On paper, they shaped up as the league’s best team, and on June 12, the Wareham Gatemen looked the part. With a lineup that included college baseball’s Golden Spikes Award winner and with a veteran pitcher on the hill, they scored three runs in the first inning of the summer, tacked on two more in the middle innings and broke away with seven in the ninth for a 12-4 opening night win at Chatham.

The Gatemen looked the part again and again all summer. They started the season with four straight wins. They never lost more than two games in a row. They scored the most runs in the league. They allowed the second fewest. They owned the league’s best fielding percentage. Even as their roster changed, they held off challenges from two other strong teams in their division, closing with four wins in their last six games. They rolled through the early rounds of the playoffs.

And two months after opening night, on the same field, the Wareham Gatemen looked the part one last time.

Wareham beat Chatham 9-3 in game two of the Cape League championship series Monday at Veterans Field to sweep the title series and clinch its first crown since 2012. The Gatemen became the first team to go unbeaten in the playoffs since the postseason expanded in 2010.

It was the perfect culmination for the best.

Recent Cape League history has been marked by unpredictability – playoff hot streaks and Cinderella runs and the best teams coming up just a little short. A No. 1 seed hadn’t won the title since Bourne in 2009. Y-D’s penchant for playoff success stood in the way for a number of top squads. Brewster went on a wild ride last year, playing the maximum number of games en route to a surprise title.

Wareham played the fewest possible games. They were the best and they were on a hot streak.

The postseason run began with a sweep of Cotuit. A talented Falmouth team that had gotten hot in the second half battled in a pair of close games but fell short.

Chatham emerged from the East, perfect in the playoffs in its own right, but it was Wareham that kept rolling, winning 5-3 in the series opener.

Sunday, the Gatemen faced a difficult task. Chatham was hosting a championship series game for the first time since 2001, and a crowd announced at 7,552 packed in to watch. That number might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but the crowd was huge regardless. The Anglers even had the familiar fog on their side – it came and went and always seemed to get a little bit thicker when the Gatemen were in the field.

But none of it mattered.

Wareham fell behind 1-0 in the first inning but scored two runs in the third and never trailed again. Austin Shenton (Florida International) knocked in the go-ahead runs, continuing a remarkable playoff showing in which he came to the plate in a ton of big spots and always seemed to deliver.

Drew Millas (Missouri State) tripled and scored on a Lael Lockhart (Houston) single in the fourth. The same combo struck again in the sixth.

Pitching and defense were on target, too. Derek West (Pittsburgh) allowed one run in five innings. The Gatemen didn’t make an error and delivered highlights in between. Isaac Collins (Creighton) robbed a home run in right field. Twenty feet away, the Wareham bullpen celebrated as if the catch had clinched the title.

The fog gave Chatham a stay of execution, coming in thick in the sixth inning and forcing the game to be suspended. When it resumed Monday afternoon, the Anglers seemed rejuvenated. Three straight singles and an RBI groundout made it a 4-2 game.

But reliever Zach Hart (Franklin Pierce) worked out of trouble, stranding two on base. Shenton – of course – got the run back in the top of the seventh on an RBI single. Colin Simpson (Oklahoma State) homered in the bottom of the seventh for Chatham, but Hart again settled down. After he pitched a scoreless eight, Wareham broke the game open with four runs in the ninth. Millas and Gian Martellini (Boston College) each had two-run doubles.

After that, the Gatemen could taste it. Hart worked a scoreless ninth, striking out one of the league’s best talents – Spencer Torkelson – to clinch the win for the league’s best team.

Shenton was an easy choice for MVP. His breakout summer concluded with an incredible six-game playoff ride. He batted .522 with three home runs and 12 RBI in the postseason.

There were plenty of other heroes. Collins hit .370 in the playoffs to go with his SportsCenter-worthy catch. Millas and Lockhart had huge performances in the clincher with three hits each. The double-play combo of Ryan Kreidler (UCLA) and Oliver Dunn (Utah) played flawless defense and had one hit apiece in game two.

West – the winning pitcher – didn’t make his first appearance with Wareham until July 14. Hart – the guy who finished it off – pitched mostly in short relief all summer. When the Gatemen needed him for more, he responded, going 15 innings in his last three outings.

It was fitting that players like West and Hart got it done. As much as Wareham looked like the league’s best all year, it was not all a smooth ride. That most talented team on paper? Check out the season preview from June. The “Five Players to Watch” category included exactly zero players who were in Monday’s dogpile. The Golden Spikes winner, Andrew Vaughn, left for Team USA, along with several others. The veteran pitcher from opening night, Joey Matulovich, pitched like an ace – then signed a pro contract.

But the core and the vibe remained good enough to keep Wareham rolling.

The best stayed the best, all summer long.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before.

The formula that worked in Wareham’s playoff opener was utilized again Saturday as the Gatemen took game one of the Cape League championship series 5-3 over Chatham at Spillane Field.

Garcia (UCLA) struck out seven in five scoreless innings, working around three hits and three walks to keep the Anglers off the board. He stranded seven runners on base, including three in the fourth inning, when he escaped a bases-loaded jam with a groundout.

Garcia now owns a 0.00 ERA in the postseason with 15 strikeouts and a pair of wins.

Chatham’s Austin Bergner (North Carolina) – who also pitched his team to a win in the playoff opener – matched Garcia for four innings, but Shenton (Florida International) put Wareham in control. A double, a hit-by-pitch and an error loaded the bases in the fifth inning, and for Chatham, it came at the worst possible time.

With Shenton due up.

The red-hot hitter kept rolling, cracking a bases-clearing double to make it a 3-0 game. Shenton is now hitting .526 in the playoffs with nine RBI.

Chatham came back with a run in the seventh on the third playoff home run by Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State), but Wareham picked up crucial insurance in the bottom half. Jakob Goldfarb (Oregon) tripled home Isaac Collins (Creighton) and scored on a sac fly by Jeremy Ydens (UCLA).

The Anglers made a final push in the ninth on a two-run homer by Tristin English (Georgia Tech) – a day after he dominated on the mound – but Joseph Baran (Lackawanna) got the Gatemen out of trouble to finish off the win.

Both teams came into the championship series with perfect playoff records. Wareham is now 5-0. Chatham will have to try to bounce back for the first time in postseason play.

Game two is set for tonight in Chatham. The Anglers will send league strikeout leaded Alek Manoah (West Virginia) to the hill. He fanned 11 – but also allowed six runs – in his other playoff start.

Wareham counters with Derek West (Pittsburgh), who pitched well in two regular season starts before allowing four runs in 3.2 innings in his one postseason appearance.

 
I don’t remember a Cape League summer with so many two-way players having big impacts. Often, guys who pitch and hit at the collegiate level pick one for the summer. This year, by my count, 10 guys continued to do both for their Cape teams.

There was Conor Grammes for Brewster, hitting home runs one day and striking people out the next. There was Nick Osborne, signed by Orleans as a pitcher, getting a shot at the plate and signing a pro contract as a hitter.

And Friday night, there was Tristin English.

He had focused mostly on hitting this summer, charting a .300 batting average with five home runs in an all-star campaign. But he had taken the mound enough to stay sharp. After 16 appearances for Georgia Tech in the spring, he made four for the Anglers in the regular season, a stint capped by six shutout innings in his first start July 31.

His second start sent Chatham to the championship series for the first time since 2001. English went 8.2 innings in game two of the East Division finals against Brewster and was throwing a shutout for most of them. He ended up departing after giving up a home run that made it a 3-2 game, but it was a dominant performance.

English struck out two, scattered five hits and didn’t walk a batter. His outing was the longest by a Chatham starter all season, and he needed just 108 pitches to do it. A two-run homer by Gage Workman (Arizona State) kept hope alive for the Cinderella Whitecaps, but Kyle Hurt (Southern California) struck out the next batter for the final out, handing English the win he had so well earned.

Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State), Kyle McCann (Georgia Tech) and Ben Ramirez (USC) drove in one run each as Chatham steadily built the lead.

English did the rest. As noted in the Chatham coverage, it was particularly special given the injury history in English’s arm.

In a summer of strong showings by two-way players, this one goes down as the best.

What to Watch

Game one of the Cape League championship series is set for 6:30 in Wareham.

The Braves scored three runs in the eighth for a 7-6 win over first-place Wareham at Doran Park, while Orleans walked off with a 9-8 victory over Chatham in 10 innings at Veterans Field.

Bourne had lost five in a row and had to get past the division-leading Gatemen – who were still battling for seeding – to avoid a sixth. Trailing 6-4, they rallied with one swing of the bat, as Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville) smashed a three-run homer to put his team ahead in the eighth. Jacob Wallace (UConn) then struck out the side around a single in the ninth to finish off the win.

It was fitting finish for those two Braves, in particular. Fitzgerald had two good summers in Bourne, leading the Braves’ playoff run last year and hitting .298 with two homers and 20 RBI this year. He went 3-for-5 in his final game.

Wallace finished the summer with a 0.00 ERA – and without even an unearned run crossing the plate. He saved six games while striking out 25 in 13.2 innings.

Wareham still ended up clinching first place thanks to a loss by Hyannis.

Orleans had been having an even tougher time than Bourne, riding a seven-game slide. Thursday, they fell behind 7-6 in the eighth but tied the game on an Eddie McCabe (Georgetown) RBI single. After Chatham went ahead again in the top of the 10th, J.J. Bleday tied the game on an RBI base hit, and Matt Fraizer (Arizona) won it with an RBI single.

Pat DeMarco (Vanderbilt) had four hits to lead the Firebirds, while McCabe – a late signee who will end up playing in just one Cape League game – went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Aaron Ochsenbein (Eastern Kentucky) earned the win in relief, ending a strong summer in which he struck out 43 in 23.2 innings. Kevin Kelly (James Madison) tossed two scoreless innings of relief, which earned him the league ERA title.

Y-D 9, Hyannis

The league’s top team flexed its muscle one last time before the postseason, mashing 13 hits against nine different Hyannis pitchers and getting some dominant pitching on their side. Andrew Daschbach (Stanford) went 3-for-5 with four RBI and Christian Koss (UC Irvine) had two RBI to lead the attack. Making just his second start, Brady Batten (Houston Baptist) went six shutout innings for the win. The loss wrapped up the No. 2 seed in the West for Hyannis. Matthew Barefoot (Campbell) went 1-for-3 for the Harbor Hawks to clinch the Cape League batting title. He finished with a .379 average.

Cotuit 5, Falmouth 4

Cotuit stopped Falmouth’s four-game winning streak and hit the playoffs on a high note. Michael Toglia (UCLA) went 2-for-2 with his seventh home run and Adam Oviedo (TCU) also went deep. Jonathan Robertson (Creighton) went 3-for-5. Joseph Walsh (Boston College) earned the win in relief, while Michael Young (Stonehill) tossed two scoreless innings in his first appearance for the Kettleers.

Harwich 7, Brewster 2

Harwich scored early and often and rode a strong start from their top reliever to a win over Brewster. Tanner Morris (Virginia) had three hits, Andre Lipcius (Tennessee) hit his fourth home run and Alex Tappen (Virginia) went 2-for-3 with two RBI in his first game with the Mariners. All-star reliever Andrew Misiaszek (Northeastern), who had a 0.93 ERA in 16 relief outings, allowed one run on two hits over five innings in his first start of the summer.

What to Watch

After a league-wide day off Friday, the playoffs get underway Saturday. It’ll Y-D vs. Brewster and Chatham vs. Harwich in the East. In the West, it’s Wareham vs. Cotuit and Hyannis vs. Falmouth.

 
The Brewster Whitecaps will have a chance to defend their title after all.

Last year’s champs spent much of this summer in the basement of the East Division but managed to hang around. The door opened further when fourth-place Orleans hit a serious slide, losing seven in a row and nine of 10.

Wednesday, on the second-to-last day of the season, the Whitecaps stepped through that door. They beat Harwich 11-8. And when Orleans lost 6-5 to Chatham later in the night, the Whitecaps punched their ticket. Brewster will be the No. 4 seed from the East and, the way things often go in the Cape League playoffs, you never know. They’ll face Y-D, whom they beat in two of their last three meetings.

Conor Grammes (Xavier) and Jesse Franklin (Michigan) led the offense in Wednesday’s win, powering an eight-run first inning. Grammes went 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple, three runs scored and three RBI. Franklin homered in a 2-for-4 effort. Gage Workman (Arizona State) also had two hits and two RBI.

Grammes also shined on the mound, pitching the final three innings and allowing just one run to stop a comeback effort by the Mariners.

Wareham 6, Bourne 1

The West Division regular-season title still isn’t decided, but Wareham remained at the head of the pack with a win over Bourne. The Gatemen hold a one-point edge on Hyannis heading into the final day of the season. Jeremy Ydens (UCLA) and Lael Lockhart (Houston) homered for the Gatemen in the win over Bourne. Jakob Golfarb (Oregon) added two hits and Austin Shenton (Florida International) scored two runs. Four different pitchers delivered scoreless outings, led by three innings from Nathan Florence (Hartford).

Hyannis 6, Y-D 2

After a momentary wobble a few days ago, Hyannis has won three straight, including last night’s victory over East leader Y-D. Matthew Barefoot (Campbell) went 3-for-5 and regained the lead in the race for the batting title over Noah Campbell (South Carolina), who took an 0-for-4. Eric Rivera (Florida Atlantic) added three hits and two RBI, and Tommy Jew (UC Santa Barbara) had two hits and scored two runs. Making his second appearance and first start, Joseph Quintal (Fordham) allowed two runs in 5.2 innings for the win.

Falmouth 8, Cotuit 3

Falmouth won its fourth straight and remained two points back of Hyannis for second place, though first place is now out of reach for the Commodores. Davis Sims (Western Kentucky) hit two home runs, moving into a tie for the league lead. Cameron Cannon (Arizona) and Logan Davidson (Clemson) also went deep, while Edouard Julien (Auburn) had three hits. Scott Politz (Yale) allowed two runs in 5.1 innings to earn the win.

Chatham 6, Orleans 5

Chatham broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth for a win over Orleans, which knocked the Firebirds out of the playoff chase. An RBI fielder’s choice by Ashton McGee (North Carolina) brought home Blake Sabol (USC) with the go-ahead run. Reeves Martin (New Orleans), making his third appearance, tossed a scoreless ninth to finish off the win. Michael Busch (North Carolina) homered and drove in two for the Anglers, while Greg Jones (UNC Wilmington) went 3-for-4 and stole four (!) bases, giving him a league-best 20 on the year.

What to Watch

The season concludes with all the same matchups that we saw Thursday. Wareham-Bourne and Hyannis-Y-D are again the games to watch for playoff seeding.