by Zane Moses
The Falmouth Commodores won a hard fought game against the Wareham Gatemen by a score of 6-4 on Friday. In their third matchup, the Commodores had the best hitting performance of their short season, and took the lead in the series two games to one.
The Gatemen took an early lead in the first inning. A ground ball played excellently by the new second baseman Caleb Hamilton (Oregon State) was misplayed by the first baseman JJ Matejevic (Arizona), which allowed the first run of the game to score.
The Commodores struck back hard and they struck back fast in the next inning. Tate Blackman (Ole Miss) hit an RBI double, knocking in JJ Matejevic. Mitch Longo (Ohio University) followed it up with another RBI double that turned into a little league home run, as he advanced to third on the throw and scored on an error by the catcher. The next batter Caleb Hamilton hit a single up the middle and scored on a JB Woodman (Ole Miss) single. The score after two innings was 4-1.
The Gatemen were shut down until the sixth inning. After starting pitcher Bryce Montes de Oca was pulled (Mizzou) the Gatemen jumped on the relief pitching. They scored three runs to tie the game at four off of two hits, two walks and an error.
The Commodores were able to earn the lead back in the eighth inning when a pair of two out hits by Caleb Hamilton and Tristan Gray (Rice) scored drove in two. The score after eight was 6-4, the score that remained through the course of the evening.
Falmouth received a masterful performance from their starting pitcher Montes de Oca. He pitched five hitless innings, giving up one unearned run. In his last outing he struggled to control the ball, giving up four walks in three innings. He showed great improvement this game, he allowed one base on balls to open the game and did not give up another one.
On the offensive side of the ball, newcomer Caleb Hamilton stood out. He went two for four with two runs batted in, including the game winning run, and two runs of his own to boot. Hamilton also delivered a few all-star caliber plays at second base, and it is safe to say he is a welcome addition to the team.
“It’s always nice coming to play somewhere else and you don’t really know everybody,” Hamilton said, “So it’s kind of cool playing with all of these players.”
Relief pitcher Morgan Earman (Arizona) scooped up the win in the eighth inning and Steven Villines (Kansas) racked up another save.
The Commodores are back on the road tomorrow against the Orleans Firebirds at 7:00 p.m. For more information about the Falmouth Commodores, visit the team’s website at http://www.falmouthcommodores.com.
The Commodores Corner 