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Game 18 Preview: Chatham at Harwich
CHATHAM, Mass. — The Anglers’ Fourth of July began with a parade through Chatham, as players and coaches interacted with fans, starting chants and occasionally bumping beach balls back and forth with locals.
Their Fourth of July festivities did not include any fireworks, with the Veterans Field flyover on July 2 accounting for almost all of Chatham’s firework-related celebrations ahead of America’s birthday. So, as the A’s traveled to Eldredge Park to take on Orleans, it was up to Chatham to provide the fireworks for the hundreds of fans in attendance.
After a thrilling 7-5 win over Orleans Friday, it’s safe to say that the Anglers delivered to that end. The A’s got out to an early 4-0 lead, but they allowed Orleans to slowly crawl back into the game. However, once the Firebirds managed to snag a slim 5-4 lead, Chatham re-established its advantage with a three-run eighth inning, securing its seventh win of the season.
Now, Chatham (7-7-3, East) continues its road trip, heading to Whitehouse Field for the first time this season to take on Harwich (8-6-3, East) Saturday. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the matchup.
It’s been a tale of two outings for Mason Bixby (TCU/transfer). In his Cape Cod Baseball League debut, Bixby impressed with three shutout relief innings to lock down Chatham’s second win over Cotuit. But in his subsequent appearance against Falmouth, he struggled with his command, allowing three walks and giving up four runs in the A’s 9-7 loss. Making his first start of the season, the Anglers will be hoping for a performance more akin to his CCBL debut against Harwich Saturday.
Somehow, through two starts with Harwich, Toby Twist (Oregon) has already surpassed his innings total from the 2025 collegiate season. As a sophomore, Twist only managed to accrue 3.0 innings with the Ducks last season. But with the Mariners, he’s already notched 4.0 innings so far, impressing with a solid 4.50 ERA. He’s only allowed four hits this season, and he’ll look to limit the Anglers to a similar total Saturday.
Mariners second baseman Jake Koonin (Princeton) wasn’t widely renowned as a power hitter heading into the Cape, having hit just 15 home runs in three collegiate seasons. But through 11 games with Harwich, he’s quickly established himself as the team’s premier power option. While his .188 batting average is nothing to write home about, he currently leads Harwich in home runs (three), runs batted in (eight) and runs scored (seven).
His middle infield counterpart, Tanner Marsh (Liberty) hasn’t been on the Cape for very long, only playing six games so far. However, that’s all the time he’s needed to emerge as Harwich’s most consistent hitter. With the caveat that he’s only had 19 at-bats, Marsh leads all Mariners with a .421 average and an .897 OPS.
Last season, Ashton Larson (LSU/transfer) was a beacon of consistency for the A’s, hitting for an impressive .316 average and .788 OPS across 130 plate appearances. So far, Chatham’s 2024 Thurman Munson Most Outstanding Player Award winner has continued to impress in his return to the A’s. Though he’s only played four games this season, Larson leads all Anglers with a .375 average in 13 at-bats, quickly establishing himself as one of Chatham’s strongest hitters.
There are just two Anglers who have played in all 17 of Chatham’s contests this season. Henry Ford (Tennessee) has garnered the most plaudits, but Ethan Mendoza (Texas) has similarly been a staple for the A’s lineup thus far in the season. He isn’t among Chatham’s top power hitters, but he’s quietly flirted around .300 recently, bringing his average up to .297 with a two-hit performance against Orleans Friday.
While the Mariners plated seven runs against the A’s when these squads first faced off, performances like that have been few and far between for Harwich. The Mariners have consistently struggled offensively, ranking dead last in the Cape with 56 runs and 99 hits.
Thus far, the Mariners only have four hitters who have accrued enough playing time to qualify for CCBL leaderboards. Of those four, none of them have managed to sustain an OPS above .700. If that trend persists against Chatham, they’ll face a rather uphill battle trying to outscore the Anglers.
The first time these two faced off on June 24, it was nothing but a back and forth battle. Chatham carried a 3-2 lead into the top of the ninth, but after committing two errors attempting to pick off Tre Broussard (Houston), he scored to equalize the game at 3-3.
Harwich continued its offensive momentum into the tenth, piling on four runs to give them a 7-3 advantage. However, after Ford drove in Isaiah Lane (San Diego) with a single into center, Ace Reese (Mississippi State) blasted a three-run homer to even the game at 7-7, securing Chatham’s then-second tie of the season.
Their Fourth of July festivities did not include any fireworks, with the Veterans Field flyover on July 2 accounting for almost all of Chatham’s firework-related celebrations ahead of America’s birthday. So, as the A’s traveled to Eldredge Park to take on Orleans, it was up to Chatham to provide the fireworks for the hundreds of fans in attendance.
After a thrilling 7-5 win over Orleans Friday, it’s safe to say that the Anglers delivered to that end. The A’s got out to an early 4-0 lead, but they allowed Orleans to slowly crawl back into the game. However, once the Firebirds managed to snag a slim 5-4 lead, Chatham re-established its advantage with a three-run eighth inning, securing its seventh win of the season.
Now, Chatham (7-7-3, East) continues its road trip, heading to Whitehouse Field for the first time this season to take on Harwich (8-6-3, East) Saturday. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the matchup.
Probable Starters
It’s been a tale of two outings for Mason Bixby (TCU/transfer). In his Cape Cod Baseball League debut, Bixby impressed with three shutout relief innings to lock down Chatham’s second win over Cotuit. But in his subsequent appearance against Falmouth, he struggled with his command, allowing three walks and giving up four runs in the A’s 9-7 loss. Making his first start of the season, the Anglers will be hoping for a performance more akin to his CCBL debut against Harwich Saturday.
Somehow, through two starts with Harwich, Toby Twist (Oregon) has already surpassed his innings total from the 2025 collegiate season. As a sophomore, Twist only managed to accrue 3.0 innings with the Ducks last season. But with the Mariners, he’s already notched 4.0 innings so far, impressing with a solid 4.50 ERA. He’s only allowed four hits this season, and he’ll look to limit the Anglers to a similar total Saturday.
Harwich Players To Watch
Mariners second baseman Jake Koonin (Princeton) wasn’t widely renowned as a power hitter heading into the Cape, having hit just 15 home runs in three collegiate seasons. But through 11 games with Harwich, he’s quickly established himself as the team’s premier power option. While his .188 batting average is nothing to write home about, he currently leads Harwich in home runs (three), runs batted in (eight) and runs scored (seven).
His middle infield counterpart, Tanner Marsh (Liberty) hasn’t been on the Cape for very long, only playing six games so far. However, that’s all the time he’s needed to emerge as Harwich’s most consistent hitter. With the caveat that he’s only had 19 at-bats, Marsh leads all Mariners with a .421 average and an .897 OPS.
Chatham Players To Watch
Last season, Ashton Larson (LSU/transfer) was a beacon of consistency for the A’s, hitting for an impressive .316 average and .788 OPS across 130 plate appearances. So far, Chatham’s 2024 Thurman Munson Most Outstanding Player Award winner has continued to impress in his return to the A’s. Though he’s only played four games this season, Larson leads all Anglers with a .375 average in 13 at-bats, quickly establishing himself as one of Chatham’s strongest hitters.
There are just two Anglers who have played in all 17 of Chatham’s contests this season. Henry Ford (Tennessee) has garnered the most plaudits, but Ethan Mendoza (Texas) has similarly been a staple for the A’s lineup thus far in the season. He isn’t among Chatham’s top power hitters, but he’s quietly flirted around .300 recently, bringing his average up to .297 with a two-hit performance against Orleans Friday.
Number To Know: 0
While the Mariners plated seven runs against the A’s when these squads first faced off, performances like that have been few and far between for Harwich. The Mariners have consistently struggled offensively, ranking dead last in the Cape with 56 runs and 99 hits.
Thus far, the Mariners only have four hitters who have accrued enough playing time to qualify for CCBL leaderboards. Of those four, none of them have managed to sustain an OPS above .700. If that trend persists against Chatham, they’ll face a rather uphill battle trying to outscore the Anglers.
Last Time They Played
The first time these two faced off on June 24, it was nothing but a back and forth battle. Chatham carried a 3-2 lead into the top of the ninth, but after committing two errors attempting to pick off Tre Broussard (Houston), he scored to equalize the game at 3-3.
Harwich continued its offensive momentum into the tenth, piling on four runs to give them a 7-3 advantage. However, after Ford drove in Isaiah Lane (San Diego) with a single into center, Ace Reese (Mississippi State) blasted a three-run homer to even the game at 7-7, securing Chatham’s then-second tie of the season.
