Chatham Defeats the Braves on 11th Inning Rally

By: Jacob Janower

It took until the 27th game of the season, but Friday night brought the first extra inning affair of the Bourne Braves season. However, it was turned sour by a three-run top of the 11th by the Chatham Anglers to give them a 4-1 win.

The Anglers (13-15) were quiet for most of the game, but Josh Stowers (Louisville) tagged Braves reliever Kyle Marman (Florida Atlantic) for a two-run single, and Cody Roberts (North Carolina) followed with an insurance RBI single of his own.

Marman, who was pitching for the second time in four games, had been cruising through his first two innings of work until the Anglers tagged him for four hits in the 11th. They had nearly half of their nine total hits in the final frame.

The offense from both sides was lacking, as each team failed to generate opportunities for runs. In fact, Chatham had not even had a hit with a runner in scoring position until their 11th inning outburst.

The Braves (14-13) nearly missed their first home run at Doran Park on multiple occasions. The biggest came after the bases were walked loaded in the ninth inning and Grant Witherspoon (Tulane) barely missed a walk-off grand slam to right field. Andrew Fregia (Sam Houston State) also drove two balls into deep right field, but each were tracked down.

Eichhorn, Alvarado Shine

Brian Eichhorn (Georgia Southern) got back on track after a tough go of it in his last start. Eichhorn, who entered the game tied for the CCBL wins lead, ended up getting a no-decision, but tossed five innings of one-run ball and gave up just three hits.

He did not strike anyone out and pitched to contact throughout his outing. Three double plays turned by the Braves aided the right-hander as well, getting him out of jams while early swings kept his pitch count low.

Luis Alvarado (Nebraska) followed Eichhorn with three scoreless innings. Alvarado, a second-year Brave, has quietly become one of the more reliable relief pitchers on the team. He upped his season total to 13 innings pitched and has just one earned run allowed to show for it.

Braves Pair Make Case For CCBL Honor

The Cape League All-Star Teams will be announced on Saturday afternoon, and two strong candidates for the team, Scott Schreiber (Nebraska) and Lyle Lin (Arizona State), bolstered their chances on Friday night.

Lin had four singles, which gave him seven multi-hit games this season. He has proven his worth both at the plate and with his versatility in the field, playing both catcher and first base on numerous occasions.

Despite only having one hit, a double, in the game, Schreiber seems like a near lock to play in the July 22nd All-Star Game in Wareham. The impact he has made on the middle of the order since joining the team cannot be understated, and he gives the Braves their biggest power threat.

Stat That Mattered

Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) had his nine-game hitting streak snapped after an 0-for-5 day. Hannah had previously put together one of the more impressive runs at the plate of any Brave this season.

Brave of the Game

Despite the strong effort from all three pitchers, Lin’s four-hit showing, the first of his summer, makes him an easy pick. He raised his average a total of 33 points to .296.

Coming Up: Eli Kraus (Kent State) is expected to make his first start since returning to the Braves after an injury on June 22. He will face the Falmouth Commodores.

You can contact the author via email (jjanower@gmail.com) or follow him on Twitter (@JanowerJacob).