A heavyweight bout awaits Wareham for its first trip to Red Wilson Field this summer.
Wareham capitalized on late-game momentum on Friday with a mammoth West Division win over Falmouth. Now, the Gatemen are back on the road and have a tall task ahead with 10-1 Y-D.
The Red Sox went to Spillane Field and tallied their season-high run total. Y-D built on its CCBL-best record, but Wareham heads on the road after playing its best baseball of the summer over the last few games. The Gatemen’s bats have fully come alive and their pitching continues to work tough outs.
Starting Pitchers: Walton vs. Hamilton
Wareham: Wade Walton (High Point) has been a swing-and-miss machine since stepping foot on Cape Cod a few weeks ago. He ranks second on the Gatemen in K’s and is tied for eighth in the CCBL. Walton faces a Red Sox team with 108 strikeouts this summer despite their league-high run total. He has the opportunity to jumpstart Wareham with dominant innings by getting ahead in counts.
Y-D: Connor Hamilton (Vanderbilt) simply keeps opponents off of the scoreboard. He has only recorded a single strikeout but has avoided the free pass and tosses efficient innings to let the Red Sox’s bats get right back to work. Hamilton avoids those mistake pitches and seemingly starts to control every at-bat as his start progresses.
Players To Watch
Gatemen: Coen Niclai (Arizona State) has been the reliable bat and glove for Wareham all summer, and will need his clutch gene to activate in order to slay Y-D on the road. The power is clearly there with a team-high three home runs, but he can also spray base hits. Niclai is one of the lone offensive bright spots in Wareham’s last game against Y-D, drawing a walk and notching an RBI.
Red Sox: Tommy Goodin (Vanderbilt) is one of Y-D’s hit leaders and just smacked three in a close game against Hyannis to preserve its win streak. He also brings a long-ball threat in every plate appearance, and is tied for the second-most home runs in the Cape League. How will Goodin fare against Walton’s versatile pitch arsenal?
Wareham took down a red-hot Harwich team just a week ago, and now faces a similar task on the road against Y-D with a five-game win streak. The Red Sox have scored six or more runs in their last four games and consistently cashes in once runners reach.
First pitch from Red Wilson Field is set for 4:30 p.m. Gatemen fans can make the trip over the bridge for this cross-division action or catch the call on Cape League TV.
