Falmouth (8-10-1) had its momentum halted at home against a fierce division rival in Bourne (8-8-3), in the first combined no-hitter in the Cape League since 2022.
As is the theme of the Cape League season, offense got going early for both teams. Three consecutive baserunners reached for Bourne, starting with a leadoff single from Blake Schaaf (Wake Forest), followed by a walk and an error. However, Sachem Ramos (UCF) averted possible disaster with an infield fly, a strikeout and a flyout, leaving the bases loaded.
In the bottom half of the inning, Falmouth struck first by putting pressure on Braves’ starter Brendon Bennett (Clemson). A trio of free passes and a fielder’s choice made it 1-0 ‘Dores, with Ty Kaunas (Texas Tech) logging the RBI.
Much like the top of the first, the Braves’ order loaded the bases in the next two innings, but would cash in on both opportunities to take the lead. A wild pitch in the second allowed John Cooper Williams (Kennesaw State) to scoot home, then an RBI fielder’s choice from Matt Bolton (Binghampton) in the third scored Brice Estep (South Carolina).
Bourne added another pair in the sixth with run-scoring singles from Estep and Mark Quatrani (Notre Dame), but the real stars of the show were Bennett, Jackson Kircher (Arkansas) and Edwin Alicea (USF), who combined for eight hitless innings for the Braves. The job was left in the hands of Landon White (transfer portal) in the top of the ninth, and he’d get the job done to cap the first combined no-hitter since 2022 (Orleans).
There were a lot of negatives, but a clear positive for the Commodores was the bullpen. Gardner-Webb right-hander Colby Putnam threw 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, followed by a shutout frame by Logan Pikur (Michigan State) to keep the Braves’ bats at bay in the final third of the game.
Falmouth falls to second place in the West Division after the loss, and will look to right the ship against Hyannis at home following an off day. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 6:00 p.m.
