Ryan Niedzwiedz and Jack Bell recorded multihit games on Monday, as the Y-D Red Sox lost to the Bourne Braves by a final score of 5-3.
The Bourne Braves hosted the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox at Doran Park on Monday in Game 1 of the 2025 Cape Cod Baseball League Championship. Tyler Pitzer and Matthew Shorey took the mound for their respective teams.
Pitzer came off a spectacular season in which he was the best pitcher in the Cape. He posted 26 1/3 innings with a 0.34 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. He was named an East Division All-Star and won the 2025 BFC Whitehouse Outstanding Cape League Pitcher award.
The right-hander had thrown 36 pitches on Friday in the Division Championship, keeping Harwich at bay through three extra innings. Even though he was on short rest, Pitzer took the ball for Y-D to start the Championship Series.
It wasn’t long before Pitzer found himself in a jam, allowing a hit and a walk in the first inning. Braden Holcomb hit a ground ball to the left side of the infield that should have been routine for Armando Briseño, but it hit a bump and bounced over the shortstop’s head into left field. Pitzer rebounded after walking Ryker Waite, striking out Sebastian Mexico with a 1-2 fastball. Cal Sefcik doubled to begin the second inning and scored shortly after on a wild pitch.
Bourne did the rest of its damage in the fourth inning, taking advantage of a lack of command from Pitzer. After two walks and a wild pitch, Scott Pickler brought in Chris Downs to try to escape the jam. Jon LeGrande greeted Downs with an RBI double to right field, giving Bourne a 2-1 lead. Gavin Kelly followed with a walk, the third free pass issued by a Y-D pitcher in the inning. Kade Lewis made them pay, dropping a two-run single into center field. As if the inning couldn’t get any more chaotic, Kelly stole home to score Bourne’s fourth run of the frame.
Bourne was excellent in the regular season, in large part because of Shorey. He posted a 2.37 ERA in eight games, logging 30 1/3 innings for the Braves. The southpaw from Vanderbilt had a 1.19 WHIP and allowed only two home runs all season.
He continued that dominant run against Y-D, giving up just two runs in five innings of work. Y-D collected eight hits during his outing, but Shorey was able to work around several baserunners and limit the damage. The first run for Y-D came in the second inning, when Dean Carpentier doubled down the third base line to score Niedzwiedz.
Bell and Jayce Tharnish both singled to start the fifth inning, but Chris Hacopian grounded into a double play that erased Bell from the basepaths. Will Baker kept the inning alive with an RBI single to left field, shrinking the Y-D deficit to three runs. Connor Capece concluded the scoring for Y-D with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning, allowing Nick Costello to cross the plate.
As has been the theme for Y-D this postseason, only two pitchers were needed to complete the game. After relieving Pitzer in the fourth inning, Downs threw 75 pitches to finish the game. This will once again allow Pickler and his staff to have a well-rested bullpen heading into Game 2 of the Championship Series.
All three walks in the fourth inning came around to score, which proved to be the difference in Monday’s matchup. Y-D’s offense recorded 10 hits but lacked the big hits that its opponent was able to manufacture.
Both teams will head east for Game 2, with first pitch at Red Wilson Field scheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
