Chatham first baseman Rick Oropesa (USC) provided the only offense for the Anglers Monday night with a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning, in a 9-1 route at the hands of the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox at Veterans Field. Chatham's record now stands at 12-11-1, good for third best in the Eastern Division. It was the first meeting of the season between the two teams, and the first of three meetings this week.
Anglers' starter Mike Dennhardt (BC) came into the contest having pitched well in his first four starts of the season, carrying in a 1-1 record with a 1.50 ERA. After retiring the side in order to close out the first, he allowed four base runners in the second, though Y-D second baseman Matt Jensen (Cal. Poly) reached on an error by shortstop Stephen Perez (Miami) to lead off the inning. A single by first baseman Jordan Ribera (Fresno St.) advanced Jensen to second, before right fielder Stewart Ijames (Louisville) blasted a three-run home run to right, giving the Red Sox an early 3-0 lead.
Y-D would strike again in the third after Dennhardt allowed consecutive singles to lead off the inning, before Jensen grounded out to third to score center fielder Caleb Ramsey (Houston), and bring the score to 4-0. Another run would come across in the fourth after Ramsey singled home catcher Jett Bandy (Arizona).
In the bottom half of the frame, with the Anglers down 5-0, Oropesa stepped in to lead off the inning against Y-D starter Randy Fontanez (South Fla.), and blasted a solo home run to left center field, one of the deepest parts of the ballpark.
Two more Red Sox runs would come across in the fifth off of Chatham reliever Phil Schreiber (Iowa), who allowed a home run to Ribera to score Jensen and put Y-D up 7-1. The final runs of the game came in the eighth on an RBI fly out by third baseman Tyler Hanover (LSU), and an RBI double by shortstop Joe Panik (St. Johns) to put the Red Sox up 9-1, snapping a four-game losing streak. Their record now stands at 15-10, good for second best in the Eastern Division.
The Anglers remain at home Tuesday night to host the Wareham Gatemen (9-15-1) in a makeup of a game that was called due to fog on June 27. That game was the second of a scheduled doubleheader, which was originally scheduled for seven innings, however Tuesday night's game will go a full nine innings. Tune in to the broadcast starting at 6:40pm with the Anglers Extra Pregame Show at www.chathamanglers.com, or dial in to the TRZ Teamline on your home or mobile telephone at 1-800-846-4700, team code 3841.