Pitching shines en route to 3-1 win vs. Hyannis

BOURNE, Mass. — Over the past seven games, the Bourne Braves have had one glaring issue — a lack of timely hits and converting with runners in scoring position.

Those woes persisted on Sunday, as the Braves went 1-for-10 in such scenarios and left 10 on base. However, the struggles at the plate have been overshadowed by an obvious strength: Bourne’s pitching.

Despite a three-run third inning being the only offense they mustered on Sunday, the Braves’ (13-15-2) pitching shined, only allowing one run in a 3-1 victory over the Hyannis Harbor Hawks (17-12-1).

“Every night out, you’re going to win differently,” field manager Scott Landers said. “Right now we’ve got to win with pitching. Two weeks ago we were swinging it pretty good, right now we’re not, so we’re going to have to pitch and play defense.”

Hyannis failed to score in the game’s first five innings thanks to a flat-out dominant start from lefty JD Thompson (Vanderbilt). The Texas native commanded his pitches through his outing, only issuing one walk and fanning four.

Save for a run conceded by right-hander Griffin Hugus (Miami) in the sixth, Bourne shut down the Harbor Hawks. Hugus tossed three innings with three strikeouts and had no trouble with control, as 30 of his 48 pitches landed inside the zone.

Entering the game in the ninth, right-handed pitcher John Abraham (Florida State) shut the door, posting a 1-2-3 frame and striking out one.

“It’s just day in, day out, those guys coming out of the 'pen and they’re shutting down the offenses,” Thompson said of the two relievers on Sunday. “It’s really playing for us and giving us a chance so we don’t have to waste arms in the bullpen.”

While Bourne missed out on the bases-loaded opportunity in the second, it was sure to cash in during the third.

Shortstop Marek Houston (Wake Forest) walked before fellow Demon Deacon Ethan Conrad slammed a single to center fielder Josh Tate, who attempted to gun down Houston at third. However, his throw was off line, allowing Houston to score on a dead ball and give Bourne a 1-0 lead.

The Braves weren’t nearly finished, though, as designated hitter Chase Meggers (Oregon) followed up a walk drawn by Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) with an RBI single. After first baseman Garrett Michel (Virginia Tech) worked a walk of his own, catcher John Schroeder (Florida Atlantic) hit into a productive groundout that drove in Holcomb.

However, from the fourth inning on, Bourne only put on five base runners and continued to struggle with its approach according to Landers.

“I thought our approaches need to still get better,” Landers said. “But it was good to get out to a 3-0 lead and kind of never look back.”

Hitter of the Game — Chase Meggers

In just four games, Meggers has proved a strong bat for the Braves, as he’s gone 6-for-15 (.400) with a double and triple. Sunday was his latest promising performance at the plate.

His first knock was a triple in the second inning, capitalizing on Hyannis losing sight of the ball to go for extra bases. A frame later, he lined an RBI single into left field that drove in Conrad from third.

After striking out in the fifth, Meggers picked up a single in the seventh for his last knock of the night.

“I’m just trying to put the ball in play hard,” Meggers said. “Good things happen when you try to barrel out balls. It wasn’t the cleanest, but when you put the ball in play, good things happen.”

Pitcher of the Game — JD Thompson

While Thompson was lights-out in his five-inning start, he only had one pitch working — his heater.

He eventually worked in a changeup, but it was mainly the fastball on Sunday night. Thompson put down the Harbor Hawks in order three times, keeping them off-balance all night long. He rarely encountered trouble, but did find himself in a jam during the fifth, his last inning of work.

With a no-hitter through four, Thompson retired the first two hitters he faced. However, Tate (Georgia) picked up a two-out single before catcher Jaxon West (Florida State) slammed another single into right field, putting runners on the corners. The southpaw then induced a flyout to cement his outstanding start.

“Really establishing that fastball, just getting in that zone just to get the rollovers and popouts, just not solid contact today,” Thompson said. “I will say I couldn’t really establish the off-speed, slider or curveball that early. So I stayed with the fastball-changeup, kind of worked with that the entire game and honestly it paid off.”

A look ahead

With a victory and the Falmouth Commodores’ win over the Wareham Gatemen, Bourne’s cushion for the West Division’s final playoff spot remains at 2.5 games. After having off on Monday, the Braves will head east to visit the Harwich Mariners (10-20) for the final time this regular season on Tuesday.

Harwich’s probable starter is righty Olin Johnson (North Carolina), who started against Bourne at Doran Park on July 15. In that four-frame outing, Johnson struck out four and was responsible for five base runners, but didn’t allow a run. He has tossed 8 2/3 innings this summer, posting a 5.19 ERA and six punchouts across three appearances.

Bourne’s starter is to be determined. First pitch will be at 6:30 p.m.

Notes

1,551 fans attended Doran Park on Sunday… Meggers has recorded knocks in all four games he’s played on the Cape… Holcomb is tied for the fourth-most hits (30) in the CCBL… Conrad is tied for the fourth-most hits in July (20)... Bourne has the third-highest on-base percentage (.363) in the league during July… The Braves have struck out the second-most batters (290) and stolen the most bases (75) on the Cape.