BOURNE, Mass. — Monday’s game felt like one the Bourne Braves needed to have.

Playing their third straight contest at Doran Park, Bourne looked to bounce back from a sluggish loss on Sunday and had a golden opportunity to do so. It hosted the Harwich Mariners, who had lost nine straight and were a dismal 1-10 in July, also posting the highest ERA in the league.

Instead, the Braves (10-13-2) managed one run and failed to overcome an early deficit, as they fell to the Mariners (10-15) by a score of 4-1.

“I didn’t think we played with any intention or desire to win,” field manager Scott Landers said. “We got down and early, and we didn’t do anything to win the game.”

Designated hitter Cade Kurland (Florida), the second hitter of the game, took Braves starter Cameron Padgett (North Carolina) deep into left-center field for a solo shot that broke the scoreless tie. The Mariners struck again in the second frame, as catcher Cam Maldonado (Northeastern) singled and was brought home thanks to a balk and two productive groundouts.

Padgett got ahead of counts throughout his three-inning start and didn’t have trouble finding the zone, with 42 of his 69 pitches going for strikes, but Harwich simply connected on his pitches. To start the third inning — his last full frame of work — he surrendered a leadoff homer to third baseman Jake Ogden (Miami), increasing the Mariners’ lead to 3-0.

Harwich didn’t stop there, though, as second baseman Daniel Dickinson (Utah Valley) singled before stealing second and third. He was later moved across the dish thanks to an RBI groundout by shortstop Ryan Weingartner (St. Joseph’s).

While the Mariners jumped ahead early, Bourne’s bullpen refused to allow them to run up the score. After right-hander Packy Bradley-Cooney (Alabama) tossed 2 2/3 frames of scoreless ball, righty Jackson Mitchell (Binghamton) and southpaw Justin LeGuernic (Clemson) combined to allow only three base runners in the final two innings.

“They pitched great, threw strikes,” Landers said. “Especially with their off-speed stuff until [LeGuernic] at the end, he went with his heater. This is the first time I’ve seen [Bradley-Cooney and Mitchell] in a Bourne uniform, so it was good to see.”

Down to their final three outs, the Braves had a chance to break the shutout and score their first run in 16 innings. First baseman Garrett Michel (Virginia Tech) lined a ground-rule double into left field, and a groundout and sacrifice fly from second baseman Blake Barthol (Coastal Carolina) drove him in.

Aside from that run, it was another stagnant day for Bourne’s offense. While they recorded six hits, they couldn’t cash in with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-8.

“I would say we’ve been hitting the ball pretty good,” third baseman Marek Houston (Wake Forest) said. “It’s just those key hits, those runners in scoring position hits, and we’re missing that right now. But if you look at the scoreboard, we had [six] hits today, [we’re] just not getting it done with runners in scoring position.”

Pivotal sequence

Padgett’s first two innings didn’t go as planned, as he allowed a run in each. The North Carolina native almost experienced a similar fate in the third.

After walking outfielder Vince Fattore (Elon), Padgett induced a pop-up to Barthol to get his first out of the inning. However, Kurland and outfielder Matt Scannell (Wake Forest) then strung together consecutive singles to load the bases.

At that point, any hard contact would have increased Harwich’s lead to 3-0. Outfielder Macon Winslow (Duke) indeed connected on a 1-2 pitch but lined it directly to shortstop Clay Grady (Virginia Tech), who leaped up and made the snag.

Padgett then coaxed Maldonado into a flyout, stranding the bases loaded to end the top of the third.

Hitter of the Game — Marek Houston

In the five games since returning from Team USA, Houston hasn’t skipped a beat, hitting .316 with three walks and two RBI. His performance on Monday only helped those numbers.

He went 3-for-4 with one strikeout despite not being brought around to score any runs. Houston led off the bottom of the first with a line drive into center field. After striking out in the third, he lined another single into center field two innings later for his second knock of the night.

Houston’s last at-bat of the night came in the seventh, when he slammed a grounder and beat out the throw to first for an infield single.

“I just went out there and tried to be more confident than usual,” Houston said. “Looking for a fastball and maybe a hanging changeup. I was feeling good today, put the bat on the ball, and I’m hoping to keep that going.”

Pitcher of the Game — Packy Bradley-Cooney

Making his Braves debut on Monday, Bradley-Cooney didn’t disappoint, as he tossed 2 2/3 scoreless frames and was only responsible for two base runners.

He entered the game with runners on first and second, but that quickly changed when Dickinson and Fattore executed a double steal. While he coaxed a groundout that scored Harwich’s fourth run of the night — charged to Padgett — he also induced a lineout to prevent any further damage.

After allowing a leadoff single in the fifth, Bradley-Cooney struck out Winslow, teamed up with catcher Adonys Guzman to catch Scannell stealing and forced Maldonado into a groundout, holding the Mariners scoreless. He put up another zero in the sixth to wrap up a promising outing.

“He threw a slider for strikes and he competed,” Landers said. “He knew what plan he wanted to attack them with.”

A look ahead

Since Falmouth didn’t play on Monday, Bourne’s loss keeps it three games ahead of the last-place Commodores. After an off day on Tuesday, the Braves will head east to visit the Chatham Anglers, who are second in the East Division with a 13-11 record.

The probable starter for Harwich on Wednesday is right-hander Jacob Weaver (Austin Peay), who has a 5.79 ERA and seven strikeouts over four starts. His last outing came on July 10 against Chatham, where he struck out three and allowed two runs in five innings.

Bourne’s starter on Wednesday is to be determined. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. at Veterans Field.

Notes

The families of infielder Nick Wang (Boston College), lefty Tucker Novotny (Minnesota) and Padgett took in Bourne’s loss to Harwich… 1,914 fans attended Doran Park on Monday… Recording a double on Monday, infielder Camden Kozeal (Arkansas) leads the league in doubles with nine and is now on a four-game hitting streak… Outfielder Ethan Conrad (Wake Forest) has the highest average in the CCBL, hitting .387… Lefty JD Thompson (Vanderbilt) has the third-most strikeouts on the Cape during the month of July.