Bourne edges Falmouth behind complete pitching performance

For the Bourne Braves, an unexpected off day might’ve been exactly what manager Harvey Shapiro’s team needed after a loss on Opening Day.

Originally scheduled to play Cotuit on Wednesday, inclement weather postponed the game until June 18.

Given additional time to make adjustments and re-focus, the Braves came into the organization’s 30th home opener refreshed and picked up their first win of the season, a 5-2 victory over the Falmouth Commodores.

Starter Justin Lasko (Massachusetts- Amherst) went four plus innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs in his first career start in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

“The fun night is to get the first one [win] out of the way. Sometimes it’s tough to get,” Lasko said. “Once you get it, you know you feel like you’re gonna get on a roll and you’re playing some good baseball.

Starting Strong

Against Commodores’ starter Scott Politz (Yale), four of the Braves’ first five batters recorded hits, including RBIs from Anthony Prato (Connecticut) and Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) to give Bourne an early 2-0 lead.

Adopting a more agressive mindset at the plate, five of the seven Braves who batted in the first inning swung on the first pitch, three of which reached safely.

“I think we did a good job offensively jumping out early, getting some swings off, getting some guys on base early,” pitching coach Joe Lincoln said. “I feel like it really set the tone for us and let us play a little more relaxed.”

Uncoincidentally, the gameplan of attacking early in the count was executed not only by the Braves offense, but also by the pitching staff. Lasko was able to successfully mix speeds and pound the strike zone against Falmouth, working three perfect innings to open the game.

Cleaning Up the Defense

Two days after a four-error game, a defensively sound performance was a step in the right direction for Bourne.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, reliever Trey Van Der Weide (South Carolina – Upstate) induced a hard hit ground ball that second baseman Alika Williams (Arizona State) fielded smoothly to start an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Williams’ play proved to be even more crucial as the Commodores failed to put a runner in scoring position throughout the remainder of the game.

“They had the opportunity to get the momentum back and we were able to come out of there with only giving up one run with bases loaded, no one out,” said Lincoln. “He [Williams] did a great job and after turning that double play, it was a lot of good vibes in the dugout.”

Player of the Game

Bourne was able to keep the Falmouth bats in check Thursday, largely in part to a strong pitching performance from its bullpen.

After Lasko produced a four-plus inning start, the Braves turned to Van Der Weide, Nick Morreale (Georgetown) and Jacob Wallace (Connecticut) out of the pen and the trio did not disappoint. The bullpen allowed just two baserunners over the final five frames, recording six strikeouts.

Coming Up: The Braves return to Doran Park on Friday night for an inter-division matchup with the Orleans Firebirds.