sights set on crossing the dish for an inside-the-park home run.
However, it wasn’t meant to be, as Neville stumbled after rounding third, giving catcher Jacob Jarrell (Clemson) enough time to tag him out to end the inning.
Pitcher of the Game — Griffin Hugus
Hugus played a big role in Bourne’s last win on Friday at Cotuit, tossing three scoreless innings along with three strikeouts. He proved a reliable reliever again on Wednesday.
Entering the game for the top of the ninth with his team up by five, it wasn’t a high-leverage situation that Hugus found himself in, but he shut down the Gatemen nevertheless. He struck out the first two batters to step into the box in a combined eight pitches, but a fielding error by third baseman Blake Barthol (Coastal Carolina) kept the game going. Despite falling behind 2-0 to Jarrell during the ensuing at-bat, he coaxed him into the game-ending groundout.
A Look Ahead
With less than a week remaining in the regular season and fourth-place Bourne battling the fifth-place Falmouth Commodores for the West Division’s final playoff spot, it’s time to talk clinching scenarios.
The Braves have the upper hand in the race, as they are 2.5 games clear of the ‘Dores and have clinched the head-to-head season series, putting the ball entirely in their court. A victory on Wednesday means Bourne only needs to win one of its next five games to clinch the postseason — and they have a chance to do so against Falmouth on Thursday at Doran Park.
Landers will give the nod to righty Tyler Fay (Alabama) on Thursday. Fay owns a 3.76 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 26.1 innings on the bump this summer, and last started on July 25 when he held the Chatham Anglers to one earned run and five baserunners while fanning seven in five frames.
It will be a familiar face starting for Falmouth on Thursday in southpaw Parker Coil (Arkansas), who pitched against Fay the last time the two teams met on July 18. Coil has faced Bourne three times this summer — two of which were starts — and has only allowed four earned runs and struck out 13 in those appearances. This season, he’s accrued a 4.81 ERA and 24 K’s in 24.1 innings.
First pitch at Doran Park is slated for 6 p.m.
Notes
The families of righty Jonathan Stevens (Alabama) and second baseman Camden Kozeal (Arkansas) were at Doran Park on Wednesday… 909 fans attended the Braves’ win over Wareham… Houston’s on-base streak is now up to 12 games, as he recorded a walk in Bourne’s win. ... Conrad is on a nine-game hitting streak… He also owns the highest on-base percentage (.462) in the league… Meggers also extended his own hitting streak with a double on Wednesday, and has now recorded a knock in all seven games he’s played in this season… Bissetta is batting .308 with two home runs — the most a Brave has hit at home — at Doran Park this summer… Bourne has posted the lowest ERA in the CCBL (3.23) in July. Furthermore, its bullpen has been among the league’s best all season, as only Chatham’s relievers have a lower ERA… Conrad is tied for the third-most hits in the league (7) among qualified hitters on Wednesdays.
