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Chatham, Mass. — Looking to parlay their 6-2 win over Yarmouth-Dennis into vital points in the last week of the regular season, the Chatham Anglers head to Cotuit today to do battle with the Kettleers at 5 p.m.
The Anglers (15-24-1) sit three points behind the Brewster Whitecaps for the final playoff spot in the East Division with four games remaining. Trailing the Hyannis Harbor Hawks by seven points, Cotuit (13-26-1) needs to win all of its remaining contests to stay alive in the West. With a win, Chatham would eliminate the Kettleers at their home diamond.
At the Plate: DJ Artis has been one of the few constants in a season full of a myriad of roster moves for the Anglers. For a team that has repeatedly seen temporary and permanent players come and go, Artis has stuck around, taking on the role of a silent leader.
“I just try to tell everybody to calm down,” said Artis. “It’s just a normal game, not different than any other league that they’ve been at.”
Though the stoic outfielder may not say much, Artis definitely leads by example, putting together a .267 average in a team-high 33 games this summer. For the better part of the season, Artis has hit towards the top of John Schiffner’s lineup, due to the Freshman All-American’s speed and his knack for getting on the base paths.
In 125 at-bats for Chatham, Artis has reached base 48 times. The Liberty Flame has walked 19 times this summer – second to only Jake Palomaki – while driving in 10 runs and scoring a team-best 16 times. Artis’s 28 hits are also the most on the Anglers.
Artis has also proven his worth on defense, making zero errors and 57 putouts in over 230 innings played.
Though the Kettleers have scored the second fewest runs in the CCBL, one Cotuit player has been stellar offensively, batting over .300 in a league renowned for pitching. Quinn Brodey of Stanford has appeared in 33 games for Mike Roberts’s squad this summer, compiling a .314 average on 38 hits while driving in 15 runs and scoring 21 – all highs for a Cotuit team that has scored 134 times this season.
On the Rubber: Kansas State lefty Parker Rigler (0-3) looks to notch his first win today after taking the loss against Hyannis on July 24, despite not allowing an earned run. Rigler has put together a solid summer campaign for the Anglers, crafting a 4.62 ERA - though that statistic is inflated due to one poor start against Hyannis on July 17. In that outing, Rigler gave up eight runs in two and two-thirds innings.
Last time out, Rigler turned in his longest start of the year, tossing six and two-thirds innings while allowing five total hits from the 26 batters he faced. The six-foot southpaw sat down five Harbor Hawks on strikes in last Sunday's game – his season high.
In 23 and a third innings this summer, Rigler has struck out 16 batters while walking 10. The junior has allowed 12 earned runs on 28 hits.
Rio Gomez (0-1) takes the ball for Cotuit, making his second start against the Anglers in the last two weeks. On July 20, Gomez tossed three innings, allowing no runs on three hits as the Kettleers fell to Chatham 2-1 at Veterans Field.
Down the Road: The Anglers return to the confines of Veterans Field on Monday to round out their season series with the Falmouth Commodores before hosting the rival Orleans Firebirds on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Make sure to tune in at 4:40 p.m. today 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.