BOURNE, Mass. — The Braves took a 3-2 lead in the third, and for the first time in five games, they escaped with it.

It was an all-around effort from the Braves that snapped their five-game losing streak, putting forth a complete effort on Wednesday to knock off the Orleans Firebirds, 7-3.

“I thought we had a good start,” field manager Scott Landers said. “We finally got a guy into the fifth inning, and we played good defense and got some timely hits and manufactured some runs.”

The Firebirds got off to an early lead, as Elijah Ickes (Hawaii) doubled, then scored off an RBI single by Robbie Lavey (George Washington) past the diving effort of Ryker Waite (Vanderbilt) on the shortstop side of second base to make it a 1-0 game.

Bourne answered right back in the bottom of the inning, as Kade Lewis (Wake Forest) hit a ball that cleared the left field fence with two outs to tie the score at 1-1.

It was a third straight half inning with a score, and second with a solo shot, as an Alejandro Garza (Cal Poly) home run gave the Firebirds a 2-1 lead.

The Braves took the lead in the third and never looked back, starting with a first-pitch single from Nick Groves (Illinois). He advanced to third on a fielding error by Abrrie Covarubias (USC) on a hard-hit ball from Waite.

Groves scored on an RBI groundout from Lewis, and then Waite cashed in on a one-base knock from Kuhio Aloy (Arkansas) to make the score 3-2.

“We just got to hang in there and do what they're supposed to do,” Landers said. “Don't get into a lull, just come to the ballpark and grind every day and don't make excuses for failures and just get better. And I think we did that.”

Bourne tacked on another in the fifth, as Groves started the inning with a leadoff single, scoring shortly after on a RBI single from Waite, having the scoreboard read 4-2.

Two more scored for the Braves in the sixth, starting with a Jon LeGrande (St. John’s) leadoff single. He advanced to second on a Gavin Kelly (West Virginia) single and scored on a Campbell Smithwick (Oklahoma State) groundout. Kelly scored shortly after on an RBI single from Waite, to extend the lead to 6-2.

Orleans came right back in the seventh, as Javar Williams (Wake Forest) was hit by a pitch and stole second. An RBI single from Ickes scored Williams, cutting the deficit to 6-3.

Waite continued his hot day in the eighth. After he was hit by a pitch, he stole second, stole third, and then trotted across home plate on a wild pitch to make the score 7-3.

>> ALSO SEE: Kade Lewis providing Bourne a dangerous presence at the plate

For the first time since June 24, the Braves came out victorious after Jonathan Stevens (UAB) escaped the ninth with no runs given up.

“It feels good,” Landers said. “We haven't been there in a while, so hopefully we can get the wheels rolling in the right direction. Tonight was the start.”

Bourne Braves Player of the Game

Ryker Waite went 2-for-4 from the plate with a hit by a pitch, stealing a pair of bases to go along with two RBIs.

Key moment

The Braves took a 3-2 lead in the third and never looked back. It addressed the issue of not having to play from behind and sparked enough momentum to keep the bats rolling instead of having to heat up later in the game.

A look ahead

Bourne (5-10-1, 11 points) will stay at Doran Park for a second consecutive home matchup to face the Wareham Gatemen (6-9, 12 points) on Thursday. This will be the first time the squads face this year, with the Gatemen coming off a 6-5 loss against the Harwich Mariners in 10 innings of play.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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