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Chatham battles back from 3-run deficit to secure 6-3 win over Harwich
CHATHAM, Mass. — The Anglers’ roster is unrecognizable. Not a single one of Chatham’s position players was with the A’s last summer, and the only returner present on Opening Day was Josh Swink (Liberty).
But reinforcements were coming, as long as Angler fans were patient.
Duke Stone (Mississippi State) wasn’t on the Cape right away. It’s hard to blame him. His Bulldog squad made it all the way to the Super Regionals, and with his 79.2 innings pitched this past spring, it was prudent for him to take a couple weeks off before making his arrival.
His break was over. Stone — Chatham’s ace from a summer ago — was ready to make his return to Veterans Field. It just wasn’t as picturesque as he would’ve wanted.
Stone’s outing began flawlessly, as the A’s righty tossed four scoreless innings to begin his return to Veterans Field against Harwich. Chatham’s offense couldn’t support him while he was in the game. The Anglers notched zero hits while Stone was pitching, and his outing ended with a three-run blast to Jackson Hotchkiss (Washington). But Chatham (5-5-1, East) battled back with a five-run fifth inning, and took control after in their 6-3 win over Harwich (7-4, East).
“They always find ways to score,” Cook said postgame. “Our guys competed hard, and I was proud of them.”
It wasn’t smooth sailing right away. Stone allowed a leadoff single to Colin Larson (Boston College) in the first, but that didn’t impede him for very long. Behind the plate, Korbin Reynolds (Vanderbilt) threw Larson out trying to steal second almost immediately.
Two strikeouts and eight pitches later, Stone had faced the minimum through the first.
But Harwich starter Trey Williford (UNC Wilmington) was a worthy adversary. The righty began the contest by walking Rob Rispoli (UConn), but forced a Bino Watters (LSU) flyout and two consecutive strikeouts to keep the A’s off the board.
Stone got himself into trouble by loading the bases in the second, but he battled back and forced a groundout to Cooper Neville (Alabama) to end the inning. In the bottom of the frame, two walks helped the Anglers cobble together a minor rally as well, but Kaiden Dossa’s (Yale) flyout momentarily killed it for Chatham.
The third inning was better for Stone. Chatham’s starter began the frame by striking out Larson, and then worked around a Hotchkiss single by punching out Tyler Smolinski (Kansas State) and getting Cade Kurland (Florida) to pop out.
The fourth inning was better for the A’s starter, too. He worked around a two-out single by striking out Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe (Kent State). The contest was still 0-0, and it remained that way for the foreseeable future.
His offense just couldn’t support him early. Chatham had struggled to find any sort of offensive consistency after its four-game win streak, and Friday just continued that trend. It took the A’s five innings to find a hit, while Harwich had six knocks of their own in that span.
“I want our offense to get more consistent though,” Cook said postgame.
When Stone came out for the top of the fifth, his command had begun fading. He walked Nate Castellon (Cal Poly) and Larson consecutively to open the inning, throwing just one strike combined to the two Mariners, and then the wheels came off entirely.
“I think he just started getting a little bit tired,” Cook said. “He hadn't worked in probably a month, so he's getting a little bit tired. And we stretched him out a little bit.”
Midway through Stone’s at bat against Hotchkiss, he was met at the mound by A’s pitching coach Jay Powell and an Anglers trainer due to a cut on his finger, per Cook. He remained in the game, but only for a few more pitches. His night ended soon after, when Hotchkiss swatted his center-cut fastball over the right field fence.
He was replaced by Justice de Jong (Auburn), and the Chatham reliever was able to quiet down Harwich’s bats. The A’s bats awoke in the bottom of the inning, when Reynolds reached on a dropped pop-up, Kelvyn Paulino Jr. (Florida State) broke Williford’s no-hit bid with an infield single and Dossa loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch.
Rispoli’s subsequent grounder found Castellon’s outstretched mitt at shortstop, but the Mariners’ infielder didn’t have time to make a play anywhere, and Reynolds scored to break up the shutout. Then, Shouse drew a bases-loaded walk to make it a 3-2 game.
That ended Williford’s outing. Unlike de Jong, who finished a clean fifth inning for Stone, Harwich reliever Jackson Peavy (Wake Forest) just made things worse for the Mariners.
Neville smacked a two-run single to welcome Peavy into the game, and Cole Johnson (Georgia) introduced himself to Veterans Field with an RBI single into right field. A double play then mercifully ended the Mariners’ nightmare, but not before Chatham had taken a 5-3 lead.
Harwich threatened once afterward, loading the bases in the eighth, but Oliver Pudvar (UConn) did enough to escape the jam out of the bullpen for the A’s. An additional run came home in the eighth as Watters grounded into a double play, securing the result. Between Pudvar, de Jong and Max Luzarraga (Dallas Baptist), the A’s bullpen struck out seven hitters across five scoreless innings of work to close the game.
It was a pretty solid performance, good enough to seal the win, and Cook agreed. Standing next to the Veterans Field dugout, he had one last postgame remark before he took off for the night’s dinner. Something nagged at him. He had to get it off his chest.
“Make sure you say something good about the bullpen,” Cook said. “Justice was very good. Justice, Ollie and Max.”
But reinforcements were coming, as long as Angler fans were patient.
Duke Stone (Mississippi State) wasn’t on the Cape right away. It’s hard to blame him. His Bulldog squad made it all the way to the Super Regionals, and with his 79.2 innings pitched this past spring, it was prudent for him to take a couple weeks off before making his arrival.
His break was over. Stone — Chatham’s ace from a summer ago — was ready to make his return to Veterans Field. It just wasn’t as picturesque as he would’ve wanted.
Stone’s outing began flawlessly, as the A’s righty tossed four scoreless innings to begin his return to Veterans Field against Harwich. Chatham’s offense couldn’t support him while he was in the game. The Anglers notched zero hits while Stone was pitching, and his outing ended with a three-run blast to Jackson Hotchkiss (Washington). But Chatham (5-5-1, East) battled back with a five-run fifth inning, and took control after in their 6-3 win over Harwich (7-4, East).
“They always find ways to score,” Cook said postgame. “Our guys competed hard, and I was proud of them.”
It wasn’t smooth sailing right away. Stone allowed a leadoff single to Colin Larson (Boston College) in the first, but that didn’t impede him for very long. Behind the plate, Korbin Reynolds (Vanderbilt) threw Larson out trying to steal second almost immediately.
Two strikeouts and eight pitches later, Stone had faced the minimum through the first.
But Harwich starter Trey Williford (UNC Wilmington) was a worthy adversary. The righty began the contest by walking Rob Rispoli (UConn), but forced a Bino Watters (LSU) flyout and two consecutive strikeouts to keep the A’s off the board.
Stone got himself into trouble by loading the bases in the second, but he battled back and forced a groundout to Cooper Neville (Alabama) to end the inning. In the bottom of the frame, two walks helped the Anglers cobble together a minor rally as well, but Kaiden Dossa’s (Yale) flyout momentarily killed it for Chatham.
The third inning was better for Stone. Chatham’s starter began the frame by striking out Larson, and then worked around a Hotchkiss single by punching out Tyler Smolinski (Kansas State) and getting Cade Kurland (Florida) to pop out.
The fourth inning was better for the A’s starter, too. He worked around a two-out single by striking out Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe (Kent State). The contest was still 0-0, and it remained that way for the foreseeable future.
His offense just couldn’t support him early. Chatham had struggled to find any sort of offensive consistency after its four-game win streak, and Friday just continued that trend. It took the A’s five innings to find a hit, while Harwich had six knocks of their own in that span.
“I want our offense to get more consistent though,” Cook said postgame.
When Stone came out for the top of the fifth, his command had begun fading. He walked Nate Castellon (Cal Poly) and Larson consecutively to open the inning, throwing just one strike combined to the two Mariners, and then the wheels came off entirely.
“I think he just started getting a little bit tired,” Cook said. “He hadn't worked in probably a month, so he's getting a little bit tired. And we stretched him out a little bit.”
Midway through Stone’s at bat against Hotchkiss, he was met at the mound by A’s pitching coach Jay Powell and an Anglers trainer due to a cut on his finger, per Cook. He remained in the game, but only for a few more pitches. His night ended soon after, when Hotchkiss swatted his center-cut fastball over the right field fence.
He was replaced by Justice de Jong (Auburn), and the Chatham reliever was able to quiet down Harwich’s bats. The A’s bats awoke in the bottom of the inning, when Reynolds reached on a dropped pop-up, Kelvyn Paulino Jr. (Florida State) broke Williford’s no-hit bid with an infield single and Dossa loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch.
Rispoli’s subsequent grounder found Castellon’s outstretched mitt at shortstop, but the Mariners’ infielder didn’t have time to make a play anywhere, and Reynolds scored to break up the shutout. Then, Shouse drew a bases-loaded walk to make it a 3-2 game.
That ended Williford’s outing. Unlike de Jong, who finished a clean fifth inning for Stone, Harwich reliever Jackson Peavy (Wake Forest) just made things worse for the Mariners.
Neville smacked a two-run single to welcome Peavy into the game, and Cole Johnson (Georgia) introduced himself to Veterans Field with an RBI single into right field. A double play then mercifully ended the Mariners’ nightmare, but not before Chatham had taken a 5-3 lead.
Harwich threatened once afterward, loading the bases in the eighth, but Oliver Pudvar (UConn) did enough to escape the jam out of the bullpen for the A’s. An additional run came home in the eighth as Watters grounded into a double play, securing the result. Between Pudvar, de Jong and Max Luzarraga (Dallas Baptist), the A’s bullpen struck out seven hitters across five scoreless innings of work to close the game.
It was a pretty solid performance, good enough to seal the win, and Cook agreed. Standing next to the Veterans Field dugout, he had one last postgame remark before he took off for the night’s dinner. Something nagged at him. He had to get it off his chest.
“Make sure you say something good about the bullpen,” Cook said. “Justice was very good. Justice, Ollie and Max.”
