Bourne Braves start 2022 Cape Cod Baseball League season with a win
In front of a packed house at Doran Park, the 2022 Cape Cod Baseball League season got off to a winning start Sunday for the Bourne Braves, who bested the Brewster Whitecaps. It was the first matchup for first-year head coach Scott Landers and his staff.
"Players played great," Landers said. "We got some timely hits, played good defense for the most part, and pitchers out the pen came in and did their job."
The Braves drew first blood, scoring their first run of the season on an RBI single from Jack Duffy out of the University of Houston. Duffy drove in third baseman Christopher Brito, from Rutgers, who led off the inning with a double.
It was Duffy again who stepped up with runners on in the bottom of the third inning, and just like the inning before, he delivered. The right fielder smacked a two RBI single this time around to make the score 3-0.
After throwing three scoreless innings to open the game and only allowing a single hit. Sam Bello was pulled. He was relieved by Ryan Fischer who allowed the first three men to reach, loading the bases. A sacrifice fly from Grayson Tatrow drove in the Whitecaps first run.
Two more runs scored to make it 3-3, all of which were tagged to Fischer.
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After the teams traded scoreless halves in the fifth, Bourne regained the lead when Brendan Cumming reached on an error, allowing Brito to score his second run of the game.
Brito, a senior, finished the day scoring three of the Braves' five runs, collecting two hits and drawing a walk, and while Landers appreciates the contribution, he realizes there are bigger things at play for Brito.
"I'm hoping Brito does that every game and gets drafted and gets out of here," Landers said postgame. "Right now he's got to be our power guy in the middle. We have some good hitters but we don't have a lot of power threat."
Brito and Duffy proved to be a formidable 1-2 punch in the heart of the Braves order. Behind Brito, Duffy finished with three hits, two RBI and a run scored.
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Bourne tacked on a late insurance run in the eighth inning and won the game 5-3. The game marked the first win for Landers and his staff.
"It was awesome," assistant coach Jarrod Saltamacchia said of his first taste of Cape League baseball. "Being around the best kids in the country, best players in the country, can't beat something like this."
The season continues for both squads Monday as Bourne travels over the bridge to play Wareham, and Brewster plays host to Yarmouth-Dennis.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Bourne Braves win over Brewster Whitecaps on League's opening day
