Article By: Joseph McLaughlin

Wareham, Mass — A playoff game at Spillane. It is something that has happened in six years, since the Wareham Gatemen began their Cape Cod Baseball League title defense in 2019. 

Gatemen fans packed the stands at Spillane Field on Tuesday as the Gatemen prepared to take on the Kettleers in the postseason for the second consecutive year. The lights were brighter and the air was heavier as expected for a playoff game.

It was the first game of a best-of-three series and crucial to controlling the pace of the rest of the first round. The Gatemen, unfortunately, came up just short, falling to the Cotuit Kettleers 5-4 in 10 innings after a classic duel between division rivals.

The loss gives Cotuit a 1-0 series lead and pushes the Gatemen to the brink of elimination. Now, they will visit Lowell Park with their backs against the wall on Wednesday to attempt a series comeback.

The game started intensely for the Gatemen, as the Kettleers put Camden Johnson () on third with one out in the top of the first. However, Starting Pitcher Josh Butler (Arizona State) was composed and worked two more outs to end the inning.

From there, the Gatemen went to work and struck first in the home half of the first inning as Left Fielder Colby Turner (Michigan) drew a walk that scored Shortstop Chris Ramirez (California Baptist). The Gatemen would tack on another run in the third with an RBI single from Designated Hitter Caden McDonald (Florida) that drove in First Baseman Chris McHugh (NC State), making it 2-0 Gatemen.

However, the Kettleers would score three quick runs in the fourth on Butler and then another in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. Then the Gatemen added another run courtesy of Turner, who drove in Right Fielder Chase Krewson (Rutgers) to cut the deficit to one.

After that, both teams ran into a stalemate. Neither team would budge, and every out was magnified, especially in the playoff environment. 

The Gatemen especially got three crucial innings of relief from Pitcher Logan Baisley (Florida Gulf Coast), who shut down Cotuit’s offense and kept the game in reach. This was especially true as the Gatemen faced their final three outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Then, Third Baseman Jack Kail (Columbia) drove in Turner, who led off the inning with a double, to tie the game at four. This forced the game into extra innings, where the Gatemen gave up another run in the top half of the tenth. 

Now down 5-4, the Gatemen once again faced their last out, this time with a chance to win. They had loaded the bases with Center Fielder Hayden Yost (Florida) to the plate.

Yost hit the ball hard up the middle, but a fantastic, ranging play by Cotuit’s Luke Matthews (Kent State) got the force out at second base to end the game and put the Kettleers up 1-0 in the series.

“Whether you're rooting for Wareham or Cotuit, that was just a great baseball game for it to be back and forth like that, and the first round of a playoff like that, you could not ask for more. We showed our resilience and toughness once we were down a couple runs there, but it just didn't fall our way there at the end,” said Krewson.

Krewson had the best night for the Gatemen’s lineup, going three-for-five with a run scored in the sixth. His effort encapsulated the team’s effort from start to finish.

“Coach Mobbs does a great job of having us ready and compete in the box. Our motto is 'being relentless,' and he has instilled that into our culture and environment. Everybody wants to play for one another. When one guy gets out, the next guy wants to get up and get a hit for him. It's just a good culture and positive environment,” said Krewson. 

“There was no quit there. I think it just came down to that one extra hit, but that's how you win and lose baseball games. It was a very well-played game across the board, their side, our side. We had some chances. They had more chances, and they just came out on top,” said Wareham Gatemen Manager Ryan Smyth.

Now the Gatemen find themselves with their backs against the wall, but have the opportunity to avenge their game one loss.

“I think we either have two choices: We can lie down, or we can battle back tomorrow. Being around these guys for two months, I think I have a good idea of how we're going to come out tomorrow. Fully energetic, fully just positive momentum building off of tonight,” said Krewson. 

“This is a three-game series, and that's what I just told our guys. We had the luxury of lining up our pitching and being able to have enough arms for a three-game series, when you know some other teams were fighting to get in. So, anything can happen, you go out tomorrow, you win that baseball game, and come back here at home and try to win a series,” said Smyth.

First Pitch for Game Two will be at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday at Lowell Park in Cotuit.