Wareham, Mass. 一 the Gatemen competed in every matchup during last week’s stretch, but they only produced a single victory.

Friday’s action at Spillane Field displayed a similar fight, a tight 2-0 contest going into the bottom of the eighth inning, but this time Wareham was able to prevail.

The Gatemen were in the same situations they’ve faced all summer, now they are starting to turn the corner and truly grow a clutch gene.

“They had us shut down for a little bit, and they probably feel like we just stole one off of them, but that was a great win,” Wareham manager Ryan Smyth said. “We got a phenomenal start by Garrett (Garrett Lambert, Tennessee) Schweitzer (Jake Schweitzer, Louisville) and then Starky (Ty Starke, Louisville) to finish it there. It was a really well pitched game. We played pretty good defense for the most part and Coen (Coen Niclai, Arizona State) with a a very timely hit here again at our home park. It was just electric, and glad it ended up as a win.”

The Gatemen’s stars shined tonight. Lambert once again proved his Cape League Opening Day starter status with just two earned runs and 12 strikeouts in five innings of work. The Commodores began the night with six straight K’s, and only reached base three times.

The usual suspects came through at the plate in the West Division matchup. Clark doubled and scored RJ Hamilton (Duke) in the eighth inning to continue Wareham’s rally. Then Niclai smashed a home run to left-center field and gave the Gatemen the late lead after multiple frames where they were knocking on the door. Two hit leaders provided in the clutch to put a crooked number on the scoreboard.

“They (Lambert, Clark, Niclai) are just competitors. Like Levi's hit, we don't get to Coen without Levi's hit. And the first two at bats weren't the greatest at bats for him. And he's a guy that just was getting in there with a boatload of confidence, and our third base coach said a little something to motivate him up,” Smyth said. “Told him to go look at those goalposts out there, and he came up with a big hit. That's what a returning guy is supposed to do in those moments. He's been in those situations before and came up big.”

Execution in the clutch: one of the main changes from Wareham’s early struggles. But before Niclai’s go-ahead homer in the eighth, the Gatemen built a foundation in the early frames to put themselves in position for an opportunity with a nine-hit performance and a season-low three strikeouts. The arms also provided a gem with 11 strikeouts and their second save of the summer.

The talent and promise was evident in a playoff-esque game against the second best squad in the West Division.

“Just ride the momentum. We don't have many wins right now, but this one feels really good,” Smyth said. “I want them to enjoy it and hopefully we get a taste of clapping hands after a game and we get that feeling that they want to do that day in and day out and hopefully that rolls a couple together here.”

Wareham’s momentum will be put to the test at Yarmouth-Dennis, the CCBL’s top team with just one loss on the summer, on the road Saturday.