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Chatham's losing streak moves to 3 in 6-1 road loss to Hyannis
HYANNIS, Mass. — The fifth inning could’ve changed everything. After getting blanked for four straight innings before that point, Anglers’ designated hitter Daniel Jackson (Georgia) led the frame off by blasting a homer to right field, and Chatham held all the momentum.
Ethan Mendoza (Texas) followed it up with a single into center, and though he got thrown out trying to steal second, the Anglers continued to rally. Isaiah Lane (San Diego), Duncan Mathews (South Alabama) and Henry Ford (Tennessee) all walked to load the bases with two outs.
Having arrived on the Cape earlier in the day, Freshman All-American Chase Fralick came up to bat with the chance to completely change the complexion of the game. Come through with a base hit, and the Anglers could be looking at a brand-new ballgame. A strikeout would suck the life out of Chatham’s already-deflated offense.
The outcome seemed inevitable. Chatham just can’t get out of its own way right now.
Fralick struck out with the bases loaded, killing any chance at an Anglers rally. Despite scoring seven runs against Hyannis in their last contest on June 17, the A’s had no answers for the Harbor Hawks, with Chatham (2-5-1, East) falling 6-1 to Hyannis (5-2-1, West) at McKeon Park Sunday. For the third consecutive game, the Anglers failed to score more than two runs, leading to its season-worst three-game losing skid. Despite striking out only eight times, the A’s couldn’t generate solid contact, notching four hits on the day.
“We got guys who have hit .300 everywhere they’ve ever been, and they’re just not hitting,” Anglers manager Dennis Cook said. “At the end of the day, it boils down to them figuring out how to hit.”
Against Hyannis, Chatham debuted a new-look lineup, with Ford leading off, Mendoza moving down in the order and various other players getting shifted around the order. Cook was throwing everything at the wall and hoping something stuck. But it all just bounced off like rubber.
“(I was) just trying to make something happen,” Cook said.
Early on, the changes had little effect. The Anglers squandered an early single by Ford in the first. And in the second, after Mendoza reached and advanced on an error by Hyannis first baseman Gabe Camacho, Lane popped out to ensure the error would amount to nothing.
“We couldn’t find holes again,” Cook said. “Not hitting the ball hard, it’s just the same old story. We got to find a way to get more productive at bats.”
The A’s mistake was immediately punished. Facing A’s starter Ryan Borberg (Dallas Baptist), Camacho led off the second by lining a single into right field. Camacho’s knock gave Hyannis left fielder Hayden Federico the perfect opportunity to establish an early lead, and he capitalized with a deep home run to right to give it a 2-0 advantage.
The chasm only grew as the game progressed. The Anglers were sat down in order in the top of the third. When Andrew Williamson came up for Hyannis in the bottom of the frame, the A’s could only stand and watch as his blast sailed over the center-field fence for a 3-0 Harbor Hawks’ lead.
Each inning started to feel awfully familiar, almost like a rerun of a sitcom. Hyannis prevented Chatham from reaching base with little difficulty. Then, the Harbor Hawks pounced on the A’s pitching staff, smacking extra base hits and only adding on to their ever-growing lead.
Once Harbor Hawks starter Evan Blanco shut down Chatham in the fourth, Hyannis got right back on the attack. Ryan McKay led off the inning with a single into right, and after stealing second, he crossed the plate on a double by Miura. The sequence forced pitching coach Jay Powell to pull Borberg from the game, leaving Ethan Calder (Baylor) to escape the jam.
“(Borberg’s) got a little bit of a tired arm,” Cook said. “He’s gonna go home after the start, so it’s time. He just needs to go home and get some rest.”
A's starting pitcher Ryan Borberg lunges forward on a delivery amid Chatham's loss to Hyannis. Borberg gave up four earned runs in 3.2 innings against the Harbor Hawks, earning the pitching defeat on the night. Photograph by Ella Tovey
Calder was mostly solid, pitching 3.1 frames with two earned runs to keep the A’s within striking distance of the Harbor Hawks. But it wasn’t nearly enough. Hyannis broke through against him in the seventh, stretching its advantage to 6-1 on singles by Willits, Camacho, Federico and McKay. On the offensive end, Chatham couldn’t get anything going against Tsubasa Tomii. Jackson’s blast remained the Anglers’ only modicum of offensive production.
“What I like about (Jackson) is he’s coachable,” Cook said. “He wants to try to learn and get better.”
It wasn’t surprising in the slightest. With how this offense has performed, any deficit greater than one run feels far beyond striking distance for the Anglers.
After the loss, the Anglers had a lengthy team meeting in right field. This wasn’t a first-time occurrence. Cook held a meeting on Friday, following Chatham’s season-worst seven-run blowout loss to Yarmouth-Dennis.
But this one was different. Against Y-D, Cook drove the conversation, lambasting the A’s for their “uninspired” performance and their perceived lack of effort. He spoke again on Sunday. But he took a back seat to pitching coach Jay Powell, assistant coach Brett Doe and assistant coach Tanner Riley, hoping a fresh voice could reach the team.
Something has to land with the A’s. And who the messenger is does not matter. Because one thing is crystal clear — what Chatham is doing simply isn’t sustainable.
“We’re gonna have to figure out a way to get better,” Cook said. “At the end of the day, no one’s gonna feel sorry for us.”
Ethan Mendoza (Texas) followed it up with a single into center, and though he got thrown out trying to steal second, the Anglers continued to rally. Isaiah Lane (San Diego), Duncan Mathews (South Alabama) and Henry Ford (Tennessee) all walked to load the bases with two outs.
Having arrived on the Cape earlier in the day, Freshman All-American Chase Fralick came up to bat with the chance to completely change the complexion of the game. Come through with a base hit, and the Anglers could be looking at a brand-new ballgame. A strikeout would suck the life out of Chatham’s already-deflated offense.
The outcome seemed inevitable. Chatham just can’t get out of its own way right now.
Fralick struck out with the bases loaded, killing any chance at an Anglers rally. Despite scoring seven runs against Hyannis in their last contest on June 17, the A’s had no answers for the Harbor Hawks, with Chatham (2-5-1, East) falling 6-1 to Hyannis (5-2-1, West) at McKeon Park Sunday. For the third consecutive game, the Anglers failed to score more than two runs, leading to its season-worst three-game losing skid. Despite striking out only eight times, the A’s couldn’t generate solid contact, notching four hits on the day.
“We got guys who have hit .300 everywhere they’ve ever been, and they’re just not hitting,” Anglers manager Dennis Cook said. “At the end of the day, it boils down to them figuring out how to hit.”
Against Hyannis, Chatham debuted a new-look lineup, with Ford leading off, Mendoza moving down in the order and various other players getting shifted around the order. Cook was throwing everything at the wall and hoping something stuck. But it all just bounced off like rubber.
“(I was) just trying to make something happen,” Cook said.
Early on, the changes had little effect. The Anglers squandered an early single by Ford in the first. And in the second, after Mendoza reached and advanced on an error by Hyannis first baseman Gabe Camacho, Lane popped out to ensure the error would amount to nothing.
“We couldn’t find holes again,” Cook said. “Not hitting the ball hard, it’s just the same old story. We got to find a way to get more productive at bats.”
The A’s mistake was immediately punished. Facing A’s starter Ryan Borberg (Dallas Baptist), Camacho led off the second by lining a single into right field. Camacho’s knock gave Hyannis left fielder Hayden Federico the perfect opportunity to establish an early lead, and he capitalized with a deep home run to right to give it a 2-0 advantage.
The chasm only grew as the game progressed. The Anglers were sat down in order in the top of the third. When Andrew Williamson came up for Hyannis in the bottom of the frame, the A’s could only stand and watch as his blast sailed over the center-field fence for a 3-0 Harbor Hawks’ lead.
Each inning started to feel awfully familiar, almost like a rerun of a sitcom. Hyannis prevented Chatham from reaching base with little difficulty. Then, the Harbor Hawks pounced on the A’s pitching staff, smacking extra base hits and only adding on to their ever-growing lead.
Once Harbor Hawks starter Evan Blanco shut down Chatham in the fourth, Hyannis got right back on the attack. Ryan McKay led off the inning with a single into right, and after stealing second, he crossed the plate on a double by Miura. The sequence forced pitching coach Jay Powell to pull Borberg from the game, leaving Ethan Calder (Baylor) to escape the jam.
“(Borberg’s) got a little bit of a tired arm,” Cook said. “He’s gonna go home after the start, so it’s time. He just needs to go home and get some rest.”
A's starting pitcher Ryan Borberg lunges forward on a delivery amid Chatham's loss to Hyannis. Borberg gave up four earned runs in 3.2 innings against the Harbor Hawks, earning the pitching defeat on the night. Photograph by Ella Tovey
Calder was mostly solid, pitching 3.1 frames with two earned runs to keep the A’s within striking distance of the Harbor Hawks. But it wasn’t nearly enough. Hyannis broke through against him in the seventh, stretching its advantage to 6-1 on singles by Willits, Camacho, Federico and McKay. On the offensive end, Chatham couldn’t get anything going against Tsubasa Tomii. Jackson’s blast remained the Anglers’ only modicum of offensive production.
“What I like about (Jackson) is he’s coachable,” Cook said. “He wants to try to learn and get better.”
It wasn’t surprising in the slightest. With how this offense has performed, any deficit greater than one run feels far beyond striking distance for the Anglers.
After the loss, the Anglers had a lengthy team meeting in right field. This wasn’t a first-time occurrence. Cook held a meeting on Friday, following Chatham’s season-worst seven-run blowout loss to Yarmouth-Dennis.
But this one was different. Against Y-D, Cook drove the conversation, lambasting the A’s for their “uninspired” performance and their perceived lack of effort. He spoke again on Sunday. But he took a back seat to pitching coach Jay Powell, assistant coach Brett Doe and assistant coach Tanner Riley, hoping a fresh voice could reach the team.
Something has to land with the A’s. And who the messenger is does not matter. Because one thing is crystal clear — what Chatham is doing simply isn’t sustainable.
“We’re gonna have to figure out a way to get better,” Cook said. “At the end of the day, no one’s gonna feel sorry for us.”
