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June 26, 2021 10:48 pm | by GatemenNews
By Nick Magas
The Wareham Gatemen took the field on a cool, gray Saturday evening in Bourne with every intention of winning a third straight ballgame. The Braves had other ideas, holding on for a 6-5 win after the Gatemen threatened late. Bourne remained undefeated, improving to 5-0, while Wareham fell to 2-3.
It was the Braves who got off to a fast start in the bottom of the first. A bunt single from Joe Lampe (Arizona State) led off the game for Bourne. He came around to score two batters later on a fly ball single off the bat of Braylen Wimmer (South Carolina).
The Gatemen came right back in the top of the third, with back-to-back singles from Cody Jefferis (San Diego) and Jim Jarvis (Alabama) to lead off the inning. A sacrifice fly from Owen Diodati (Alabama) scored Jarvis to knot the ballgame at 1-1.
Wareham ran into rough waters in the fourth. Gatemen starting pitcher Geoffrey Gilbert (Clemson) walked three consecutive batters to start the inning. Erubiel Candelario (Marist College) came in to clean up the mess, but instead walked the first two Braves he faced. A fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly plated two more. When it was all said and done, Bourne added four runs and took a 5-1 lead without recording a hit in the inning.
Bourne’s Gordon Graceffo (Villanova) was solid in his second Cape League start, showcasing a crafty pitch mix through four innings of work. Wareham chased him from the game with hits from Cimillo and Dispigna to lead off the fifth. The call to the pen brought on Austin Parsley (UNC-Greensboro). Parsley induced three straight pop outs to strand both runners.
Bourne carried that momentum into their half of the fifth, with Dalton Rushing (Louisville) starting things off with a double. Hunter Schilperoort (Pacific) came on for the Gatemen later in the inning. A Cayden Wallace (Arkansas) sacrifice fly to the warning track scored Rushing, with the run charged to Candelario. Schilperoort concluded his CCBL debut after tossing two scoreless innings.
The Gatemen, who finished the ballgame with 14 hits, did have a late rally in their back pockets. In the seventh, Kade Kern (Ohio State) came up with two runners on and launched an Austin Parsley fastball 434 feet to right. His homer made it 6-4, with the Braves still on top. Nick Cimillo (Manhattan) followed suit in the eighth, adding a solo shot of his own to make it a one run ballgame.
By then, Wareham had buckled down on the mound. Christian Ruebeck (Oklahoma) struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh, starting his CCBL career with a bang. Ethan Chenault (UNC-Wilmington) took the mound an inning later, throwing a scoreless frame to send the game to the ninth.
Bourne’s Trystan Vrieling (Gonzaga) walked Kern to lead off the ninth. Diodati then singled, recording his third hit of the game and putting runners at first and third. With the tying run looking on 90 feet from home, Vrieling struck out three Gatemen to end the ballgame.
In total, the Gatemen left 11 runners on base. They out-hit the Braves 14 to 7 on the night, but their inability to put the ball in play with runners in scoring position remains their biggest shortcoming this season.
Wareham will have the chance to get back on track tomorrow night at Spillane Field, when they take on the Brewster Whitecaps.
