FALMOUTH, Mass. – The Falmouth Commodores fell to the Bourne Braves 1–0 on Thursday night, as the club found itself on the losing end of a pitcher’s duel. The defeat marks the club’s fifth consecutive loss.
Falmouth’s pitching staff was outstanding, striking out 15 total batters and allowing just one run. Starting pitcher Drew Sommers dazzled on the mound for the ’Dores, holding the Braves to just one hit in five scoreless innings of work. The southpaw struck out nine batters without allowing a walk during his first start of the summer.
The club’s bullpen held the Braves to just one run on three hits. Mikey Tepper was solid in relief, striking out three batters in two innings on the hill. The Mississippi State product gave up just one run on a solo home run to second baseman Matt Shaw, but this ended up being the difference in the ballgame.
The Commodores’ lineup was kept quiet in this one, as it was shut out and held to just four hits. The team got a couple of runners in scoring position in the sixth inning but were ultimately kept scoreless. Falmouth’s only extra-base hit of the night was courtesy of second baseman Colby Halter, as he went 1-for-4 with a double.
Manager Jeff Trundy said that as the team is working through these struggles, it is important that the group remains confident in itself and enjoys the experience.
“The worst thing you can do is put more pressure on yourself,” Trundy said. “We’ve just got to get a couple of hits at the right time and all of a sudden score a couple of runs and we’ll be moving. … The game can be cruel at times, so [we’ve] got to find a way to do our best to relieve some of the pressure and just have some fun.”
The Commodores found themselves in a pitching-dominated game for the second straight night. The contest was knotted up at 0–0 until the top of the sixth. Sommers kept the Braves hitless until the top of the fifth inning, fanning eight batters before allowing a knock. The southpaw said he felt he was able to control his pitches in the strike zone.
“I was going after them with a fastball [and the] curveball was very effective today,” Sommers said. “I was able to have a lot of command out there, I was able to go inside [and] outside.”
Trundy echoed a similar sentiment, as he said he was impressed with how Sommers used his repertoire to keep hitters off-balance.
“He was outstanding,” Trundy said. “He dominated with the fastball the first couple innings and then he really started mixing everything else in. His stuff is great and once he had the hitters not knowing what was coming, he was just cruising.”
On the other side of the diamond, Garrett Edwards delivered a dominant start for Bourne. The right-hander struck out five batters and gave up just two hits in five shutout frames.
The Braves opened the scoring in the top of the sixth, taking a 1–0 lead over the Commodores. Shaw drove a solo blast over the wall in center field, hitting his second home run of the summer.
Falmouth attempted to rally in the bottom half of the frame, getting a pair of runners into scoring position. Shortstop Alex Mooney led off the inning by reaching on an error, and Halter moved him to third by lining a double down the right field line. Bourne ultimately managed to escape the frame with a 1–0 lead, retiring the next three batters in order.
This would hold as the final score, as the pitching staffs continued to dominate. Both sides were kept scoreless for the remainder of the contest. The loss drops Falmouth’s record to 5–11–1 on the season.
Despite the result on the field, Thursday was an evening of celebration for Falmouth. Before the game, the organization held a ceremony in which it honored those that were instrumental in helping complete the renovations of Arnie Allen Diamond at Guv Fuller Field. The event was held beyond the right field wall and refreshments were served to those that were in attendance.
Chuck Sturtevant, president of the Falmouth Commodores and Cape Cod Baseball League, spoke at the ceremony and expressed his appreciation for those that were involved with the project.
“This couldn’t have happened without a team effort over these years,” Sturtevant said at the event. “Look at the facility we now have … I can’t thank all of you enough for all your hard work and support.”
The Commodores will return to action at 6 p.m. July 1, as the club will host the Brewster Whitecaps at Arnie Allen Diamond at Guv Fuller Field.
Note: Featured image by Anders Saling.
Click here for Thursday night’s box score.
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Click here for the 2022 Falmouth Commodores schedule.
Tommy Mumau can be reached at tmumau@ithaca.edu. Follow him on Twitter @tommymumau13.
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