Bats come alive as Bourne outlasts Brewster in slugfest

By: Zach Pekale

Trailing 5-1 against Brewster, the Bourne Braves had their backs to the wall, staring down a third defeat in four games.

Instead, Bourne stormed back as the bats were resurrected on Tuesday. Capitalizing on two four-run innings, the Braves rallied for a 10-9 win over the Whitecaps.

Second baseman Alika Williams’ (Arizona State) home run, the first of collegiate career, in the top of the ninth inning was the difference in the win and was one of four home runs hit by the Braves.

“It feels awesome. Any way that this team can end up on top,” Williams said. “That [home run] ended up to be the difference, so it definitely feels a little more special.”

At the heart of the Braves comeback were three unlikely faces.

Entering Tuesday’s game, the trio of Thad Phillips (Connecticut), Ashton Bardzell (Hartford) and Danny Oriente (Louisville) were a combined 11-for-69 at the plate.

Against Brewster, Bardzell and Phillips hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning that contributed to leveling the score while Oriente provided an insurance run with a RBI single immediately following the Braves taking their first lead of the afternoon.

“All of us haven’t been playing our best baseball but we can still play … as we get more at-bats I think things will start to get going more,” Bardzell said.

Additionally, Jared Triolo (Houston) added a solo shot of his own and Spencer Brickhouse (East Carolina) had a team-high three runs batted in for the game, including the go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning.

With the win, Bourne moves back into the win column and sits above .500 with a record of 7-6-1.

Coming Up: The Braves gear up for their longest homestand of the season. They’ll play the first of four consecutive home games beginning with the Cotuit Kettleers on Wednesday at 6 p.m.