Braves’ Bats Come Alive to Force Game Three

By: Madeleine Balestrier

The Bourne Braves found their swing in the fifth inning and never looked back as they routed the Brewster Whitecaps 13-7 in game two of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) Finals.

“That’s a big momentum shift for us,” Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) said. “We are bringing it back to their place, hopefully we can dog pile it there.”

As the fog rolled in and the mist clung, the Braves looked just like the how the weather felt as the second inning gave way to four Whitecaps’ runs.

Back-to-back singles from Kyle Datres (North Carolina) and Chandler Taylor (Alabama) laid the groundwork for their 4-run inning. Two batters later, Julian Infante (Gardner-Webb) loaded the bases with one out as he walked. Then a Nick Dunn (Maryland) single brought across two runners, while Michael Gasper’s (Bryant) following double saw Infante and Dunn come home.

The Braves fought back to a one-run deficit in the bottom of the third. Jared Triolo (Houston) and Hannah both extended their offensive streaks as Triolo doubled and Hannah homered in the bottom half of the inning to bring runners across.

While runs trickled across for the Whitecaps in the fourth and the fifth as they extended their lead to seven on the day, the fifth blew open the Braves bats as they sent 13 runners to the plate and brought eight across.

“You could hear all the fans yelling our names when we stepped up to the plate,” Hannah said. “It was good to play for our home town and…go out there and win for them.”

Triolo and Hannah’s bats continued to work off of each other and motivate the rest of the lineup as Triolo led off the inning with a triple and Hannah hit a following RBI-single. After a Zac Susi (Connecticut) strikeout, the Braves’ bats went on a merry-go-round of hits and runs in the fifth.

“Hitting is contagious,” Hannah said. “I’m just trying to go up to the plate with the same approach and let things happen.”

The bases loaded for Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville) and Andy Atwood (Texas Rio Grande Valley) to single three runners home in consecutive at bats. Then Grant Williams(Kennesaw State) doubled down the right field line to reward Fitzgerald’s previous single. Atwood came home on the next play as Lyle Lin (Arizona State) played into a fielder’s choice that developed into an error for Brewster’s defense.

Even a Brewster pitching change could not thwart Bourne’s momentum, as the initial catalysts of the offense came back up to bat for the second time that inning. Triolo’s single helped Williams across, while Hannah brought Lin home to cap off their go-ahead 11-7 inning.

The Whitecaps’ early bid fell flat in the face of the Braves’ most dominant offensive showing of the season as they went scoreless for the remainder of the evening. The Braves tacked on two more runs in the sixth to send the series to game three.

“It sucks to go home empty handed,” Hannah said. “Go Braves and hopefully we can get the dub tomorrow.”

Stat That Mattered

Bourne’s bats were so consistent Saturday night that at least seven of the nine in the lineup reached base at least three times. Witherspoon found himself on the bag the most with four separate base path appearances.

Brave of the Game

Although every Brave in the box deserved honorable mention for their dominance, Jameson Hannah’s performance proved crucial to the momentum swing of game two.

He extended his hitting streak to 17-games on a homerun that encouraged the dugout and on deck circle and put the Braves back within striking distance.

“I am trying to do the same thing I always do,” Hannah said. “I mean get in the box and get my good swing off.”

His swing then connected for back-to-back singles in the end-all fifth inning.

Coming Up: The Bourne Braves force the CCBL Finals to Sunday afternoon as they will head to Stony Brook Field for a winner-take-all showdown at 3 pm.

You can contact the author via email (madeleinebalestrier@gmail.com) or follow her on Twitter (@mads_balestrier).