Bourne Ends Nine-Day Stretch of Games With 5-3 Win Over Harwich
By Mojo Hill
The Bourne Braves just keep getting better.
They’ve spent the last week-plus clawing their way back into the win column, and they got their record to an even .500 Monday evening with a 5-3 defeat of the Harwich Mariners at Doran Park. The Bourne Bats overcame an early deficit to tie things up in the middle innings, then got yet another blast off the bat of reigning Player of the Week Derek Bender to send them to victory.
“It feels good,” Braves manager Scott Landers said. “It’s a great bunch of guys, and we keep getting new guys in here and there as the days go on, and they just fit in and do what we do.”
Harwich struck first, manufacturing a run in the first inning on a walk, a wild pitch, a balk and an infield single. Starter Logan Evans still struck out three in the opening frame.
Catcher Adonys Guzman made an impressive pickoff throw to end the top of the second, nabbing the runner at first base after a two-out single. At the time, he was yet to record a hit yet this season, but he said he takes a lot of pride in his defense.
“Especially since I have [Jarrod] Saltalamacchia, who’s established himself as one of the best catchers,” Guzman said. “I wanted to be aggressive early on today, and make good throws and just play baseball the way I know how to play.”
Guzman shined again in the bottom of the third, as he collected his first hit of the summer with a double to right-center. Landers said he’s been impressed with Guzman’s at-bats and that Guzman’s been working closely with Saltalamacchia.
“I had a couple barrels earlier on in the games I’ve played,” Guzman said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say I was struggling, but I just wanted to go out there, be loose and just put a barrel on the ball.”
Then Bryce Eblin came up clutch with two outs, driving in Guzman with an RBI single to knot it up at one apiece.
Left-hander Tim Noone worked quickly between pitches for Harwich. The Braves grinded against him in the fourth, as Sam Petersen worked a walk after a handful of foul balls, and Jonathan Vastine ripped a single. Joey Loynd ended the inning with a hard flyout to left field, and the Braves couldn’t quite nab the lead just yeet.
Evans kept the Mariners under control in the third and fourth innings, but he cracked with two outs in the fifth. Harwich retook the lead on a single and a well-struck double into the left field corner, and an RBI infield single put Bourne behind 3-1. Evans finally stopped the damage with the Braves’ second pickoff of the night.
It was Evans’s third and final start in a Bourne uniform this summer.
“He’s been good for his three starts,” Landers said. “I wish him the best of luck. He’s out of here tonight. But he knows what he’s good at. He threw strikes. He kept us in there. The fifth inning got away from him a little bit; wasn’t really his fault. But he did a good job for us.”
Bourne got one back in the fifth on an RBI double by Bender, though it would have tied the game if not for a caught stealing right before. In any case, Bender stayed scalding hot with his second of the night.
Pete Ciuffreda singled in the sixth, then stole second. With two outs, Joey Loynd gave the Braves another clutch hit, lining a single off the third baseman’s glove. He got thrown out trying to take second, but it was a game-tying RBI knock nonetheless. Despite the blunder, the Braves’ aggressive baserunning helped them more than it hurt them Monday night, and it’s something Landers has done all season long.
“That’s part of our game,” Landers said. “I want them to learn how to be more explosive offensively and not just rely on the monster ball…. We made some mistakes, but we’re gonna keep doing it.”
Bourne reliever Matthew McShane retired the first five batters he faced with three strikeouts. After allowing a single and a hit batter, he came out of the game. Joe Vogatsky replaced him with two runners in scoring position.
Vogatsky walked the first batter he faced on four pitches, loading up the bases. With the Braves flirting with disaster, Vogatsky induced a lineout to right field, allowing the fans to take a monumental sigh of relief as he kept the game tied.
“That was huge,” Landers said. “He was gonna pitch whenever we needed an opportunity to get out of a jam. He was ready, and he did it.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Bender stepped up to the plate and worked his magic once again. He slammed a no-doubter to left field, putting the Braves in front 5-3. It was already his third bomb of the summer.
“If you would have told me I would have been doing this the first week I was here, I would have told you you’re crazy,” Bender said. “But it’s so great to ride this wave so early.”
Vogatsky and Dalton Pence worked the final two innings with no issues, cruising Bourne to a comfortable win and bringing a happy ending to a long stretch of baseball.The Braves will finally get an off day on Tuesday after nine straight games.
“Very excited, especially after this very humid day today at Doran Park,” Guzman said. “Looking forward to it, and getting back to the field.”
It’ll be a much-deserved day of rest, with their record up to 7-7-1 after a 1-5-1 start.
“It’s really nice, other than it’s gonna rain,” Landers said. “But it’s good to relax for a day and kind of reset and restart, and get it going on Wednesday.”
