COTUIT, Mass. — As the Gatemen got off the bus, they were greeted with warm sunshine, something that was absent in their home opener at Spillane Field on Saturday.
It was perfect baseball weather at Lowell Park, and a perfect day for the Kettleers’ home opener. It was Father’s Day, and many families packed the stands. The Gatemen were at batting practice, hungry for their first win of the season.
Sunday's matchup against the Kettleers was Wareham's first since last year’s 7-4 playoff loss to Cotuit. This brought a little extra motivation, especially for the Gatemen returners. However, many of the new Gatemen, who did not see that loss, were just ready to perform well at their jobs, not just for themselves, but for their new team.
Everyone, especially fans of defensive baseball, was lucky to witness a classic between West Division rivals. It was a defensive war of attrition from start to finish, but one team had to come out on top, and it was the home team.
The Gatemen fell to the Kettleers, 2-1, on a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning. It was a heartbreaking loss, especially after similarly losing their home opener Saturday.
The game started exactly like Saturday's Opening Day game against Hyannis. The first couple of innings ended scoreless as both teams were locked in a defensive pitchers' duel.
Chase Richter (Arkansas State) had a great start to the game, pitching five innings while giving up three hits, no runs and grabbing six strikeouts.
“We went through a couple of arms last night, which we kind of scripted, but for him to go out there and give us five full innings and only one hit, that was a phenomenal start,” said Gatemen field manager Ryan Smyth about Richter’s performance.
The Red Wolf is more familiar with relief pitching, with his longest outing in the spring being a five-inning appearance against Troy on May 9. Yet, he embraced the opportunity to start the game for the Gatemen (0-2).
“It was nice. It's just a longer relief. You get to start from pretty much scratch. So it's pretty fun when you get out there to start,” said Richter on what it was like to transition to a starting role.
This is the second consecutive night the Gatemen have seen success turning a college reliever into a starting pitcher. On Opening Night, Daniel Powell (Kennesaw State), who was mainly a reliever in the spring, pitched three innings, giving up only two hits and one run, and Richter’s five-inning performance has proved the Gatemen’s pitching formula is working so far.
“We've got a lot of guys that have mainly been in the bullpen, so we just have to stretch those guys out. We have to do it slowly. We have conversations with them to create those routines that they don't have yet,” Gatemen pitching coach Eric Luksis said.
On the other side, Cotuit also had fantastic pitching. Cole Carlon (Arizona State) had a short start, only pitching two innings, but he gave up only one hit and one walk. Preston Crowl (Virginia Tech) had similar numbers through four innings, giving up one hit and getting two punchouts.
The Kettleers (1-1) did threaten to score in the eighth and ninth, but timely strikeouts from pitchers Josh Butler (Arizona State) and Patrick Galle (Ole Miss) kept the game scoreless.
Both defenses held each team to a scoreless game through all nine innings, during which both teams combined for just seven hits. This stellar defensive showcase forced bonus baseball in the 10th inning.
The Gatemen struck first in the top half with an RBI single to center from right fielder Colby Turner (Michigan), who brought home Jared Davis (Virginia Tech), putting the Gatemen up, 1-0.
The bottom of the 10th was suspenseful, as Jarren Advincula (UC Berkeley) singled to put runners on first and third. Then, a wild pitch scored Anderson French (Virginia Tech) to tie the game.
Then the Kettleers loaded the bases with two outs. Case Sanderson (Nebraska) found himself in a 3-2 count with two outs and the bases loaded. He then delivered a walk-off single to right field to score Advincula, securing the walk-off win.
The Gatemen, crushed by their Opening Day loss, found themselves crushed again in heartbreaking fashion. The Gatemen players stuck to the end and were visibly upset with ending the game in defeat, a sign that this team is invested in each other and is more motivated than ever to win.
“Guys were actually pretty ticked off, so that's a good sign. Moving forward, we’ve got some guys that want to play baseball and be here, that’s what we learned today, even though it was a bittersweet way to learn it,” Smyth said.
The team is connecting quickly and has bonded over Sunday's tough loss; however, it is still early in the season, and players are still getting a feel for things. Transitioning to wood bats, chemistry on defense and finding a winning formula takes time.
The Gatemen are excited to return home Monday to face the Chatham Anglers (0-2) and play to pick up their first win of the season. First pitch is at 6 p.m. at Spillane Field in Wareham.
