BOURNE, Mass. - The Bourne Braves kicked off its 2024 campaign at home against the Orleans Firebirds, in a rematch of last year’s Cape Cod Baseball League Championship Series to secure back-to-back rings.
Emotions were high at Doran Park on Saturday evening as fans celebrated the team’s second consecutive title while embracing the Braves’ newest challenge: further etching their name in CCBL history by becoming the fourth franchise to win three straight championships since 1963.
Bourne (1-0) kept the celebration going all night long, plating nine runs in a 9-4 victory over Orleans (0-1) thanks largely to a colossal six-run fourth inning.
“It feels good to come out of the gate with some enthusiasm,” Braves field manager Scott Landers said. “Offensively, we had 12 hits and we ran the bases well, only one error. We played as a team and it feels good to come out and get a win. Now we’ve got 39 more (games).”
Both teams remained scoreless until the second inning when the Braves drew first blood. After Nick Roselli (Binghamton) and Garrett Michel (Virginia Tech) recorded a double and single respectively, Isaiah Jackson (Arizona State) plated the game’s first run with a double.
Orleans attempted to respond in the fourth when outfielder Jack Gurevitch (San Diego) and designated hitter J-P Smith (Sacramento State) strung together consecutive two-out singles. However, Braves’ starter Connor Wietgrefe (Minnesota) coaxed first baseman Landon Moran (Stetson) into a groundout to end the inning.
But Bourne had a response of its own during the bottom of the inning—and then some.
Roselli started the rally by wearing a pitch before outfielder Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) picked up a single to drive him in. Jackson, infielder Jack Penney (Notre Dame), outfielder Chris Stanfield (Auburn), and catcher Caden Bodine (Coastal Carolina) all followed with RBI knocks to cap off a six-run, five-hit fourth frame for the Braves.
“Hitting is contagious,” Jackson said. “I always say that, and baseball in general is (contagious). One guy gets a barrel, the next guy gets a barrel, and it just kind of tumbles (like) a domino effect. So everybody’s just seeing the ball well. They were just leaving it up for us that inning, so we just capitalized on it and got some runs across.”
While the Firebirds spoiled the shutout with two runs in the sixth, Bourne’s pitching mostly held strong. In addition to a dominant five-inning start from Wietgrefe, right-hander Ben Bybee (Arkansas), lefty Zane Adams (Alabama) and right-handed pitcher Tyler Fay (Alabama) limited the Orleans lineup, allowing four runs on seven hits in a combined four innings of work.
It certainly wasn’t a perfect outing from the bullpen, but with such a large cushion on the scoreboard, Landers was pleased with the efforts his relievers put forth on Saturday.
“I thought they did really well,” Landers said. “(Fay) got that bad half in the last inning that led to some runs, but (Bybee) just got here so he was getting a tune-up for his start later in the week. Overall, what we did do well is throw strikes, so I was really happy. We competed and went after guys.”
Bourne added two runs of insurance during the seventh and eighth that ultimately came in handy, as Orleans plated two runs of their own in the top of the ninth. However, Fay induced the final flyout to seal the victory for the Braves.
Pivotal sequence
The Braves fielders posted multiple defensive gems in Saturday’s game, but none were more impressive than an outstanding catch by Stanfield in the outfield.
With two outs in the top of the third inning, Orleans outfielder Colin Tuft (Tulane) got a hold of a 1-0 offering, sending it sailing into center field for what appeared to be a potential extra-base hit. Stanfield didn’t afford Tuft any bases though, as he used his speed to cover significant ground before making a diving grab to end the inning and keep the Firebirds scoreless.
Pitcher Of The Game: Connor Wietgrefe
Bourne saw multiple relievers post respectable outings in Saturday’s win, but none were better than Wietgrefe’s exceptional start. The southpaw hurled five scoreless innings, relinquishing only three hits in the process, and had no issues with control, issuing no walks while 42 of his 65 pitches were strikes.
Wietgrefe didn’t take all of the credit, however, giving a nod to his fielders for allowing him to be comfortable filling up the zone and his offense for providing him run support.
“I’d say the defense was probably the biggest thing,” Wietgrefe said. “Getting me out of a couple of could-have-been jams… I’d say that’s been the biggest thing, giving me a ton of confidence that I can let all my pitches work and my defense is going to be there for me.”
Wietgrefe was indeed the beneficiary of several impressive defensive plays, including Stanfield’s diving catch and a heads-up outfield assist from Jackson in the second inning, which resulted in a double play. He was mostly responsible for holding Orleans without a run though, tossing six strikeouts and inducing weak contact.
“That was insane,” Jackson said of Wietgrefe’s performance. “First start out, I mean, five innings scoreless, this is insane… As a team together, we played really well today.”
Hitter Of The Game: Isaiah Jackson
On a night when seemingly every Braves’ hitter found success at the plate, combining for 11 hits, Jackson was perhaps the largest catalyst, going 2-for-3 with three RBI. The Vail, AZ native was responsible for the game’s first run with an RBI double in the second inning.
He wasn’t finished, however, driving in two more runs in the fourth and seventh. His lone at-bat that didn’t result in a hit was a sacrifice fly deep into center field. During their collegiate seasons, players use metal bats, so the adjustment to using wooden bats on the Cape often requires a few weeks, even for the very best of hitters. But Jackson didn’t skip a beat, making solid contact in each of his three plate appearances on Saturday.
“My plan was just to come out with a clear head,” Jackson said. “There’s a lot of good dudes, a lot of goods in this (league), a lot of eyes on you. So I just try to clear my head as much as possible just to make it as easy as possible, to simplify things. So I told myself, ‘See it up and just let it get deep and get my hands working.’ Just trusting myself.”
A Look Ahead
With the win over Orleans, Bourne has won its third consecutive season opener dating back to the 2022 summer.
After one game, the Braves are tied for the top spot in the Western Division as one of two teams with a 1-0 record. Meanwhile, owning a 0-1 mark, Orleans sits at the bottom of the Eastern Division with the Cotuit Kettlers next on its schedule.
The Braves will head to Brewster tomorrow to take on the Whitecaps, who lost the first game of their 2024 campaign to the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox by a score of 2-1. Bourne’s probable starter for the matchup is junior right-hander Wyatt Parliament (Virginia Tech), who owned a 3.95 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts across 43 ⅓ innings for the Hokies this year.
Parliament will likely face off against senior righty Darien Smith (Southeastern). In 96 ⅓ frames in 2024, Smith posted a staggering 130 strikeouts to go along with a 1.87 ERA and sub-one WHIP. First pitch is set for 5 PM Eastern.
Notes
Eric Zmuda, who served as commissioner of the CCBL from 2019 to 2023, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Doran Park… The families of Clay Grady (Virginia Tech), Jackson Penney, Wietgrefe and Nolan Sparks (Rochester) were in attendance for opening night… 2,383 fans took in Bourne’s victory at Doran Park on Saturday… Bourne’s nine runs against Orleans represent the most it scored in an opening-day game since at least 2010, tied with their nine-run outburst against the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in 2018… Wietgrefe’s six strikeouts are tied with Nick Zwack (2021 Vs. Hyannis) for the second-most in an opening-day game since at least 2010… Grady’s three stolen bases stand alone as the most recorded by a Brave in an opening-day game since at least 2010.
