On a gusting Tuesday in Orleans, filled with a whirlwind of emotions in just about everything from no pregame batting practice due to bus issues to a mid-inning ejection, the Gatemen (18-7-1) pulled it all together against many variables to edge the Orleans Firebirds, 4-2, on the road.
Now sitting pretty with a league-best 17-8-1 record, the Gatemen shined both at the plate and on the mound, but one swing topped it all off.
The CCBL hits leader now belongs to a Gatemen.
Murf Gray (Fresno State) notched his 32nd hit and team-leading 20th RBI in impressive fashion during the eighth inning to cap off a 2-for-4 night at the plate, and the eighth multi-hit performance in his last nine games.
“Oh, no way?” Gray ecstatically remarked as a smile and grin emerged when finding out he holds the current title.
“K.I.S.S.” was his next response, referencing a motto meaning, "Keep it simple, stupid,” that he uses to approach every game.
“You're not worried about the draft or if you’re playing today,” he added. “You're just showing up to the field ready to go and whatever the coach asks you, whatever's on that lineup card, you're ready to go.”
Thirty-mph winds howling directly from the outfield to home plate turned many potential homers into routine pop outs for other hitters, but posed no issue for Gray. The Fresno State Bulldog demolished a hanging breaking ball that just barely got over the 5-foot-tall fence in left, only because he smoked it with a 103 mph exit velocity that zipped out of the yard just above head level.
Gray, now slashing .352 on the season with a 1.170 OPS in the month of July, attributes his success to the preparation and challenges hitting coach Mike Mobbs gives the team daily.
“Our pregame really dials me in,” Gray said. “[Mobbs] works at different angles, different pitches, and it’s at a level where you can know you have that strength and ability to trust it. It’s really all mental.”
However, motor issues with the team bus en route to Orleans resulted in no batting practice for the Gatemen, possibly being the cause of Wareham’s hitters finding just three hits until the top of the sixth. Sam White (West Virginia) helped set the plate for Gray with a two-RBI double down the left field line. Gray followed in tune, shooting a backside liner over the right fielder’s head to plate White and push a 3-1 lead. Even the man at the helm knows the impact Gray is making for himself and the team.
“The power is starting to emerge,” manager Ryan Smyth said. “He’s getting really comfortable with his swing and understanding how guys are pitching to him and use his natural leverage in a good way.”
Smyth had a better view than usual of Gray’s power, as he spent the latter half of the ballgame watching from the comfort of the team bus just behind the visiting bullpen in left field. He was ejected on a Reese Chapman borderline strike-three call in the ensuing at-bat. Smyth sat on the boarding steps of the big, yellow bus for the next few innings, peering over the fence to see the homer get out in under four seconds.
“That was just awesome,” he remarked. “That gave us a little cushion we definitely needed.”
Beforehand, Smyth was able to enjoy his ace putting up another quality outing on the bump from the dugout. Right-hander Tate McGuire (Arkansas), who entered the evening with the seventh-best earned run average on the Cape (2.25 ERA), made his fifth start and second against the Firebirds ( 7-18). McGuire tossed a stellar five innings, giving up just a single run on five hits. Though exiting with a 1-0 deficit, he responded to the Firebirds' early run with a beautiful seven-pitch inning.
From there, he handed it over to the bullpen and picked up the win for the Gatemen, cutting his ERA to 2.14. However, the greatest statistic that stood out was his command.
“Being ready to locate and not let the mistakes compound was huge for me today,” McGuire said. He located rather well at that, dotting 52 of his 72 pitches for strikes (72% strikes).
From the pen, righty reliever Tony Pluta (Arizona) later inherited a 3-1 game in the seventh inning as Orleans threatened with the bases loaded and no outs. Pluta clutched up, surrendering just one run on an RBI groundout to hold a 3-2 lead for Wareham once again. The two arms combined to strand eight of the nine Firebirds left on base in high-pressure situations, with Pluta now holding a 0.64 ERA in 14 innings pitched.
“That was probably the biggest inning of the game right there,” Smyth said. “We’ve been putting him in some tough spots and he’s handled them really well.”
In a game where everything from car motors and umpires to monsooning winds were against them, the Wareham Gatemen prevailed once again to take a comfortable two-game lead in the West Division.
Top photo caption: Murf Gray jumps in celebration with Eli Putnam following Wareham's 4-2 win over Orleans on July 16, 2024, at Eldredge Park. Photo by Keegan Maloney.
