During batting practice at Spillane Field on Wednesday afternoon, Nate Earley rocketed a pitch over the right field fence, scattering the visiting Bourne Braves' bullpen.

“You’re sending them a message,” Wareham hitting coach Mike Mobbs joked.

Two hours later, Earley sent a pitch sailing 101 miles per hour and 412 feet out of the park in that same spot. He paused just past home plate to watch the ball and, as it went over the fence, sent his bat flipping high in the air before rounding the bases.

Message sent.

Four batters later, Bobby Boser hit a grand slam to right-center field, not far from where Earley’s home run landed. As he rounded third base, he looked at his dugout and called out “Guard the Gate!” in celebration before meeting his teammates at home plate. The Gatemen were rolling, up 6-0 after just two innings.

Message really sent.

“You’ve gotta fire the guys up, get a little motivation, get the juices going,” Boser said. “So I did that, and I think we had a good result.”

He thought correctly. Thanks to Boser’s grand slam and good vibes, Wareham took down the Bourne Braves, 8-6, Wednesday night, becoming the second team in the Cape Cod Baseball League to reach 11 wins. Boser went 3-for-4 with six RBI and a walk, putting together arguably the ultra-utility player’s best game in 1 ⅓ summer seasons in the CCBL.

Boser’s stellar performance came after a game in which he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, but true to his positive personality, Boser didn’t let the past affect him. In the summer of 2023, Boser went 0-for-9 before becoming a Cape League All-Star and turning into one of the most well-known Gatemen across the league. This summer, Boser started out 0-for-10. Then he was named the Cape Cod Baseball League Hitter of the Week for the second week of the summer.

“That’s the type of player he is, that’s why he’s back here,” manager Ryan Smyth said. “He stayed through the struggles, when it would have been easy to pack it in last summer, and he’s reaping the benefits of it right now.”

Boser isn’t the only one reaping the benefits of his perseverance; the Gatemen as a whole are benefitting. From his on-field performances to his leadership in the dugout to his upbeat attitude, Boser has been crucial to Wareham’s success to start the summer.

“Just his presence alone, and what he means to these guys that are here for the first time, it’s something I’m so happy that he’s back and he’s in our dugout,” Smyth said. “And on top of it, he’s just an awesome overall kid.”

The kind of leadership Boser exhibits tends to fly under the radar; instead of loud cheering from the dugout or calling out in the field, it manifests itself in one-on-one talks with the pitchers to calm them down before a batter or quiet words of encouragement and advice from the on-deck circle. If he doesn’t have a strong night at the plate or an all-star performance in the field, Boser can occasionally go somewhat unnoticed — to everyone except his team, that is.

On other nights, however, he takes over the game. Such was the case Wednesday night, as Boser played a role in seven of eight of Wareham’s runs crossing the plate.

A first-inning double put him in position to come around to score on a double from Jace Rinehart. The grand slam put up four more runs. Then, in the sixth inning — just when the Braves were beginning to mount a comeback — he sat through an eight-pitch at-bat to find the perfect pitch to line a single to center field and bring around two more runs.

“I was just trying to battle in that situation,” Boser said. “My mind wasn’t on the runs, my mind wasn’t on anything else. I just wasn’t going to let the pitcher beat me in that situation. So I did just that.”

Boser’s two-RBI single ended up being the ultimate difference-maker in the Gatemen victory, as the Braves stormed back to score three more runs in the seventh and eighth innings. They couldn’t quite bridge the final gap, however, and the Gatemen walked away with a victory.

As Boser walked off the field, he was greeted by teammates giving him high-fives and little kids asking for his autograph. He was crowned with an amalgamation of hats, helmets and gloves for his efforts, a physical representation of both his standout night and the fact that the Gatemen continued to hold sole possession of first place in the Cape League West Division.

“You can’t beat first place,” Boser said gleefully as he headed off the field.

He was right, literally and figuratively.

Top photo credit: Bobby Boser hits a grand slam in Wareham's 8-6 win over the Bourne Braves, July 3, 2024, at Spillane Field. Photo by Kyler Armstrong.