After facing Brewster less than 24 hours ago, Wareham now visits Stony Brook Field for the final time of the summer on Thursday.
The Gatemen and Whitecaps’ third matchup of the summer was similar to rounds 1 and 2: a defensive battle that kept fans at the ballpark until the final out. Brewster took an early lead, but Wareham fought back and had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning after loading the bases.
Can Wednesday’s late-game comeback bid give the Gatemen an early spark in Brewster?
Starting Pitchers: Lee vs. Estridge
Wareham: After one of his best starts of the summer last time out, Peyton Lee (Arkansas) gets the ball to try and contain the high-powered Brewster offense. He only allowed two earned runs in his previous opener against Cotuit, and threw over 50% strikes (71-39). Wednesday’s starter, Sahil Patel (Ohio State), was able to rack up six K’s on the Whitecaps and Lee may have similar efficiency.
Brewster: The Whitecaps quieted the Gatemen’s bats in the early stages of Wednesday night. Gaines Estridge (Air Force) looks to keep that defensive momentum rolling in his second start of the season: he has only allowed three hits over six innings of work. Estridge was a strikeout machine this spring including a double-digit K performance against Navy, and now faces a Gatemen lineup who struck out 10 times on Wednesday.
Players To Watch
Gatemen: In an up-and-down night at the plate, Dylan Dubovik (Miami) pulled through with a team-high two hits. His first preceded a steal, helping Wareham move into scoring position and give Brewster’s defense another worry on the base path. Dubovik's second base knock kept the rally alive in the ninth inning. He can hop on another hit streak in Brewster today.
Whitecaps: Five different Brewster batters tallied base knocks on Wednesday, but Owen Jenkins (Kentucky) was a standout bat by adding a pair of hits and one of Brewster’s four RBIs on the night. The ‘Caps have tallied five runs in each of their matchups against the Gatemen and Jenkins returns home with some momentum at the plate.
First pitch at Stony Brook Field is set for 6:00. Fans can attend free of charge or tune in on Cape League TV.
