Tonight, the Cape Cod Baseball League will celebrate the 102nd edition of its Opening Day, and the Wareham Gatemen will host the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in their home opener on a newly renovated Spillane Field.
Before the Gatemen kick off the season, both community sponsors and four Gatemen alumni will participate in pregame festivities to celebrate the team and the Wareham community.
Cape Cod Railroad will be the sponsor for the game, will have an informational table, and will have Depot Supervisor Jackson Dinnel throwing out the first pitch. Joining Cape Cod Railroad will be a table for Foster Care Massachusetts, who will be giving out more information of foster parenting and adoption.
There will also be events for the kids as there will be a local face painter kids can go to during the game for some fun. Wareham law enforcement will also be getting a shoutout with Walter Correia Jr., Wareham’s chief of police, singing the national anthem tonight.
Along with these community sponsors, four Gatemen alumni will be making their return to Spillane Field: Pitcher Joe Flynn, catcher Matt Walsh, pitcher Keith Bilodeau, and pitcher Chris Cabe will all be throwing out the first pitch.
Joe Flynn played with the Gatemen in 2010 and 2011. The Franklin Pierce Raven pitched 37.0 innings out of the bullpen in his two years with the Gatemen, posting a 1-1 record, a combined 2.43 ERA, 10 earned runs, and 19 strikeouts, earning him the honor of Coca-Cola pitcher of the week in 2010.
Reuniting with Flynn is his fellow Raven teammate, Matt Walsh. Walsh carried his catching talent from Franklin Pierce to the Cape, acting as the backstop for the Gatemen during their 2012 championship-winning season. He also batted .255 in 29 games in 2013.
Keith Bilodeau, the Sagamore native and Maine Black Bear, pitched for two seasons with the Gatemen in 2009 and 2010, being a key relief pitcher in 26 combined appearances during that span.
Chris Cabe played three seasons in the Cape with the Gatemen from 1997 to 1999 as a pitcher. The Wareham native went to Colby-Sawyer College, where he has his name in the record books. Cabe is the all-time Chargers' leader with 34 home runs, second with 154 hits, and second with 145 RBI. He also dominated on the mound, racking up 13 career wins and 105 strikeouts.
The Wareham Gatemen organization is excited to welcome these familiar faces back into Spillane Field to kick off what is to be an exciting summer of Cape Cod baseball.
