Masterful performance by DiCesare snaps three-game skid

By: Zach Pekale

Receiving their best outing by a starting pitcher on the season, the Bourne Braves nearly let the game slip away at the hands of the Cotuit Kettleers.

Holding a one-run advantage in the bottom of the sixth inning, reliever Nick Morreale (Georgetown) had a runner on first base with two outs when he conceded a hard hit ball to Thomas Dillard (Mississippi) through the gap between first and second.

Flying around the base path was Will Robertson (Creighton), who was rounding third when Alika Williams (Arizona State) cut off the throw and fired home to end the inning to preserve the Braves’ lead, eventually winning the game 4-1 to snap a three-game losing streak.

“I was cutting three and all of a sudden I heard ‘four’ so I caught the ball and threw it home and we got him [Robertson],” Williams said. “It was definitely a momentum shifter.”

On the mound, starter Jared DiCesare (George Mason) showed tremendous poise in recording the longest outing of any starting pitcher with Bourne this summer. In 5.2 innings, DiCesare allowed one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out six to pick up the victory.

“He [manager Harvey Shapiro] kind of just let me ride. I was just trusting my stuff, trusting what Cooper [Johnson] was calling,” DiCesare said. “Just happy that we got a team win as well. We swung the bats well today, that’s all you can ask for.”

After a brief stretch in which runs were at a premium for Bourne, the offense showed signs of improvement on Monday.

Bourne opened the scoring with an unconventional double steal by Oscar Serratos (Georgia Tech) and Jared Triolo (Houston), also receiving RBIs from Williams, first baseman Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) and outfielder Chase Murray (Georgia Tech) over the course of the game.

Offensive Adjustments

Following the Braves’ doubleheader loss to Chatham on Sunday, Brickhouse noted that the team needed a better approach at the plate after the team produced three combined runs.

Against Cotuit, the Braves remained aggressive at the plate but had a more disciplined approach resulting in 10 hits. Most notably, the five through nine hitters of Bourne combined to hit 7-for-16.

Player of the Game

Through six games, no starting pitcher had thrown beyond the fourth inning.

DiCesare nearly lasted six innings, throwing 82 pitches and tossing five innings of one-hit baseball. The rising junior flourished in his first start of the summer, comfortably changing speeds and hitting his spots.

Defensively, the performance of DiCesare also stands out. He successfully turned a 1-6-3 double play and later reacted well to a chopper up the first base line, making a difficult throw across his body to record an out.

Coming Up: Bourne is on the road for its second meeting of the season with the Falmouth Commodores.