HYANNIS, Mass. — A chilly Thursday evening with a light breeze at McKeon Park featured a back-and-forth affair between Bourne and Hyannis.
Last time the Braves faced the Harbor Hawks on the road it didn’t bode well, getting run-ruled by a score of 12-0 in the seventh inning. It was the same situation entering the contest, as the last time out Hyannis got run-ruled itself before beating the breaks off Bourne — it entered the matchup coming off getting mercy-ruled, 12-0, by Cotuit.
This time around it was a methodical approach offensively by both sides and no run-ruling, with the game ending with Hyannis winning, 4-3, in walk-off fashion.
It was the Harbor Hawks that struck first in the second, starting with a walk from Jeff Lougee (Duke), which was followed up by a single from Ryan McKay (Michigan State). Lougee advanced to third on a force out hit in play by Deiten Lachance (McLennan Junior College), scoring shortly after on an RBI groundout from Charlie Bates (Stanford) to make it a 1-0 lead for Hyannis.
Then the Braves took the lead in third, loading the bases after a pair of singles from Ryan Cooney (Oregon) and Nathan Fink (Sam Houston) and a free pass from Jon LeGrande (St. John’s). Then Cooney scored on a fielding error by Jack Schaffner (North Carolina) at third base on a ball put in play by Gavin Kelly (West Virginia).
Bourne then took the lead on an RBI sacrifice fly from Kade Lewis that scored Fink, giving the Braves a 2-1 advantage.
The Harbor Hawks then knotted it up in the bottom of the frame, as Lachance drilled one to the outfield for a two-base knock. After a walk from Brody Briggs (Arizona State), an RBI force out from Sawyer Black (North Carolina) made it a tie game with the score reading 2-2.
A Fink double in the ensuing licks gave Bourne a runner in scoring position — he cashed in. Following LeGrande getting hit by a pitch, the pair advanced on a balk from Chris Diaz (Florida Gulf Coast). A groundout from Kelly scored Fink, having the Braves take a 3-2 lead.
A pitching duel commenced, as Logan Beavis (Texas Tech) tossed three scoreless innings for Bourne while Justin Minaberry (FAU) and Sam Garewal (Stanford) combined to do the same.
Then Jayce Dobie (Nevada) led off with a walk in the eighth, prompting Beavis to be pulled for Will Whelan (Minnesota). After McKay walked, Dobie touched home plate on an RBI single from Lachance to tie it up at 3-3.
Bourne had a chance to score in the ninth as Sebastian Mexico (Louisiana Tech) reached third after pinch-running for Fink after his double, but he got gunned down by Briggs after a wild pitch from Ryan Speshyock (Stanford) that hit the wall, catching Mexico on the basepath after he tripped.
Hyannis then ended it in the ninth, as Gabe Camacho (UC San Diego) advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt from Schaffner and a groundout from pinch-hitting Myles Davis (State College of Florida). On a 3-2 pitch from Whelan, he tossed it in the dirt, allowing Camacho to cruise in on the wild pitch to give the Harbor Hawks a 4-3 win.
Bourne Braves Player of the Game
Kelly continued his hot streak of contributing for the Braves offensively, going 1-for-4 but reaching a second time on a fielding error to go along with a pair of RBIs.
Key moment
The untimely error on the basepath from Mexico paired with a wild pitch from Whelan with Camacho gave Hyannis the upper hand in the ninth.
A look ahead
Bourne (17-18-2, 36 points) will return home on Friday against Falmouth (15-21-1, 31 points). The last time the two teams met the Braves beat the Commodores, 6-5.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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