Rain, sunlight and a one-run loss. That about sums up the Wareham Gatemen’s (20-12-1) 3-2 defeat to Y-D on Thursday.

It was a normal meeting between two top-three teams in the league, tied 2-2 heading into the fourth. Then the rain came. After a 30-minute delay, action resumed with two new pitchers taking over. That’s when Y-D took advantage. On a rare wild pitch (perhaps water-induced), Patrick Galle (Ole Miss) allowed the only run of the ballgame beyond the fourth-inning delay.

Three innings later, and a lack of visibility at Y-D's lightless Red Wilson Field called an early stop to the contest.

So, back over the bridge over troubled water. This time, with a game worth forgetting about from the day before. Wareham now faces a struggling Harwich Mariners (11-22) squad back home at Spillane Field.

While the Mariners do come off a 2-1 win over Brewster on Thursday, victories have been far and few between for them. After starting the year 7-3 and second in the East, Harwich proceeded to go on a nine-game losing streak, won one more game, then lost five more straight. Ouch.

Wareham also leads the season series against Harwich, 3-0, while outscoring them 17-6 in those meetings. In search of a season sweep over Harwich — and a return to winning ways — all signs point to Wareham’s odds being in its favor for a 6 p.m. first pitch Friday afternoon.

Starting pitchers

Wareham manager Ryan Smyth puts the ball in the hand of Cole Leaman (Lehigh) for his sixth start of the summer. A mainstay in the rotation, the 6-foot-1 right-hander has maintained a 6.61 ERA in 16 1/3 innings this season.

Leaman battled command issues through the middle three starts he’s had this year, but most recently comes off one of his best appearances of the summer. Leaman pitched in a no-decision six days ago when throwing 4 1/3 innings versus Bourne last Saturday. Allowing just one run, Leaman showed some pitch-to-contact skills when allowing just two hits in the start.

As Harwich looks for a second consecutive win for the first time in the second half, manager Steve Englert looks to Ryan DeSanto (St. Joesph’s - PA) for the start. The 6-foot-4 left-hander prepares for his sixth start of the season.

As Harwich's 5.27 staff ERA ranks second-to-last in the league, DeSanto’s been the clear ace of the rotation. He has a 3.43 ERA in 21 innings this summer.

His last two starts have been night and day. He allowed six earned runs in just two innings 17 days ago versus Hyannis but is now coming off one of his best starts of the year. He most recently tossed four scoreless innings when allowing just two hits versus Falmouth a week ago.

Players to watch

Time is ticking for Harwich as it only has seven games to catch the Orleans Firebirds (11-21-1 — 1/2 game ahead) for the last playoff spot in the East. With the worst run differential in the league (minus-45), Harwich needs offense now.

Players have come and gone for the Mariners this summer, but Michael Anderson (Rhode Island) has been a consistency from Game 1 for Harwich. The Cape League All-Star has slashed .255/.366/.479 for Harwich and is its hottest bat right now. In Thursday’s win over Brewster, Anderson went 2-for-2 with an RBI double.

Anderson is now 3-for-5 with three RBI in his last two games. He’s responsible for three of the five runs Harwich has produced as an offense in its last two contests.

As for Wareham, Yohann Dessureault (Stetson) has maintained a torrent pace after going 2-for-4 in Thursday’s loss to Y-D. Slashing .346/.376/.543 in 23 games, Dessureault became a mainstay toward the top of the Gatemen lineup considering some early player departures at the midpoint of the season, and he hasn’t looked back since. The newly elected All-Star has hits in nine of his last 10 games and is hitting 19-for-42 (.452) through 13 games in the second half. His power has gone up, too, with three doubles and two homers in that stretch.

For the live broadcast and other Wareham Gatemen content, check out our YouTube channel HERE.

The Gatemen Baseball Network pregame show will air at 5:45 p.m. for the interdivisional contest Friday night.

Top photo caption: Sam White digs in for first at-bat at Red Wilson Field on July 7, 2024. Photo by Andrew Duffy.