story by Steve McCarthy
June 13, 2010
WAREHAM - University of Connecticut teammates
Matt Barnes and George Springer lifted the Wareham
Gatemen to a 5-2 win over the Cotuit Kettleers
Sunday night in the opening game of the 2010 Cape
Cod Baseball League season at Spillane Field in
Wareham.
The pair of Cotuit runs charged to hard-throwing
right-handed pitcher Barnes came on just two hits
through six and two-thirds innings. Right fielder
Springer broke open a 3-2 game in the eighth inning
with a two-run home run off Cotuit starter Nick
Tropeano (Stony Brook).
My main goal was to go out there and give the
team a chance to win and I think I did that,
Barnes said.
Barnes and Springer are both second-year Gatemen as
well as invites to the Team USA tryouts to be held
in July.
I think coming back (for a second year) helped me
in terms of handling the pressure and knowing what I
have to do to get outs, Barnes said.
Barnes (1-0), whose fastball was clocked at 95 miles
per hour according to scouts behind the backstop,
said he is accustomed to striking out more than just
one batter but could care less how the outs came.
Six of his first seven outs were harmless ground
balls that stayed in the infield. Barnes faced the
minimum through the first six innings.
Reliever Keith Bilodeau (Maine) finished the game
for Barnes as the pair combined for a four-hitter.
Bilodeau earned the save (1), striking out three in
two and one-third.
Wareham's scoring was split between the fourth and
eighth innings as Tropeano (0-1) was effective in an
outing of seven and two-thirds innings. Tropeano
struck out eight, walked three and scattered six
hits. Two of the walks came back to haunt him.
I felt like I was spotting up my fastball well
and my change-up was good, Tropeano said. I
just left a few pitches up towards the end and that
was it.
Cotuit manager Mike Roberts praised Tropeano's mound
presence and pitching knowledge.
It will be a pleasure to put that young man out
there every sixth day, Roberts said.
Springer drew a walk to lead off the fourth inning
and moved over to third on a hit-and-run executed by
Jerrud Sabourin (Indiana). Tyler Bream (Liberty)
drove Springer in with an RBI-double to the left
field corner. Nico Rosthenhausler (Oklahoma State)
plated Bream and Sabourin with a line drive base hit
up the middle.
Tropeano bounced back to cruise through three
one-two-three innings before walking Jonathan Smith
(Tenn.Wesleyan) with two outs in the eighth to bring
up Springer. Springer made Tropeano pay for a
change-up left up in the strike zone.
I was just trying to hold them and give my team a
chance to come back, Tropeano said.
Wareham catcher Chris Walker (Fordham) followed
Springer's home run with a base hit to chase
Tropeano from the game but was gunned down on a
steal attempt to end the inning. Walker was
Wareham's only batter with multiple hits as he also
singled in his first at-bat. Levi Hyams (Georgia)
singled twice for Cotuit.
Cotuit came alive in the seventh inning to make it a
one-run game. Leadoff hitter Chad Wright (Kentucky)
walked and advanced to third as Zach Cone (Georgia)
was hit by pitch and C.J. Cron (Utah) grounded into
a double play. Paul Hoilman (East Tennessee) laced a
single down the left field line to score Wright.
The Kettleers loaded the bases and Bilodeau fanned
Taylor Black (Kentucky) for the would-be third out,
but the pitch in the dirt got past Walker, allowing
Black to reach first safely and Kevin Patterson
(Auburn) to trot home from third.
The 2009 Kettleers led the Cape League in stolen
bases but were unsuccessful in three attempts
Sunday.
I didn't prepare our club very well on the base
stealing side, Roberts said. I can't remember
an opening day when we didn't steal a base.
Neither team committed an error defensively.
The Kettleers will travel to Falmouth's Guv Fuller
Field on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. game against the
Commodores.
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