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Ashton Larson’s grand slam defines wild affair as Chatham beats Falmouth 11-8
CHATHAM, Mass. — Ashton Larson clutched his all-black wooden bat with both hands below his waist as he slowly inched forward along the first-base line, admiring the hellacious seed he’d just blasted over the right-center field fence at Veterans Field.
It’s been a turbulent calendar year for Larson. Last summer, his first season playing for Chatham, he batted a scorching .316 and earned the team’s 2024 Thurman Munson Most Outstanding Player Award. But his summer ended with a thud; Larson committed a crucial ninth-inning error in right field during the A’s first-round playoff loss to Harwich.
He then experienced an tumultuous sophomore year at LSU, where he got relegated to a backup role but ended 2025 as a College World Series champion. Still, it’s hard for a guy to celebrate while sitting on the bench. Larson decided to enter the transfer portal on June 30, meaning his second summer in Chatham would serve as an audition for NCAA head coaches.
On Sunday, though, déjà vu struck. In the third inning, Larson — this time in left field — inexplicably dropped a pop up. His error allowed a run to score one batter later on a sacrifice fly.
Larson didn’t let the play affect him. He says his mentality is to wash away errors rather than
“do too much” to make up for them. Then, Larson did what he didn’t get the chance to do last August: He used his bat to reverse his mistake.
Facing Falmouth right-hander Robby Porco in the bottom of the fifth inning, Larson hammered a grand slam, to which he was met by a raucous reception from the Veterans Field faithful — as if he’d been christened back home.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to execute in a big spot and help the team win,” Larson said. “I like to play with a lot of energy and try to bring that every single day. And to have a big moment like that, I just try to stay present, stay calm.”
Larson’s emphatic shot proved to be the game-winning hit for Chatham (8-8-3, East) in its 11-8 win over Falmouth (9-9-1, West) at Veterans Field. The A’s pitching weathered a rocky night while their fielders committed a whopping four errors. However, dominant offense trumps everything. The Anglers unloaded 13 hits and two innings with at least three runs, offsetting their mistakes by continuing their hot streak at the plate against the Commodores.
It marked Chatham’s first victory over Falmouth of 2025, after the A’s lost their two previous meetings with the Commodores. It also re-established the Anglers (97 runs) as the Cape Cod Baseball League’s top offense, passing Falmouth (94) for the league-lead in runs through 19 games.
And it’s only fitting the Anglers posted a tied-for-season-high 11 runs on the final night star center fielder Henry Ford (Tennessee) and second baseman Ethan Mendoza (Texas) were on the roster. Ford, Chatham’s consistent leadoff presence, belted a team-best three homers and accumulated a team-high 18 RBI in 19 contests. Mendoza, who started all 19 games at second base, steadied the top of the A’s order with a club-best 21 hits.
Chatham first-year manager Dennis Cook praised Ford and Mendoza for their efforts, though he wishes that Mendoza would’ve stayed a little bit longer, feeling he still has room to improve.
Regardless, the two were major pieces that spurred Chatham’s massive offensive turnaround after it got off to a sluggish start this season. Now, the Anglers must find their replacements. But considering how hot Larson’s bat has been (.409 batting average in six games) as well as a new addition in infielder Roman Martin (UCLA), Chatham should be just fine.
Cook mentioned he was excited for what Martin brings to the table, and said Larson’s Cape League experience is already causing the outfielder to reap the benefits.
“I think he just knows what to expect,” Cook said of Larson. “He’s been here. He knows the ballparks, the wood bats, that everyday grind.”
Larson’s grand slam punctuated a wild back-and-forth victory for Chatham over Falmouth. It didn’t seem the Anglers would come out on top early on Sunday, though.
Ashton Larson rushes back to Chatham's dugout to celebrate with his teammates after his fifth-inning grand slam. His blast ended up sealing Chatham's 11-8 victory over Falmouth. Photograph by Ella Tovey
As right-hander Kaden Smith (TCU) toed the rubber with one out in the top of the first, Cook strolled out to the mound after his starter had already loaded the bases and walked in the game’s first run. Cook imparted his World Series champion-worthy wisdom upon Smith, who battled back by getting Commodores’ second baseman Justin Osterhouse to strikeout swinging. However, the next plate appearance ended in Smith throwing an errant breaking ball that crashed into the right leg of Falmouth catcher Mark Quatrani.
Smith roared back by striking out left fielder Ashton Wilson, though the damage was done: Chatham faced an immediate 2-0 deficit.
The Anglers’ defense embarked on a wild adventure in the next two innings, which featured uncharacteristic errors from shortstop Isaiah Lane (San Diego) and Larson. Even Smith made an error off an errant pickoff throw to first base. Still, Smith only let one Commodore cross the plate across the second and third.
If one thing’s true about this A’s offense, it’s that they can render silly mistakes meaningless. Sunday was the latest example.
Mendoza got Chatham on the board via a one-out RBI single down the left-field line in the bottom of the first inning. The A’s then piled three runs on Falmouth in the second, courtesy of RBI sacrifice flies from Chase Fralick (Auburn) and Ford as well as Lane scoring off a wild pitch. The Anglers were tattooing Commodores’ starter Mac Stiffler, who was chased out of a difficult second inning. Chatham led 4-2 heading into the third, then the aforementioned errors helped Falmouth gain another run back.
At the moment, a one-run lead wasn’t enough of a cushion to thwart the impact of Falmouth’s Maika Niu.
The Cape League MVP candidate leads the league with seven homers, the most recent of which he hit in the top of the fourth inning at Veterans Field Sunday. Facing Chatham right-handed reliever JJ Glasscock (West Virginia), Niu throttled a three-run jack to right-center field, capping off a four-run frame from the Commodores as they took a 7-4 advantage.
Though Glasscock didn’t let his rough beginning affect the remainder of his outing, putting up zeroes in the fifth and sixth innings before allowing a run in the seventh. But when he left the mound amid the seventh inning in place of left-hander Cam Johnson (Oklahoma), Chatham was ahead.
All because of Larson.
Ford tallied an RBI single in the fourth and Mendoza charged home on a wild pitch from Porco in the fifth, as the Anglers’ soon-to-be exiting players set up their recently-arrived teammate, Larson, with a chance to be the hero in the fifth. Porco juiced the bags, and Larson made him pay — working a 3-2 count before drilling a down-the-middle fastball onto the right-field hill.
Larson’s first homer of the summer, and second career long ball with the A’s, put his error from last August into a full-circle arc. Cook often says he wants hungry ballplayers who come to the Cape so they can prove something about themselves. The archetype of player Cook prefers is the epitome of Larson’s story. A sweet-swinging outfielder who’s been battered by benchings and dropped balls now seems to be coming into his own — and he’s done it with the whole country watching, thanks to his impending transfer decision.
“I just want to be known as a complete player,” Larson said of what he’s searching to prove this summer. “I feel like I can impact the game in all areas. I want to be known as a great hitter who doesn't give any at-bats away and can just flat out show power. But more than anything, I want to be a complete player.”
It’s been a turbulent calendar year for Larson. Last summer, his first season playing for Chatham, he batted a scorching .316 and earned the team’s 2024 Thurman Munson Most Outstanding Player Award. But his summer ended with a thud; Larson committed a crucial ninth-inning error in right field during the A’s first-round playoff loss to Harwich.
He then experienced an tumultuous sophomore year at LSU, where he got relegated to a backup role but ended 2025 as a College World Series champion. Still, it’s hard for a guy to celebrate while sitting on the bench. Larson decided to enter the transfer portal on June 30, meaning his second summer in Chatham would serve as an audition for NCAA head coaches.
On Sunday, though, déjà vu struck. In the third inning, Larson — this time in left field — inexplicably dropped a pop up. His error allowed a run to score one batter later on a sacrifice fly.
Larson didn’t let the play affect him. He says his mentality is to wash away errors rather than
“do too much” to make up for them. Then, Larson did what he didn’t get the chance to do last August: He used his bat to reverse his mistake.
Facing Falmouth right-hander Robby Porco in the bottom of the fifth inning, Larson hammered a grand slam, to which he was met by a raucous reception from the Veterans Field faithful — as if he’d been christened back home.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to execute in a big spot and help the team win,” Larson said. “I like to play with a lot of energy and try to bring that every single day. And to have a big moment like that, I just try to stay present, stay calm.”
Larson’s emphatic shot proved to be the game-winning hit for Chatham (8-8-3, East) in its 11-8 win over Falmouth (9-9-1, West) at Veterans Field. The A’s pitching weathered a rocky night while their fielders committed a whopping four errors. However, dominant offense trumps everything. The Anglers unloaded 13 hits and two innings with at least three runs, offsetting their mistakes by continuing their hot streak at the plate against the Commodores.
It marked Chatham’s first victory over Falmouth of 2025, after the A’s lost their two previous meetings with the Commodores. It also re-established the Anglers (97 runs) as the Cape Cod Baseball League’s top offense, passing Falmouth (94) for the league-lead in runs through 19 games.
And it’s only fitting the Anglers posted a tied-for-season-high 11 runs on the final night star center fielder Henry Ford (Tennessee) and second baseman Ethan Mendoza (Texas) were on the roster. Ford, Chatham’s consistent leadoff presence, belted a team-best three homers and accumulated a team-high 18 RBI in 19 contests. Mendoza, who started all 19 games at second base, steadied the top of the A’s order with a club-best 21 hits.
Chatham first-year manager Dennis Cook praised Ford and Mendoza for their efforts, though he wishes that Mendoza would’ve stayed a little bit longer, feeling he still has room to improve.
Regardless, the two were major pieces that spurred Chatham’s massive offensive turnaround after it got off to a sluggish start this season. Now, the Anglers must find their replacements. But considering how hot Larson’s bat has been (.409 batting average in six games) as well as a new addition in infielder Roman Martin (UCLA), Chatham should be just fine.
Cook mentioned he was excited for what Martin brings to the table, and said Larson’s Cape League experience is already causing the outfielder to reap the benefits.
“I think he just knows what to expect,” Cook said of Larson. “He’s been here. He knows the ballparks, the wood bats, that everyday grind.”
Larson’s grand slam punctuated a wild back-and-forth victory for Chatham over Falmouth. It didn’t seem the Anglers would come out on top early on Sunday, though.
Ashton Larson rushes back to Chatham's dugout to celebrate with his teammates after his fifth-inning grand slam. His blast ended up sealing Chatham's 11-8 victory over Falmouth. Photograph by Ella Tovey
As right-hander Kaden Smith (TCU) toed the rubber with one out in the top of the first, Cook strolled out to the mound after his starter had already loaded the bases and walked in the game’s first run. Cook imparted his World Series champion-worthy wisdom upon Smith, who battled back by getting Commodores’ second baseman Justin Osterhouse to strikeout swinging. However, the next plate appearance ended in Smith throwing an errant breaking ball that crashed into the right leg of Falmouth catcher Mark Quatrani.
Smith roared back by striking out left fielder Ashton Wilson, though the damage was done: Chatham faced an immediate 2-0 deficit.
The Anglers’ defense embarked on a wild adventure in the next two innings, which featured uncharacteristic errors from shortstop Isaiah Lane (San Diego) and Larson. Even Smith made an error off an errant pickoff throw to first base. Still, Smith only let one Commodore cross the plate across the second and third.
If one thing’s true about this A’s offense, it’s that they can render silly mistakes meaningless. Sunday was the latest example.
Mendoza got Chatham on the board via a one-out RBI single down the left-field line in the bottom of the first inning. The A’s then piled three runs on Falmouth in the second, courtesy of RBI sacrifice flies from Chase Fralick (Auburn) and Ford as well as Lane scoring off a wild pitch. The Anglers were tattooing Commodores’ starter Mac Stiffler, who was chased out of a difficult second inning. Chatham led 4-2 heading into the third, then the aforementioned errors helped Falmouth gain another run back.
At the moment, a one-run lead wasn’t enough of a cushion to thwart the impact of Falmouth’s Maika Niu.
The Cape League MVP candidate leads the league with seven homers, the most recent of which he hit in the top of the fourth inning at Veterans Field Sunday. Facing Chatham right-handed reliever JJ Glasscock (West Virginia), Niu throttled a three-run jack to right-center field, capping off a four-run frame from the Commodores as they took a 7-4 advantage.
Though Glasscock didn’t let his rough beginning affect the remainder of his outing, putting up zeroes in the fifth and sixth innings before allowing a run in the seventh. But when he left the mound amid the seventh inning in place of left-hander Cam Johnson (Oklahoma), Chatham was ahead.
All because of Larson.
Ford tallied an RBI single in the fourth and Mendoza charged home on a wild pitch from Porco in the fifth, as the Anglers’ soon-to-be exiting players set up their recently-arrived teammate, Larson, with a chance to be the hero in the fifth. Porco juiced the bags, and Larson made him pay — working a 3-2 count before drilling a down-the-middle fastball onto the right-field hill.
Larson’s first homer of the summer, and second career long ball with the A’s, put his error from last August into a full-circle arc. Cook often says he wants hungry ballplayers who come to the Cape so they can prove something about themselves. The archetype of player Cook prefers is the epitome of Larson’s story. A sweet-swinging outfielder who’s been battered by benchings and dropped balls now seems to be coming into his own — and he’s done it with the whole country watching, thanks to his impending transfer decision.
“I just want to be known as a complete player,” Larson said of what he’s searching to prove this summer. “I feel like I can impact the game in all areas. I want to be known as a great hitter who doesn't give any at-bats away and can just flat out show power. But more than anything, I want to be a complete player.”
