Harwich, Mass. — The Chatham Anglers entered Wednesday night’s game hunting for their first win since July 6. Since that walk-off victory over the Wareham Gatemen, the Anglers dropped three close contests and tied another, as they entered Wednesday’s game against the Harwich Mariners. Chatham’s woes only got worse as the Anglers (11-16-1) were shutout, 4-0. 

“I thought we should have had a better performance,” manager John Schiffner said. “[Tyler Wilson] was an excellent pitcher, but we should not have been dominated like that by him – and that’s not taking anything away from him. We were not prepared to play baseball today.”

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Wilson (2-1) turned in a gem for the Mariners (17-9-2), earning his second win of the summer and his first in the month of July. The University of Rhode Island southpaw saw 17 batters in his five innings pitched, allowing a pair of base runners and striking out five.

Harwich manager Steve Englert needed only one other pitcher to keep the Anglers off the scoreboard for the entire night. Peter Solomon, a right-hander out of Notre Dame, relieved Wilson to start the sixth, before pitching four innings of no-hit baseball.

The six-foot-four sophomore allowed three base runners in total – the result of a walk, a hit batsman, and a fielder’s choice – but struck out two, earning a rare 12-out save.

Chatham’s offense never strung together more than two base runners in an inning and was held hitless after the second. The best hit on the night, for the Anglers, came with two outs in the second inning as Kyle Adams smoked a double over the head of Steven Foster in left field. Adams also made solid contact in the seventh, flying out to deep center approaching the warning track.

The Mariners offense, however, had no issue reaching base, exploding for 14 hits and four runs. Though Harwich is second from the bottom in runs scored in the East Division – ahead of only Chatham – the Mariners brought their bats as they recorded a hit in every inning. All but Johnny Adams and Pavin Smith reached base for Harwich on Wednesday.

Andrew Karp (0-2) fell in his second straight game for Chatham, giving up two earned runs on nine hits in five innings pitched. Wednesday’s outing was an improvement on Karp’s last start, as the Florida State product conceded two fewer runs and struck out three more batters than he did in his previous start against Cotuit.

“He threw very well,” commended Schiffner. “This is his freshman year of college right now. I mean, he’s hardly thrown innings and he’s improving each time out. He looked very good.”

Mike Fitzgerald pitched two innings of relief, conceding a home run to the first batter he faced, Nick Feight. The Northeastern Husky was lifted at the end of the seventh in favor of Donovan Casey. Casey, primarily used as an outfielder for the Anglers, made his second appearance as a pitcher for Chatham, giving up one run on two hits in his lone inning of work. At Boston College, Casey pitched in eight games, compiling a 1.17 ERA by allowing one run in seven and two-thirds innings.  

“We’ve got to move him away from the middle of the plate, but when he’s on the outside corner [or] the inside corner he’s very good,” said Schiffner of Casey. “That was big time velocity right there.”

With the Brewster Whitecaps falling to Cotuit, the Anglers remain in a tie for last place in the East Division. Harwich stays a game up on the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, who defeated the Orleans Firebirds 4-0 on Wednesday.

Chatham will now have a day of rest on Thursday as they gear up for a three-game tilt this weekend.

“Maybe this will be a good off day,” said Schiffner, reasoning that the day off might help the Anglers, “ flush this [loss] down the toilet and start fresh on Friday [in Orleans].”