FALMOUTH, Mass. — Falmouth has had highs and lows this season. A three-game losing streak earlier in the campaign moved the ‘Dores to 3-6.

But the Commodores entered Tuesday's game with Bourne on a serious high. Nearly everything was clicking. They scored nine runs in Saturday’s win over Chatham. They’d won three of their last four. Falmouth’s surge moved it to only one game under .500.

The ‘Dores hadn’t been above the mark since their 1-0 start to the season. They’d been 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 and entered Tuesday just one game under. Falmouth’s matchup with the Braves provided a chance to break even again.

“We’re going to get hot here,” infield coach Quinn Stromberg said pregame. “Right now we’re just piecing games together, and eventually we’re going to get it rolling.”

Stromberg couldn’t have been more right. Falmouth’s offense was revving Tuesday, helping it defeat Bourne (4-9-1) 8-6. The ‘Dores (7-7) scored eight runs in the first four innings, and despite the Braves clawing back, the early burst propelled the Commodores back to .500 for the first time since June 20.

The result followed both teams’ recent trajectories. Since the Commodores downed the Braves 5-3 on Friday, backed by a strong four innings by Kaden Echeman and Kent Schmidt’s two-run double, the squads headed in opposite directions. The win kick-started the ‘Dores’ last two victories. Bourne, on the other hand, entered Tuesday on a four-game losing streak.

And despite Ryker Waite’s leadoff homer, Falmouth stayed blazing hot. The Commodores suffocated the Braves early, giving them zero time to breathe.

On Sunday versus Chatham, Falmouth answered back whenever the Anglers scored, leading to a scoring frenzy. It continued that trend Tuesday.

Maryland infielder Antonio Morales — who reached base four times Tuesday — said the Commodores stacked together quality at-bats, putting its previous issue with runners in scoring position to rest. That helped the ‘Dores knock around Bourne’s Alex Valentin (South Carolina) for six runs and six hits in the first three innings.

“You get walks, you get hits, and being able to put four or five of those together, that produces runs, and that's what we're trying to do every day,” Morales said.

Carl Schmidt and Morales opened with singles in the first. Adrian Lopez, who entered with five hits in his last three games, drilled an RBI single to score Carl and tie the game. The Commodores finished the inning up 2-1 after Kent’s RBI groundout.

Falmouth needed to build off the momentum. Many of its contests this season have remained close because the ‘Dores have failed to pull away. Tuesday started differently. Following three consecutive walks in the second, upping Valentin’s pitch count to 58, Falmouth scored two more runs after third baseman Ryan Cooney booted a grounder.

The Braves craved a quick third inning. Falmouth wouldn’t give them one. It continued to pummel Valentin, scoring two more runs on Mark Quatrani and Kyle Morrison RBI singles.

All Falmouth had to do was hang on. But its lead shrunk instantly.

Easton Barrett (Arizona State) initially held the lead. He made his first start Tuesday after allowing just one run in two previous relief appearances. Barrett looked to be continuing that dominance with scoreless second and third frames.

It seemed like nothing could stop him. Not even two no-out baserunners in the fourth. But that wasn’t the case. Logan Hughes plated both runners on a line-drive double into right center, then Jon LeGrande followed with a run-scoring single, pushing Bourne right back into the game.

Despite Bourne surging, Morales said Falmouth was never fazed.

“We don't want to dwell on that stuff,” Morales said. “We want to get back onto the field, hit well, play good defense. So it was in one ear, out the other.”

The message helped Falmouth’s tidal wave engulf the Braves again. And the usual culprit — Maika Niu — led the charge. Niu entered with a league-leading four homers and 11 RBIs. He slammed his fifth long ball to left, this time a two-run shot, to counter Bourne’s brief outburst and make it 8-4.

This time, the Commodores’ pitching kept it in the driver’s seat. Connor Linn (Northern Kentucky/transfer portal) allowed two baserunners across the fifth and sixth frames, yet by fanning Waite and Kuhio Aloy in the fifth and getting Cooney to ground into a double play in the sixth, he kept Bourne down four.

While Falmouth’s offense failed to score for the rest of the game, it’d crafted a big enough cushion to stay ahead. And that was huge, since Bourne punched back in the seventh. Aloy moved the Braves within three again by rifling an RBI single to left. Then, it became 8-6 after a Linn wild pitch plated Jimmy Keenan.

But a heads-up play from Kent and Morales got the Commodores out of the frame. Joe Sabbath (Rhode Island) took the web gem and ran. He worked around a Chris Newstrom error in the eighth and two baserunners in the ninth to squash all of Bourne’s momentum and give Falmouth the win.

With its recent five-game stretch, Falmouth has never been hotter. Its victory Tuesday proved it. After struggling to reach .500 all year, the ‘Dores’ win over Bourne moved it back to the benchmark, setting it up to take off in the coming games.

“We're really starting to gel as a team,” Morales said. “We care about each other, we want to play for each other, and that's what we did today, we were able to pull out a really big one.”

Noah Nussbaum is the beat reporter for the Falmouth Commodores. You can read all of his articles on the Commodores here.