Wareham, Mass. — The wind was howling at Spillane Field as the Gatemen welcomed the Orleans Firebirds to Wareham for the final time this season. The wind blew out to left center field and was strong enough to blow a hat off one’s head. 

The Gatemen have also breezed through competition lately, winning 10 of their last 12 games dating back to their 16-9 victory over Cotuit on July 6. The stretch placed them atop the West Division, a prime position in the final stretch of the season. 

The Firebirds were also heating up heading into Thursday, making this game a challenge. However, the Gatemen were more than up for the task and picked up right where they left off Tuesday. 

The Gatemen (17-14) defeated the Orleans Firebirds (15-14-2) by a score of 8-1 on Thursday. The win is the Gatemen’s third consecutive and their 11th in their last 13 games. It keeps them atop the West Division with a two-point lead over Bourne. 

The game started slowly with both starting pitchers dealing shutout innings. Neither team recorded a hit in the first two innings. It was not until the bottom of the third inning that someone got the first hit, and it was a big one.

After a one-out walk drawn by Catcher Aris Rivera (Central Florida), Second Baseman Brayden Randle (Ole Miss) crushed a moonshot two-run home run over the right field wall to put the Gatemen up 2-0. Randle has recently delivered several clutch hits to either put the Gatemen ahead or put them in the position to take the lead.

“I was glad I was able to get everything going in the first couple of innings. Their pitcher was good. He filled out the zone with all four pitches he had, but felt good to get things started and get the team rolling,” said Randle. 

“He's a spark for us,” said Gatemen Field Manager Ryan Smyth. “He's been putting some tough at-bats to start the game, which doesn't make it very easy for that starter to kind of settle in. He's making that guy work right from the jump, which is always good. He's been awesome in the lead-off spot.”

After that, the Gatemen’s offense was relentless. In the fourth, Right-Fielder Chase Krewson (Rutgers) started the Gatemen off with a one-out single. Shortstop Chris Ramirez (California Baptist) followed suit to give the Gatemen two baserunners with one out.

Then Left-Fielder Easton Breyfogle (Arizona) and Rivera struck back-to-back singles to score both Krewson and Ramirez to make it 4-0. Wareham was in control, but they were not finished yet. 

In the bottom of the fifth, the Gatemen batted around the order, scoring four more runs. Starting Pitcher, and Designated Hitter, Caden McDonald (Florida) blasted a solo home run to right center field with two outs.

McDonald completed a rare feat during the game. Not only did he hit his fifth home run of the summer, which is the third most in the league, but he also earned the win as the starting pitcher, going five innings scoreless with two walks, three strikeouts, and only one hit allowed. Only 79 professional pitchers have accomplished this in the history of Major League Baseball, and McDonald added it to his resume. 

“It is a challenge to manage both. I was focused on the pitching for my first couple of at-bats. Still, once I was out of the game, I could focus more on the offense, which explains the home run. Still, I am going to try and keep getting better at it,” said McDonald to Gatemen Sideline Reporter Rayna Maggelet on the Gatemen Baseball Network Postgame Show. 

“He's got to be probably one of the most valuable players in this league, hands down. He's doing it on both sides, on the mound and at the dish. And for a guy who didn't hit this year at school, we kind of eased him into the hitting. He wasn't hitting a whole lot early on, and we were giving him a few opportunities to get him adjusted. Now, he's caught fire, and the confidence is there. He's working himself into being one of the better players in this league,” said Smyth.

The home run started a rally as Breyfogle grabbed his second RBI of the night, driving in Third Baseman Colby Turner (Michigan). Then Rivera drove a single to center field to score Krewson and Ramirez, making it 8-0 Gatemen. 

Rivera made his 2025 debut with the Gatemen on Thursday, but it is not his first time in a Gatemen uniform. The UCF Knight had spent the end of the 2024 season in Wareham and saw the team’s first playoff appearance in five years, something he hopes to experience again with new teammates.

“It feels great to be back. Being around a great group of guys, great coaches here with Coach Smyth, and I just love the environment here. It’s a great place to be and I love playing for this team,” said Rivera. 

“Knowing the type of kid he is, the worker he is, knowing the talent that he does have, he was an easy phone call to make when we knew we needed to catch. Luckily, he was available. He came back with a little bit of confidence after last year. I think that jump-started him, not bad for his first night, right? It's really good to have a tandem of two really good guys back behind the dish, especially this time of year,” said Smyth. 

Rivera’s adjustment to the 2025 edition of the Gatemen seemed like it was second nature. He went three-for-three with a walk, a run scored, and drove in three RBI. He gave the Gatemen an 8-0 lead which all but secured victory, despite a 471-foot blast by Orleans’ Tyler Myatt (Walters State CC), who is transferring to Tennessee. 

Every at-bat, not just from Rivera but from the whole team, was valuable towards earning the win. Once again, Wareham was relentless at the plate through all nine innings, cementing their brand of baseball and an identity they aim to stick to keep this momentum going. 

“We just need to keep playing our brand of baseball. I feel like we're rolling right now, and we're clicking together as a group, like the pitching staff, the hitting is coming together well. McDonald had a great day on the mound and at the dish, and I feel like the guys that came out of the bullpen did their thing. I feel like all of us are just clicking on all cylinders, and that's a great thing to be at this point of the season,” said Rivera.

“We play gritty baseball. Play all nine innings. Doesn't matter if we're up or down. We gotta keep putting good at-bats together. You never know what's going to happen if you play hard and play for your fans,” said Smyth. 

The Gatemen return to action at Spillane Field on Friday, this time to face the Cotuit Kettleers. First pitch for that game is set to be at 6:00 p.m. in Wareham.