Falmouth, Mass. 一 Two days of work created Wareham’s first road victory of the summer.
On Friday, July 10, the Gatemen rolled into Guv Fuller Field with their hottest start to a game this summer. RJ Hamilton (Duke) put up a crooked number from the get-go with a leadoff bomb to left field. With fans still filing into the stadium, throwing lawn chairs down and finding bleachers for their family members, Wareham gained a quick advantage in the top of the first inning.
A spark at the top of the order is somewhat common from Hamilton, but Wareham used that leadoff homer to keep piling on in the first inning. Coen Niclai (Oregon State) drew his first of three walks against Falmouth and reached base for Dylan Dubovik’s (Miami) first long ball of 2026.
Wareham put up a three-spot in the top of the first inning, seizing control of a crucial West Division road game. The Gatemen’s defense stayed strong through their first two defensive frames, keeping the Commodores scoreless and tallying five strikeouts from the arm of Jordan Stephens (South Carolina). He was extremely efficient against a Falmouth lineup that ranks in the top five of the Cape League in runs scored (118) and hits (181): 23 of Stephens’ 42 tosses were strikes. He became the third Wareham arm to reach the 20-strikeout mark on the summer and now trails just Wade Walton (High Point) as the staff’s swing-and-miss king.
Coming off of a tough matchup against the Anglers at Veterans Field the night before, Wareham displayed its short memory and immediately got back to work in the batter’s box. It knocked out Falmouth’s starting pitcher after just three innings of work and 45 pitches.
“It was great to have a hot start. We've actually been starting pretty good as of late, and to get on the board early gives you just a little bit of momentum and lets you breathe a little bit and lets you just play a free style of baseball,” Gatemen manager Ryan Smyth said. “So it was great to get that a couple days ago and roll that into today.”
Unfortunately for Smyth’s squad, the weather chose not to cooperate. As Falmouth hit in the bottom of the third inning一down 3-0 at home without a hit on the night一the refs and managers discussed further steps with a slight drizzle coming through and lighting and thunderstorms in the nearby area.
The game was postponed: Wareham huddled in its bus and Falmouth in its dugout. The two squads spent around an hour at the field in hopes that baseball could still be played, but mother nature had other plans for the rest of Friday night.
Although the Braves vs. Red Sox game was also impacted by weather, its 4:30 p.m. start time allowed enough time to reach the five-inning threshold required for a full game. It ended in eight innings, but both squads were able to keep their off-day to help break up the streak ahead of the Cape League All-Star Game.
Wareham and Falmouth did not. Play resumed on Monday at 6:00, starting the same place they left off just three days ago. There was no ceremonial first pitch, no national anthem, and no starting lineups announced.
“It's fitting for us. First game on the road that we took a W, and it was an orthodox game,” Smyth said. “Started in the bottom of the third. But listen, I'm glad we we got this one. We needed it, and hopefully it can get us going moving forward.”
Despite the wonky circumstances, the Gatemen’s work on Friday paid off and their early 3-0 advantage proved to be the difference. Wareham and Falmouth each tacked on a pair of runs on Monday, but the early momentum carried through.
“You (Gatemen) have a three-run lead. There's a little bit of a cushion there that you don't have to necessarily be perfect early. But fortunate enough to extend the lead there, and give ourselves some more breathing room. So that was good going towards the end there.”
Wareham has now won two of three games for the second time this month, and can head on a win streak at Spillane Field Tuesday against the Commodores.
