Bourne Begins 2023 With 6-4 Loss in Championship Rematch Against Brewster

The Bourne Braves returned to a familiar site for their 2023 opener on Saturday: Stony Brook Field, home of the Brewster Whitecaps. It’s the place where they finished the 2022 campaign, and the place where they won their second championship in franchise history. A few small sprinkles of rain dripped from the otherwise sunny sky, which cleared up just in time for the start of the 100th Cape Cod Baseball League season.

Though the location was the same, the result was not. The Braves either led or were tied for most of the game, as they worked counts and scratched out runs but couldn’t run away with the victory. A crucial error allowed Brewster to tie it in the seventh, and the Whitecaps eventually pulled out a 6-4 victory while outhitting the Braves 12-4.

“We executed early, and then we gave runs up late,” Braves manager Scott Landers said. “Our last four runs, I think we gave to them with errors, lack of execution and walks.”

Bourne right-hander Ryan Fischer — a member of last year’s group — came out of the gate with iffy control, but worked through a scoreless first. He battled back from a 3-1 count with two straight fastballs to record his second strikeout. He went on to cruise through a perfect second, with Josh Kuroda-Grauer making a pair of slick plays at shortstop.

“He’s a great player,” Landers said of Kuroda-Grauer. “He’s a Team USA invite for a reason.”

The Braves scratched out an infield hit in each of the first two innings against left-hander Javyn Pimental, but they struck out three times and came up empty. They were nearly handed a gift, as Cameron Foster advanced from first to third on an errant pickoff attempt, but Hugh Pinkney struck out to end the frame.

The Braves, looking off balance against Pimental, broke through in the third with a blast off the bat of leadoff hitter Andrew Patrick. The right-handed center fielder smacked a first-pitch fastball well over the left field fence, redeeming his strikeout that began the game.

“He’s a young guy. He’s a sophomore that’s just learning the game,” Landers said. “He had a great year at Wright State. He’s got some talent in there. He’s a really toolsy player, and we just gotta get him on the right track.”

But Brewster immediately responded with a tank of its own. No. 9 hitter Vince Cimini hit one to a similar spot as Patrick, knotting it up at one apiece in the third. Fischer’s control issues returned, as a walk and hit by pitch loaded the bases. With Bourne on the brink of disaster, Fischer bore down. He induced a double play turned that was smoothly by second baseman Kodey Shojinaga and Kuroda-Grauer to escape trouble.

“He battled. He grinded,” Landers said. “Honestly, I didn’t think he had his good stuff. He was missing arm-side. He couldn’t hit the glove side. It hurt him a little bit, but he battled. He’s a bulldog.”

For the first time on the night, Pimental experienced some control issues in the fourth. A hit by pitch sandwiched by two walks loaded the bases with nobody out.

The large, physical Foster stepped up to the plate and muscled one to right field. It had the makings of a homer off the bat, but Foster just missed it and settled for a go-ahead sacrifice fly. The Braves stole three bases in the inning against the weak arm of Dylan Leach, but Pinkney and Brett Callahan struck out to strand two in scoring position. The Braves took a 2-1 lead without a hit in the fourth inning.

Kuroda-Grauer made another great play in the bottom half, turning two on a liner into his glove. But Fischer surrendered a single and a double to the No. 8 and 9 hitters, respectively, allowing Brewster to tie it back up. The Braves nearly pulled off a successful relay at the plate, but the throw was off the mark.

“That play could have got us out of that inning,” Landers said. “We had them dead to right. But what are you gonna do? Baseball is baseball, and sometimes you make a play, sometimes you don’t.”

They continued to make Brewster pitchers work, scoring another run without a hit in the fifth against reliever Tommy Szczepanski. Kuroda-Grauer was hit by a pitch, and Joey Loynd walked. A balk advanced the runners, and Kuroda-Grauer scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-2.

Shojinaga led off the sixth with a single, and came around to score on another handful of Brewster miscues. Another balk moved him to second, a passed ball sent him to third and another wild pitch brought him home. The Braves scored a run in three consecutive innings despite only one total hit, giving them a 4-2 lead.

“They’re gonna get there,” Landers said of his hitters. “They weren’t getting blown up, and they’re learning on the run.”

Fischer’s evening ended after four innings. Sidearmer Jacob Exum entered and pitched a perfect fifth with a strikeout and a broken bat. The sixth inning did not go as swimmingly, as the first four Brewster baserunners reached to cut Bourne’s lead to 4-3.

But like Fischer earlier in the game, Exum thrived under the pressure. He recorded back-to-back strikeouts for the first two outs. Paul Tammaro III — in the game at short after Kuroda-Grauer’s HBP — made a nice play to end the inning and strand three.

“I think it’s just bruised. He couldn’t really throw with it,” Landers said of Kuroda-Grauer’s injury. “So I think it’ll be day-to-day. Other guys gotta step up, and when we get him back in there, we will.”

Exum got the first out of the seventh, but things went south when Bourne brought in Griffin Stieg. Foster made a critical error at third base, allowing a runner to score from second. It was a line drive right at him that simply clanked off his glove.

The Whitecaps took their only lead of the night in the eighth. Three straight baserunners reached against Stieg, and Pinkney made a throwing error from behind the plate. Despite being in control for most of the game, Bourne fell 6-4 and ended the night on a sour note.

“We just gotta clean it up,” Landers said. “Whoever makes more mistakes out here and gives more freebies away, the other team’s gonna win. We just gotta execute and play flawless baseball going forward.”

The Braves will look to rebound on the road against Falmouth Sunday at 6 p.m.