BOURNE, Mass. — The Bourne Braves had a chance to do on Monday what they’d never done before: clinch a championship at home. However, it just wasn’t in the cards.
The Braves fell 1-0 to the Harwich Mariners on Monday night in what was one of the most impressive pitcher duels in the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer.
For Bourne, RHP Noah Scott (Oregon State) made his first postseason start on the mound. The righty was phenomenal, keeping the Mariners scoreless through the first six innings with just one hit allowed.
“I had a lot of confidence in my stuff. Everything was working,” said Scott after the loss. “My last outing against them was a little rough. I went over film and knew I just needed to attack them each and every pitch.”
In the seventh, though, Scott ran into trouble. Harwich started a rally with a leadoff bunt base-hit, and put runners on second and third with a ground-rule double. At that point, Field Manager Scott Landers removed Scott from the game.
In his place, the Braves put their trust in LHP Aiden Stillman (Vanderbilt). Coming in with two runners in scoring position, Stillman got the first out of the inning on a fly ball to center. With the ball just deep enough, Harwich’s runner on third tagged up and scored what would be the game’s only run. Stillman settled in to get the final two outs of the seventh and ended the game with two hitless innings.
“Noah pitched great, kept us in there,” said Field Manager Scott Landers. “At the end of the day, he got in a jam, but Stillman got us out. He also pitched great.”
While the Braves’ pitchers dominated on the mound, they got no help from their offense. Bourne was only able to muster four hits on the night, allowing Mariners’ starting pitcher Bryan Matuschat to throw two outs into the seventh inning.
Once Matuschat was removed, Bourne had plenty of chances to score. In each of the last three innings, the Braves had the tying run reach third base: they just couldn’t bring it in. DH Eliot Medlock (Quinnipiac) had opportunities at the plate with two outs in each of the seventh and ninth frames, but was unable to bring a run home.
“[Harwich] pitched their butts off just like we did, and we just couldn’t get it done tonight,” said Landers after the loss. “We have to start a new win streak at one tomorrow.”
WHAT IT MEANS
The Mariners force a winner-take-all rubber match on Tuesday night. The game will be hosted by Harwich at Whitehouse Field.
BOURNEBRAVES.ORG PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Noah Scott and Aiden Stillman are tonight’s Players of the Game. Scott had his best start of summer when it mattered the most, allowing just one run through six innings. After him, Stillman made his second relief appearance of this postseason, keeping the Mariners off the board in the final three innings.
NEXT UP
The last game of the 2026 Cape Cod Baseball League Playoffs, presented by Readers Hardwood Supply, will be at Whitehouse Field tomorrow as both teams look to take home the championship. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
