It wasn’t long ago that the Bourne Braves sat atop the Cape Cod Baseball League’s west division standings. However, heading into a showdown last night against Falmouth the Braves were on the outside looking in for the postseason.

With an ill-timed slump the Braves have fallen down in the standings and entered play last night at Doran Park in fourth place in the divisional standings. It is safe to say that this weekend will make or break the Braves’ playoff hopes. Last night they squared off with the first-place team, tonight they visit second-place Hyannis, and then see the Mets again on Monday at home. Saturday’s opponent is Falmouth again, this time at Guv Fuller Field.

Falmouth owned the division’s best record, and the league’s second best, heading into the game at Doran last night with a 20-15-1 overall mark. Hyannis, which has also been faltering down the stretch, is second at 19-17. Cotuit moved into third place this week and is 17-17-2. The Braves are in fourth at 17-18-1.

Making the issue of making the playoffs all the more difficult for the Braves was that the team lost one of its best players this week to the big leagues. Shortstop Dusty Brown surrendered to a Godfather-type of offer that he just could not refuse that was made by the Oakland Athletics. Even though Coleman was drafted in the 28th round he was offered the type of money that is usually handed out to much, much higher draft picks, setting a record for a draft pick selected beyond the 20th round. Coleman signed for well over a half-million dollars. William and Mary’s James Williamson was picked up to play shortstop for the Braves down the stretch.

In the Braves’ most recent games it has been an inability to protect a lead that has ultimately cost them. On both Tuesday night and Monday night the Braves held advantages in the middle innings, but could not hold on in the end.

On Tuesday the Braves had to settle for a disappointing tie with Cotuit after holding an 8-4 lead in the top of the sixth. Bourne fell behind early in the ballgame by a run, but then the Braves rallied for four in the top of the fifth to take the lead 4-1. With four runs on five hits and one miscue on the Kettleers the Braves staked themselves to a somewhat comfortable lead as Jordan Henry (Ole Miss) singled in the first run of the game for Bourne, and then Mark Krauss (Ohio) continued his assault on Cape League pitching this summer with a two-run single to make it a 3-1 game. An unearned run later in the inning capped the rally.

Bourne wouldn’t play from the front for long, though. Cotuit struck right back with three in the bottom of the frame to tie it up.

The Braves put together another four-run outburst in the sixth to take an 8-4 lead. In the frame the Braves scored one run on an error, another on a wild pitch and then got a two-run double by Brandon Bantz (Dallas Baptist) to take control of the ballgame.

Unfortunately for the Braves, though, the lead would not last. Cotuit pushed across two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kevin Patterson (Auburn) provided the fireworks with a two-run homer, his third of the year, to make it a two-run ballgame. Then, in the seventh, Cotuit came back to tie the game with two more. Cotuit loaded the bases with no outs and then got one run in on a fielder’s choice and another, to tie it up, on a sacrifice fly. The Braves were able to strand the potential go-ahead run at third base.

Offense was not a problem against Cotuit as the Braves pounded out 15 base hits in the game with catcher Brad Stephenson (Norfolk State) leading the way with a 3-for-4 night. Henry, Pierre LaPage (UConn) and Bantz each had two hits in the game.
Bryce Stowell (UC Irvine), who has been one of the top pitchers for the Braves this season, suffered his worst outing of the summer. Over five and one-third innings Stowell was touched up for six runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out seven. Kevin Landry came in and got just one out while giving up two runs.

On Monday night, against Chatham, the Braves led throughout the first half of the game, but then fell apart in the second half as they suffered a 9-4 defeat in 13 innings. Chatham scored four times in the top of the ninth inning to tie it up, after being held scoreless through the first eight frames, and then put the game away with five more in the 13th.

After getting the first out of the ninth inning, the roof fell in on Bourne. A walk and then a hit batter set the stage for Victor Sanchez (San Diego), who put his team ahead for the first time all night with a ringing double to left to drive in a run. A groundout by Kyle Bellows (San Jose State) pushed across the second run. Evan Ocheltree (Wake Forest) then put an exclamation point on the inning for the Athletics with a homer to left field to drive in two and tie things up, sending the game to extra innings.

It all came apart at the seams for the Braves in the 13th as the As would score five times with the benefit of just one hit, a grand slam to left by Bellows that iced the game. Chatham had scored what would prove to be the winning run before the long ball as a big error opened the doors to disaster. The first batter of the inning was hit by a pitch and then a wild pitch put him on second with one out. After a walk, Grant Green hit a roller to third base for Ross Wilson, who threw the ball away. A run came around to score on the play to make it a 5-4 lead for Chatham. A walk then loaded the bases for Bellows, who unloaded on one and put the game well out of reach.