BOURNE, Mass. — Falmouth had fallen into a ditch. Nine games in, it sat at 3-6, having lost three in a row.

In that stretch, the Commodores had numerous issues. Sometimes, they couldn’t seem to hit a beach ball. Other times, like Wednesday’s loss to Hyannis, they failed to produce with runners in scoring position. Falmouth’s starting pitching didn’t do itself any favors, allowing nine runs over the three losses.

Still, Commodores manager Jarrod Saltalamacchia said Tuesday the season wasn’t lost yet. But the ‘Dores needed to start winning soon.

Falmouth took the first step forward Wednesday at Bourne. The Commodores (4-6) handily defeated the Braves (4-5-1) 5-3, snapping their three-game skid. After producing eight hits Tuesday but failing to drive runners in, Falmouth turned seven hits into five runs Wednesday, powering it to victory.

“It feels like just nothing's been going our way, so it was good to finally have some things go our way and get the win and hopefully get us on a roll,” infielder Justin Osterhouse said.

Wednesday’s contest also marked Saltalamacchia’s return to Bourne. The ‘Dores’ skipper was an assistant with the Braves for the last three seasons, helping them win back-to-back championships from 2022-23.

His return to Doran Park was one to remember. Saltalamacchia’s squad took advantage of Bourne’s subpar pitching staff, which entered with the worst ERA (4.56) in the Cape Cod Baseball League. It was the remedy the ‘Dores needed.

Still, Falmouth took time to heat up Wednesday. Adrian Lopez singled and Bear Harrison walked in the first, but Bourne’s Matt Shorey (Vanderbilt) escaped after a Kyle Morrison first-pitch groundout.

On the mound, Falmouth’s rotation reset for the third time. Kaden Echeman (Kentucky) made his third start for the ‘Dores after allowing two runs over his first two.

He was again phenomenal. But he had one blip in the first.

After battling the CCBL’s No. 1 offense Tuesday in Hyannis, Echeman faced another strong unit Wednesday. Bourne entered third in the league in batting average, OPS and OBP. Though he looked in control early, Echeman’s defense let him down. With Jon LeGrande at second, the St. John’s product sped all the way home on a wild pitch that kicked far away from Harrison behind the dish.

The Commodores desperately needed to respond. They again created traffic on the bases. This time, Falmouth took advantage. As usual, the surge was powered by Maryland’s Antonio Morales. After reaching base five times on Tuesday, he lined a single up the middle to score Mark Quatrani and knot the score 1-1.

Following a wacky start, both pitchers settled in. An early slugfest briefly became a pitcher’s duel.

Echeman posted a 1-2-3 second inning after winning a nine-pitch battle with Ryan Cooney. In the third, he flashed his strikeout stuff, retiring Nick Groves and LeGrande to up his total to four. He ended his day with another quick fourth inning. Osterhouse (Purdue Fort Wayne) said after previously facing Echeman on Northern Kentucky, he wasn’t surprised with his third straight stellar outing.

“ I know what he's capable of,” Osterhouse said. “To watch him come out here and just do that, it's really fun, especially to play defense behind that, 'cause there's zero doubt that he's gonna pound the zone.”

The problem? Shorey did the same. He shook off a hit by pitch of Harrison in the third, fanning Morrison and inducing a Kent Schmidt groundout. The fourth followed the same blueprint. Osterhouse notched his second hit. But Morales promptly grounded out.

The Braves went to their bullpen after Shorey’s strong finish, subbing in NC State’s Derrick Smith. And with Smith allowing three runs in his first two outings, that opened the floodgates.

With Lopez on second, Maika Niu added to his league-high three homers by drilling a triple into right-center to give Falmouth its first lead of the day. Harrison added on by lining an RBI single off Smith’s leg. Despite the struggles, Bourne manager Scott Landers left Smith in.

The decision ended up being the difference. Schmidt (Georgia Tech) broke the game wide open by lacing a two-run double down the right field line, making the game 5-1.

“We just had a better approach overall,” Schmidt said of the offensive burst. “Didn't get too big with runners in scoring position like we have the last couple of games. We've been hitting the ball hard right at people, and some started falling today.”

The ‘Dores’ bullpen just needed to hold the lead. First, it was up to Easton Barrett (Arizona State) to do so. After a one-run, four-inning appearance last time versus Orleans, Barrett kept going strong. He continued Falmouth’s momentum by fanning Smithwick and Jacob Krieg in a 1-2-3 fifth, then working around two walks in the sixth.

Meanwhile, Bourne relievers Louis Marinaro and Jonathan Stevens kept the Commodores’ lead to four. That allowed the Braves back in the game.

LSU’s Deven Sheerin entered for Barrett in the seventh. But it seemed like he was throwing darts blindfolded. He walked three straight hitters, loading the bases with no outs. Joe Sabbath (Rhode Island) tried to clean up his mess, and despite striking out the side, he also allowed a two-run single to LeGrande.

The knock gave Falmouth a razor thin margin of error. But it wasn’t fazed. Sabbath loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, and Robby Porco (West Virginia), in his first appearance with the ‘Dores, fanned Cooney to keep Falmouth ahead.

That was Bourne’s last chance. Porco cleaned up in the ninth, too, sealing Falmouth’s first win in five days.

Falmouth needed a pick-me-up on Wednesday. And that’s exactly what it got. The ‘Dores’ offense came alive while their pitching stayed steady, allowing them to turn the tide and get back in the win column.

Noah Nussbaum is the beat reporter for the Falmouth Commodores. You can read all of his articles on the Commodores here.