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Anglers limited to quiet night on offense by Firebirds in 2-1 loss
CHATHAM, Mass. — On paper, the Anglers had nothing to play for Friday.
There were still three games left on the docket, but after blowing a three-run lead in the eighth inning of their 4-3 loss to Falmouth Thursday, the A’s were eliminated from postseason contention thanks to Brewster’s 7-1 victory over Wareham later that evening.
First-year Chatham manager Dennis Cook has not been shy about sharing his complete indifference when it comes to the standings. After Chatham’s 10-0 victory over Brewster Wednesday, he stated he had no clue the Anglers could’ve faced elimination with a loss.
But it seems like the A’s bats were more cognizant of where they stood. Because once the stakes disappeared, so did their offensive production.
After scoring 13 runs over their past two games, Chatham’s (15-20-3, East) bats were silenced in a 2-1 loss to Orleans (21-15-2, East) at Veterans Field Friday. The Anglers mustered just six hits and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Despite getting tagged with the loss, Kaden Smith (USF) impressed by firing 5.2 innings of two-run ball — his second consecutive start tossing over five innings and allowing less than three runs.
“(Smith) did good,” Cook said. “He needs to get a little bit better with his fastball, and when he does that, he’s gonna become a really good pitcher.”
Though early on, the Anglers’ defense did Smith no favors.
Firebirds designated hitter Tyler Myatt led the game off by smacking a fly ball over the head of A’s left fielder Reed Stallman (Mississippi State), and while it was a difficult play to make, Stallman didn’t give himself any chance at it by misreading it and taking his first step inward. Myatt cruised into second with a double, giving Orleans an immediate runner in scoring position.
The next at bat, Alejandro Garza stung a ground ball at Isaiah Lane (San Diego), who fielded it cleanly. His throw, however, was anything but clean, as it skipped to Chase Fralick (Auburn) who couldn’t pick it at first.
A one-out Elijah Ickes walk then loaded the bases for Orleans, allowing Anthony Potestio to plate Myatt with a sacrifice fly to right. When Ickes ended the frame by getting in a rundown on a Dawson Bryce single, the Firebirds had gone up 2-0 off Smith before Chatham’s first at bat.
It took the A’s an inning to settle in against Orleans lefty — and former Angler — Kyle Johnson. But with Johnson entering Friday with a 16.20 earned run average, it was only a matter of time before Chatham’s bats began to chip away at that deficit.
With one out on the board in the second, Stallman amended his defensive gaffe by lining a double into center. Lane did the same, lacing a single into right to move the Anglers’ left fielder 90 feet away from the plate.
His hit placed Stallman in perfect position to score on Trace Mazon’s (Coastal Carolina) blooper into center, cutting Chatham’s deficit to one.
As Chatham’s offense settled into the game, Smith — and Chatham’s defense, evidenced by a diving snag by Roman Martin (UCLA) in the third — did as well. Smith followed his calamitous first with two scoreless innings, walking just one Firebird in that span.
“(I didn’t make) many adjustments,” Smith said. “Just kind of stuck with what I was doing, and just got out after that.”
USF transfer pitcher Kaden Smith twirled 5.2 innings of two-run ball against Orleans, with both of his runs coming as unearned. Smith threw 94 pitches versus the Firebirds, the most pitches thrown in a single game by any Angler pitcher in 2025. Photograph by Ella Tovey
In the bottom of the third, it seemed Smith’s efforts were going to be rewarded. Cade Arrambide (LSU) led off the frame as Chatham’s designated hitter, riding a deep slump over the past week. Over 13 at-bats in that span, he carried a .000 batting average. Six of those at bats ended in strikeouts. When he made contact, it was usually solidly hit, but it always found a mitt. He needed something to go his way offensively.
Everyone in the Anglers’ dugout knew it. After going down 0-2 to Johnson, Arrambide slapped a single to Garza, the ball taking the Firebirds’ second baseman too far into right for him to make the play. It was his first hit since July 24, when he laced a double in the A’s 12-2 loss to Harwich.
After the play, the Anglers’ dugout erupted in cheers, celebrating his single like they were still in the thick of the playoff hunt. They clamored for the ball, and Arrambide’s hit was tossed back into the dugout as if it was his first MLB home run.
His single, despite all the dramatics that ensued, unfortunately yielded little in the way of run-scoring production for the A’s. Soon after, Jackson Freeman (Northwestern) followed Arrambide’s knock with a single of his own.
The problem? That was the last hit Chatham tallied until the sixth inning.
“We just didn’t get it done,” Cook said regarding the A’s offense. “I don’t know if it’s their approach, or if they’re trying to do too much. I don’t know.”
The Firebirds, on the other hand, roped doubles in both the fourth and fifth frame, courtesy of Potestio and Myatt. But they didn’t come close to threatening Smith, as he worked around those runners in scoring position to hold Orleans scoreless in both frames. By the time he was taken out with two outs in the sixth, he had thrown a grand total of 94 pitches — the most by any Chatham starter this year.
“The goal today was definitely to go six (innings), and I didn’t get there,” Smith said. “I think (pitching coach) Jay (Powell) did a good job coming to get me when he did.”
There were few positives to take away from Chatham’s offensive performance, as it failed to close a surmountable one-run gap despite loading the bases in the ninth. But Smith stood out as the Anglers’ silver lining.
Throughout the entire season, Cook has emphasized two core tenets to his approach as the A’s manager: development over winning, and the importance of having players stick around for the entirety of the summer.
And as Smith — one of three Angler hurlers remaining from the Opening Day roster — departed from his final start of the season having evolved from an inconsistent reliever to a full-fledged starter, he was the epitome of everything Cook hoped to accomplish.
“I think he’s really improved a lot,” Cook said. “He’s become more of a pitcher instead of just a thrower.”
There were still three games left on the docket, but after blowing a three-run lead in the eighth inning of their 4-3 loss to Falmouth Thursday, the A’s were eliminated from postseason contention thanks to Brewster’s 7-1 victory over Wareham later that evening.
First-year Chatham manager Dennis Cook has not been shy about sharing his complete indifference when it comes to the standings. After Chatham’s 10-0 victory over Brewster Wednesday, he stated he had no clue the Anglers could’ve faced elimination with a loss.
But it seems like the A’s bats were more cognizant of where they stood. Because once the stakes disappeared, so did their offensive production.
After scoring 13 runs over their past two games, Chatham’s (15-20-3, East) bats were silenced in a 2-1 loss to Orleans (21-15-2, East) at Veterans Field Friday. The Anglers mustered just six hits and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Despite getting tagged with the loss, Kaden Smith (USF) impressed by firing 5.2 innings of two-run ball — his second consecutive start tossing over five innings and allowing less than three runs.
“(Smith) did good,” Cook said. “He needs to get a little bit better with his fastball, and when he does that, he’s gonna become a really good pitcher.”
Though early on, the Anglers’ defense did Smith no favors.
Firebirds designated hitter Tyler Myatt led the game off by smacking a fly ball over the head of A’s left fielder Reed Stallman (Mississippi State), and while it was a difficult play to make, Stallman didn’t give himself any chance at it by misreading it and taking his first step inward. Myatt cruised into second with a double, giving Orleans an immediate runner in scoring position.
The next at bat, Alejandro Garza stung a ground ball at Isaiah Lane (San Diego), who fielded it cleanly. His throw, however, was anything but clean, as it skipped to Chase Fralick (Auburn) who couldn’t pick it at first.
A one-out Elijah Ickes walk then loaded the bases for Orleans, allowing Anthony Potestio to plate Myatt with a sacrifice fly to right. When Ickes ended the frame by getting in a rundown on a Dawson Bryce single, the Firebirds had gone up 2-0 off Smith before Chatham’s first at bat.
It took the A’s an inning to settle in against Orleans lefty — and former Angler — Kyle Johnson. But with Johnson entering Friday with a 16.20 earned run average, it was only a matter of time before Chatham’s bats began to chip away at that deficit.
With one out on the board in the second, Stallman amended his defensive gaffe by lining a double into center. Lane did the same, lacing a single into right to move the Anglers’ left fielder 90 feet away from the plate.
His hit placed Stallman in perfect position to score on Trace Mazon’s (Coastal Carolina) blooper into center, cutting Chatham’s deficit to one.
As Chatham’s offense settled into the game, Smith — and Chatham’s defense, evidenced by a diving snag by Roman Martin (UCLA) in the third — did as well. Smith followed his calamitous first with two scoreless innings, walking just one Firebird in that span.
“(I didn’t make) many adjustments,” Smith said. “Just kind of stuck with what I was doing, and just got out after that.”
USF transfer pitcher Kaden Smith twirled 5.2 innings of two-run ball against Orleans, with both of his runs coming as unearned. Smith threw 94 pitches versus the Firebirds, the most pitches thrown in a single game by any Angler pitcher in 2025. Photograph by Ella Tovey
In the bottom of the third, it seemed Smith’s efforts were going to be rewarded. Cade Arrambide (LSU) led off the frame as Chatham’s designated hitter, riding a deep slump over the past week. Over 13 at-bats in that span, he carried a .000 batting average. Six of those at bats ended in strikeouts. When he made contact, it was usually solidly hit, but it always found a mitt. He needed something to go his way offensively.
Everyone in the Anglers’ dugout knew it. After going down 0-2 to Johnson, Arrambide slapped a single to Garza, the ball taking the Firebirds’ second baseman too far into right for him to make the play. It was his first hit since July 24, when he laced a double in the A’s 12-2 loss to Harwich.
After the play, the Anglers’ dugout erupted in cheers, celebrating his single like they were still in the thick of the playoff hunt. They clamored for the ball, and Arrambide’s hit was tossed back into the dugout as if it was his first MLB home run.
His single, despite all the dramatics that ensued, unfortunately yielded little in the way of run-scoring production for the A’s. Soon after, Jackson Freeman (Northwestern) followed Arrambide’s knock with a single of his own.
The problem? That was the last hit Chatham tallied until the sixth inning.
“We just didn’t get it done,” Cook said regarding the A’s offense. “I don’t know if it’s their approach, or if they’re trying to do too much. I don’t know.”
The Firebirds, on the other hand, roped doubles in both the fourth and fifth frame, courtesy of Potestio and Myatt. But they didn’t come close to threatening Smith, as he worked around those runners in scoring position to hold Orleans scoreless in both frames. By the time he was taken out with two outs in the sixth, he had thrown a grand total of 94 pitches — the most by any Chatham starter this year.
“The goal today was definitely to go six (innings), and I didn’t get there,” Smith said. “I think (pitching coach) Jay (Powell) did a good job coming to get me when he did.”
There were few positives to take away from Chatham’s offensive performance, as it failed to close a surmountable one-run gap despite loading the bases in the ninth. But Smith stood out as the Anglers’ silver lining.
Throughout the entire season, Cook has emphasized two core tenets to his approach as the A’s manager: development over winning, and the importance of having players stick around for the entirety of the summer.
And as Smith — one of three Angler hurlers remaining from the Opening Day roster — departed from his final start of the season having evolved from an inconsistent reliever to a full-fledged starter, he was the epitome of everything Cook hoped to accomplish.
“I think he’s really improved a lot,” Cook said. “He’s become more of a pitcher instead of just a thrower.”
