Welcome to the Bourne Braves Official Website
Braves Halt Hyannis' Eight Game Win Streak
Jul 30, 2011
Author: Ian Martin
Hyannis' eight game-winning streak came to an anti-climactic end at Doran Park on Saturday, with Bourne pitchers Kevin Brandt (East Carolina) and Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) combining for all nine innings to shut out the West leaders 4-0.
Connolly relieved Brandt in the fifth inning of a tie game with one out and two runners in scoring position. The only real threat against Brandt all day, Connolly was able to quell the jam with two straight outs, and keep the shutout in tact for the Braves (22-17-2).
Brandt's day was remarkable, with six strikeouts and no walks allowed in 5.1 innings, but his trust in Connolly in the close game may be even more notable.
"When I came out, I had confidence [in Ryan]," Brandt said. "Because he's done it before. It's good to know you've got a guy you can trust out there."
The two pitching performances - particularly Connolly's two hits allowed through the final 3.2 innings - were certainly the highlight of the game for any objective observer. And the Hyannis (27-13-0) defense was certainly the lowlight.
The visitors were in need of Tom Emanski's Defensive Drills video after committing errors against back-to-back-to-back hitters, allowing three of the Braves four runs in the sequence.
Among a variety of blunders, Hyannis' leftfielder Dan Gulbransen (Jacksonville) let a ball go by in the outfield, and saw a ball fall out of the mitt of first baseman John Frost (UAB) on what should've been an easy unassisted play at first against Travis Jankowski (Stony Brook).
Kyle Farmer (Georgia) scored the only earned run of the game for Bourne earlier in the inning after singling and reaching home on a Pat Cantwell (Stony Brook) single.
Some Bourne players were merciful in describing the horrific sequence by the Harbor Hawks, especially since Bourne committed three errors in a loss to Hyannis on July 26.
"Baseball humbles you," said Jankowski. "One day you're making five errors and the next day you're witnessing five errors."
But Farmer had a different perspective, seeing not an opposition's missteps, but a home team's fortune.
"It's karma," he said. "The baseball gods work in mysterious ways. Tonight was our night so everything was going our way."
With just three regular season games left, the team hopes that a win in which almost all facets of the team succeed, especially playoff-necessities pitching and fielding, will spur continued success for the rest of the summer.
"If we can keep this rolling through the playoffs we should do pretty well," Jankowski said.
The Braves' next game will be at Cotuit at 5 p.m. on Sunday, while the team's final regular season home game will be against Wareham at 4:30 p.m.
|
