Cape League Playoff scores

The 2023 Cape Cod Baseball League Playoffs began Friday night, and both top seeds fell at the hands of the No. 4 seeds.

In the west, the Bourne Braves jumped on the 2023 President's Trophy-winning Cotuit Kettleers, to take game one of the first round of the playoffs, 14-8.

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (Rutgers), Sam Peterson (Iowa), and Garrett Michel (Virginia Tech) each had three RBIs to lead the Bourne Braves to the game one victory over the Kettleers. Kuroda-Grauer finished 3-for-6 with a home run, a triple and three runs scored, while Peterson and Michel scored twice. Derek Bender (Coastal Carolina) added in two hits, a pair of RBIs and a run scored

Cole Mathis (College of Charleston) went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored, and Miami’s Jack Scanlon had two hits and two RBIs.

In the East, the Brewster Whitecaps offense exploded to take game one over the East Division Champion Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 18-7. Jared Jones (LSU) got the Whitecaps on the board in the top of the first with a three-run home run. His LSU teammate Josh Pearson hit a home run of his own in the third inning, which was a two-run shot to extend Brewster's lead. The Whitecaps scored in each of the first five innings to take game one of the first round. The big inning came in the top of the fourth, when Brewster put up seven runs. James Tibbs (Florida State) had a two-run single to start the scoring in the inning, and Dylan Leach (Mizzou) capped off the seven run frame with a two-run single of his own. Davis Diaz (Vanderbilt) had three RBIs. Ohio State’s Tyler Pettorini also hit a home run in the win.

Braden Montgomery (Stanford) and Casey Cook (North Carolina) both had two hits, an RBI, and scored two runs.

The Harbor Hawks offense didn’t put up a zero on the scoreboard until the bottom of the seventh inning. Jon Jon Gazdar (Austin Peay had three hits, two RBIs and a run scored to help lead Hyannis. Darin Horn (Coastal Carolina) started and went four innings, giving up two runs (one earned) and striking out a pair. He gave way to David Case (Grand Canyon) who kept the Falmouth offense quiet over his four innings of relief. Elsewhere in the lineup, Eric Snow (South Florida) had a home run, three RBIs and scored twice, and Zach Ehrhard (Oklahoma State) reached base three times, scored twice, and had an RBI.

Gavin Turley (Oklahoma State) had two hits and an RBI, and Georgetown's Michael Eze had a pair of hits, and scored twice.

After being held quiet the the first eight innings of the game, the Firebirds offense put it together when it mattered. Orleans scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk-off the Harwich Mariners in game one. Eddie King (Louisville) led off the inning with a walk, and two batters later, the bases were loaded. Two straight strikeouts meant the bases were still loaded with two down in the bottom of the ninth, that's when Justin Rubin (Virginia) stepped up to the plate. Rubin singled to the left side, scoring King, to tie the game at one. The next batter, Notre Dame's Jack Penney got the game-winning hit, a single to right field, that scored Brandon Stahlman (UNC Charlotte). The Firebirds got six innings from Greysen Carter in his start. The junior from Vanderbilt only allowed a single earned run, and struck out eight.

Blake Purnell (Florida) went five scoreless innings in his start for the Mariners. Texas A&M's Ali Camarillo had the only RBI of the game.