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Game 7 Preview: Chatham vs. Falmouth
CHATHAM, Mass. — After Chatham’s 17-2 thrashing over Cotuit Thursday, it seemed that the Anglers’ had finally turned a corner this season.
And that offensive production carried over to Friday. In their return to Veterans Field, the A’s overcame a three-run deficit to get a 5-4 win over Brewster. Righty Gavin Guidry (LSU), making his second start of the season for Chatham, gave up three runs over six innings, and the Anglers’ offense did just enough to close the gap for its first home win.
Chatham (2-4, East) doesn’t have to travel too far to extend its win streak, either. The Anglers return to Veterans Field Saturday for their first homestand of the season, when they take on Falmouth (3-2-1, West) for the first time this year.
Here’s everything to know ahead of the A’s road matchup against the Commodores.
Out of the five starters in Chatham’s Opening Day rotation, Colin Fisher (Arkansas) might’ve had the worst season debut of the group. He pitched 4.2 innings, allowed five runs — three earned — walked three and struck out just two batters in the A’s 8-2 loss to Cotuit at Veterans Field. But, he has a chance to redeem himself against Falmouth. His 3.41 strikeout-to-walk ratio this past spring indicates the lefty has the potential to control the strike zone.
Falmouth’s starter, Aidan Keenan (Stanford), had a similarly mixed bag of results in his Cape League debut. The righty pitched two innings out of the bullpen for the Commodores against Orleans, giving up three runs and walking two batters. But he also only gave up one hit, and his 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings showcase his whiff potential. Like Fisher, Keenan — who had 8.7 walks per nine this past spring — just needs to keep his command in check.
The Commodores currently have four players with an OPS over .700, and one of them is Ben Slanker (Louisville). Falmouth’s left fielder is one of the players on the team who is seemingly adjusting well to the Cape. He began his career at Ohio, and earned a transfer to the Cardinals after a 2025 season where he hit 21 homers with a 1.142 OPS. He was a fixture in Louisville’s outfield this past spring, and the junior currently has a .789 OPS for Falmouth.
Another one above the .600 OPS mark is Ty Kaunas (Maryland), who started every game at shortstop for the Terrapins as a freshman. A Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection, Kaunas burst onto the scene with an .838 OPS in his first collegiate season. Right now, he has a .643 OPS on the Cape and leads Falmouth with five walks, displaying strong plate discipline.
Connor Shouse just entered the transfer portal Thursday, so fans — and scouts — will likely have their eyes affixed to the former Texas Tech two-way star Friday. He made his debut on the mound in the A’s 17-2 win over Cotuit Wednesday, allowing a run in his inning of work, but the plate is where Chatham’s primary designated hitter shines. He currently leads the A’s with nine hits on the year, and he’s one of two Anglers with a double-digit total base tally.
Harlin Hovater (Mississippi State) hasn’t had any particularly gaudy numbers thus far during his time in Chatham, but the primary catcher has made a remarkable adjustment to first base for the A’s. He hasn’t made an error yet in Chatham, and is hitting for a solid .273 batting average currently. Hovater is also one of three qualified Anglers to have an OPS above .700, and his .385 on-base percentage is tied with Shouse for fourth on the team.
One team — Bourne — has allowed just one home run this season, another team has allowed just two homers, three more have allowed three homers, four more have allowed four homers and just one has allowed a whopping five. It’s Chatham.
The Anglers’ pitching staff has found itself squarely middle of the pack thus far, ranking fifth in the Cape with a 4.50 earned run average as a team. But limiting the long ball has been an issue early on. It’ll be up to Dennis Cook — a World Series champion reliever — to solve the problem.
On July 31, 2025, Chatham’s hopes for a spot in the Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs died at Falmouth’s Guv Fuller Field. The Anglers fell 4-3 to the Commodores that day, dropping them to 15-19-3 and officially eliminating them from postseason contention.
Duke Stone (Mississippi State) shone for the A’s in his final start of the summer, tossing six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts under his belt. But Josh Swink (Liberty) — who was a CCBL All-Star last summer for Chatham — gave up four runs in the bottom of the eighth, sinking the A’s hopes at a playoff bid. The A’s had zero hits after the third inning.
And that offensive production carried over to Friday. In their return to Veterans Field, the A’s overcame a three-run deficit to get a 5-4 win over Brewster. Righty Gavin Guidry (LSU), making his second start of the season for Chatham, gave up three runs over six innings, and the Anglers’ offense did just enough to close the gap for its first home win.
Chatham (2-4, East) doesn’t have to travel too far to extend its win streak, either. The Anglers return to Veterans Field Saturday for their first homestand of the season, when they take on Falmouth (3-2-1, West) for the first time this year.
Here’s everything to know ahead of the A’s road matchup against the Commodores.
Probable Starters
Out of the five starters in Chatham’s Opening Day rotation, Colin Fisher (Arkansas) might’ve had the worst season debut of the group. He pitched 4.2 innings, allowed five runs — three earned — walked three and struck out just two batters in the A’s 8-2 loss to Cotuit at Veterans Field. But, he has a chance to redeem himself against Falmouth. His 3.41 strikeout-to-walk ratio this past spring indicates the lefty has the potential to control the strike zone.
Falmouth’s starter, Aidan Keenan (Stanford), had a similarly mixed bag of results in his Cape League debut. The righty pitched two innings out of the bullpen for the Commodores against Orleans, giving up three runs and walking two batters. But he also only gave up one hit, and his 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings showcase his whiff potential. Like Fisher, Keenan — who had 8.7 walks per nine this past spring — just needs to keep his command in check.
Falmouth Players To Watch
The Commodores currently have four players with an OPS over .700, and one of them is Ben Slanker (Louisville). Falmouth’s left fielder is one of the players on the team who is seemingly adjusting well to the Cape. He began his career at Ohio, and earned a transfer to the Cardinals after a 2025 season where he hit 21 homers with a 1.142 OPS. He was a fixture in Louisville’s outfield this past spring, and the junior currently has a .789 OPS for Falmouth.
Another one above the .600 OPS mark is Ty Kaunas (Maryland), who started every game at shortstop for the Terrapins as a freshman. A Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection, Kaunas burst onto the scene with an .838 OPS in his first collegiate season. Right now, he has a .643 OPS on the Cape and leads Falmouth with five walks, displaying strong plate discipline.
Chatham Players To Watch
Connor Shouse just entered the transfer portal Thursday, so fans — and scouts — will likely have their eyes affixed to the former Texas Tech two-way star Friday. He made his debut on the mound in the A’s 17-2 win over Cotuit Wednesday, allowing a run in his inning of work, but the plate is where Chatham’s primary designated hitter shines. He currently leads the A’s with nine hits on the year, and he’s one of two Anglers with a double-digit total base tally.
Harlin Hovater (Mississippi State) hasn’t had any particularly gaudy numbers thus far during his time in Chatham, but the primary catcher has made a remarkable adjustment to first base for the A’s. He hasn’t made an error yet in Chatham, and is hitting for a solid .273 batting average currently. Hovater is also one of three qualified Anglers to have an OPS above .700, and his .385 on-base percentage is tied with Shouse for fourth on the team.
Number To Know: 5
One team — Bourne — has allowed just one home run this season, another team has allowed just two homers, three more have allowed three homers, four more have allowed four homers and just one has allowed a whopping five. It’s Chatham.
The Anglers’ pitching staff has found itself squarely middle of the pack thus far, ranking fifth in the Cape with a 4.50 earned run average as a team. But limiting the long ball has been an issue early on. It’ll be up to Dennis Cook — a World Series champion reliever — to solve the problem.
Last Time They Played
On July 31, 2025, Chatham’s hopes for a spot in the Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs died at Falmouth’s Guv Fuller Field. The Anglers fell 4-3 to the Commodores that day, dropping them to 15-19-3 and officially eliminating them from postseason contention.
Duke Stone (Mississippi State) shone for the A’s in his final start of the summer, tossing six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts under his belt. But Josh Swink (Liberty) — who was a CCBL All-Star last summer for Chatham — gave up four runs in the bottom of the eighth, sinking the A’s hopes at a playoff bid. The A’s had zero hits after the third inning.
