It's a Marty Party! Costes' Walk-Off Home Run Lifts Whitecaps Over Braves 6-4

Marty Costes only had one at-bat in game one of Sunday's doubleheader, but he made it count, smacking a walk-off two-run home run to left field (c) Marielle McLoughlin 2017

By: Koki Riley
 
BREWSTER, MA - The Brewster Whitecaps came away with a 6-4 victory over the Bourne Braves in game one of Sunday’s doubleheader thanks to Marty Costes’ two-run walk-off home run in the eighth inning (doubleheaders are seven inning games).
 
Entering the bottom of the eighth knotted at four, Michael Curry (Georgia) worked a one-out walk to bring Costes to the plate.
 
Costes, who entered the game in the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter, took a 0-1 fastball from Bourne southpaw P.J. Poulin (UConn) and smashed it on a line to left field, clearing the fence and ending the game.
 
“I was just sitting on something over the plate,” said Costes. “I felt like I wanted to get my swing off and stay aggressive. Even though the first pitch came in for a strike, I wasn’t intimidated.”
 
The home run was Costes’ second of the season and Brewster’s first walk-off victory.
 
The first four innings of the game were a scoreless pitchers duel between Brewster’s Joe Molettiere (Monmouth) and Bourne’s Daniel Bies (Gonzaga).
 
Molettiere was sensational, giving the Whitecaps 5.2 innings and allowing only one earned run on five hits.
 
For the first four innings, Bies matched him out-for-out. The Gonzaga Bulldog did not give up a run until the fifth inning, when the Whitecaps brought home three runs on three hits.
 
In the fifth, Whitecaps’ center fielder Hunter Bishop (Arizona State) got the scoring going with a single that brought home Chandler Taylor (Alabama), tying the score at one apiece.
 
Bishop advanced to second base on the throw from Braves center fielder Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist), while Whitecaps left fielder Cesar Trejo (UNC Greensboro) took third giving Brewster two runners in scoring position with no outs.
 
A sacrifice fly from Darius Hill (West Virginia) and a groundout from shortstop A.J. Graffanino (Washington) would bring both runners home, giving the Whitecaps a 3-1 lead.
 
After Bourne cut the lead to one in the top of the sixth, the Whitecaps would answer.
 
Braves reliever P.J. Poulin (UConn) walked Bishop with the bases loaded, bring home the fourth run of the game for Brewster.
 
Brewster led 4-2 going into the top of the seventh inning, needing just three outs to secure the win, but Bourne tied the game after a Graffanino throwing error allowed two Braves to score.
 
The Whitecaps, who already had the lowest fielding percentage in the Cape League would commit four more errors in the game, allowing three unearned runs to score.
 
Chris Machamer (Kentucky) picked up the win for Brewster, his first of the season. Machamer went 2.1 innings, giving up just one hit and one earned run while striking out three.
 
While Costes’ home run will get the headlines, Bishop had his best game in a Brewster uniform, finishing 1-2 at the plate with two runs batted in and a run scored.
 
“He’s a young guy and he’s feeling around for things, he’s a little new,” Costes said of his fellow Brewster outfielder. “We’ve been trying to welcome him the best we can and he’s having a fun time. He’s a good guy, so I’m happy for him.”
 
Whitecaps slugger Mickey Gasper (Bryant) finished 2-3 with a run scored, raising his batting average to an even .400.
 
WHAT’S NEXT: The Whitecaps play the second game of the double header against Bourne at Stony Brook Field at 5 p.m.

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