Coming off of an off-day on Wednesday, a refreshed Anglers team will look to return to their winning ways as they travel to Whitehouse Field to take on the Harwich Mariners (8-4).
After a rough 1-3-1 stretch in between off-days that included three straight losses, Coach
John Schiffner emphasized staying away from baseball for a day, relaxing, and coming back ready to play.
"Coach (Schiffner) really emphasized taking advantage of our day off,"
Dante Flores (USC) said. "We will take the day off, get well-rested, and come back ready to go at it again."
Despite the fact that the season is in its second-quarter, this will be the first meeting between the Anglers and Harwich.
With the Anglers off yesterday, the Mariners took advantage and secured sole possession of first place in the Eastern Division with their 7-2 win over Orleans on Wednesday.
photo by Chelsea Capwell/Chatham Anglers
Dante Flores (USC) leads the team with
a .394 batting average
On the mound for the Anglers will be the big right-hander
Lukas Schiraldi (Texas). In his last start against Hyannis, he threw six great innings, only allowing one run and four hits, but took the loss, as the offense was held silent and Chatham fell 1-0 to the Harbor Hawks.
On the season, Schiraldi has a 2.79 ERA in two starts, picking up eight strikeouts in 9.1 innings pitched.
Harwich will send left-hander Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee) to the mound against the Anglers. This will be Frebis' first start of the season, as all three of his appearances have come in relief. In four innings pitched this season, Frebis has yet to allow a run, and has struck out six.
For Middle Tennessee in 2013, Frebis posted a 5.82 ERA in 14 appearances, all starts, and struck out 50 in 68 innings pitched. Opposing batters hit for a healthy .299 average against him.
Harwich outfielder Aaron Barbosa (Northeastern) leads the Cape League in hitting with a .394 batting average. Right behind him, second in the league in hitting, is Harwich second-baseman Ian Happ, who is hitting for a .355 average with four RBI on the season. Happ has also collected six stolen-bases.
After leading the league with a .305 average earlier in the season, the Anglers have come back to earth, hitting for a .251 batting average as a team. With his four-hit performance against Y-D on Tuesday, Flores now leads the team with a .346 batting average.
Mitchell Gunsolus(Gonzaga) is the only player on the Chatham roster to start all 12 games, and has excelled in each one, reaching base in all 12, and hitting for a .325 average.
Despite a recent rough stretch, the team is still feeling confident, and is excited about the rest of the season.
"We have played pretty well for the first part of the season, and everyone is still improving," Flores said. "We are in a good place right now, and we are excited for the rest of the season."
First pitch at 5 p.m. Tune into the Anglers Extra Pregame Show at 4:40 p.m. for live coverage with broadcasters Brandon Liebhaber and Keith Zubrow at
TRZ Teamline or call 1-800-846-4700, code 3841.