BOURNE, Mass. — As he crossed the dish and embraced designated hitter Chase Meggers (Oregon) and first baseman Garrett Michel (Virginia Tech), outfielder Tristan Bissetta (Clemson) couldn’t help but crack a smile.
His three-run shot gave the Bourne Braves a 4-0 first-inning lead over the Falmouth Commodores in a pivotal game. With only four contests remaining after Thursday, a win meant they would clinch a spot in this year’s playoffs. Given Bourne’s recent history, making the big dance simply means more.
Since 2009, the Braves have missed the postseason only once and have taken home all three of their Cape Cod League Championships during that span. This success didn’t end once Scott Landers became the team’s field manager in 2022, as he’s coached playoff baseball in each of his first two seasons with the team.
While rosters change from year to year, Bourne’s expectation of routinely playing beyond the regular season has remained the same.
The Braves (18-16-2) met that standard and secured their fifth straight playoff berth on Thursday, building a 10-0 lead after four innings and cruising to an 11-4 win over Falmouth (14-21-1).
“[It] feels good,” Landers said. “[We] got that off our backs now. We’ve got to keep moving forward, we’re playing pretty good baseball right now.”
Bourne’s offense picked up right where it left off in the second frame, with second baseman Blake Barthol (Coastal Carolina), outfielder Ethan Conrad (Wake Forest) and shortstop Marek Houston (Wake Forest) loaded the bases with no outs, chasing Falmouth starter Parker Coil (Arkansas) from the game in the process.
Third baseman Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt), Meggers and Michel all took advantage of the opportunity, each driving in a run via a walk, groundout and sacrifice fly respectively. Before Bourne finished two full innings on the mound, it was already ahead by seven.
“We come out swinging hard and it just puts a cushion on our pitchers,” Conrad said. “They can just go throw strikes… We’re behind them for that. We played good defense, and it’s huge to come out and put up some runs early.”
During the third, outfielder Mason Neville (Oregon) singled and Barthol walked to put runners on first and second. Conrad didn’t let that opportunity go to waste, lining an RBI double into left field that scored Neville. Bourne tacked on another run in the inning before outfielder Isaiah Jackson (Arizona State) gave the Braves double-digit runs with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
A steady arm for the Braves across his nine appearances and three starts this summer, right-hander Tyer Fay (Alabama) was his old self on Thursday. Through five spotless frames, Fay pounded the zone, as 42 of his 68 pitches went for strikes. He only struck out three but had no issues with control, finishing with no walks.
“He did what he usually does,” Landers said. “He gets quick outs, ground balls. We have to make plays behind him and he did a really good job eliminating them to base runners… He pounded the strike zone and got easy outs.”
After right-hander Jackson Mitchell (Binghamton) pitched a scoreless sixth, southpaw Cam Nelson (Wake Forest) struggled with command, walking two, plucking two batters and throwing two wild pitches. He allowed two earned runs and picked up a strikeout in an inning of work.
Lefty Justin West (Louisville) entered the game in the eighth and conceded two runs — both unearned — but there was never any doubt, as he put the finishing touches on a decisive Braves victory.
Hitter of the Game — Ethan Conrad
Conrad has been a focal point in Bourne’s lineup for the majority of the season. His .386 average is the highest in the CCBL among qualified hitters and he entered Thursday on a nine-game hitting streak.
It didn’t take long for him to extend that run to ten contests, as he led off the bottom of the first with a single he lined into left field, and was later brought around to score. An inning later he slapped another liner into left field for a single.
With two runners on in the third, Conrad lined a low 3-2 pitch into left field again — this time resulting in a double that drove in Neville and increased Bourne’s lead to 8-0. That was his final at-bat of the night, with Jackson replacing him in center field.
“[I’m] attacking the zone, trying to get a pitch over the heart of the plate and put a good swing on it,” Conrad said. “I think I made some adjustments on my pitch selection, and I think that’s what worked well tonight.”
A Look Ahead
With a playoff berth secured, Bourne will now set its sights on Friday’s visit to Hyannis, who currently holds the second spot in the West Division and is 15-3 at McKeon Park this summer. The Braves are currently 1.5 games out of third place in the West with one game in hand on the incumbent Gatemen.
It’ll likely be lefty Joe Ariola (Wake Forest) as Bourne’s starter against the Harbor Hawks. This summer, he has a 6 ERA and 24 strikeouts across 18 innings and seven appearances, four of which came in relief. Ariola’s last outing in Wareham on July 20 was a forgettable one. He was charged with four earned runs and nine baserunners despite fanning six in four frames.
Hyannis’ starter is to be determined. First pitch will be at 6 p.m.
Notes
1,112 fans attended Doran Park for Bourne’s postseason-clinching victory... The Braves welcomed the families of infielder Camden Kozeal, JD Thompson (Vanderbilt) and lefty Jonathan Stevens (Alabama) on Thursday… With a 3-for-3 night, Conrad extended his hitting streak to 10 games… Houston also prolonged his on-base streak, which is now 13 contests… With a double on Thursday, Meggers has recorded at least one knock in all eight games he’s appeared in this summer… Fay now has the 10th-best ERA (3.16) in the CCBL… Bourne has drawn the second-most walks (185) and struck out the second-most batters (363) in the league… Holcomb has drawn the most walks (9) among qualified hitters in the Cape Cod Baseball League on Thursdays.
