Vastine’s Clutch Hit Provides Ray of Sunshine in Thunderstorm to Clinch Playoff Spot

By Mojo Hill

The events of Saturday night’s game swayed about as ruthlessly as the howling winds that roared over the game’s final outs, and the thundering downpour that turned Veterans Field into a Slip ‘N Slide as the teams attempted to exit the park. The Bourne Braves (20-19-1) clinched a playoff spot with a 9-7 defeat of the Chatham Anglers, but it wasn’t as smooth sailing as it could have or perhaps should have been.

“That was good, man. That was exciting,” Braves shortstop Jonathan Vastine said. “We’ve been grinding these past couple weeks. A lot of things haven’t been going our way.”

They jumped out to an early wide margin and looked to be on their way to a rout of the worst team on Cape Cod. But after a simultaneous Wareham loss — which mathematically clinched a playoff spot for Bourne — disaster struck. Chatham tied it back on three wild pitches in an ugly four-run eighth inning. The Braves were relentless, though, getting a huge hit from Vastine in the top of the ninth and an insurance knock from Bryce Eblin to avoid a collpase and go home happy.

“They tied the game up, and we were like, ‘No, that’s not gonna happen,'” Vastine said. “This is our game. We deserve this. This is our chance to go to the playoffs, clinch it, and let’s take advantage of the time.”

In blissful ignorance of the literal and figurative thunderstorms that awaited them, it was a bright and sunny beginning for the Braves despite a 7 p.m. start. They got things going with a two-out rally in the first inning. Eblin and Caden Bodine hit back-to-back singles, and Kendall Diggs drew a walk to load the bases. First baseman Nu’u Contrades came up clutch, lining a two-run single to give the Braves an instant lead.

They tacked on another in the second inning without a hit. Gage Harrelson walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild throw by the catcher and scored on a groundout to put Bourne up 3-0.

Left-hander Dalton Pence got the start for the Braves. Pence began the summer in the bullpen but is going to be a vital asset in the rotation down the stretch. He worked around three baserunners in the first two innings, striking out four batters in the process.

Bodine collected his second hit of the game in the third inning, and Diggs collected his second walk. An RBI single by Hugh Pinkney then knocked starter Gabe Davis out of the game. Harrelson gave Bourne another clutch hit, a single to run the early lead up to 5-0.

“Just staying simple. Not overcomplicating things,” Harrelson said. “Just being the player I am.”

Pence cruised through a perfect third inning, but struggled in the fourth. Chatham quickly got on the board with a long double, a wild pitch and a single. Manager Scott Landers made a quick visit to the mound after Pence issued a walk, seemingly losing some of his command. The southpaw permitted another run after a single and a bases-loaded walk, but he got two outs in the air to escape with no further damage.

Pence’s final line saw him allow two runs on five hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out five.

The teams traded runs in the fifth to keep it at a three-run margin. Harrelson reached base for the third time on the night with an RBI double, and the Anglers scored against Ryan Free after a leadoff double.

The Braves responded once again with a Diggs RBI single in the sixth. They scored in five of the first six innings to hold a comfortable 7-3 lead.

Free held things down in the sixth and seventh, providing Bourne with three solid innings of relief.

The Braves loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth but didn’t score. They left a misplay by Chatham’s third baseman on the board, which should have been the Anglers’ fifth error but was ruled a hit. A strikeout and a double play kept Bourne’s lead at four.

The missed opportunity proved extra costly and stung extra deep. With Garrett French making his Braves debut, the Anglers chipped away to tie it with a four-spot. They loaded the bases with nobody out, and the quartet of runs came around to score on three wild pitches and a sac fly. Bourne was on the cusp of escaping with a 7-6 lead, but the third of those wild pitches came with a runner on third and two outs.

It was then that the winds started to really kick in. Most fans departed Veterans Field, with gales so strong they practically might have blown them away regardless. Whether illusion or reality, the game seemed to speed up — perhaps displaying Bourne’s urgency to fight back after getting metaphorically socked in the jaw.

“It kind of describes the team’s personality,” Vastine said. “As soon as we get punched, we just punch right back. We’re never worried about anybody else other than ourselves.”

With two outs and Pete Ciuffreda on second, Vastine ripped one to right-center and sprinted into second base with an RBI double. Eblin followed with a double of his own, wasting no time in proving that Bourne was the team that was going to win this game.

“We’ve got a bunch of grinders in the dugout,” Harrelson said. “We never gave up, and looked each other in the eyes and kept moving.”

Justin Lovell recorded the final three outs. Bourne ended a two-game losing streak and secured a playoff spot, while Chatham was officially eliminated from playoff contention with the loss. The Braves are still in a tight race with Falmouth for the No. 3 seed, but they’ll be in the postseason regardless.

“Keep stacking good at-bats. Keep stacking team at-bats,” Vastine said. “Keep bonding well with the team, and it’ll all take ccare of itself. I think when we go into the playoffs, we’re gonna be the most close-knit, bonded group you can have. And that’s all we could ask for.”

The Braves will return to Doran Park for their penultimate regular season home game on Sunday vs. Falmouth at 6 p.m.