CHATHAM, Mass. — Donovan Zsak’s outing against Chatham didn’t begin the way he had hoped.
The Braves' left-handed starter out of Rutgers had issues with command out of the gate, walking two of the first three Chatham hitters he faced. Then a shift occurred.
After the second walk he issued, Zsak quickly settled in and fanned the next two Anglers that stepped into the batter’s box, escaping the first inning without any damage. Those two strikeouts were the first of eight he tossed on the night, the most by any single pitcher so far this season, which highlighted his prowess in 3 1/3 no-hit innings on the bump.
But baseball can be a strange game, and Monday, that held true. Bourne held the Anglers without a hit until the sixth inning but had given up two runs — both via walks. That was all Chatham (2-1) needed, as it kept the Braves (1-2) off the scoreboard the rest of the way and cruised to a 5-1 victory.
Bourne struck out 19 batters in the contest but also issued 14 free passes.
“That was the most boring game I’ve been a part of,” head coach Scott Landers said. “I think we walked 10, hit four and struck out 19, so there [weren’t] too many balls in play. We gave up two runs on no hits to start, and then we had another walk and a home run, so we’re down 4-1 with two hits on the board. We’ve got to clean that up, get rid of the freebies and just play baseball.”
Despite logging three hits in the first two innings, Bourne didn’t scrape a run across until the third. Outfielder Davis Gillespie (Southern Mississippi) led off the frame with a double into the right field gap and scored with two outs courtesy of a single from Marek Houston (Wake Forest).
Zsak began to have trouble finding the zone in the fourth and was pulled from the game after walking two Anglers with one out. Right-hander Brayden Risedorph (Indiana), who succeeded Bourne’s starter, walked another batter before plunking outfielder John Bay (Austin Peay) with the bases loaded to bring in a run. Chatham took the lead during the next at-bat when outfielder Austin Overn (USC) drew a walk. Both runs were charged to Zsak.
The Anglers struck again in the sixth with lefty Zach Crotchfelt (Auburn) on the mound, this time on a two-run blast that Bay deposited into center field. His homer represented his team’s first hit of the night.
Bourne didn’t muster another hit until the eighth inning, when Houston picked up his third knock of the night. But Chatham made use of its half of the frame, loading the bases again before lefty Beau Bryans (Jones College) walked infielder Landon Stripling to make the score 5-1.
“We hit [the ball],” Houston said. “We hit it pretty good. We just didn’t get it done with runners in scoring position. We gave up too many free passes, which happens, but we’ve just got to come back tomorrow and give it to them.”
The strikeout numbers were there — Risedorph, Crotchfelt, and Bryans combined for 11 Ks. And Chatham was held to just two hits on the night. But a mix of free passes and a lack of timely hitting cost Bourne the game.
“Just get it tomorrow,” Houston said. “Focus on tomorrow. We’ve got to pick up our intensity and focus and play more as a team, and just win.”
Pivotal sequence
Following a shaky first inning on the bump in the fourth, Risedorph put together a much stronger performance during the fifth frame. The righty kicked it off by striking out designated hitter Jayden Davis (Vanderbilt) and catcher Ike Irish (Auburn), catching them both swinging.
However, Risedorph received some help from catcher Caden Bodine (Coastal Carolina) and Houston. Infielder Aiva Arquette (Washington), who was plunked, attempted to steal second, but Bodine and Houston combined to gun him down at second for the third out of the inning.
Hitter of the game: Marek Houston
Houston was the largest bright spot for Bourne in Monday’s loss, going 3-for-4 and driving in the Braves’ only run of the night with his RBI single in the third. He would’ve had another RBI knock in the first inning with no outs, but outfielder Chris Stanfield (Auburn) was thrown out at home attempting to score from second.
The rising junior posted a productive season with the Demon Deacons, hitting .326 with 39 RBI and a .949 OPS. Now, Houston has parlayed that success into a strong start to the summer, as he has four hits in his first two games with the Braves.
“I’ll say that I’ve been getting to two strikes quite a bit,” Houston said. “And I just kind of go in there with two strikes trying to put a ball in play, see it deep. And it’s working right now, but I’m trying to look to get some hits early in the count.”
Pitcher of the game: Brayden Risedorph
Risedorph did an outstanding job of limiting the damage against Chatham, especially considering the circumstances he inherited. Entering the game in relief of Zsak in the fourth, he needed to get two outs with runners on first and second.
Initially, things seemed to get worse. Risedorph walked infielder Kyle Lodise (Augusta) before hitting Bay to bring in a run. Another walk two batters later gave Chatham the lead, but both runs were credited to Zsak. Risedorph then caught outfielder Will Gasparino (Texas) swinging for his second strikeout of the day.
Risedorph picked up two more punch outs, bringing his total on the night to four. He ended his outing with Bodine and Houston catching Arquette attempting to steal second.
A look ahead
Monday’s defeat at Chatham moves the Braves’ record to 1-2. Bourne currently occupies the third spot in the Western Division and plays another Eastern Division opponent tomorrow, when its three-game road trip concludes with a contest against the Harwich Mariners (2-1).
Chatham’s second win of the season places it in a three-way tie for first place in the Eastern Division, with an interdivision matchup at Hyannis on the horizon. Sporting a 3-0 record, the Harbor Hawks are in sole possession of first place in the Western Division and are the only Cape Cod Baseball League squad that is still undefeated.
The Braves’ probable starter for tomorrow’s tilt against Harwich is right-hander Matt McShane (St. Joseph’s), who pitched to a 3.95 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 57 strikeouts as a reliever in 2024. Last summer, the then-rising junior was a valuable weapon for Bourne out of the bullpen and represented the organization in the 2023 All-Star Game.
All signs point to McShane facing Mariners southpaw Jack Bowery (Northeastern) at Whitehouse Field. In 2024, Bowery was solid through 52 2/3 innings on the mound, accruing a 4.96 ERA and striking out 39 while only walking 12.
First pitch in Harwich is at 6:30 p.m.
Notes
With two hits on Monday, Braden Holcomb extended his hitting streak to three games. He is now 7-for-13 (.538) and still leads the Cape League in hits… Houston now has logged hits in consecutive games with a 3-for-4 night Monday… Bourne still leads the league in hits with 30, three more than Hyannis… The Braves are also tied for the league lead for doubles (5)... Bourne has the second-most stolen bases in the league with seven… With 19 combined strikeouts against the Anglers, the Braves are now tied for the most strikeouts in the CCBL with 39... Bourne now has four two-out RBI, contributed by Bodine (2), catcher Matthew Graveline (Ohio State) and Houston.
