The Wareham Gatemen are back in first place — not that they ever really left. After a brief time being tied for first place in the Cape Cod Baseball League West Division with the Cotuit Kettleers, Wareham’s shutout victory over the Harwich Mariners locked up sole possession of first place once again.
At 10-4 on the season, the Gatemen aren’t strangers to losing, but they are more used to winning and certainly like that feeling more. In the month of June, the Gatemen went on two separate winning streaks of three games and six games, respectively. Back-to-back losses capped off the month, but after two days off — and Fenway Day — Wareham is ready to get back to its winning ways.
The Gatemen have the opportunity to ride the momentum of their stellar pitching and clutch hitting from Tuesday into Wednesday’s home game against the Bourne Braves. The Braves are currently 5-8 and on a two-game winning streak.
In the two teams’ first matchup of the summer, the Gatemen mounted a comeback to beat the Braves, 7-3, at Doran Park. Jacob Jarrell (Clemson) hit his first home run of the summer, Bobby Boser went 2-for-5 with two runs and a walk and Brendan Summerhill (Arizona) also went 2-for-5 and was responsible for driving in the go-ahead run. The Gatemen bullpen dominated, holding the Braves scoreless for the final six innings of the game.
Starting pitchers
Tate McGuire (Arkansas) is scheduled to make his third start of the summer, looking to continue his dominance on the bump. Both of McGuire’s starts have come against the Orleans Firebirds, in which he combined for a total of 9 1/3 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts. The right-hander has only allowed five hits and two walks and boasts a 0.00 ERA. The young pitcher is throwing with a great deal of confidence in the Cape; despite throwing just 1 2/3 innings in his freshman season at Arkansas, McGuire is one of Wareham’s most solid starters.
Bourne’s Nolan Sparks (University of Rochester) will toe the rubber in his third start of the summer. The right-hander totes an ERA of 2.70 across 6 2/3 innings of work; he has 10 strikeouts and five walks and has given up just three hits. Sparks, in his senior season at Rochester, earned Liberty League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 2.25 ERA over 60 innings of work, totalling 80 strikeouts to just 19 walks.
Players to watch
Max Williams (FSU) looks to be coming into his own in the Cape Cod League, smashing his first home run of the summer Tuesday night against the Mariners. The outfielder is 3-for-8 in the two games he’s played in and has started to show off the power his bat holds. Williams had a strong sophomore season at Florida State, slashing .309/.382/.581 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI, so hopes and expectations are high for the Florida native.
Bourne's Ethan Conrad (Marist) has burst onto the scene after arriving in Bourne on June 24, slashing .522/.577/.696 with 12 hits and five RBI in 23 at-bats. The outfielder has recorded at least one hit in all six games he’s played in and hit his first home run of the season Tuesday night in Bourne’s win over the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. In his sophomore season at Marist, Conrad slashed .389/.467/.704 and totalled 40 extra-base hits.
First pitch for Wednesday’s game is set for 6 p.m. at Spillane Field. The game will be broadcast on Cape League TV.
Top photo credit: Tate McGuire pitches during Wareham's 7-3 win over the Orleans Firebirds, June 22, 2024, at Eldredge Park. Photo by Keegan Maloney.
