Don’t stop me now.
The Gatemen are having such a good time after finding their groove and their identity in a dominant 12-6 win in Hyannis on Friday. The win was their third consecutive, bringing them back to .500 and tied second place in the West Division standings.
The Gatemen have founded an identity of aggressive hitting paired with dominant pitching, which has made them formidable in these last few games. On Friday, the Gatemen strung together 12 runs on 16 hits, which was about half of their totals in both categories in the first five games combined.
They hope not to stop now and keep rolling against the Falmouth Commodores. The Dores are coming off a 7-3 victory over the Orleans Firebirds at Guv Fuller Field on Friday. The Gatemen won their season series with the Commodores last summer, winning three of the five games against them.
The Commodores, however, look to be competitive, especially with first-year manager Jarrod Saltalamacchia at the helm. Saltalamacchia, the former Boston Red Sox catcher and World Series Champion in 2013, has his Commodores also sitting at 3-3, making tonight a battle for at least second place in the West Division.
Starting Pitchers
Wareham returns the starting duties to left-hander Chase Richter (Arkansas State). Richter’s last start against the Cotuit Kettleers on Sunday was everything you could ask for. The Red Wolf went 5 innings scoreless, only allowing 3 hits, and adding 6 strikeouts to his name.
His performance has made him one of the best starters the Gatemen have, and if he builds off of that dominance, he could become the team’s ace. Tonight, he looks to continue that against the Commodores.
Falmouth, on the other hand, will throw right-hander TJ Coats (Nebraska). Coats had a similar outing to Richter against the Harwich Mariners on Monday. The Cornhusker threw for 5 innings scoreless, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 7 batters.
On paper, tonight looks like a classic pitching duel, but Coats will be tested against a Gatemen lineup that has found its rhythm.
Players to Watch
It seemed like every player in the Gatemen lineup made an impact on Friday against Hyannis. Four Gatemen recorded three hits in the game, and seven batters recorded at least one hit.
Some names to look out for are Levi Clark (Tennessee), who has made a huge impact in just two games, Brayden Randle (Ole Miss), who had a great night going 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored, and Kyuss Gargett (Kentucky), who started the scoring on Friday in the top of the second by driving in 3 runs. Each of these players also made an impact defensively in their respective positions, so look for that to continue.
For the Commodores, Mark Quatrani (Cornell) and Maika Niu (Marshall) had great nights against the Firebirds on Friday. Quatrani went 2 for 4 with 4 RBIs and a run, improving his batting average to .375 for the summer. Niu also went 2 for 4, driving in two runs and scoring a run while hitting .300 on the season. Look for them to build off their momentum tonight.
The Gatemen face the Commodores on First Responders’ Night, a day dedicated to the brave men and women serving in the Police, Fire, and EMS departments in Wareham and beyond. They will be honored tonight before the game, and the Massachusetts State Police will land their chopper out in centerfield for pictures.
First pitch for tonight’s game will be at 6:00 p.m. at Spillane Field. You can attend the game live for free, or you can tune into the Gatemen’s broadcast on Cape League TV with Cory Miller, Josh Richardson, and Rayna Maggelet on the call by clicking HERE.
