Braves bat around in second inning, blow past Brewster

By: Zach Pekale

Sporting a recent flair for the dramatic, the Bourne Braves abandoned their latest identity on Friday in favor of one that induces far less stress.

Brewster starter Zach Linginfelter (Tennessee) walked three consecutive batters to open the bottom of the second inning before allowing six earned runs to cross as a part of a 14-0 win for the Braves.

Five different players recorded RBI as Bourne batted around on Linginfelter. The hits came from Cooper Johnson (Mississippi), Alika Williams (Arizona State), Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville), Jared Triolo (Houston) and Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina).

“When you’ve got a lead like that, you let everything loose, you’re ready for that first-pitch fastball, you’re putting a good swing on it,” Johnson said. “Our swings have gotten more aggressive and with more intent as every game has gone by.”

In total, 10 Braves combined for 14 hits, including all nine starters.

Among those came two from Johnson, who was able to break out of his recent slump after getting just two hits in previous 15 at-bats.

“A game like that, being able to swing the bat well, kind of feel comfortable at the plate. Whether the hits come all ways, you know, you just put barrel on the ball and that’s something I’ve struggled to do these past 15 at-bats,” Johnson said. “It’s felt really good to produce something offensively, not just working with the pitching staff.”

On the mound for the Braves, right hander Justin Lasko (Massachusetts) earned his first win of the summer after tossing six shutout innings. He allowed four hits and two walks against five strikeouts.

After a rocky appearance at Chatham, reliever Kyle Martin (Fordham) appeared composed in his return to the mound. The rising junior tossed three scoreless innings and recorded seven strikeouts in what turned into an unconventional save opportunity.

“It was good to come in with a big lead like that, it kind of relaxes you. My mindset coming in was just throw strikes, get outs, don’t prolong anything and just go right after all their hitters,” Martin said.

Player of the Game

Individuals and position groups have won this award after previous victories but the Braves came out on top against Brewster due to a collective team effort.

For the first time in 2018, this will be a team award. Bourne received dominant outings from Lasko and Martin while putting up a season-high in runs and had a number of various players contribute to the offensive cause.

Coming Up: The Braves conclude a three-game homestand as they’ll welcome the Falmouth Commodores to Doran Park for the second time this summer.