Chatham, Mass. — Looking to build off of their solid play over the last four games, the Chatham Anglers square off with the Bourne Braves tonight at 7 p.m. at Veterans Field. The Anglers (11-14-1) have been the hard luck losers in two of their past four games. In both contests, Chatham pitching has given up one combined earned run, but four errors have led to five unearned runs in the losing streak.

Chatham’s last two home games have yielded some of the best performances of the season for the Anglers, who won 6-5 last Wednesday over Wareham before tying the league-best Harwich Mariners on Sunday. Both contests needed extra innings and came against teams who were at the top of their respective divisions.

“This is our home, it’s where we want to be,” said A’s manager John Schiffner. “It’s a great place to play baseball. The fans are awesome; they get behind you.”

At Veterans Field the Anglers are 6-6-1. Tonight, they’ll play host to the Bourne Braves (12-13-1), a team that boasts a 6-7 road record.

Catching Fire 

Gunnar Troutwine has gotten hot at the plate in his last three starts, reaching base a combined nine times in ten at-bats. On Sunday against Harwich, the Wichita State sophomore went 3-for-4 with three singles, moving his average up to .308 – tied for the third highest on the team.

In the last week, the catcher has hit .625 while walking twice and striking out three total times in three games. Troutwine also stole a base in Sunday night’s contest.

Sputtering to a 2-7 record since the calendar flipped to July, the Bourne Braves look to win their second straight game tonight for the first time since June 28 in Cotuit. In the last seven days, Bourne has won just once after downing the Y-D Red Sox, 3-1.

David McKinnon has been the player worth noting for the Braves as of late. The Hartford outfielfer has compiled a .313 batting average in the last five game stretch, recording five hits in 16 at-bats. McKinnon also walked three times.

A Red Hot Cardinal 

Lincoln Henzman (1-1) looks to build off of his stellar outing against Orleans on July 4 when he toes the rubber tonight for the Anglers. The Louisville right-hander allowed one unearned run in that four-hit gem against the Firebirds. In five and two-thirds innings of work against Orleans, Henzmen struck out eight of the 24 batters he faced. 

Over the past three games, Chatham pitching has conceded two earned runs after a stretch of giving up five or more in their previous three contests.

“The starting pitching has been excellent, the middle relief, the closers, they’re just outstanding,” said Schiffner. “It’s great, it’s nice that that’s coming around.”

Bourne will send JT Perez (0-0) to the bump tonight as the Cincinnati southpaw looks to factor into his first decision of the summer. Making four starts for the Braves, Perez has sculpted a 4.73 ERA by allowing 10 runs in 19 innings while striking out 19 total batters.

In his lone game against Chatham, the sophomore from Orrville, Ohio pitched four innings and gave up four earned runs – his highest on the season – in a 12-4 Bourne victory. Perez struck out five Anglers back on that June 16 contest.

Down the Road

Chatham will play its next two games on the road against East Division opponents following its tilt with the Braves. First, the Anglers head to Harwich on Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. start against the Mariners. The following day, Schiffner’s squad gets back on the bus as they head to Eldredge Park for a date with the rival Orleans Firebirds. First pitch is underway at 7 p.m.  

Broadcast Information

Make sure to tune in 20 minutes before each game for the Anglers Extra Pregame Show on the Cape Cod Baseball Network. Evan Stockton will introduce you to his Catch of the Day while Jake Eisenberg sits down with manager John Schiffner.

The full broadcast of today’s game is available online and over the phone at 1-800-846-4700, code 3481. Visit Broadcast Central for more details.