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Anglers fall to Cotuit 8-2 in 2026 home opener
CHATHAM, Mass. — After an Opening Day loss where they only totaled two hits and scored once, the Chatham Anglers needed a proper introduction to the 2026 Cape Cod Baseball League season.
At home for the first time in 2026 on Sunday, the A’s hoped Veterans Field would make for the perfect stage to get in the win column. The bats were more lively for Chatham, but unfortunately for the A’s, Cotuit’s bats were even hotter. As a result, Chatham was dealt the same fate as opening night.
In its home opener Sunday, Chatham (0-2, East) fell to Cotuit (2-0, West) 8-2. While the A’s had 11 baserunners and seven hits, the Kettleers bats came alive to the tune of seven hits as well — and were aided by four Chatham errors in the field. Just five of Cotuits’ eight runs were earned.
“Every aspect of the game, we need to be more competitive,” A’s manager Dennis Cook said postgame. “Every one of these kids are good players. They need to take care of their business, and then you get up here, and they need to show up and play.”
Despite knocking as many hits as the Kettleers, Cook expressed frustration with his offense. In his mind, the A’s 16 strikeouts far overshadowed any silver lining.
“I didn't think it was a good offensive day,” he said. “We punched out way too much, non competitive at bats.”
On the other side, Cook said Chatham’s 11 walks hurt it down the stretch. Cotuit’s timely knocks — including some major bolts of power — took advantage of the Anglers’ miscues.
Two of those big hits came in the top of the first. And they were two of the most decisive.
Following a one-out Hogan Denny (Indiana) double down the left field line, Cotuit’s Tague Davis — a Golden Spikes Award contender from Louisville — mashed a two-run home run over the right field wall to give the Kettleers an early 2-0 lead.
That became three by the top of the second. Noah Coy (Notre Dame) looped a fly ball to center that barely snuck under Kaiden Dossa’s (Yale) glove to give Cotuit a leadoff baserunner. A throwing error on a soft ground ball to third allowed Coy to score from second, extending the Kettleers advantage.
Cotuit starter Alex Sotiropoulos (Columbia) looked unhittable in the top of the first, fanning three straight A’s batters. But Chatham’s bats quickly caught on in the bottom half of the second.
Connor Shouse (Texas Tech) ripped a line drive to the center field wall and legged out a leadoff triple. Cooper Neville’s (Alabama) groundout promptly plated Shouse to cut into the Cotuit lead.
Tyler Lichtenberger (Clemson) and Dossa then worked two-out walks, and Harlin Hovater (Mississippi State) singled through the right side to load the bases. Another walk, this time from Rett Johnson (NC State), allowed the A’s to end the second down by just one.
Meanwhile, Chatham starter Colin Fisher (Arkansas) settled down on the mound. He didn’t allow a baserunner over the next two innings. While the Anglers’ offense produced a few of their own in that span, no runs came from it.
By the fifth, though, Cotuit got to Fisher, piecing together two runs after a few Chatham throwing errors. It marked the end of Fisher’s day. He was replaced by Corey Kling (Arizona), who walked two batters but struck out Hunter Warren (Wright State) to end the inning and strand the bases loaded.
The free passes eventually caught up to Kling the next inning, though. The right-hander walked the first two batters of the sixth, setting up a two-run double into the right field corner from Denny. Another Chatham error on a hard-hit ground ball to second plated the Kettleers’ eighth run of the game soon after. The six-run deficit was Chatham’s largest of its young season.
Cotuit’s Jonathan Adelmann (Bucknell) didn’t make cutting into the lead easy. The 6-foot-7 right-hander retired eight straight Chatham batters after replacing Sotiropoulos in the fourth, leaving the A’s offense at a standstill.
When Tristan Hunter (Kentucky) took over in the bottom of the seventh, Dossa knocked an infield single and stole second to give the A’s some life, but the top of the order couldn’t drive him home.
Max Luzarraga (Dallas Baptist) steadied Chatham’s pitching with two solid innings of work after relieving Kling, striking out three and allowing one hit. But aside from another couple of knocks from Shouse in the eighth and Gabe Fraser (Florida State/Transfer) and Hovater in the ninth, the Anglers couldn’t turn it into much momentum in the final few innings.
That was the tale of the tape for the A’s Sunday. Their bats were better than Opening Day, but beyond a two-run second inning, they couldn’t rally and struck out often. Cotuit was the beneficiary of a few mistakes in the field, but swung the lumber well nonetheless.
Now, Chatham has to wait another day for a chance at a proper introduction to the win column.
At home for the first time in 2026 on Sunday, the A’s hoped Veterans Field would make for the perfect stage to get in the win column. The bats were more lively for Chatham, but unfortunately for the A’s, Cotuit’s bats were even hotter. As a result, Chatham was dealt the same fate as opening night.
In its home opener Sunday, Chatham (0-2, East) fell to Cotuit (2-0, West) 8-2. While the A’s had 11 baserunners and seven hits, the Kettleers bats came alive to the tune of seven hits as well — and were aided by four Chatham errors in the field. Just five of Cotuits’ eight runs were earned.
“Every aspect of the game, we need to be more competitive,” A’s manager Dennis Cook said postgame. “Every one of these kids are good players. They need to take care of their business, and then you get up here, and they need to show up and play.”
Despite knocking as many hits as the Kettleers, Cook expressed frustration with his offense. In his mind, the A’s 16 strikeouts far overshadowed any silver lining.
“I didn't think it was a good offensive day,” he said. “We punched out way too much, non competitive at bats.”
On the other side, Cook said Chatham’s 11 walks hurt it down the stretch. Cotuit’s timely knocks — including some major bolts of power — took advantage of the Anglers’ miscues.
Two of those big hits came in the top of the first. And they were two of the most decisive.
Following a one-out Hogan Denny (Indiana) double down the left field line, Cotuit’s Tague Davis — a Golden Spikes Award contender from Louisville — mashed a two-run home run over the right field wall to give the Kettleers an early 2-0 lead.
That became three by the top of the second. Noah Coy (Notre Dame) looped a fly ball to center that barely snuck under Kaiden Dossa’s (Yale) glove to give Cotuit a leadoff baserunner. A throwing error on a soft ground ball to third allowed Coy to score from second, extending the Kettleers advantage.
Cotuit starter Alex Sotiropoulos (Columbia) looked unhittable in the top of the first, fanning three straight A’s batters. But Chatham’s bats quickly caught on in the bottom half of the second.
Connor Shouse (Texas Tech) ripped a line drive to the center field wall and legged out a leadoff triple. Cooper Neville’s (Alabama) groundout promptly plated Shouse to cut into the Cotuit lead.
Tyler Lichtenberger (Clemson) and Dossa then worked two-out walks, and Harlin Hovater (Mississippi State) singled through the right side to load the bases. Another walk, this time from Rett Johnson (NC State), allowed the A’s to end the second down by just one.
Meanwhile, Chatham starter Colin Fisher (Arkansas) settled down on the mound. He didn’t allow a baserunner over the next two innings. While the Anglers’ offense produced a few of their own in that span, no runs came from it.
By the fifth, though, Cotuit got to Fisher, piecing together two runs after a few Chatham throwing errors. It marked the end of Fisher’s day. He was replaced by Corey Kling (Arizona), who walked two batters but struck out Hunter Warren (Wright State) to end the inning and strand the bases loaded.
The free passes eventually caught up to Kling the next inning, though. The right-hander walked the first two batters of the sixth, setting up a two-run double into the right field corner from Denny. Another Chatham error on a hard-hit ground ball to second plated the Kettleers’ eighth run of the game soon after. The six-run deficit was Chatham’s largest of its young season.
Cotuit’s Jonathan Adelmann (Bucknell) didn’t make cutting into the lead easy. The 6-foot-7 right-hander retired eight straight Chatham batters after replacing Sotiropoulos in the fourth, leaving the A’s offense at a standstill.
When Tristan Hunter (Kentucky) took over in the bottom of the seventh, Dossa knocked an infield single and stole second to give the A’s some life, but the top of the order couldn’t drive him home.
Max Luzarraga (Dallas Baptist) steadied Chatham’s pitching with two solid innings of work after relieving Kling, striking out three and allowing one hit. But aside from another couple of knocks from Shouse in the eighth and Gabe Fraser (Florida State/Transfer) and Hovater in the ninth, the Anglers couldn’t turn it into much momentum in the final few innings.
That was the tale of the tape for the A’s Sunday. Their bats were better than Opening Day, but beyond a two-run second inning, they couldn’t rally and struck out often. Cotuit was the beneficiary of a few mistakes in the field, but swung the lumber well nonetheless.
Now, Chatham has to wait another day for a chance at a proper introduction to the win column.
