Before the top of the seventh inning Saturday night, Wareham Gatemen hitting coach Mike Mobbs gathered his team outside the dugout. The Gatemen were trailing, 3-1, and struggling to get going offensively against Bourne’s starting pitcher. But when the Braves initiated a pitching change, Mobbs saw his chance to instill confidence in his hitters.

“This is our guy,” he said. “We’ve got to get after him.”

Mobbs also said one other thing: the greatest team wins.

The Gatemen had to be great to rally in those final three innings. In previous wins, they had shown their ability to hold onto an established lead. Whether or not they could mount a comeback was still in question — until it wasn’t.

Wareham’s 7-3 victory over Bourne on Saturday night was a pivotal win that worked to both confirm the team’s talent across the board and show they are solely focused on winning every night.

“They just want to do anything to win,” manager Ryan Smyth said. “These guys don’t quit.”

When Brendan Summerhill (Arizona) strode up to the plate in the seventh inning, the Gatemen had already begun to tap into the greatness Mobbs implied they had within them just minutes prior. Bobby Boser (transfer portal) and Eli Putnam (Davidson) had already crossed home plate thanks to RBI knocks from Jacob Jarrell (Clemson) and Michael Lippe (Louisville). The game was tied 3-3 and, with two outs on the board and Lippe on second base, the Gatemen had to capitalize on the opportunity to take the lead.

Summerhill took his time getting to the plate and adjusting in the box, but not because he was nervous. In fact, it was the exact opposite.

“I feel like I’ve been in those moments a lot this year,” he said. “So I was able to take a deep breath, calm down and do my thing.”

The Arizona outfielder’s “thing” turned out to be a single to right field that drove in Lippe for Wareham’s go-ahead run. After diving and sprawling headfirst into second base on a fielding error from Bourne’s right fielder, Summerhill turned to his dugout and celebrated with an emphatic clap. He knew he had just come up clutch.

“That was huge,” Summerhill said. “Obviously, adding onto a lead is very important. And I think we were able to take that momentum and win the ballgame.”

Summerhill, in his sophomore season at Arizona, batted .324 with eight home runs and 59 RBI. He holds an extensive amount of power in his bat and has come just feet away from hitting multiple home runs already this summer.

But you don’t always need to hit home runs to make an impact. So while Summerhill’s hit wasn’t a home run, or even a very powerfully hit ball, it was still a hit and it was still an RBI. That was all that really mattered.

“He’s just a gamer,” Smyth said. “The kid wants to win, and that’s running through our team right now.”

Every Gateman who saw the field did something to help their team win. Whether it was Summerhill and Boser forgoing their home run swings to lay down bunts, Jarrell hitting his first Cape League home run or Jace Rinehart (West Virginia) diving all-out to make crucial catches in left field, the Gatemen didn’t let themselves give in.

“We’re resilient,” Summerhill said. “[We’re] just setting the tone as a gritty team, so that’s big.”

Wareham’s pitching was just as gritty as its batting, providing crucial outings before — and after — Summerhill and his teammates came alive at the plate. Gavin Black (Mississippi State) came on in relief in the fourth inning, pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Jacob Faulkner (Princeton) earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings pitched, and Jake Faherty (Arkansas) dominated in the eighth and ninth innings, striking out Bourne’s last two batters looking to close out the game.

“When we’re close or we have a lead this team has all the confidence in the world,” Smyth said. “With our bullpen and how they’re doing right now, it doesn’t matter who it is or what night it is. Those guys are confident in the pen, and our hitters know that.”

With Saturday’s win, the Gatemen are 5-2 and sit in second place in the Cape League West Division. There are a lot of words to describe what it’s like playing for the Gatemen. Summerhill has just one, though: phenomenal.

Top photo credit: Brendan Summerhill celebrates after a double during Wareham's 7-3 win over the Bourne Braves, June 22, 2024, at Doran Park. Photo by Keegan Maloney.