In just his second game as a member of the Y-D Red Sox, Texas outfielder Will Gasparino found a way to get on base in all five of his at-bats during the 6-3 victory against Wareham on Saturday.
During both of his seasons with Texas, Gasparino displayed immense power with double-digit home runs in each year and a career slugging percentage of .504. Although it’s unclear where he will be playing next season following his entrance to the transfer portal, Gasparino is enjoying becoming a major factor in the eight-game winning streak that Y-D is currently riding.
“Obviously it’s really fun winning and getting on base,” Gasparino said. “But I owe it to the guys in front of me. I mean, they had good at-bats that let me get up.”
Gasparino was activated by Y-D on Friday in place of Alex Hernandez (Georgia Tech), who joined the USA Collegiate National Team in North Carolina, and was immediately slotted into the middle of the lineup at the fifth spot. Gasparino has lived up to that billing, recording RBIs in both of his games with Y-D and being an on-base machine in the hard-fought win over the Gatemen on Saturday.
Gasparino got on base in just about every way that one could imagine on Saturday, starting with him taking a four-pitch walk on a pitch clock violation in the first inning. He immediately wreaked havoc on the basepaths as well when he executed a double steal with Cody Miller (East Tennessee State) to get into scoring position.
His next at-bat came in a big spot where he was the first batter to face Jacob Faulkner (Princeton) out of the Wareham bullpen with runners at the corners and one out in a 1-1 ballgame. After falling behind in the count 0-2, Gasparino got hit by the pitch, which loaded the bases for Yomar Carreras (Rutgers). Gasparino’s hit-by-pitch proved to be vital when Carreras lined a two-run double to the opposite field, giving Y-D a 3-1 lead in the third inning.
In the fifth inning, Gasparino showcased some speed once again when he beat out a chopper to the third baseman for an infield single. The base knock was his second hit with Y-D after delivering an RBI single in his debut against Cotuit on Friday.
After reaching base on an error in his fourth plate appearance, Gasparino came up in the ninth with a chance to provide crucial insurance runs. Y-D had already regained a 4-3 lead in the inning when Chris Hacopian (Texas A&M) and Garrett Wright (Tennessee) were hit on back-to-back pitches from Josh Butler (Arizona State) to bring home a run.
With the bases still loaded after the hit-by-pitch to Wright, Gasparino got ahead in the count 2-0 before hitting a breaking ball past the shortstop for a two-run single to give Y-D a 6-3 lead.
“[Butler] threw six balls in a row,” Gasparino said. “I was trying not to let that bother me; just be aggressive, get a good pitch to hit and drive in the runners.”
The three-run ninth inning capped off the eighth straight win for Y-D, moving them to 9-2-1 on the season. Gasparino completed his day by reaching base on a walk, hit-by-pitch, error and a couple of singles.
“I mean, winning is the best,” Gasparino said. “You can’t beat it.”
Gasparino and his teammates will look to match the longest winning streak in Y-D history since 2017 when they host West Division leader Hyannis at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
