On June 16, 2024, the Wareham Gatemen (21-17-1) paid a visit to Guv Fuller Field for game two of the regular season in search of their first win. They outplayed the Falmouth Commodores (16-22-1) for a 4-2 victory that day, in what would be the start to Wareham’s first winning season as a franchise since 2019.
49 days later, and the Gatemen and Commodores will meet in the final game of the 2024 Cape Cod Baseball League regular season.
So much has happened in that month and a half. The Gatemen had a six-game win streak and went 14-5-1 in the first half, while Falmouth had seen as much as five losses in a row en route to a 7-13 first half record.
Meanwhile, Wareham slowed down in the first half while Falmouth did the opposite. After an 11-4 loss at Hyannis Saturday, Wareham has now lost six of their last seven games and is 6-13 in the second half. Falmouth is 9-9-1 since the midway point of the season and is 6-4 in their last ten.
Wareham stands fourth in the West division right now and has clinched a playoff spot, while Falmouth has already been eliminated. While tonight’s matchup is a chance for Wareham to poetically tie a bow on an otherwise successful 2024 regular season campaign, it is also a matter of postseason seeding.
The Gatemen and Commodores are tied in their season-series 2-2. But when Wareham beats them, they beat them bad. They’ve outscored them 23-11 in their four meetings thus far.
For the Gatemen to close the regular season on a win, they’ll need a good outing from their starting pitcher. They haven’t had a starting pitcher go longer than two and 2/3 innings since the All-Star break, so the bullpen is quite taxed right now.
Both teams look to end on a high note in their rubber match come Sunday at 6 p.m. at Wareham’s Spillane Field.
Starting Pitchers
Wareham Manager Ryan Smyth looks to Griffin O’Connor (Georgetown) to break that trend. The 6-foot-1 right-hander was a solid second-half addittion to the pitching staff. O’Connor will take the bump for his fourth start and sixth appearance for the Gatemen this summer.
He’s 1-0 with a 4.80 ERA in fifteen innings pitched so far. He tossed three starts straight when joining the Gatemen – all on the road. He had a 2.63 ERA through those outings. Due to some bullpen woes, O’Connor has tossed his last two outings to support the relievers’ numbers.
He struggled. He allowed four earned runs in 1/3 of an inning versus Harwich on July 26 before tossing a scoreless inning in his most recent appearance against Hyannis five games ago.
O’Connor’s last start was against Falmouth, when he allowed two earned runs in four innings of work in Wareham’s 7-2 loss to the Commodores on July 21. So, O’Connor resumes his position as a starter – a kinder place for him in the pitching staff. O’Connor uses his changeup-curveball mix to induce a lot of soft contact, as his fastball sits in the high 80’s. With only eight strikeouts on the year, O’Connor will rely on the groundball for his first start in nearly two weeks.
Falmouth Hall-of-Fame Manager Jeff Trundy gives the nod to Sean Brennan (Keystone) for Falmouth’s final start of the year. Brennan’s been Falmouth’s most reliable starter since being added to the roster at the midpoint of the season. In four starts Brennan commands a 3.63 ERA through 17 and 1/3 innings.
He looks to build off his best start of the year from his last time out. In his second-longest start, Brennan threw five scoreless innings against Y-D. We’ll see if Brennan remains comfortable away from home as he takes the bump for his first road start since his Cape League debut on July 10.
Players to Watch
While Wareham’s .242 average since July 10 ranks second worst in the league, they’ve shown some improvement in their last couple of games. Despite the lopsided loss Saturday, Wareham collected eight hits and two extra-base knocks.
Nate Earley (Louisville) was the biggest producer. The runner-up in this year’s Cape League home run contest went 2-for-3 after hitting a single and a homer. The 410-foot blast to right field was his second big fly of the year.
The left-handed power hitter is coming off one heck of a July. He slashed .300/.349/.475 through 14 games in July. The two-hit day also broke Earley out of a small 1-for-15 skid in his last six games.
Falmouth’s offense was pretty good in the second half. Their .259 average is good fifth in the league since the midway point, and they’ve produced the fourth-most runs since July 10 as well.
Their second half surge has been fueled by none other than Isaiah Barkett (Stetson). Barkett broke out in July after hitting just .111 in June. From July 2-30, Barkett slashed a .308/.379/.423 line. Barkett has hits in nine of the last 10 games and has been especially effective against Wareham pitching. He’s hitting 3-for-8 (.375) with two RBI against Wareham, which includes a double and a triple through his three meetings with the Gatemen.
While it’s one final hoorah for Barkett and the Commodores, Earley and the Gatemen are simply looking to build a better resume ahead of their first playoff game in over five years, come August 6.
You can watch the live broadcast as well as other Gatemen content on the Gatemen Baseball Network YouTube channel HERE.
The Gatemen Baseball Network pregame show will go live at 5:45 p.m. ahead of a 6 p.m. first pitch at Spillane Field.
Top photo caption -- Nate Earley (Louisville) hits second homer of the year in 11-4 loss to Hyannis on August 3, 2024 at McKeon Park. Photo by Andrew Duffy.
