BOURNE, Mass. — Ahead of his first start on the mound for the Bourne Braves, Zane Petty (Texas Tech) wanted to keep his approach simple, yet more than just putting it in the strike zone.
In his postgame on-air interview, Petty said his mindset was to be “electric” with his repertoire of pitches thrown to the spot; his catcher, Campbell Smithwick (undecided), would stick out with his glove.
Electric. Dominant. Powerful. Lively. Sharp. Whatever you want to call what the ball looked like coming out of Petty’s right hand, it matched what his pregame mentality was, as his performance set the tone for a Bourne pitching staff that dominated in its 4-2 victory over the Chatham Anglers on Sunday.
“It felt really good. I was really excited,” Petty said, during the postgame interview. “Had to calm my nerves a little bit, but once I got done, got that first out in the first inning, I felt pretty good about it. Just kind of coasted through there.”
Petty has dealt with inconsistencies through three collegiate seasons as a Red Raider, with a collective ERA of 6.11 in 34 appearances. He was also sidelined due to injury during his sophomore year.
Despite the ups and downs so far at Texas Tech, a summer on Cape Cod against the best of the best provides a fresh start to prove yourself against elite competition. Petty did just that in his debut at Doran Park, taking the hill for 4 ⅔ innings where he recorded six strikeouts, allowing two runs, one of which was unearned, and issuing four walks.
He walked in a score with the bases loaded, but he came back for the ensuing batter with a next-play mentality. Chatham had a chance to put the cards in its favor, but Petty dialed up a strikeout in a big moment, letting out a subtle, but noticeable celebration as he headed to the dugout, where he was greeted by enthusiastic teammates and coaches.
“He’s got all kinds of confidence,” pitching coach Kevin Curtin said. “He’s got good stuff. All his walks were 3-2 pitches. He was getting a little greedy with the slider, and had trouble resetting a couple times, but overall did really well.”
It wasn’t just Petty that got the job done, as relievers Matthew Shorey (Vanderbilt) and Max Bayles (Santa Clara) brought the juice coming out of the bullpen when their names were called upon. The tandem combined for 4 ⅓ innings, four strikeouts, and zero runs. Bayles lost his control a little in the ninth inning when he walked Travis Sanders (Baylor), but he found his footing and closed the door to get the Braves in the win column for the 2025 season.
“We just talked to these guys about going out there and giving it your all and throwing strikes,” field manager Scott Landers said. “Let your defense do the work, and that's what they did.”
Some of the arms in the bullpen had their collegiate seasons end in the postseason. Some have been done for weeks, not making it past the regular season. Some have injuries and or aren’t coming off a full workload in the spring.
>> ALSO SEE: Braves win home opener vs. Chatham, 4-2, in gritty fashion
Just like any other season in the Cape Cod Baseball League, learning and adjustments are made on the fly with the rosters being cultivated right before the season, or even as it starts. Despite it being just two games in, there’s confidence that the depth of the Braves’ pitching staff can get the job done.
“We have multiple bullpens before they go out there, get a sense of what their arsenal is,” Curtin said. “Then we play to their strengths once the game starts.”
Follow Lyle on X, @lalelstein. Feature photo by Isabel Swindall.
