The Cape League Championship series starts today. Here is the schedule and preview

Bourne is back in a familiar place for this weekend's Cape League Championship.

The Braves are going for their third straight title, and are in the finals for the fourth straight year. Bourne has made the finals seven times, with three titles (2023, 2022, and 2009).

Harwich last made the finals in 2019, but lost to Cotuit that year. The Mariners' last title came in 2011. This will be the 10th trip to the finals for Harwich, with wins in 2011, 2008, 1987, and 1983.

Bourne entered as the No. 4 seed in the West Division, and has been on a tear as of recent weeks. The Braves beat No. 2 Cotuit 5-3 on Friday night, as Chase Meggers (Oregon) went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, and an RBI.

The Braves won Thursday 7-4 after losing on Wednesday night. Ethan Conrad (Wake Forest) and Marek Houston (Wake Forest) each had three hits in that game, with one run and one RBI each.

Bourne opened the playoffs with a 5-1 win over the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. Chris Stanfield (Auburn) blasted a home run in that game, and had a run scored and three RBIs.

Harwich made its run from the No. 3 slot in the East. In the semifinals, the Mariners eliminated top seed Yarmouth-Dennis. In the first game, the Mariners won 10-2, and had five players with two hits: Cam Maldonado (Northeastern), Wilson Weber (Oregon State), Jake Ogden (Miami), Daniel Dickinson (Louisiana State), and Sam McNulty (Boston College). Weber had three RBIs.

In the second game, Harwich won 5-1 to eliminate Yarmouth-Dennis. Macon Winslow (Duke) had the big blow in that one with a three-run double in the fourth inning.

In the first round, Harwich beat Chatham 7-5. Maldonado went 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Cade Kurland (Florida) and Weber each had two hits and two RBIs.

No. 3 Harwich Mariners vs. No. 4 Bourne Braves

Today: Harwich Mariners at Bourne Braves, 6 pm

Aug. 11: Bourne Braves at Harwich Mariners, 5:30 pm

Aug. 12: Harwich Mariners at Bourne Braves, 6 pm*

*If necessary

Player to Watch: Maldonado is an effective table-setter at the top of the lineup for Harwich. During the regular season, he batted .258 with 22 runs scored and 24 RBIs. He had four doubles and five home runs, with 13 stolen bases. With a .357 on-base percentage and a .427 slugging, Maldonado had a .784 OPS.

Player to Watch: Conrad has been one of the top hitters on the Cape all summer. He is hitting .385 with 27 runs scored and 19 RBIs. He has two home runs and five doubles. His on-base percentage is .433 with a slugging of .486, and an OPS of .919.

Prediction: Although Bourne's pedigree makes the Braves hard to pick against, it is not just that. Bourne has simply been one of the hottest teams in the Cape down the stretch. Harwich has been on a good streak as well, and the Mariners will make a series of this, but too many factors make it difficult to pick against Bourne at this point. Bourne in three.

Adam Kurkjian covers high school sports for the Cape Cod Times. You can contact him at akurkjian@gannett.com and follow him on X at @AdamKurkjian.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Bourne will face Harwich in the CCBL Championship series.