
It was another hot and sunny day in Hyannis and the Gatemen walked onto the field at McKeon Park with smiles on their faces. The night before, they completed an improbable comeback against the Cotuit Kettleers at Spillane Field, overcoming an eight-run deficit to win 10-9 and snap a five-game losing skid.
The eight-run comeback was the second largest in Cape League history and was the largest come-from-behind win since the Y-D Red Sox defeated Orleans 12-10 after trailing 9-1 on June 28, 1981. It was a historic night that many Gatemen reminisced during batting practice and the positive energy that came from it was something the Gatemen hoped to carry into tonight’s game.
However, Hyannis had other plans as the Gatemen (21-17-1) were defeated by the Hyannis Harbor Hawks (23-14-2) 11-4 on Saturday. The loss takes away the Gatemen’s momentum from Friday’s win while the Harbor Hawks clinched the top spot in the West for the first time in seven years, officially making the West Division playoffs run through McKeon Park.
Once again, the Gatemen were playing from behind, giving up eight combined runs in the game's first two innings. Getting a strong start on the mound has been something that the Gatemen have struggled with over the past week.
“I think a lot of it’s been we’ve just been behind in counts and having to throw things over the plate. In this league, you are going to get hurt being behind in counts, you know, getting strike one is really important,” said Wareham Gatemen manager Ryan Smyth.
It was throwing things over the plate that allowed Hyannis to notch fifteen knocks into the hits column, seven of which came in those first two innings where the Hawks’ first eight runs were scored.
From there, the Gatemen once again had a steep hill to climb, but they did not give up. The offense put up a respectable performance, grabbing eight hits on the night. Unfortunately, a lot of contact went directly at the Harbor Hawks’ defense.
In the second inning, the Gatemen put themselves within one run thanks to an RBI from Antonio Jimenez (UCF) and a 410-foot moon shot home run to right by Nate Earley (Louisville). Then the Gatemen would not score again until the eighth when Eli Putnam (Davidson) crushed a two-RBI triple off the right field wall. The at-bat may not have seemed important due to Hyannis’ control of the game at that point, but it showed Putnam’s resolve and fight at the plate.
“I think it’s tough sometimes in those situations where you’re down big. You feel like those at-bats are a little bit tough mentally, but really just trying to go up there with a mindset of trying to keep this game alive and trying to do something special for the team,” said Putnam.
Putnam has been the most consistent hitter for the Gatemen as of late. He has grabbed at least one hit in nine of his last eleven games, including tonight where he went 2 for 4 with two RBI. Entering the game hitting .364 in that stretch and walking off during Friday’s win, he has become the face of this offense in the home stretch.
The defense also played fairly well most of the night. Even though they grabbed two errors, both came late in the game when the Gatemen were mostly out of luck with winning the game. The defensive highlights came courtesy of third baseman Murf Gray (Fresno State), who made not one, but two spectacular leaping grabs on scorching line drives in the bottom of the fourth. It was a play that Gray was familiar with practicing in Fresno.
“Back in Fresno, we do a lot of force play jumping and quick movement stuff to warm up your feet and warm your legs up, you know, get you moving in the right way to be explosive. I feel like on those plays you got to be super explosive,” said Gray.
Gray was certainly explosive in both catches and took away two hits from the Harbor Hawks, but unfortunately, his efforts were not enough to prevent the Harbor Hawks from securing the win.
The Gatemen finished 1-4 against the Harbor Hawks in their season series, going winless at McKeon Park. They now find themselves in an interesting position for the postseason. With Hyannis clinching the one-seed in the West, and Cotuit clinching the two-seed with their win over Falmouth, they will play a road playoff game. However, there is a chance they will be the fourth seed as the Bourne Braves defeated Orleans twice in their doubleheader and have temporarily leap-frogged the Gatemen into third place.
If Bourne defeats Cotuit tomorrow, the Gatemen will face these Harbor Hawks again on Tuesday at McKeon Park. If the Gatemen win and the Braves lose, then the Gatemen will travel to Lowell Park to face the Kettleers. Seeding is on the line for the Gatemen as they enter their final regular season matchup with Falmouth. Even with the implications, Coach Smyth is staying focused on the game ahead.
“One game at a time. We’ll look ahead after tomorrow. You know, first, second, third, or fourth, it really doesn’t matter. It comes down to one game and then you move on from there,” said Smyth.
The Gatemen’s final regular season game against the Falmouth Commodores is set to start Sunday at 6 pm at Clem Spillane Field in Wareham, MA.
Top Photo Caption: Nate Earley trotting to home plate after crushing a 410-foot home run in Wareham's 11-4 loss at Hyannis on August 3rd, 2024. Photo by Kyler Armstrong.