Writers’ Player of the Game vs. Wareham Gatemen: Bennett Thompson

Oregon catcher caps off a huge win with a walk-off in his third game on Cape

By: Mike Maynard

Friday night’s Writers’ Player of the Game was an easy decision after the last at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning. Bennett Thompson was the hero for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, driving in the game-winning run to beat the Wareham Gatemen 9-8.

Thompson came up in the bottom of the ninth with runners on second and third with two outs. The game was tied at eight runs apiece and Thompson didn’t feel like going to extra innings.

The Oregon catcher was patient in his approach in the at-bat, waiting out three balls in the first three pitches. After seeing one pitch catch the zone, Thompson jumped on the next one.

A ground ball that may have had flames coming off it if you were looking closely made it down the third baseline fair. The Gatemen third baseman had no chance as he watched the ball make its way into the outfield for an RBI single.

“I knew that [Wareham’s pitcher] was going to come after me…,” Thompson said. “I was just looking for a fastball, looking for something I could drive.”

Trey Lipsey was the runner on third base to begin the at-bat and he waltzed in to score the game-winning run. The rest of the Harbor Hawks ran out to meet Thompson to begin the celebration.

It was a huge victory in what has been a summer full of similar moments for Hyannis. This was the first that Thompson has had the chance to experience though, with this being only his third game on Cape as one of the newest players on the team.

“It’s the same game I’ve been playing since I was nine years old,” Thompson said. “[It’s] just a different environment, [with] different people. [There are] great coaches [and] great teammates here. They’ve made me feel really at home really quickly. That’s helped me out, making the adjustment coming all the way out here.”

The walk-off single was not Thompson’s only hit of the night, as he reached base in his first at-bat in the second inning. In similar fashion to the ninth-inning game-winner, he pulled a ball into left field, this time over the head of the Gatemen third baseman.

Thompson’s line-drive single was huge in starting a rally for the Harbor Hawks to plate three runs in the frame. One of the runs happened to be the catcher coming home a few batters later off a two-RBI double.

Hyannis head coach Eric Beattie liked what he saw out of his new backstop at the plate. The ability of Thompson to make mid-game adjustments made all the difference in the end.

“[Thompson] was underneath a few balls earlier in the game,” Beattie said. “He made a great adjustment there in the end and got his through and got on top of the baseball.”

Success came from behind the plate as well for Thompson on Friday having a solid night defensively. He was attacked by a few foul balls that came to aggressively wake him up, but still kept his cool.

As a new addition to the squad, Thompson has been attempting to find his role with Hyannis. This performance has cemented him as a player that has the clutch gene.

Heading into the playoffs, it will be important to have players like that throughout the lineup, that won’t be intimidated by the big moment. Thompson is ready for whatever happens next in August.

“It’s really important to be playing your best baseball down the stretch and we’ve got a handful of games left,” Thompson said. “To get that momentum on our side, it’s pretty huge to get the ball rolling in the right direction heading into the playoffs.”

Mike Maynard can be reached at mikemay62@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @mikecmaynard