Article By: Joseph McLaughlin

Wareham, Mass — There was one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, and it seemed like nothing could go the Gatemen’s way. The team was down 3-0 to the Falmouth Commodores and had yet to record a hit. 

Then, Left Fielder Foster Apple (Stetson) stepped up to the plate, and with one swing of the bat, put the Gatemen on the board with his first home run of the summer.

“It definitely felt good to get that hit. I felt grateful and blessed. You know, the hard work's been paying off, but at the end of the day, you know one individual's success can’t always lead to a team's success. That's what we're trying to shoot for here as we get towards starting the playoffs,” said Apple.

However, it was not enough for the Wareham Gatemen (19-20) as they fell to the Falmouth Commodores (16-22-1) by a score of 5-1 on Saturday. 

The loss takes them out of the running for the top seed of the West Division standings as the Bourne Braves defeated the Cotuit Kettleers 7-4, placing them ahead of the Gatemen with a tiebreaker in their favor. 

The first third of the game went scoreless for both teams, with hits being few and far between. It was not until the fourth inning that the Commodores broke the ice. 

The Commodores got on the board with a two-RBI single by Antonio Morales (Wake Forest) that scored Justin Osterhouse (Purdue Fort-Wayne) and Adrian Lopez (Southern California). Then, Maika Niu (Marshall) brought home Gavin Greger (UConn) on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 Falmouth.

With the Gatemen behind early, it did not help them that they struggled to scrap together a hit. Then came Apple’s solo home run in the fifth to put the Gatemen on the board, giving the offense a spark.

“It gets a spark going. It also sends a message to the other team that we're here to play and we're here to hit, and sometimes all it takes is just one spark and it gets the whole lineup going,” said Apple.

“He's been awesome to have. He's versatile. Can play left, can play the infield, you know, and he is a good bat for us. The most important thing is, the kid just wants to play baseball, which is really cool. It's one of the first things he said to me, so having a guy like that right now, this time of year is is always good to have in your dugout,” said Gatemen Field Manager Ryan Smyth.

The momentum did not last long, however, as the Commodores would score two more runs in the sixth inning. Carl Schmidt (California) doubled to score Niu, and then Kent Schmidt (Georgia Tech) singled to score Carl Schmidt, giving Falmouth a 5-1 lead.

The Gatemen would score one more run in the eighth inning off an RBI single from Shortstop Vance Sheahan (Miami) that scored Center Fielder Hayden Yost (Florida). However, the Gatemen offense stalled from there, amassing only five hits in the 5-2 loss.

The Gatemen, despite the loss, do claim the number two spot in the West Division standings after the Hyannis Harbor Hawks were walked off 7-6 in the bottom of the tenth inning by Orleans. That would result in August 5’s playoff game being held at Spillane Field, something that has not happened since 2019. 

The Gatemen have been in a unique position since they clinched their playoff spot on July 29. Despite losing the past four games, the Gatemen can save their star pitchers and starters for the start of the postseason and experiment with new players to examine their depth, all while their competition has been fighting to punch their postseason tickets with the best talent they have.

“The biggest thing for us is we're lining up our pitching for the playoffs. Like, we did not extend Josh Butler (Arizona State) the other day, keeping him at two innings. It's kind of what we have to do to prepare for the playoffs. Luckily, we have that luxury of being able to do that. We could be using our ace tonight if we needed to to get a win to get in, like some of the teams we’ve been playing have been doing that. We're in a good position, we just need to make sure we are set up for Tuesday,” said Smyth.

The result of that is the potential starting of Butler in game one of round one and Caden McDonald (Florida) starting in game two. Butler currently sits at second in the league in ERA with a 1.03 mark while McDonald has crept his way up that leaderboard with a 3.51 ERA. 

It will be interesting to examine the positive impact of resting these star players for the postseason, finding a formula that consistently works, and putting that against other West Division teams who may be fatigued from their playoff pushes. 

One thing is for certain, however: the Gatemen are looking for one win to give them some momentum heading into the playoffs. Now, they only have one game left to do it.

“I'd love to get on the winning side tomorrow. Kind of roll into the playoffs with the feeling of a win under our belt. But, I think our guys are pretty amped up, they're ready to roll that, I know. Hopefully, we get one tomorrow and we feel good going into it, but if not, Tuesday, I know these boys are going to come to play baseball,” said Smyth.

The final regular season game of 2025 for the Wareham Gatemen will take place in Hyannis against the Harbor Hawks. First pitch for that game will be at 6:00 p.m. at McKeon Park in Hyannis.