YARMOUTH, Mass. — Nolan Sparks’ (Boston College) reputation as a starting pitcher preceded him even before he pitched a single inning on the Cape this summer.

In last year’s postseason, Sparks started for Bourne in game two of the Western Division Finals against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks and didn’t give up a run in 4 1/3 innings. This past spring, he built on that success, posting a 2.25 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 60 innings for Rochester, enough to break his program’s all-time career strikeouts record.

Sparks looked like his old self in two innings of relief at Brewster a week from Sunday, fanning four without allowing a baserunner. He was far from perfect in his first start of the season, conceding two runs and walking five in 4.2 frames, but left the game with his team trailing 2-1, keeping it well within striking distance.

Bourne didn’t remain in the game for much longer, though, as Yarmouth-Dennis (6-2) scored seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take a commanding 8-1 lead that it didn’t relinquish. The Braves (2-5-1) simply didn’t have a response, as they were held to only four hits on the night and now have only seven knocks in their past two contests.

“I thought [Sparks] did well,” field manager Scott Landers said. “He came out when it was 2-1, he let up three hits. The walks were up, but it’s a tough day to pitch, [with the] short porch with the wind blowing 20 to 30 miles an hour out. He kept it in the park and he kept us there when we needed it, we just didn’t hit.”

The Red Sox didn’t take long to get on the board — in the second inning, infielder Wehiwa Aloy (Arkansas) took Sparks deep into center field for a solo shot with one out. However, the Boston College commit responded quickly, coaxing Yarmouth-Dennis into consecutive outs to end the frame.

While Bourne was held without a hit through the first two innings on Sunday, it worked some two-out magic to level the score at one during the third. Infielder Marek Houston (Wake Forest) drew a six-pitch walk and later stole second before infielder Jack Penney (Notre Dame) scored him with an RBI single. Even though two more Braves reached to load the bags, a Garrett Michel (Virginia Tech) groundout left all three on the bases, continuing a concerning trend.

“We have the hitters,” outfielder Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) said. “I feel like it’s still maybe [an] adjusting period with that bats and stuff. But we’re going to adjust, we have good hitters, we have the hitters to do it. So it’s not going to be a problem in my opinion, next few games I feel like we’re going to come out hot.”

Yarmouth-Dennis retook the lead in the fifth, as outfielder Drew Burress (Georgia Tech) drew a leadoff walk, advanced on a wild pitch, and stole third before crossing the dish via a groundout. An inning later, the Red Sox extended their lead again in a big way — a six-run rally punctuated by a grand slam from catcher Easton Carmichael (Oklahoma). Left-handed pitcher Justin LeGuernic (Clemson) allowed the first two runs and exited the game with runners on first and second before righty Miller Green (Vanderbilt) plucked outfielder Jake Brown (LSU) and allowed the homer into center.

“You’ve got to come out and throw strikes,” Landers said. “[LeGuernic] got us out of the [fifth] inning and then created a mess for himself… Overall, [Green] let up a fly ball home run, other than that he was great.”

Pivotal Sequence

Immediately after the Bravos left the bases loaded in the third, Yarmouth-Dennis created a prime opportunity to break the 1-1 tie by juicing the bases itself.

Catcher Brady Neal (LSU) kicked off the frame with a five-pitch walk, and after Sparks induced two consecutive outs — fanning one — Brown singled and stole second. Fellow catcher Easton Carmichael (Oklahoma) was then walked to put ducks on the pond for the Sox.

With his back against the wall, Sparks faced infielder Anthony Martinez (UC Irvine). The Colorado native caught Martinez swinging twice before missing high for ball one. However, Sparks then put a pitch high in the zone that the rising junior missed on, ending the inning.

“That was huge,” Landers said. “He got himself in the jam and took it upon himself to get us out of the jam. That’s what good pitchers do. At that point in time, it was huge.”

Hitter of the Game — Braden Holcomb

While he’s been one of Bourne’s best hitters on the stat sheet so far this season, Holcomb has faced a bit of adversity of late as he was held without a knock in his last three games entering Sunday. He bounced back against the Red Sox, though, going 2-for-4.

Holcomb’s first hit came with one out in the sixth inning when he knocked a pop-up that Martinez couldn’t reach in time at first base. He was promptly forced out at second when Michel grounded into a fielder’s choice.

The Florida native struck again in the eighth. Holcomb hit a ground ball to second baseman Phoenix Call (UCLA) and beat out the throw to first. He again wasn’t brought around to score, but Holcomb making solid contact is an encouraging sign for an important part of Bourne’s lineup.

“I’ve been working, I’m seeing the ball well, it’s not really anything I’m chasing right now,” Holcomb said. “It’s more of just really waiting back on the off-speed, and I’m still working on it, and just letting it get deep and driving. So it’s more of that because I get a lot of spin, so really just trying to wait back and drive the pitch.”

Pitcher of the Game — Nolan Sparks

Sparks’ start on Sunday wasn’t flawless, but it was certainly a solid performance that can be built on.

He kept the Red Sox offense at bay in the first, working a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. Aside from the solo shot relinquished in the second, Sparks had no issue, picking up another punchout and needing only 22 pitches to navigate the two frames.

Walks became a slight issue as his start rolled on, and he finished with five. 52 of his 88 pitches landed inside the zone, and Sparks finished with six strikeouts on the night while only allowing two earned runs.

“He looks great,” Holcomb said of Sparks. “I like how he was pounding the zone, getting ahead of hitters. Obviously, he fell into a couple of jams… I thought his stuff was great, I loved the way he was attacking hitters and getting ahead.”

A Look Ahead

With its second straight loss, Bourne sits in the Cape Cod League West Division’s fourth spot, ahead of the Falmouth Commodores and behind the Cotuit Ketteleers. The Braves head to Hyannis tomorrow to face the Harbor Hawks, who fell to second in the West after losing to the Wareham Gatemen. Bourne and Hyannis battled to a 6-6 tie in 10 innings four days ago.

Yarmouth-Dennis keeps rolling with their second straight win and is at the top of the East Division with a 6-2 record. It will visit the Brewster Whitecaps, the fourth-ranked team in the East, tomorrow evening.

Landers will give the start in Hyannis to Donovan Zsak (Rutgers). The lefty started at the Chatham Anglers on June 17 and accumulated eight strikeouts in 3.1 innings but struggled with command, issuing five walks and conceding two earned runs.

Right-handed pitcher Ryan Dromboski (Pennsylvania) is tomorrow’s probable starter for the Hawks. The New Jersey native struck out 71 and posted a 7.57 ERA through 63 innings for the Quakers in 2024. So far this summer, Dromboski has started in one game against Chatham on June 18 and tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings, taking responsibility for five baserunners and fanning four.

First pitch in Hyannis is slated for 6 p.m. ET.

Notes

Holcomb is tied for third in the Cape Cod Baseball League in hits with 10… Houston boasts the fifth-highest average (.391) and second-highest on-base percentage (.548) in the CCBL. He’s also fourth in the league in walks drawn (8)... Even though he didn’t pitch on Sunday, lefty Connor Wietgrefe (Minnesota) is tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 12… Bourne has the second-most stolen bases in the CCBL with 14… The Braves’ 84 strikeouts on the season are the second-best on the Cape.