The first Cape League championship series game ever played at Stony Brook Field was worth the wait. Brewster won a back-and-forth series opener 5-4 over Bourne on a walk-off hit by pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning.
The Whitecaps are now one win away from their first Cape League title since 2000.
Bourne took an early lead in game one before Brewster went ahead 3-1. The Whitecaps then led 4-2 into the ninth, when the Braves scored two runs to tie it up.
In the bottom of the 10th – with darkness looming – the Whitecaps loaded the bases on two walks, a fielder’s choice and an intentional walk. With two outs in a 1-2 count, Chandler Taylor (Alabama) was hit on the foot by a pitch and Brewster celebrated.
Hunter Bishop (Arizona State) hit a three-run homer to give the Whitecaps the lead. It’s now five straight games with a homer for Brewster. Nick Dunn (Maryland) had a hit and scored two runs. Seven players had at least one hit as Brewster continues to get up-and-down the lineup production.
Tony Locey (Georgia) allowed two runs in five innings, but the game came down to bullpens. After Bourne came back in the ninth, Shane McDonald (Southern New Hampshire) and Troy Miller (Michigan) combined for a scoreless 10th, leaving runners on first and third.
Bourne’s postseason standouts continued to hit, with Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) notching three hits and Jared Triolo (Houston) and Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville) getting two each. Lyle Lin (Arizona State) was the ninth-inning hero with a two-run double.
It’s the first playoff loss for the Braves, who had swept their series with Cotuit and Wareham. Bourne went 7-4 in one-run games this season, but interestingly, Brewster has now won three one-run games against the Braves.
What to Watch
Bourne hosts game two tonight at 6. Eli Kraus (Kent State), who allowed two runs in 5.1 innings in his first playoff start, will get the ball for the Braves. Paul Milto (Indiana), who surrendered five runs in four innings of game three against Y-D, is due to start for Brewster.