Three games remain for the Gatemen, and all of them are against division opponents. Their next matchup is against the Cotuit Kettleers and is the final game against their division foe this season. The season series currently sits at 2-2, with Cotuit winning the last meeting last Friday by a score of 2-1.
The Gatemen enter the game coming off two straight losses, their most recent being a 7-1 loss to Brewster on Thursday. Wareham still holds the top spot in the West; however, it is only a game ahead of Bourne, which holds the tiebreaker against it, and looks to keep its position atop the standings.
Cotuit is coming off a 1-0 loss to the red-hot Orleans Firebirds, who have won five-straight games and now sit at the top of the East. Before that game, the Kettleers had a dominant 8-3 win at home over the Harwich Mariners, a needed win in a close playoff race.
After Chatham’s loss to Falmouth on Thursday, the Anglers have been eliminated, thus granting the remaining four East teams a playoff berth. The Gatemen remain the only team in the West to have punched their ticket.
Cotuit sits only a game ahead of Falmouth in fourth place with three games to go. A win here against the Gatemen, in a high-stakes matchup, will greatly help them toward securing a playoff appearance.
Starting pitchers
The Gatemen will start right-hander Josh Butler (Arizona State). Butler recently became the front man of the Gatemen’s starting rotation. He was stellar on Saturday against the Falmouth Commodores, where he went six innings scoreless with only one hit allowed and three strikeouts.
It will be worth looking to see how long he goes for in this start, with the Gatemen trying to preserve their starters for the postseason while aiming for a top-two spot. If he pitches like he did against Falmouth nearly a week ago, Cotuit will have a tough time breaking through offensively.
The Kettleers will counter with their new right-handed starter Nick Wimberly (Florida Atlantic). Cotuit activated Wimberly on Wednesday after picking him up from the Southern Maryland Senators of the Cal Ripken Collegiate League.
He posted a 2.67 ERA in six starts with the Senators of the CRCL, with 27 innings, 13 hits, 11 runs (eight runs), 13 walks and 43 strikeouts. This will be his Cape Cod Baseball League debut as he looks to give Cotuit a needed push toward a playoff berth.
Players to watch
For Wareham:
- Chris McHugh (NC State) scored the lone run for the Gatemen on Thursday. The run became his sixth in the past three games combined.
- Foster Apple (Stetson) made his CCBL debut on Thursday and did well at the plate. He went 2-for-4, being one of two Gatemen to have a multihit game.
For Cotuit:
- Jack Natili (Cincinnati) was the only Kettleer to have two hits against the Firebirds on Thursday, getting two of the five hits Cotuit got. He also had a hit against the Mariners on Wednesday, helping lift them to an 8-3 win.
- Ryne Farber (Texas State) had two hits, an RBI and a run scored against Harwich on Wednesday. He also had a hit against the Firebirds on Thursday.
First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m. at Lowell Park in Cotuit. You can attend the game for free, or you can tune in to the Gatemen’s radio broadcast with Cory Miller, Josh Richardson and Rayna Maggelet on the call by clicking HERE.
