BOURNE, Mass. — After a two-day break due to weather, the Bourne Braves were back in action and took care of business on Wednesday night in their 9-2 victory over the Chatham Anglers.
The Bravos’ win was powered by two big innings at the plate and another strong outing from the Bourne pitching staff. LHP Will Whelan (South Carolina) made his last start for the Braves on the mound in the win, throwing five innings where he allowed four hits and one earned run.
“Me and Burke had a good conversation in the dugout about utilizing the first strike,” said Whelan. “I was really prioritizing getting into a 0-1 count so that I could use any pitch.”
“He battled through tonight,” said Field Manager Scott Landers about his starter. “He didn’t have his offspeed stuff tonight, I didn’t think, but he grinded and got us through the fifth.”
The only run that Whelan allowed came on an odd play in the second inning. With runners on first and third, Whelan picked off the runner on first and started a rundown. However, a throw towards second base during the rundown hit the runner’s helmet and bounced awry. By the time the Braves picked the ball up, Chatham’s runner from third had crossed the plate for the game’s first run.
The Anglers maintained their 1-0 lead until the bottom of the sixth. Following a leadoff walk that sent CF Matt Bolton (Binghamton) to first, 2B Rustan Rigdon (Vanderbilt) sent a sharp line drive back at the pitcher. After it bounced off him, Chatham’s Mikey Ragusa (NC State) picked the ball up but made a low throw to first. The ball went down the right field line, allowing Bolton to score from first and Rigdon to reach third.
After tying the game, the Braves weren’t done in the sixth. 3B Trent Caraway (Miami) reached first on a hit-by-pitch in the next at-bat, and a ground ball up the middle allowed Rigdon to score from third and give Bourne the lead. RF Luke Costello (South Carolina) would add on with a sacrifice fly to left field, and the Braves entered the seventh with a 3-1 advantage.
Once Whelan was removed following the fifth, the Bravos’ bullpen put out a stellar performance. RHP Dominic Mauro (Cincinnati), LHP Connor Lehman (Alabama), and RHP Adam Buczkowski (Cincinnati) combined to throw the final four innings, with Lehman being the only to surrender a run. It’s the 14th game this season for Bourne where the bullpen gave up one or fewer runs.
Chatham scored their second run in the eighth to cut the Bourne lead to one, but the Braves were quick to strike back. The Bravos tacked on six runs in the bottom of the eighth, highlighted by a three-run triple from 1B Garrett Michel (South Carolina) after Chatham’s left fielder lost the ball in the lights. Rustan Rigdon led the Braves offense on the night with a 3-for-4 performance
“We were hunting our pitches and taking the ones that weren’t in our zones,” said Rigdon about the Braves’ big eighth inning. “We came out of it with a bunch of walks and got the big hits when we needed them.”
WHAT IT MEANS
The Braves extended their lead in the West Division, now three points ahead of the next closest team (Hyannis). The win also extends Bourne’s win streak to three games.
BOURNEBRAVES.ORG PLAYER OF THE GAME
Rustan Rigdon is tonight’s Player of the Game. The Braves’ second baseman went 3-for-4 in the contest, tied for the most hits by him in a game this season. Rigdon had the production from the nine spot in the batting order, where he’s hitting .364 from this summer.
NEXT UP
Bourne will head to Orleans on Thursday for a make-up of Tuesday’s suspended game. The game will also be the start of a three-game road stretch for the Braves. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
