Braves unable to hold Harbor Hawks

Tiffany Seal

BOURNE, Mass.– With a two-game winning streak in the books, Braves’ offense was not enough to hold the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, who won Wednesday night with a come-from-behind win in the ninth, 5-4.

Bourne pitching floundered, as starter Brady Miller (Western Oregon) struggled to find the strike zone and when he did, could not put away hitters. Miller lasted 3 1-3 innings giving up one earned run off two hits with five walks and four strikeouts.

The Bourne offense made up for Miller’s long innings in the field by scuffling to string together hits on offense. Starter Alex Eubanks (Clemson) shut the Bourne lineup down for three solid innings before they could figure the righty out.

Justin Yurchak (Binghamton) lead the run production in the fourth, with a double to center and was brought in by cleanup hitter David MacKinnon (Hartford) who doubled to left to tie the game at one.

Connor McVey (Cincinnati) brought in the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice to put the Braves ahead 2-0 going into the fifth.

Bourne tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth after Willy Yahn (UConn) singled and Jake Mangum (Mississippi State) walked for Yurchak to hit an RBI line drive to right. MacKinnon continued to find gaps in the outfield and hit his second double on the night to score Mangum.

Both three and four-hole hitters Yurchak and MacKinnon went 2 for 4 with a combined three RBIs.

The Braves advanced their lead off reliever Alex House (FAU) after Eubanks was pulled after five innings, giving up four earned runs off six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

Braves’ Brendon Little (UNC) relieved Doug Norman (LSU) after pitching 1 2-3 of two-hit baseball while surrendering one earned run. But the Braves were still ahead with it looking like another win in the books.

Little went three innings in long relief, giving up one run off an error by catcher Elih Marrero (Mississippi State.)

The wheels began to fall off in the ninth however, as the Braves led 4-3 going into the last frame.

Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) made his ninth relief appearance. With one out, Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee) hit a ground-rule double to put Old Dominion shortstop Zach Rutherford at third.

Luensmann was able to strikeout Dylan Busby (Florida State) for the second out, but could not beat Alabama’s Cody Henry who roped a single to score both runners on base and bring the go-head run around.

Defensive substitution Brennan Breaux (LSU) was the only Brave to get a hit in the ninth, with an infield single to second. The rest of the lineup struck out to put a sour ending to an eight-hit game.

The Braves will have to go into their off day Thursday looking to get back to a .500 record as they face the Wareham Gatemen (12-13) at 6:30 Friday on Spillane Field. Probable starters are Ethan Small (Mississippi State) and Bourne’s AJ Moore (Kennesaw State.)