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Chatham walked off in dramatic 3-2 loss to Harwich
HARWICH, Mass. — The Anglers’ Fourth of July couldn’t have gone much better. The holiday began with a parade through Chatham, where Nolan Traeger (Arkansas) wowed the crowd by tossing Dunkin’ Donuts munchkins into the mouths of awaiting fans.
It ended with a dominant 8-4 win over Orleans, avenging their 10-9 walkoff loss from the night before. Angel Cervantes (UCLA) — with his family in attendance — took the mound for Chatham in his third start of the summer, and outdueled the Firebirds’ LJ Cormier (Auburn) with four one-run innings of work.
So, the A’s had an excellent Fourth. The Fifth of July, on the other hand, wasn’t as great.
Chatham’s (9-8-2, East) bats were silenced in their 3-2 loss to Harwich (13-6, East) at Whitehouse Field Sunday, as the A’s mustered just four hits. It wasn’t too much of an issue early on. The Anglers struck first in the game, allowed just four hits and entered the ninth inning tied at 2-2, but struggled with command late and lost the game on a walk-off walk.
“(It was) a bad approach,” Cook said, referring to his offense. “Trying to pull too many balls, not letting the ball get deep. Just not a good approach.”
The Anglers couldn’t get anything on the board early, but neither could Harwich, facing righty Max Luzarraga (Dallas Baptist). He initially wasn’t supposed to start this game. It was supposed to be Duke Stone (Mississippi State), Chatham’s ace from a summer ago, but Stone injured his knee and is no longer with the team.
“Duke is gone,” Cook said. “We needed a starter, and Max was who we wanted to extend.”
Things started picking up for both sides in the fourth. Watters began the frame with a walk and a steal, putting himself in scoring position for Cooper Neville (Alabama). Chatham’s shortstop entered Sunday leading the team with a total of 15 runs batted in, and he tacked on another with a single into right to plate Watters. And after walking, Ty Peeples (Florida State) scored on a wild pitch soon after, giving Chatham a 2-0 lead.
Harwich was able to cut into that lead immediately. Luzarraga began the inning by plunking Cade Kurland (LSU) with a pitch, and Kurland advanced to second on a wild pitch soon after. He then tried to steal third, and it appeared Luzarraga had a chance to pick him off, but the righty skied his throw above Drey Barrett (Southern Miss), allowing Kurland to score.
He did just enough to exit the fourth with a lead. Chase Meyer (Arizona State) replaced him the next inning, and surrendered it immediately.
Meyer walked two Harwich batters, and gave up a double steal not long after. Nate Castellon (Cal Poly) drove one of them in with a subsequent fielder’s choice, equalizing the game at 2-2.
“Chase did good,” Cook said. “(But) walks kill us. I think the two runs that scored were walks.”
Both teams settled in from there. The top and bottom of the sixth were both uneventful, save for a single by each team. Chatham threatened in the top of the seventh, with Armani Guzman (West Virginia) and Rob Rispoli (UConn) reaching to put runners on the corners, but the frame ended when Watters struck out to strand them.
A similar seventh inning ensued for Harwich, when a single and a walk forced Meyer out of the game with two outs. But Josh Swink (Liberty) entered the game, struck out Colin Larson (Boston College) and departed in the eighth.
He was replaced by Collins Black (NC State), who retired the side in the eighth, and sent both teams to the ninth inning tied at 2-2.
Tyler Albanese (San Jose State) — who had thrown three clean innings before then — began the ninth with a pop out and a walk for Harwich, but he didn’t finish it. After Guzman reached, Christian Rodriguez (Florida) came into the game to replace Albanese.
But Guzman was subsequently thrown out stealing, and Rodriguez struck out Tyler Lichtenberger (Clemson) to end the top of ninth scoreless.
Chatham didn’t have that same luxury. Black began the ninth with a walk to Jackson Hotchkiss (Washington), and a hit-by-pitch to Peltier — though the ball also hit his bat — soon followed.
“I thought the ball hit his bat, but (the umpire) said it hit his helmet, then his bat,” Cook said. “He's closer to it than I am, so we'll give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Then, with no outs on the board, Chone James (Mississippi State) dropped a perfect bunt single to load the bases for Harwich. Afterward, the A’s called time to add a fifth infielder into play.
But the gambit could only work if Chatham could induce a ball in play, and that required a strike to be thrown. Black couldn’t do that.
With five pitches, he walked Sean O’Leary (UMass-Lowell). The first baseman didn’t even have to lift the bat off his shoulder to send Chatham home with a loss.
“Leadoff walk, in a tie ballgame, in the ninth inning,” Cook said. “Just can't happen.”
It ended with a dominant 8-4 win over Orleans, avenging their 10-9 walkoff loss from the night before. Angel Cervantes (UCLA) — with his family in attendance — took the mound for Chatham in his third start of the summer, and outdueled the Firebirds’ LJ Cormier (Auburn) with four one-run innings of work.
So, the A’s had an excellent Fourth. The Fifth of July, on the other hand, wasn’t as great.
Chatham’s (9-8-2, East) bats were silenced in their 3-2 loss to Harwich (13-6, East) at Whitehouse Field Sunday, as the A’s mustered just four hits. It wasn’t too much of an issue early on. The Anglers struck first in the game, allowed just four hits and entered the ninth inning tied at 2-2, but struggled with command late and lost the game on a walk-off walk.
“(It was) a bad approach,” Cook said, referring to his offense. “Trying to pull too many balls, not letting the ball get deep. Just not a good approach.”
The Anglers couldn’t get anything on the board early, but neither could Harwich, facing righty Max Luzarraga (Dallas Baptist). He initially wasn’t supposed to start this game. It was supposed to be Duke Stone (Mississippi State), Chatham’s ace from a summer ago, but Stone injured his knee and is no longer with the team.
“Duke is gone,” Cook said. “We needed a starter, and Max was who we wanted to extend.”
Things started picking up for both sides in the fourth. Watters began the frame with a walk and a steal, putting himself in scoring position for Cooper Neville (Alabama). Chatham’s shortstop entered Sunday leading the team with a total of 15 runs batted in, and he tacked on another with a single into right to plate Watters. And after walking, Ty Peeples (Florida State) scored on a wild pitch soon after, giving Chatham a 2-0 lead.
Harwich was able to cut into that lead immediately. Luzarraga began the inning by plunking Cade Kurland (LSU) with a pitch, and Kurland advanced to second on a wild pitch soon after. He then tried to steal third, and it appeared Luzarraga had a chance to pick him off, but the righty skied his throw above Drey Barrett (Southern Miss), allowing Kurland to score.
He did just enough to exit the fourth with a lead. Chase Meyer (Arizona State) replaced him the next inning, and surrendered it immediately.
Meyer walked two Harwich batters, and gave up a double steal not long after. Nate Castellon (Cal Poly) drove one of them in with a subsequent fielder’s choice, equalizing the game at 2-2.
“Chase did good,” Cook said. “(But) walks kill us. I think the two runs that scored were walks.”
Both teams settled in from there. The top and bottom of the sixth were both uneventful, save for a single by each team. Chatham threatened in the top of the seventh, with Armani Guzman (West Virginia) and Rob Rispoli (UConn) reaching to put runners on the corners, but the frame ended when Watters struck out to strand them.
A similar seventh inning ensued for Harwich, when a single and a walk forced Meyer out of the game with two outs. But Josh Swink (Liberty) entered the game, struck out Colin Larson (Boston College) and departed in the eighth.
He was replaced by Collins Black (NC State), who retired the side in the eighth, and sent both teams to the ninth inning tied at 2-2.
Tyler Albanese (San Jose State) — who had thrown three clean innings before then — began the ninth with a pop out and a walk for Harwich, but he didn’t finish it. After Guzman reached, Christian Rodriguez (Florida) came into the game to replace Albanese.
But Guzman was subsequently thrown out stealing, and Rodriguez struck out Tyler Lichtenberger (Clemson) to end the top of ninth scoreless.
Chatham didn’t have that same luxury. Black began the ninth with a walk to Jackson Hotchkiss (Washington), and a hit-by-pitch to Peltier — though the ball also hit his bat — soon followed.
“I thought the ball hit his bat, but (the umpire) said it hit his helmet, then his bat,” Cook said. “He's closer to it than I am, so we'll give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Then, with no outs on the board, Chone James (Mississippi State) dropped a perfect bunt single to load the bases for Harwich. Afterward, the A’s called time to add a fifth infielder into play.
But the gambit could only work if Chatham could induce a ball in play, and that required a strike to be thrown. Black couldn’t do that.
With five pitches, he walked Sean O’Leary (UMass-Lowell). The first baseman didn’t even have to lift the bat off his shoulder to send Chatham home with a loss.
“Leadoff walk, in a tie ballgame, in the ninth inning,” Cook said. “Just can't happen.”
