Bourne, Mass. 一 Wareham’s second trip to Doran Park of the summer, and third game in the month of July against the West Division’s top team, simply took an unexpected turn.
The Gatemen got off to a fast start with Jason Wach’s (LSU) leadoff single. Wachs then moved into scoring position with his sixth steal of the summer. Although RJ Hamilton (Duke) has stolen the show on the base path with his numbers that rank amongst the top bag-swipers in the Cape League, Wachs sits firmly at second on the Gatemen. He then used that speed to advance to third base and then eventually cross home plate off of a Connor Cuff (Southeastern Louisiana) RBI single.
But despite Wareham’s quick strike to begin the night, the Bourne lineup awakened after being held scoreless in its previous two games. The Braves knotted the ballgame up after consecutive doubles with two outs.
The Gatemen responded right after, showing they wouldn’t go down without a fight. Wareham loaded the bases in the top of the second frame and a Wachs walk brought across Dylan Dubovik (Miami) to retake the advantage. It gained the lead, but still left three men on base after an inning-ending flyout.
They survived the first punch, but the Braves fought back and ended up tallying runs in five of their final seven offensive innings. After just 12 total base knocks over two prior games, Bourne finished the game with 11 base knocks.
“They (The Braves) don't go away. They're scrappy, and they find ways to win games, and that's something they've been doing as of late. And really, they walked us off the last outing here,” Gatemen manager Ryan Smyth said. “That one just slipped away from us. But they're a tough team: it's why they're in the top right now. Just tonight wasn't a good one for us.”
After a month full of strong defensive play, Wareham struggled on the mound and fielding the ball: the run total and two errors on the night. Bourne reached base in six different innings and forced Wareham to use four different arms.
“Tonight we just didn't pitch it very well. Too many walks behind in counts. Got bled to death, and that's what's going to happen out here when you give extra extra bases to teams,” Smyth said. “That's what kind of hurt us tonight.”
While Wareham couldn't pull through in Bourne on Sunday, it must have a short memory with five straight days of baseball. The Gatemen continue their road game against the Commodores on Monday, a CCBL league-wide off-day, and then play three more West Division games.
The sprint to the Cape League All-Star break will be crucial: The Gatemen have just 12 games after the two-day break to fortify their playoff positioning.
