Ms. Right Field Fog and I made the trip over to Wareham last night for the league opener, and it was well worth it. We saw a great game, I did an interview with the Gatemen radio team and to top it all off, we won the 50-50 raffle. Quite a night. I’m glad we went.
On the field, I imagine Matt Barnes and George Springer are glad they went, too.
The UConn stars played in Wareham last summer. They’ll be heading to Team USA trials in a few weeks, but both opted to start their summers on the Cape.
And they started on the right foot.
Barnes allowed one earned run on two hits in 6.2 innings of work and Springer cranked the first home run of the Cape League season as Wareham topped Cotuit 5-2 in front of a nice crowd at Spillane Field.
Barnes, a 6’4 righty who can hit the mid-90’s on the gun, squared off against Stony Brook’s Nick Tropeano, who struck out 106 this spring. It was as good a first-night pitching match-up as I can remember, and it set the stage for a fun-to-watch game.
Barnes and Tropeano cruised through the first three innings, allowing just one hit between them. Wareham finally broke through in the fourth when Tyler Bream (Liberty) lined an RBI double into left. Nico Rosthenhausler (Oklahoma State) followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0.
Cotuit threatened in the seventh, but Barnes stepped up when he needed to. Although two runs eventually came home, Barnes got Utah star C.J. Cron to hit into a double play, which defused much of the threat. Paul Hoilman (East Tennessee State) drove in a run that chased Barnes, and Kevin Patterson (Auburn) scored on a bases-loaded dropped third strike. Returning reliever Keith Bilodeau (Maine) got out of the seventh without further damage, and Springer belted a two-run homer to left in the eighth for insurance. Bilodeau went the rest of the way and picked up the save.
All in all, it was a great way to start the summer, and the rain held off, to boot. Let’s hope for more of the same, on both counts.
Notes
What to Watch
The season gets into full swing tonight with the eight other teams taking the field. Bourne opens its title defense at home against Falmouth at 6 p.m. The Hyannis Harbor Hawks make their debut when they host Orleans at 7.
Thanks for all the info in your blog, it is a great read for me. With all of the roster uncertainty that the clubs deal with,I am just wondering if you have any knowledge of whether there is any interest by clubs to bring in Garret Wittels and his 54 game hitting streak to the Cape?? It seems like a no brainer for a team and him if there is mutual interst. The exposure would be great for all involved I would think. Thanks dave fraser
Thanks for the shout-out, Will. It was a real pleasure having you on the air, especially considering it was the first game and it got a bit hectic at points, so thanks so much for your patience and willingness to come onto the broadcast with us. As I mentioned, Eric and I are more than happy to have you back whenever you’re in attendance, and as always, thank you so much for all the work you do with RFF. What with all the other CCBL blogs out there, I can safely say that yours has helped us the most, and we always look forward to your insight and output. You can count on me being a regular visitor of the blog as the season progresses, and beyond.
Dave – Thanks for the comment. I read somewhere — it may have been the Cape Cod Times — that Garrett Wittels had an offer to take a temporary contract with a Cape League team. Since that comes with no guarantees, Wittels opted for a permanent spot in the Alaska League, and I believe he’s there now. It would have been cool to see him on the Cape.
Chris – Thanks for having me and good luck this season.
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