HARWICH, Mass. — Griffin Hugus (Miami) has been ready to pitch for days, displaying a desire to get back on the bump after tossing five scoreless frames in the West Divisional Game against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks last Tuesday.

With his team needing a victory in Game 2 of the Cape Cod Baseball League Championship Series to keep its season alive, he was afforded that chance.

Inheriting a bases-loaded jam from starter Trystan Levesque (Rhode Island) in the third, Hugus quickly ended the frame and didn’t look back. It wasn’t a perfect outing, but he provided 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball that guided the Braves to a 7-1 victory over Harwich, evening the series at one game apiece.

“I was just so happy [field manager Scott Landers] gave me the ball back,” Hugus said. “I’ve been praying about it all week.”

Fortunately for Hugus, he received ample help from his team’s offense before he even took the mound.

To lead off the first inning, outfielder Ethan Conrad (Wake Forest) and shortstop Marek Houston (Wake Forest) each hit into loud flyouts, a promising sign. Third baseman Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) then ripped a single into center field, and catcher Chase Meggers (Oregon) drove him in with his second triple of the summer.

Bourne continued to hit Mariners starter Andrew Evans (Kansas State) hard in the second, as first baseman David Lewis (Virginia Tech) pieced up a 3-1 offering, launching a leadoff homer into left-center field. A consistent bat throughout the entire postseason, the first baseman was one of three Braves to log multiple hits in the win, going 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBI.

“We wanted to get everything going early,” Lewis said. “Jump on [the Mariners] early and stay on them for the entire game.”

After just 1 2/3 frames, Evans was taken out of the game. Right-hander Michael Simes, who succeeded Evans, promptly loaded the bases in the third, allowing Lewis to bring in another run despite hitting into a double play.

The Braves tacked on another run in the fourth thanks to heads-up baserunning. Outfielder Tristan Bissetta (Clemson) doubled and Conrad drew a seven-pitch walk with Simes spiking the final offering into the dirt, allowing the Clemson product to advance 90 feet. Conrad proceeded to steal second, and a slow throw from catcher Wilson Weber (Oregon State) bought Bissetta enough time to swipe home.

“We only got one run out of each inning and put pressure on them,” Landers said. “But we held the momentum. We went 1-1-1-1 through the first four innings and our pitchers settled in and minimized when we needed them to pitch great.”

After stranding the bases loaded in the third, Hugus began to look shaky the next time out. He struggled to locate his off-speed pitches, walking shortstop Daniel Dickinson (LSU) and third baseman Jake Ogden (Miami), putting two runners on with two outs.

A single surrendered to outfielder Cam Maldonado (Northeastern) brought in Harwich’s first and only run of the game, but kept Hugus in a jam with two on. However, a mound visit settled him in, as he forced outfielder Aiden Robbins (Seton Hall) into an inning-ending groundout.

“[The fourth inning] was a struggle for him, and I didn’t know how long he was going to go,” Landers said. “Then he settled in and did great things for us.”

Hugus rebounded in a big way, striking out two in a 1-2-3 fifth. While he got through the sixth inning without any damage, he had some trouble again in the seventh, allowing three more baserunners. The righty finished with five walks against his name but largely kept the Mariners off the scoresheet.

As soon as Hugus concluded his final inning, Bourne’s offense found life again. With one out and two runners on, Bissetta pieced an RBI double into shallow center field. After second baseman Blake Barthol (Coastal Carolina) struck out swinging, Conrad lined a single into center that scored two.

A day removed from a horrendous showing with runners in scoring position, Bourne’s numbers didn’t improve, going 4-for-13 again. However, it didn’t matter, as the Braves made good contact all night and looked much improved through most of their at-bats.

“I thought we were seeing the ball really well tonight,” Landers said. “I thought we had a lot of hard outs, we were on the barrel. We were in really good shape at the plate.”

Right-hander Justin West (Louisville), another shutdown option out of the bullpen, got the ball for the game’s final two innings and kept the score where it was when he came in. He allowed two hits but also fanned two, helping Bourne keep its season alive and send the Championship Series back to Doran Park.

In need of only one more victory to seal the team’s third straight league title, Landers had a simple yet powerful message for his team.

“Twenty-four hours,” he said. “Give me 24 more hours.”

A look ahead

The Braves’ Game 2 win over Harwich means there will be a Game 3 on Monday at Doran Park. Through two home playoff contests this postseason, Bourne is 1-1, with its lone win being a 7-4 victory over Cotuit in Game 2 of the West Championship Series.

However, Landers’ group has a chance to do something that hasn’t been done throughout the Braves’ history — win a title in front of their home fans.

Both teams' starters are to be determined. First pitch will be at 6 p.m from Doran Park in Bourne.

Notes

Conrad’s RBI single in the eighth extended his hitting streak to 19 games… Houston’s on-base streak is now at 21 contests hitting .304 on the postseason… Lewis has recorded a hit in all four playoff games he’s played in, boasting a 1.167 OPS… Conrad, Maldonado and Weber are tied for the most hits (8) in the postseason…