Derek Bender’s Cycle Leads Bourne to Third Straight Victory

Since joining the Bourne Braves, all Derek Bender and Caden Bodine have done is mash.

The Coastal Carolina teammates put on an absurd performance Friday night, combining to reach base in all 10 of their plate appearances in an 11-4 defeat of the Hyannis Harbor Hawks at Doran Park. Bodine went 4-for-4 with a walk, but was overshadowed by a cycle from the magma-hot Bender. The Braves rolled along to their third straight victory and improved to 5-6-1 on the season, bursting out with the bats on a much warmer Cape Cod night.

“Today was my day. It’s just how the luck of the draw went,” Bender said. “Tomorrow it could be somebody else’s day. That’s all really baseball is, just picking each other up when other guys are down.”

Starting on the mound was another Coastal Carolina kid in left-hander Liam Doyle. His night began with a hit by pitch to Will Taylor. Taylor then completely misread a fly ball to left, getting doubled off on a relay from Sam Petersen and Bryce Eblin. Eblin, playing second after appearing at shortstop and third already this summer, also made a slick play to end the frame.

“He can play at all three, and we’re gonna utilize him at all three,” Braves manager Scott Landers said. “Especially right now when we’re down infielders. We’ll utilize them anywhere we can get ’em.”

The Harbor Hawks continued to play ugly baseball in the bottom of the first. New leadoff hitter Chris Stanfield hit a single, and advanced on a throwing error by their third baseman. Hyannis catcher Aaron Parker then made two errors on one play. He bobbled a bunt, then threw it into right field to bring home the first run of the game.

After Bender drew a walk, Bodine hit an RBI single. The duo hit in the No. 4 and 5 slots on Thursday, then moved to the No. 3 and 4 spots for this Friday matchup.

“It’s honestly a little weird, because at school I hit before him and he hit after me,” Bodine said. “It’s cool that we got a couple Coastal guys; Liam here. Familiar faces.”

The Harbor Hawks committed their fourth error of the inning on a wild throw from the center fielder, allowing the runners to advance. Another run came in on a groundout from Jackson Castillo, putting Bourne up 3-0.

Hyannis rallied against Doyle in the second, getting two back on a triple by Eric Snow. Doyle issued his second walk of the inning before stranding runners on the corners.

“Doyle came out with a little bit too much adrenaline, I think,” Landers said. “He battled through what he needed to.”

Bender led off the bottom of the third with a rocketing double. Not only was it Bender’s first extra-base hit of the summer, but it was Bourne’s first extra-base hit at Doran Park. Bodine made it back-to-back doubles, and Jackson Castillo added an RBI single to end starter Mitch Farris’s evening. Farris has faced Bourne twice this summer and been knocked out after 2 1/3 innings in each one.

“It’s been tough home conditions. The wind’s been blowing in pretty good. Rainy a couple times,” Landers said. “So it’s nice to have a nice night out. The wind was blowing out, and then it stopped, but a little better conditions to hit some extra-base hits.”

Thaniel Trumper entered in relief, and Cameron Foster tagged him for the third double of the frame. With two outs, Jonathan Vastine came up clutch, lining a single into right field to widen Bourne’s lead to 7-2. It was a four-spot for the Braves as their offense just continued to lock into gear.

Doyle settled in on Bourne’s side, striking out two in a perfect third and allowing just a walk in the fourth. He ultimately held Hyannis to two runs on two hits in four innings of work.

Jacob Exum threw a scoreless fifth before surrendering two in the sixth, cutting the Braves’ lead to a still-comfortable 7-4.

In the bottom of the inning, Bender smashed one to left field for his first home run of the summer and Bourne’s first homer at home. The Hyannis coaching staff tried to argue it bounced before the wall first, but there was no way to review it.

“I wasn’t really watching it. I was just running,” Bender said with a smile. “If it did or didn’t go out, it’s whatever. It’s still an extra-base hit. We still had another hit behind me, so it would have been an RBI anyway.”

That extra hit, of course, came from Bodine once again. It was Bodine’s fourth hit and fifth time on base, equaling Bender’s totals.

“Simple approach,” Bodine said. “Look for fastball. If you get it, don’t miss it. Don’t swing at balls.”

The offensive display got even more absurd in the eighth inning, when Bender smacked a ball to right field and chugged all the way to third base for a triple. The hit completed his cycle in dramatic fashion. But off the bat, he said he wasn’t sure he would make it to third.

“Top [Coach John Topoleski] let me know when I got to third that I had the cycle,” Bender said. “I was like, ‘Did I just do that?’ It’s such a euphoric feeling. It’s the first time I’ve ever done that. But just trying to play the ball; it’s just you vs. the ball, anyway. Trying to hit it where they ain’t. Just running for days, really.”

Bender’s performance gave Bourne a cycle for the second straight year, following Matt Shaw’s in 2022 — which was the first Cape League cycle in 11 years.

Bodine followed with yet another single to drive him in. He and Bender combined to go 8-for-8 with a homer, two doubles, a triple, two walks and five RBIs on the evening.

“Just trusting the process, knowing what I do well as a hitter and really just trying to stick to that as much as possible,” Bender said. “Earlier in my career, I think that was the biggest difference in between now and then; it’s just having the self-awareness to know what I’m good at, and not straying away from that no matter what’s going on.”

Meanwhile, Gabe Driscoll took care of the rest on the mound. He struck out the side in the eighth and shut the door in the ninth, capping a dominant seven-run victory to keep the Bourne train running.

“I’m pleased with where we’re at right now with these new guys and seeing how they’re playing,” Landers said. “We’re just kind of clicking right now.”

The Braves will complete this five-day stretch of home games with a matchup against Brewster on Saturday at 6 p.m.