Tuesday, Aug. 5:
No. 4 Hyannis Harbor Hawks 3, No. 1 Bourne Braves 1 (HYA leads 1-0)
The West Division champion Bourne Braves led the standings for all of two days this summer but did so at the most important time. Hyannis struggled late in the season but still made the playoffs as the No. 4 seed.
The Harbor Hawks flipped the script on Tuesday, taking Game 1 from Bourne, 3-1. The game at Doran Park was scoreless through the first four innings. Harbor Hawks starter Carson Jasa tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and four walks but pitched around trouble, striking out five.
In the top of the fifth inning, Hyannis got on the board through a two-RBI double off the bat of Deiten Lachance with two outs. That clutch hit proved to be the difference in the game.
The Harbor Hawks added an insurance run in the top of the ninth after a costly balk, and Bourne was unable to mount a rally in the bottom of the inning.
Game 2 of the series is Wednesday at McKeon Park at 6 p.m., with Bourne facing elimination.
No. 3 Cotuit Kettleers 5, No. 2 Wareham Gatemen 4 (COT leads 1-0)
Cotuit and Wareham are two of the most balanced teams in the league. Both finished the regular season top three in the league in both team OPS and team ERA, making for a fascinating series. At Spillane Field in Wareham on Tuesday, the Kettleers won a 10-inning thriller, 5-4.
It was the Gatemen, however, who got out to an early lead. Colby Turner walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, and Caden McDonald lined an RBI single to left in the bottom of the third.
Cotuit answered in the fourth with a three-spot to take a 3-2 lead. With two outs, Landon Beaver plated two with a single, and Luke Matthews drove in another run with a base hit of his own. In the top of the fifth inning, Camden Johnson tripled and scored on a wild pitch to double Cotuit’s advantage.
Wareham got a run back in the sixth inning but entered the bottom of the ninth trailing by one. After Turner doubled to start the frame, Jack Kail drove him in with a single to tie the game and force extras.
In the 10th, Beaver and Matthews again made the difference. Beaver singled, stole a base and then scored the go-ahead run on a Matthews single.
Wareham had the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but Hayden Yost grounded out to end the game.
Cotuit will host Wareham on Wednesday at Lowell Park at 4 p.m. with a chance to move on to the West Divisional Final.
Wednesday, Aug. 6:
No. 3 Cotuit Kettleers 4, No. 2 Wareham Gatemen 2 (COT wins 2-0)
Cotuit played its third straight extra-inning game, having won all three. The Kettleers’ victory over Wareham on Wednesday afternoon at Lowell Park clinched them a spot in the West Division Finals.
Left-hander Payton Manca — who was one of the Kettleers’ most reliable arms during the regular season with a 2.70 ERA — got the ball in Game 2. Manca delivered six sparkling innings of shutout ball, allowing only one hit and striking out four Gatemen.
The Kettleers plated two in the bottom of the second to get out to an early lead. One of those runs came on a Luke Matthews RBI single. Matthews went 4-for-8 with three RBIs in the series.
Cotuit held the Gatemen scoreless through the first seven innings. In the top of the eighth, Wareham loaded the bases with nobody out. Brayden Randle put down a well-placed sacrifice bunt that got the Gatemen on the board. With two in scoring position, Christopher Ramirez lined a single to center fielder Caden Bogenpohl. Both runners initially held up to make sure Bogenpohl wasn’t going to catch the ball. The center fielder took the ball on a hop and threw a strike to home plate with Jack Kail trying to score from third. Catcher Luke Lavin just barely got the tag on Kail before he touched the plate to maintain Cotuit’s one-run lead.
Just like in Game 1, the Gatemen rallied in the ninth to tie the game and force extras. After Caden McDonald walked and pinch-runner Vance Sheahan advanced to second on a wild pitch, Chase Krewson drove in the tying run with a single. Wareham had runners on second and third with one out in the frame, looking to take the lead. With the infield in for Cotuit, Kail chopped a ball to first base. Landon Beaver threw home, and Lavin applied another good tag to get Krewson at the plate.
Neither team could scratch across a run in the first extra inning. The Kettleers had runners at second and third with two outs, but Bogenpohl struck out to end the inning.
Lefty Kide Adetuyi pitched the 10th and 11th for Cotuit and did not allow a baserunner. In the bottom of the 11th, Zan Van Schlegell started the frame with a single. Then, Beaver stepped up to the plate. On the first pitch he saw, he hit a towering fly ball to left that sailed over the fence, sending Lowell Park into a frenzy and the Kettleers to the next round. Beaver only arrived on the Cape on Thursday, but he delivered the biggest hit of Cotuit’s season so far.
The Kettleers are off Thursday as they await the winner of the series between Bourne and Hyannis. Game 1 of the West Division Finals will be Friday evening.
No. 1 Bourne Braves 5, No. 4 Hyannis Harbor Hawks 4 (Tied 1-1)
Bourne traveled to McKeon Park on Wednesday needing a win to keep its seasons alive. The Braves trailed for the first eight innings — their season in peril entering the ninth. But a heroic rally in the top of the ninth forced a Game 3 on Thursday night against Hyannis back at Doran Park.
The Harbor Hawks started the game strong at the plate, getting out to a 4-0 lead after four innings. Deiten Lachance drove in a run with a single in the first. In the bottom of the second, Devin Mitchell scored on a Jayce Dobie sacrifice fly, and the Harbor Hawks executed a first-and-third play that led to Jake Schaffner stealing home. Dobie also plated a run in the fourth with a single.
The first three Bourne batters reached in the top of the fourth to load the bases, but the Braves weren’t able to score. They finally broke through in the top of the fifth when they again loaded the bases with no one out. Ryker Waite scored on an error, Cal Sefcik drove in a run with a sac fly and Luke Costello plated a third run in the frame with a double.
Right-hander Nate Whysong entered the game for Bourne in relief and pitched the last 5 1/3 innings, shutting down the Hyannis lineup. He allowed only three hits and struck out eight.
Once again in the sixth inning, the Braves had the bases loaded with nobody out and failed to score. In the top of the ninth, however, they plated two to save the season. With two outs and two in scoring position, Mark Quatrani delivered in a big way with a two-RBI double to give Bourne the lead.
Whysong pitched a three-up, three-down bottom of the inning, capped by two strikeouts, to complete the comeback.
The Braves scored five unanswered runs to end Game 2 and will have all the momentum heading into a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday night. First pitch in Bourne is at 6 p.m., and the winner moves on to face Cotuit on Friday.
Thursday, Aug. 7:
No. 1 Bourne 5, No. 4 Hyannis 3 (BOU wins 2-1)
The first two games of the series were close battles to the end, and Game 3 on Thursday at Doran Park was no different. The Braves got timely hitting and held off a late Hyannis rally to advance to their fifth consecutive West Division Finals.
Left-hander Rhys Bowie got the start for Bourne and pitched five innings of one-run ball. The run against Bowie came unearned via a Jayce Dobie sacrifice fly in the fourth, as he only allowed two hits.
Bourne got out to an early lead with a three-spot in the bottom of the third inning. Kade Lewis recorded an RBI single, Cal Sefcik walked with the bases loaded, and Sebastian Mexico plated a run with a sac fly.
The Braves extended their lead to 5-1 in the sixth. With two outs, Gavin Kelly doubled down the left field line to bring home two.
At the plate in the series for Bourne, two of the most reliable bats all summer led the way. Braden Holcomb and Jon LeGrande combined to go 9-for-17 over the three games, and both have a playoff OPS over 1.000.
With the help of two Bourne errors, Hyannis scored two in the top of the eighth to get back in the game.
But the Harbor Hawks fell short of completing the comeback in the ninth. Lefty Will Whelan came on to get the final four outs of the game without allowing a baserunner.
Bourne will host the Cotuit Kettleers in Game 1 of the West Division finals Friday at 6 p.m. at Doran Park. The Braves will look to win the West Division for the fourth summer in a row.
