The Brewster Whitecaps are no strangers to close games, and it added a third one-run victory to stay undefeated early on in the Cape Cod Baseball League season.
The Whitecaps (4-0) topped the Bourne Braves (1-2-1) 4-3 in a shortened eight-inning game at Stony Brook on Tuesday. The game was called due to darkness.
Justin Shadek (Rutgers) froze Caden Dulin (Pittsburgh) on a called strike three, as Bourne stranded the tying run on third base after storming back in the top of the seventh inning. The Braves went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Bourne scored twice with the bases loaded off a pair singles to get within 4-3, which chased Nate Brittain (Wake Forest) after just 2/3 innings of work. He gave up three hits, two runs (both earned) and walked another to go with one strikeout.
Brewster did all its damage in the second and third innings as the Whitecaps scored two runs in each. Carson Kerce (Georgia Tech) and Josiah Ragsdale (Boston College) both drove in runs on their only hits of the game, while Alex Sosa (North Carolina State) went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Florida’s Blake Cyr went 3-for-3 with a run scored.
Brewster’s Collin Priest (Clemson), who scored twice, didn’t record a hit, but reached base via a walk and a hit by pitch.
Chase Davis (South Alabama) picked up his first win after pitching two scoreless and hitless innings. Tyler Schmitt (Illinois) went four innings, gave up four hits, one run, two walks and struck out five.
Noah Franco (Texas Christian) hit a home run in the top of the second inning to give the Braves a 1-0 lead, which was their only advantage of the game. Kade Lewis (Wake Forest) and Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) both drove in runs in the seventh.
Alex Valentin (Texas State) gave up seven hits, four runs (all earned), three walks and had four strikeouts in four innings of work in the loss.
In other Cape Cod Baseball League action:
Wareham Gatemen 3, Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 2
Patrick Galle (Mississippi) collected his first save of the season as he stranded the tying run at third base, and the Gatemen (1-3) held on for their first win of the season.
Vance Sheahan’s (South Carolina Upstate) solo home run in the second inning held up as the lone difference until Chase Krewson (Central Florida) and Kollin Ritchie (Oklahoma State) drove in runs in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively.
Yarmouth-Dennis (1-2-1) struggled to crack Logan Baisley (Florida Gulf Coast) and Kaleb Applebey (Austin Peay State), who combined to pitch six scoreless innings. The two gave up just four hits and four walks, while striking out four batters. Applebey earned the win in relief.
The Red Sox staged a late comeback bid with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning to cut the deficit to 3-2, but did not get any closer then that. Brayden Dowd (Southern California) singled to drive in a run, while AJ Soldra (Seton Hall), who went 2-for-4, scored on a throwing error by the catcher.
Starting pitcher Carson Ballard (Georgia Tech) had a solid outing despite the loss on the mound. He gave up two hits, one run (earned) and recorded six strikeouts in four innings.
The Red Sox left nine on base and were just 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position, including the potential tying run.
Allen Gunn covers high school sports for the Cape Cod Times. You can contact him at agunn@gannett.com and follow him on X at @allentgunn.
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