Bourne drops third in a row, loses to Cotuit, 6-4

COTUIT, Mass. — Folger Boaz (North Carolina) made his debut for the Braves on the mound — he couldn’t get out of the first inning.

When the Braves play a complete game, the result has typically been in their favor, but when they lose, the issue has been falling behind early.

Bourne went down 4-0 after the first inning, 6-0 after the second, and couldn’t get the bats going till late, dropping its third game in a row, 6-4 to the Cotuit Kettleers in eight innings Saturday.

Cotuit got the party started in the first by immediately loading the bases, with a Jarren Advincula bloop single followed by a Dean West (UCLA) single and a Ryne Farber (Texas State) single. Jack Natali (Cincinnati) ripped an RBI single off the ankle of Boaz at the pitcher’s mound, scoring Advincula. West scored on a fielding error by Weber Neels (Minnesota) behind the plate.

Andrew Wiggins (Indiana) walked, then another free pass by Camden Johnson (Wichita State) scored another. The lead after the frame was 4-0 after a double play hit by Anderson French (Virginia Tech) scored another run.

The Kettleers tacked on two more in the second, as Advincula doubled, then stole third and scored after an RBI single by Farber. Natali reached first on a fielder’s choice and went to third after a pair of wild pitches by Logan Beavis (Texas Tech). An RBI bunt single by Johnson increased the lead to 6-0.

Bourne saw life in the fourth, starting with a Logan Hughes (Texas Tech) walk and then a Gavin Kelly (West Virginia) single. After a Campbell Smithwick (Oklahoma State) single loaded the bases, Bourne scored its first of the contest on a Jacob Krieg (Oregon State) RBI single. A Jon LeGrande (St. John’s) RBI sacrifice fly would have the Braves trailing 6-2 after the frame.

Gavin Kelly (7) rounds the bases during the Braves' matchup against Cotuit at Lowell Park on Saturday June, 28, 2025 in Cotuit, Ma. Bourne lost to the Kettleers 6-4.|Art or Photo Credit: Isabel Swindall

The Braves continued their methodical approach, scoring two more in the next three innings.

Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) doubled in the fifth, then scored on a one-base knock from Hughes. In the seventh, Ryker Waite (Vanderbilt) ripped his second hit of the day for a leadoff triple and scored after a Kade Lewis (Wake Forest) sacrifice fly to make the score 6-4.

The game ended after the top of the eighth due to darkness, finalizing the 6-4 score.

Bourne Braves Player of the Game

Hughes didn’t do anything flashy, but he was a productive presence at the plate, going 1-for-3 with an RBI double, run and a walk.

Key moment

Mitigating the big innings has been a struggle for the Braves in 2025, and it happened again Saturday as the first inning concluded with Bourne trailing 4-0.

A look ahead

Bourne (4-7-1, 9 points) will return to Doran Park on Sunday to face the Harwich Mariners (5-6-1, 11 points). The last time the two squads met was on Opening Day, with the Mariners coming out victorious with a 7-5 win.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.