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June 18, 2023 10:42 pm | by Joanna Dwyer
The Gatemen returned to Spillane Field Sunday night for a matchup against the rival Bourne Braves. After an incredibly slow start, Wareham completed its comeback in dramatic fashion, winning 7-6 in the bottom of the tenth.
It took over half the game to get into a groove, but the Gatemen got the hits when they needed them. After falling behind 5-0 and not putting up a single hit against the Bourne starting pitcher, the Gatemen got to work.
To start the bottom of the seventh, a walk from the designated hitter Ryan Campos (Arizona State) and singles from left fielder Zach Stewart (Missouri State) and right fielder Nick McLain (Arizona State) gave David Glancy (Notre Dame transfer) a chance to put his name in the books.
Coming into the game as a pinch hitter, Glancy slapped an RBI single before going on to steal two bags in the same inning. Although he was left on base, Glancy helped the Gatemen chip away at the Bourne lead and make it 5-2.
Wareham used the offensive momentum to fly through a quick top of the eighth. Catcher Jedier Hernandez (Seton Hall) used his great field awareness to gun down the runner attempting to steal second and Dorian Gonzalez (University of Miami) got the tag down to send the runner back to the dugout.
Danny Frontera (Seton Hall) continued to dominate on the mound and got the final out of the inning with a strong strikeout. With a final line of 6 innings pitched, he allowed only two hits and one run.
“All hands to Danny Frontera, keeping us in this thing and giving us a shot to do what we did tonight,” manager Ryan Smyth said.
Stewart, McLain and Glancy landed back on the base paths in the bottom of the ninth with no outs. After a strikeout, Will Cook (Louisville) stepped in to pinch hit. His RBI sac hit sent Stewart home and brought Gonzalez up to bat. Gonzalez battled back in the count and lined a two run single into right field and tied up the game 5-5.
In the 2023 season, the league added a new rule that one extra inning will be played with a ghost runner starting on second. After one run got in, Stewart looked to stop the Braves. The Bourne batter was up in the count, saw his pitch and drove the ball into left field.
“He just hit it right back where it came from,” Stewart said. “Upper middle, nothing too special. The diving catch, I mean, I didn’t even know if I could get that one but it worked out. Big win.”
Going into the bottom half of the tenth down by one, Wareham needed to seal the deal. As he was the last out of the inning before, Campos stood on second as the Gatemen ghost runner. First baseman Cade Sullivan (Western Michigan) laid down a picture perfect bunt and pushed Campos to third. Caleb Pendleton came in to pinch run for Sullivan before Stewart walked to load the bases.
McLain put up an RBI sacrifice fly and sent his Sun Devil teammate in to score. Glancy walked up to the box with runners in scoring position. One long at-bat later, Glancy launched a sacrifice fly far enough for Pendleton to cross the plate and finish the comeback mission for the Gatemen.
“We finally put it together at the end and a big win right there,” Stewart said. “That’s a big difference from us losing but carrying it on to the next game.”
The Gatemen travel across the Cape to face the Brewster Whitecaps at Stony Brook Elementary with first pitch set for 5 p.m.
“Any walk-off you have is a lot of momentum,” Stewart said. “And when you have momentum, you just carry it on to the next game. So it’s gonna be big for us.”
Dorian Gonzalez (University of Miami) reacts to his game-tying hit during Wareham’s 7-6, walk-off win over the Bourne Braves, June 18, 2023 at Spillane Field in Wareham. Photo by Maddy Djuric.
David Glancy smiles before Wareham’s 7-6, walk-off win over the Bourne Braves, June 18, 2023 at Spillane Field in Wareham. Photo by Maddy Djuric.
Danny Frontera (Seton Hall) pitches during Wareham’s 7-6, walk-off win over the Bourne Braves, June 18, 2023 at Spillane Field in Wareham. Photo by Maddy Djuric.
Ryan Campos (Arizona State) bats during Wareham’s 7-6, walk-off win over the Bourne Braves, June 18, 2023 at Spillane Field in Wareham. Photo by Maddy Djuric.
Jedier Hernandez (Seton Hall) reacts to catching a runner stealing during Wareham’s 7-6, walk-off win over the Bourne Braves, June 18, 2023 at Spillane Field in Wareham. Photo by Wareham pitcher #29 Jonathan Bautista.
Nick McLain (Arizona State) on base during Wareham’s 7-6, walk-off win over the Bourne Braves, June 18, 2023 at Spillane Field in Wareham. Photo by Maddy Djuric.
The Gatemen celebrate their 7-6, walk-off win over the Bourne Braves, June 18, 2023 at Spillane Field in Wareham. Photo by Maddy Djuric.
