Comebacks and dramatic victories are often a sign of something special for a baseball team.
We didn’t need much more proof that the Bourne Braves are special, but now the Cape League’s best team has that going for it, too.
On the heels of a walk-off win Monday, the Braves broke a 4-4 tie against Harwich on Tuesday with six runs in the top of the ninth inning. The surge led to a 10-4 victory, Bourne’s eighth in a row.
The Braves are now 19-2-3. They could lose every single one of their remaining games and still finish with a winning record. I would not bet on them doing that. Bourne is finding many ways to win, with the clutch heroics as the latest method.
Harwich has been on a streak of its own and rallied from an early 4-0 hole to tie the game. After a strong start, Bourne was shut-out for six innings, but making it seven was easier said than done for the Mariners.
The rally began with three straight walks. Tanner Schobel (Virginia Tech) hit a two-run single to break the tie, and the Braves didn’t stop there. Christian Knapczyk (Louisville), Dalton Rushing (Louisville) and Braylen Wimmer (South Carolina) added RBI as the recently-tied game turned into an easy win.
Eric Adler (Wake Forest) struck out two of the first three batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth to make sure Harwich didn’t get its own rally going.
Knapczyk finished with two hits and three runs scored to lead Bourne. Rushing, Wimmer and Schobel each had two RBI.
Harwich got home runs from Chris Newell (Virginia) and Zack Prajzner (Notre Dame) but it wasn’t enough.
Against the Braves – particularly the clutch Braves – that’s nothing new.
Brewster 7, Falmouth 1
The hottest team besides Bourne is Brewster, which won its fourth straight on Tuesday. It was a 1-1 game until the sixth inning, then the Whitecaps broke out with three runs. They piled on with two runs in the seventh and one in the ninth. Spencer Jones (Vanderbilt) stayed hot with his third consecutive multi-hit game, getting two hits and three RBI. After a solid start by Brendan Girton (Texas Tech), Pete Hansen (Texas) struck out five in four shutout innings. Luke Boyers (TCU) homered for Falmouth. Brewster is 15-7-2 and Falmouth is 8-13-2.
Orleans 5, Cotuit 1
Chase DeLauter (James Madison) didn’t let Wareham’s Owen Diodati sit alone atop the league’s home run list for long. DeLauter moved into a tie for the league lead with his seventh homer, and he had some help as Tyler Locklear (VCU) went deep for the second time this summer. Peyton Chatagnier (Ole Miss) and Luke Keaschall (San Francisco) had three hits each. Thomas Schultz (Vanderbilt) allowed one run in five innings for the win. Jack Filby (UCLA) and Nick Wallerstedt (Arizona State) pitched scoreless baseball out of the bullpen. Orleans goes to 9-10-4 and Cotuit drops to 11-13.
Wareham 12, Hyannis 1
Bourne is currently the only team in the West with a winning record. Wareham has won straight to emerge as the best of the rest. A five-run second inning and a four-run third set the course for this one as Wareham rolled to victory. Tres Gonzales (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-4 with four RBI, Anthony Frechette (George Washington) went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Tommy Tory (Stanford) followed up Monday’s 4-for-4 day with his second CCBL home run. Wareham pitchers scattered eight hits and limited Hyannis to one run. Carter Rustad (San Diego) got the win with three scoreless innings of relief. Wareham moves to 9-12-4 and Hyannis is 4-20.
Y-D 4, Chatham 3
Y-D broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the top of the ninth for a win over Chatham. Crew Robinson (San Diego CC) was the hero with a solo home run to make it 4-3. Tanner Smith (Oregon) added three hits for the Red Sox, while Dominic Keegan (Vanderbilt) went 2-for-4 for the third straight night. Reliever Christian Culpepper (California Baptist) allowed a run for the first time all summer but got the win thanks to the ninth inning heroics. Reid McLaughlin (BYU) picked up his third save. Chatham drops to 9-14-3 while Y-D moves into a tie for second place with Harwich at 11-8-6.
WHAT TO WATCH
League ERA leader Trey Dombroski (Monmouth) starts for Harwich in a big game against Y-D.
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