Braves win third straight, separate from last-place Hyannis

By: Carson Field

Up until the late innings, Wednesday was dismal for the Braves. Both offensively and defensively, Bourne showed a limited ability to produce against Hyannis.

At the plate, Bourne crossed the plate twice in the first few innings but hit a cold streak after that. Defensively, the Braves allowed just two runs through eight frames but allowed six hits and four walks in that span. 

That changed in the bottom of the eighth — that’s when Bourne finally found its groove in the batter’s box. 

With two outs and Jimmy Glowenke at first, Jackson Greer clubbed a single into center field, putting a runner in scoring position. 

After that, the Braves found help elsewhere — Jonah Scolaro’s lack of command on the mound. He threw two consecutive wild pitches, which brought Glowenke across the plate for the go-ahead run, giving Bourne a 3-2 lead. 

Moments later, Zavier Warren padded the lead with a hit toward the third-base line. Warren noticed a pattern from Scolaro, and he took advantage. 

“I was sitting fastball because he threw five breaking balls in a row,” Warren said. “I assumed he wasn’t going to come back with that. I got the fastball and was able to put it in play and get on base.”

With a 4-2 lead, Kieran Shaw earned a chance for his first save of the season. But it didn’t come easy. 

After Shaw effortlessly recorded the first two outs — two flyouts — he ran into trouble the next two at-bats. Trevor Hauver and Hunter Goodman reached on a walk and error, respectively, putting the Braves in a bind. 

This wasn’t a new ordeal for Shaw, however. 

“Second and third, I’ve been there before this year at Harvard,” Shaw said. “It was a matter of, ‘I know I’m going to get this guy out, so how am I going to do it?’”

Shaw stayed calm in this two-runner situation and struck out Jared DeSantolo for the final out. 

Fresh off the win over the Harbor Hawks, Bourne is now riding a three-game winning streak. At 10-14-1, the Braves now sit just five points behind Falmouth for third place in the West Division. 

Just a week ago, Bourne was in serious danger of fading into irrelevance. Now it’s a different story. This recent hot streak can be traced to a boost in team morale. 

“Baseball’s always fun when you’re winning,” Shaw said. “We’re doing a lot of things right. Everyone’s involved in the game, there’s energy, and it’s just a good atmosphere.”