BOURNE, Mass. — Bourne’s first shutout of the season almost dissolved before its eyes heartbreakingly.

With one out in the ninth and the Braves leading 6-0, outfielder Eric Snow (South Florida) knocked a grounder to third baseman Blake Barthol (Coastal Carolina), who made a throw that got away from first baseman Garrett Michel (Virginia Tech).

Beginning the wild sequence at first, catcher Dalton Bargo (Tennessee) attempted to come around and score, but Michel made the throw to righty Chase Meyer (West Virginia) at the plate for the second out.

That play was only a small positive from Bourne’s defense on Friday. The Braves (10-11-2) held the Harbor Hawks’ (13-9-1) offense, which leads the league in runs scored and on-base percentage, to only one hit in a dominant 6-0 win.

“We threw a lot of strikes, trusted our stuff, pounded the zone,” field manager Scott Landers said. “Those three guys have really good stuff, so when they’re in the zone that much, they’re tough to hit.”

Lefty Joe Ariola (Wake Forest) dished five scoreless innings of one-hit ball in his second start of the season, rebounding from a shaky performance on July 4 against Wareham. He had no trouble getting ahead of hitters, throwing nine first-pitch strikes, and finished his day punching out seven.

While he was dominating on the mound, Bourne’s offense began piling on the runs, starting in the second inning.

After designated hitter Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) singled for his seventh hit in the last three games, outfielder Tristan Bissetta (Clemson) demolished a 1-1 pitch for a 449-foot, two-run blast into right field — Bourne’s first home run at Doran Park this summer.

In the third, second baseman Cam Kozeal (Arkansas) ripped a two-out double down the right field line and was driven in by a single from outfielder Ethan Conrad (Wake Forest), extending his hitting streak to five games. Through three frames, Bourne led 3-0 but wasn’t content with a three-run lead.

The Braves stayed hot at the plate an inning later, and it’s no surprise that Holcomb was the catalyst. He started the inning by taking a pitch to the leg and activated the afterburners when outfielder Chris Stanfield (LSU) slammed a double into deep left field, crossing the dish from first base. Stanfield later came around to score thanks to a catcher Ben Hartl (Kansas) single.

Bourne’s final run of the night came in the sixth, also courtesy of Stanfield. After logging his second double in as many at-bats, he stole third and reached home on a balk. It capped off a nine-hit effort for the Braves, who now have 37 along with 30 runs in their last three games.

“The more we’ve been playing, the more we’ve started to come together as a team,” Stanfield said. “Just in the approach, before the game we talked about the pitcher and what to expect. And it’s just going out there right now, and it’s great to see.”

But on Friday, it was pitching that stole the show for Bourne. After Ariola’s start, right-hander Tyler Fay (Alabama) and Meyer shut down the Harbor Hawks, allowing just two walks and no hits in the final four frames.

Pivotal sequence

Ariola’s start was largely seamless, with one of the few blemishes in his outing coming in the second.

After striking out Bargo in three pitches, the rising junior plunked Snow. This placed Ariola in a somewhat precarious position, as things could’ve easily spiraled out of control from there, even with the bottom of the Hawks’ order coming up — Hyannis has the second-most hits in the Cape Cod Baseball League with runners on.

However, Ariola settled back in, retiring White on strikes. He then coaxed shortstop Anthony Silva (TCU) into an inning-ending flyout.

Hitter of the Game — Chris Stanfield

There’s no doubt Stanfield has been hitting the ball better recently, entering Friday’s contest with hits in his last four games. He extended that streak in style.

His first knock came in the bottom of the fourth — a hard-hit RBI double pulled into left field that concluded an eight-pitch at-bat. When Stanfield stepped into the batter’s box in the sixth, it was more of the same, as he lined a double into right field before stealing third and scoring on a balk.

Stanfield struck again in the eighth, singling to third base to cap off a 3-for-3 showing that saw him rack up five total bases.

“For me personally, I’ve just been sticking to my approach early,” Stanfield said. “I had to switch some things up and right now I’m feeling comfortable. Today, I wasn’t really trying to hit doubles, but it just kind of happens in baseball.”

Pitcher(s) of the Game

It wouldn’t be right to credit a single pitcher for Friday’s shutout, as each of the three arms Bourne threw contributed to its first shutout of the season.

Following Ariola’s seamless start, Fay entered the game in the sixth and provided much of the same dominance. He faced the minimum in his two innings on the mound and set the table for Meyer.

Meyer’s two innings weren’t as stress-free as Fay’s, with him walking two and plucking another Harbor Hawk. However, he got out of each jam he faced, and ended his outing with four strikeouts.

“[Ariola] came out and set the tone, threw pitches for strikes,” Stanfield said. “[He] gave it to [Fay], and he did his thing, and then ultimately, [Meyer] finished it off. Just a lot of guys getting ahead and that was great to see.”

A look ahead

Bourne’s win gives it a three-game lead over the fifth-place Falmouth Commodores, who lost 9-2 to the Wareham Gatemen. The Braves and Falmouth face each other on Saturday at Guv Fuller Field, with Bourne holding a 2-1 lead in the season series.

Left-hander Tucker Novotny (Minnesota) will get the start for the Braves in Falmouth. On Sunday against the Commodores, Novotny bounced back from a shaky first outing eight days prior, going four innings strong while allowing one earned run and fanning three. He owns a 5.14 season ERA with five punchouts in seven frames.

The Commodores are likely rolling with lefty Matthew Dallas (Tennessee) on Saturday. Dallas has started in both of his appearances this summer and has been lights out, refusing to allow a run in 9 1/3 innings while striking out six. His last appearance came on July 3, when he surrendered just two walks in six spotless frames of work.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Notes

Jeanne Flynn, a Bourne Braves host parent since 2000, threw out the first pitch on Friday… The families of Kozeal and shortstop Clay Grady (Virginia Tech) were at Doran Park for the Braves' win over Hyannis… Conrad (five games), Stanfield (five games) and Holcomb (three games) all extended their respective hitting streaks on Friday… Conrad is hitting .423 in seven home games this season. He’s also mashing against right-handed pitching, posting a .487 average and .615 slugging percentage… Conrad leads the league in stolen bases (10) in July… July has also been a good month for Bourne’s entire offense, which has the second-highest average (.271) and third-highest OPS (.764) on the Cape in 10 games… The Bravos also boast the third-best ERA (3.98), third-lowest WHIP (1.24) and most strikeouts (99) this month.