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Chatham loses 2nd straight game, falls 10-4 to Falmouth
FALMOUTH, Mass. — Falmouth shortstop Drew Terpins (Mount Mercy) ranged back in the top of the first, trying to make a play on a pop up into center from Chatham leadoff man Rob Rispoli (UConn). Terpins made the grab, but crashed into center fielder Fabio Peralta (Miami) as he did so. He threw it back into the infield before falling to the ground, writhing in pain.
Peralta was already there. The game was paused for a few minutes while Commodores manager Jack Dahm checked on his players, but it resumed soon after.
The next batter, Bino Watters (LSU), quickly reached on a walk, and stole second to put himself in scoring position for Junior Lauaki (Georgia). The A’s first baseman, in the first at bat of his final game in Chatham, handed the Anglers a parting gift.
The fourth pitch he saw left the yard. Peralta didn’t even bother to jog back for it.
“We're going to miss having (Lauaki),” A’s manager Dennis Cook said postgame. “He's gonna leave a hole in our lineup.”
Lauaki’s blast gave the A’s an early 2-0 lead. But it wasn’t enough to end his Cape Cod Baseball League career with a win, as Falmouth (13-16-2, West) overcame that early deficit to defeat Chatham (11-16-2, East) 10-4 Wednesday at Guv Fuller Field. Terry Hayes Jr. (Ole Miss), making his second start of the summer for the Anglers, gave up six runs — three unearned — in 1.2 innings, leading to the A’s second consecutive loss.
“I think (Hayes) would be the first one to tell you, he didn't have his best stuff again,” A’s manager Dennis Cook said postgame. “So, he's gonna have to figure it out.”
It was bad from the outset for Hayes. The Chatham starter began his outing by giving up a single to Peralta, walking Brayden Jefferis (Michigan) and giving up an RBI double to Tommy Harrison (Miami-Ohio) before he recorded an out.
The Commodores’ fourth batter of the game, Carter White (North Florida), reached as well, driving a fly ball into center that bounced off of Jamie Palmese’s (Kansas) mitt. It was ruled a double, and that hit scored Jefferis to tie the game at 2-2. The game remained tied for the moment, though, since Harrison was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second.
It wasn’t tied for much longer. A few pitches into Hayes’ at bat against AJ Putty (Illinois), A’s pitching coach Jay Powell exclaimed, “You got to be more competitive than that,” from the dugout, imploring Hayes to put the ball in the zone.
He did, and Putty hit it. That two-out single gave Falmouth a 3-2 lead.
Armani Guzman (West Virginia) erased it in the top of the second, smacking a double to dead center — his first extra-base hit with the A’s — to drive in Ty Mainolfi (Boston College).
And Falmouth reclaimed it just as easily once it got to the bottom of the frame. Gavin Greger (Bryant) and Peralta each reached on one-out base hits to Chatham shortstop Jack Bell (Texas A&M). Then, with two outs on the board, Harrison reached on a throwing error from Lauaki.
Greger darted home on the play, and Chatham backstop Eddie Marshall (Florida) had the ball with a chance to tag him out. But home plate umpire Mike Rabideau ruled that Greger managed to swim his hand under Marshall’s tag, giving the Commodores a 4-3 lead.
Cook expressed his displeasure with Rabideau, but his pleas couldn’t change a thing. Chatham was down now, and things were only getting worse. The next batter, White, drove in a fifth run with a single, forcing Hayes out of the game. It was the second straight outing in which Hayes had failed to make it four innings, both coming in the rotation.
“Sometimes for guys, the pre-start routine is a little bit much,” Cook said. “And they think they have to do more than they really have to do, instead of just going out and attacking.”
Justice de Jong (NC State) entered the game to replace him. He began his relief outing by giving up a double to Jeff Lougee (Duke), which made it a 6-3 game for Falmouth. The Commodores didn’t score again until the fifth, but they tacked on two more runs in that frame.
In the top of the sixth, Chatham had a chance to cut into that lead, loading the bases with just one out. It wasn’t an unfamiliar situation. The A’s had loaded the bases in the eighth and ninth innings in their loss to Hyannis Monday, but were held scoreless both times.
This bases-loaded opportunity ended with the same outcome. Ty Peeples (Florida State) grounded into a double play, ending Chatham’s rally.
“As a hitter, you got to love that situation with bases loaded, less than two outs,” Cook said postgame. “All you gotta do is hit a good fly ball to the outfield.”
Watters helped Chatham close the gap in the top of the seventh, singling on a grounder to short to drive in Mainolfi. His hit brought up Lauaki, in what turned out to be his last at bat in an A’s uniform, with runners on first and second. Had he hit a homer, like he did to begin this game, then the Anglers would’ve entered the closing stretch of the game down just one.
But he didn’t. An inning-ending strikeout was all he could muster.
“It's been that way pretty much all year,” Cook said, referring to his team’s struggles with runners in scoring position. “We can't hit for them.”
That’s how Chatham’s chances at a victory came to a close. The eighth inning brought nothing for the A’s, and it brought two more runs for Falmouth. In the ninth, Guzman’s walk was the only thing preventing Chatham from ending the game by having the side retired.
This past weekend, Chatham entered the All-Star break with nothing but optimism, having escaped its five-game losing streak by going unbeaten for two straight games.
It’s now exited it with two straight losses.
Peralta was already there. The game was paused for a few minutes while Commodores manager Jack Dahm checked on his players, but it resumed soon after.
The next batter, Bino Watters (LSU), quickly reached on a walk, and stole second to put himself in scoring position for Junior Lauaki (Georgia). The A’s first baseman, in the first at bat of his final game in Chatham, handed the Anglers a parting gift.
The fourth pitch he saw left the yard. Peralta didn’t even bother to jog back for it.
“We're going to miss having (Lauaki),” A’s manager Dennis Cook said postgame. “He's gonna leave a hole in our lineup.”
Lauaki’s blast gave the A’s an early 2-0 lead. But it wasn’t enough to end his Cape Cod Baseball League career with a win, as Falmouth (13-16-2, West) overcame that early deficit to defeat Chatham (11-16-2, East) 10-4 Wednesday at Guv Fuller Field. Terry Hayes Jr. (Ole Miss), making his second start of the summer for the Anglers, gave up six runs — three unearned — in 1.2 innings, leading to the A’s second consecutive loss.
“I think (Hayes) would be the first one to tell you, he didn't have his best stuff again,” A’s manager Dennis Cook said postgame. “So, he's gonna have to figure it out.”
It was bad from the outset for Hayes. The Chatham starter began his outing by giving up a single to Peralta, walking Brayden Jefferis (Michigan) and giving up an RBI double to Tommy Harrison (Miami-Ohio) before he recorded an out.
The Commodores’ fourth batter of the game, Carter White (North Florida), reached as well, driving a fly ball into center that bounced off of Jamie Palmese’s (Kansas) mitt. It was ruled a double, and that hit scored Jefferis to tie the game at 2-2. The game remained tied for the moment, though, since Harrison was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second.
It wasn’t tied for much longer. A few pitches into Hayes’ at bat against AJ Putty (Illinois), A’s pitching coach Jay Powell exclaimed, “You got to be more competitive than that,” from the dugout, imploring Hayes to put the ball in the zone.
He did, and Putty hit it. That two-out single gave Falmouth a 3-2 lead.
Armani Guzman (West Virginia) erased it in the top of the second, smacking a double to dead center — his first extra-base hit with the A’s — to drive in Ty Mainolfi (Boston College).
And Falmouth reclaimed it just as easily once it got to the bottom of the frame. Gavin Greger (Bryant) and Peralta each reached on one-out base hits to Chatham shortstop Jack Bell (Texas A&M). Then, with two outs on the board, Harrison reached on a throwing error from Lauaki.
Greger darted home on the play, and Chatham backstop Eddie Marshall (Florida) had the ball with a chance to tag him out. But home plate umpire Mike Rabideau ruled that Greger managed to swim his hand under Marshall’s tag, giving the Commodores a 4-3 lead.
Cook expressed his displeasure with Rabideau, but his pleas couldn’t change a thing. Chatham was down now, and things were only getting worse. The next batter, White, drove in a fifth run with a single, forcing Hayes out of the game. It was the second straight outing in which Hayes had failed to make it four innings, both coming in the rotation.
“Sometimes for guys, the pre-start routine is a little bit much,” Cook said. “And they think they have to do more than they really have to do, instead of just going out and attacking.”
Justice de Jong (NC State) entered the game to replace him. He began his relief outing by giving up a double to Jeff Lougee (Duke), which made it a 6-3 game for Falmouth. The Commodores didn’t score again until the fifth, but they tacked on two more runs in that frame.
In the top of the sixth, Chatham had a chance to cut into that lead, loading the bases with just one out. It wasn’t an unfamiliar situation. The A’s had loaded the bases in the eighth and ninth innings in their loss to Hyannis Monday, but were held scoreless both times.
This bases-loaded opportunity ended with the same outcome. Ty Peeples (Florida State) grounded into a double play, ending Chatham’s rally.
“As a hitter, you got to love that situation with bases loaded, less than two outs,” Cook said postgame. “All you gotta do is hit a good fly ball to the outfield.”
Watters helped Chatham close the gap in the top of the seventh, singling on a grounder to short to drive in Mainolfi. His hit brought up Lauaki, in what turned out to be his last at bat in an A’s uniform, with runners on first and second. Had he hit a homer, like he did to begin this game, then the Anglers would’ve entered the closing stretch of the game down just one.
But he didn’t. An inning-ending strikeout was all he could muster.
“It's been that way pretty much all year,” Cook said, referring to his team’s struggles with runners in scoring position. “We can't hit for them.”
That’s how Chatham’s chances at a victory came to a close. The eighth inning brought nothing for the A’s, and it brought two more runs for Falmouth. In the ninth, Guzman’s walk was the only thing preventing Chatham from ending the game by having the side retired.
This past weekend, Chatham entered the All-Star break with nothing but optimism, having escaped its five-game losing streak by going unbeaten for two straight games.
It’s now exited it with two straight losses.
