BOURNE, Mass. – The Falmouth Commodores’ bats came alive on Friday night, defeating the Bourne Braves 10–3 at Doran Park.
The Commodores’ offense scored 10 runs on 11 hits, crossing the plate in each frame from the fourth inning through the ninth inning. Shortstop Alex Mooney helped lead the way, going 1-for-3 with three RBIs. First baseman Jacob Walsh was also a key contributor, as he went 2-for-4 with a solo home run.
Starting pitcher Juaron Watts-Brown delivered a dominant start, striking out nine batters while allowing two runs in five innings of work. Garrett Coe was the first reliever out of the bullpen, yielding just one run in 2.2 frames of work. Brayden Matthews closed out the game by blanking the opposition during the final 1.1 innings.
Manager Jeff Trundy said he was impressed with the club’s performance in the contest, bouncing back from a 5–4 victory against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks on Thursday.
“It was a great effort by our guys,” Trundy said. “We got down a couple runs early and then found a way to battle back and I’m just really pleased with the way they’re competing.”
The Braves opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, taking a 2–0 lead over the Commodores. Left fielder Evan Sleight dropped an RBI single into shallow center field, scoring Mac Horvath. First baseman Christopher Brito then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, plating Matt Shaw.
Falmouth then rallied in the top of the fifth, taking a 4–2 lead against Bourne. Second baseman Peyton Stovall scored on a wild pitch. Shortstop Alex Mooney then hit a line drive to right field that got past the diving attempt of right fielder Carson Jones, allowing the shortstop to circle the bases for a three-run inside-the-park home run. The blast brought home Walsh and Drew Brutcher. Mooney said he initially thought a play was going to be made on the ball, but he turned on the jets once it dropped for a hit.
“I honestly thought it was going to get caught,” Mooney said. “But I saw he dove and didn’t get it, and it got passed and rolled all the way to the wall. And right when I saw it get passed him, I just started running, put my head down and run. And I saw [third base coach Brett Becker] at third and he was waving me home, so I kind of gave everything I had left.”
The ’Dores tacked on another run in the top of the sixth inning, extending their lead to 5–2. Center fielder Andrew Pinckney came home to score after a wild pitch.
Falmouth crossed the plate again in the top of the seventh, making it a 6–2 ballgame. Third baseman Colby Halter hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Brutcher.
The Commodores kept rolling in the top of the eighth inning, extending their lead to 7–2 against the Braves. Walsh crushed a solo homer over the right field wall, leaving the yard for the fifth time this summer.
Bourne got a run back in the bottom half of the frame, narrowing its deficit to 7–3. Sleight lined an RBI single to left field, driving in Shaw.
Falmouth put the game out of reach in the top of the ninth, extending their lead to 10–3. Left fielder Jace Bohrofen drove a two-run double to left field, scoring Mooney and Travis Chestnut. Pinckney then lined an RBI single to left field, plating Bohrofen.
Matthews would close out the contest in the bottom half of the frame, striking out catcher Alan Espinal to end the game.
The victory improves Falmouth’s record to 16–17–3 as the club enters the All-Star break. The Commodores will return to action at 6 p.m. July 25, as the club will travel to take on the Hyannis Harbor Hawks at McKeon Park.
Note: Featured image by Meghan Murphy.
Click here for Friday night’s box score.
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Tommy Mumau can be reached at tmumau@ithaca.edu. Follow him on Twitter @tommymumau13.
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