Five-error fiasco dooms Braves at Orleans

By: Zach Pekale

During a July 1 loss to the Orleans Firebirds, the Bourne Braves collapsed on the road behind three defensive errors.

Over the course of a 44-game season, learning from individual mistakes is critical to overall team success. But when Bourne returned to Eldredge Park on Saturday, errors continued to plague the Braves in a 6-1 loss to Orleans.

In the third inning, throwing errors by Gabe Holt (Texas Tech) and Anthony Prato (Connecticut) led to Orleans scoring three runs. Then in the fifth, defensive miscues by Serratos and Prato culminated in two additional runs for the Firebirds.

“I think it’s a lack of focus,” Prato said. “Taking our struggles onto the field will always come back to get you. We’ve gotta stay focused on one side of the ball when we’re out there.”

On the offensive end, the Firebirds got after starting pitcher Trey Benton (East Carolina) early, chasing the right-hander three innings into his first start of the summer.

Benton allowed two earned runs (three runs) on four hits and one walk. He struck out five.

“They told me I was going to be on a pitch limit of about 60 pitches. I felt good, haven’t started in a little bit,” Benton said. “Feels good being on a routine more than as a reliever.”

On the other hand, the Braves’ offense remained stagnant. Up until the ninth, Bourne had more errors than hits.

The Braves have scored just eight runs scored in their past four games, all losses, sliding into last place of the Western Division standings.

Coming Up: The Braves will look to snap their losing streak when they return home Monday against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.