CHATHAM, Mass. — After the 1-2 pitch from Quinn Holt in the fifth inning, a brief pause of silence hung in the air at Veterans Field.

It was a delayed call from Joe Caraco behind the plate, but he lifted his arms to indicate the Holt had struck out the side in the frame, prompting him to saunter off the mound and stick his tongue out in celebration on the way to the dugout.

It was that kind of day for Holt. He had everything working for him. In a seven-game stretch where pitching for Bourne had its highs and lows, Holt was the highest of the highs.

"For sure felt really good coming off of the tough game the other day," Holt said. "It's good to bounce back and have a good game. I felt really good about that performance."

Bouncing back is the name of the game, and that's exactly what Holt did. His first outing as a Brave came against the Harwich Mariners on Wednesday — it didn't go the way he would've liked.

Holt was able to record just one out, giving up four hits and three runs in his first time suiting up in a Bourne uniform.

"I think the best thing to do is just dumping it," Holt said. "Whatever happened, happened. You have to move on. That's really the only way to succeed in this game — short-term memory."

So he forgot all about the sluggish start just five days prior, and came back a different pitcher on Sunday against the Chatham Anglers in the 6-1 win for the Braves. Holt tossed five shutout innings, where he picked up seven strikeouts and didn't record any walks, allowing just three hits on the way to picking up the win.

It didn't matter what he threw in his four-pitch arsenal. Fastball. Slider. Cutter. Splitter. Everything was humming.

"Quinn played outstanding. He kept us in that game. I didn't know what to expect," field manager Scott Landers said. "He's been throwing. We knew he had the pitches in him. He threw strikes. He kept us in there and kept them off-balance."

The matchup being at Veterans Field gave Holt a sense of familiarity, having pitched in two games for Chatham last summer. He finished his career as an Angler giving up eight runs in his eight innings pitched, but his performance against his old squad resulted in a better showing.

"I know some host families out here, some of the players, so it's cool to be playing here again," Holt said. "I spent a decent amount of time here, so just seeing all them playing on this field again is pretty cool."

In a sport with things constantly changing, a consistent for Holt has been playing summer ball. The thing that constantly changes however, is where he is. Since 2022 up to now with the Braves, he's been on a total of seven different teams across four different leagues, having also pitched for the Wareham Gatemen in addition to stints with Chatham and Bourne.

It's about the journey and not the destination. That's what the case has been for Holt. The experiences he's had in summer ball have shaped him into the player he is today.

"It's awesome going out there and being able to fine tune everything that didn't work out through the season," Holt said. "It's awesome getting the live reps every day. It's definitely been very beneficial."

Holt is entering a new chapter in his baseball story, heading to Utah Valley after transferring from Keystone this past offseason. He's hoping to build off of a strong summer on the Cape and carry it over into next year.

In the meantime, he showcased what he's capable of after a tough initial outing. It's the final stretch of the year with playoff implications on the line, and Holt's ready to prove what he's made of.

"If your stuff's not working, you're obviously not going to succeed here, so you really have to kind of be on your A-game every day," Holt said.