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Chatham snaps 5-game win streak with 7-6 loss to Orleans
ORLEANS, Mass. — The first job was finally finished for the A’s. Chatham entered Friday’s doubleheader with the goal of securing a playoff spot, and by dominating Brewster 9-0 in the first game of the day, that goal was fulfilled.
With that win, Orleans’ chances of making the postseason evaporated. The Firebirds trailed the Anglers by 11 points with four games to play, mathematically eliminating them. By Friday evening’s contest with Chatham, Orleans had nothing to play for.
The Anglers, on the other hand, still had something to gain. The A’s entered the contest three games back of Harwich for third place in the East Division. Chatham was on a season-high five-game winning streak entering Friday night’s game. A win Friday night and Saturday could have pushed the A’s over Harwich.
But sometimes, baseball does things that don’t make a lot of sense. That’s why the Firebirds (13-24, East) — with nothing but pride to gain — found a way to beat Chatham (16-18-3, East) 7-6 Friday night at Eldredge Park. The Anglers led 3-0 through five innings, but surrendered five runs in the bottom of the sixth. Both squads exchanged runs from there, but Chatham ultimately couldn’t close the gap, snapping its five-game win streak.
“It was an ugly game,” said A’s acting manager Jay Powell, who’s filling in for Dennis Cook as he attends his son’s wedding this weekend. “But overall, I thought our offensive approach was pretty good. One inning got away from us, but I thought we pitched pretty well.”
Initially, it had all the makings of a Chatham victory. The Anglers’ ace, Angel Cervantes (UCLA), got the start, although his leash was pretty short. The A’s didn’t want to tire him out with the playoffs on deck, but Cervantes gave Chatham the best he had with two scoreless frames.
The Angler offense supported him early. After going down in order in the first, Chatham pounced for three runs in the second on just one hit. Eddie Marshall (Florida) walked to lead off the inning before Jack Bell (Texas A&M) was hit by a pitch. Then the cycle repeated, as Cam Pruitt (Missouri) walked to load the bases before — in his first Chatham at-bat after being activated before the game — Aidan Eshelman (UTSA) was hit by a pitch, scoring the A’s first run.
Jacob Driver (Meridian Community College) drove in another run on a fielder’s choice in the infield, then Jamie Palmese (Kansas) knocked an infield single to score Chatham’s third run. Through its first eight innings across two games Friday, Chatham had scored 12 runs.
“We're swinging at good pitches,” Powell said of the A’s offense. “We made some good adjustments, and we're swinging at more strikes.
“A lot of it's just confidence,” Powell added. “They're scoring runs now, so they're feeling good about themselves. They're having fun, and when you do that, it's a lot easier to play baseball.”
Orleans starter Luca Alagheband (Harvard) settled down after a rough second inning, though, shutting the A’s out in the third and fourth.
Christian Chatterton (Auburn) took over for Cervantes in the third. Fresh off a 12-strikeout outing, Chatterton retired the side in order. But Dominic Cadiz (UCLA) put Orleans on the board in the fourth, smashing a solo homer that towered over the left-field wall. It was Cadiz’s fifth home run — and third against Chatham — this summer.
Neither side threatened again until the top of the sixth, when Marshall doubled down the left field line for Chatham’s second hit. But the A’s couldn’t push him home with one out.
In the bottom of the sixth, Orleans left Chatham wishing it had capitalized. Noah Allen (Alabama) took over, and Orleans loaded the bases with no outs. Garrett Larsen (Yale) was hit by a pitch and reached third before Rowan Kelly (UCSB) and Cadiz walked.
A wild pitch scored Larsen before AJ Beltré (San Diego) grounded out to plate the game-tying run. Another wild pitch scored Cadiz to give Orleans the lead, then Adam Magpoc (San Diego State) singled up the middle to score Casey Cumiskey (Southern New Hampshire) from third. Then Allen tried to pick off Magpoc, but spiked the throw at third and it trickled to the wall. Magpoc came home to score to make it 5-3.
“Noah struggled. I wanted him to finish that inning,” Powell said. “It was his last outing for us, and in a normal situation, we probably would have got him earlier, but I wanted him to leave here finishing the inning.”
Allen’s inning ended with three walks, four wild pitches and three earned runs. Suddenly, the A’s two-run lead was a two-run hole.
Orleans gave Chatham an opportunity to get back into the game. Eshelman led off the top of the seventh with a bunt single, then Driver reached on an error. A wild pitch advanced both of them before Palmese singled into center to score Eshelman. Armani Guzman (West Virginia) then reached on a grounder to second, which plated Driver and cut the Orleans lead to one.
But that’s all the A’s could muster in the seventh. Shane Huntsberger (Western Carolina) took over in the bottom of the frame, and sat the first two Firebirds down before Kelly crushed a ball well beyond the right-field fence, restoring Orleans’ two-run lead with a solo shot.
Chatham again threatened in the eighth, putting two on with no outs. Eshelman knocked a sacrifice fly to score Bell from third and cut the lead to one once again. The Anglers loaded the bases with two outs after Driver walked and Palmese was hit by a pitch.
But Bino Watters (LSU) flew out to left and — again — the A’s ended the inning down by a run.
Guzman led off the ninth, but he was stranded on third after Pruitt and Tyler Howe (UNC) struck out swinging to end the game. So, Chatham’s streak is over. But the playoff dream is still fulfilled.
And while the goal of catching Harwich lives on, Powell said that’s not on the forefront of his mind. Being in the postseason is enough of an opportunity to compete.
“We want to finish as high as we can, but I don't think (positioning) matters, to be honest with you,” Powell said. “I think we're playing good, and I think that there's not a lot of difference between one and four.”
With that win, Orleans’ chances of making the postseason evaporated. The Firebirds trailed the Anglers by 11 points with four games to play, mathematically eliminating them. By Friday evening’s contest with Chatham, Orleans had nothing to play for.
The Anglers, on the other hand, still had something to gain. The A’s entered the contest three games back of Harwich for third place in the East Division. Chatham was on a season-high five-game winning streak entering Friday night’s game. A win Friday night and Saturday could have pushed the A’s over Harwich.
But sometimes, baseball does things that don’t make a lot of sense. That’s why the Firebirds (13-24, East) — with nothing but pride to gain — found a way to beat Chatham (16-18-3, East) 7-6 Friday night at Eldredge Park. The Anglers led 3-0 through five innings, but surrendered five runs in the bottom of the sixth. Both squads exchanged runs from there, but Chatham ultimately couldn’t close the gap, snapping its five-game win streak.
“It was an ugly game,” said A’s acting manager Jay Powell, who’s filling in for Dennis Cook as he attends his son’s wedding this weekend. “But overall, I thought our offensive approach was pretty good. One inning got away from us, but I thought we pitched pretty well.”
Initially, it had all the makings of a Chatham victory. The Anglers’ ace, Angel Cervantes (UCLA), got the start, although his leash was pretty short. The A’s didn’t want to tire him out with the playoffs on deck, but Cervantes gave Chatham the best he had with two scoreless frames.
The Angler offense supported him early. After going down in order in the first, Chatham pounced for three runs in the second on just one hit. Eddie Marshall (Florida) walked to lead off the inning before Jack Bell (Texas A&M) was hit by a pitch. Then the cycle repeated, as Cam Pruitt (Missouri) walked to load the bases before — in his first Chatham at-bat after being activated before the game — Aidan Eshelman (UTSA) was hit by a pitch, scoring the A’s first run.
Jacob Driver (Meridian Community College) drove in another run on a fielder’s choice in the infield, then Jamie Palmese (Kansas) knocked an infield single to score Chatham’s third run. Through its first eight innings across two games Friday, Chatham had scored 12 runs.
“We're swinging at good pitches,” Powell said of the A’s offense. “We made some good adjustments, and we're swinging at more strikes.
“A lot of it's just confidence,” Powell added. “They're scoring runs now, so they're feeling good about themselves. They're having fun, and when you do that, it's a lot easier to play baseball.”
Orleans starter Luca Alagheband (Harvard) settled down after a rough second inning, though, shutting the A’s out in the third and fourth.
Christian Chatterton (Auburn) took over for Cervantes in the third. Fresh off a 12-strikeout outing, Chatterton retired the side in order. But Dominic Cadiz (UCLA) put Orleans on the board in the fourth, smashing a solo homer that towered over the left-field wall. It was Cadiz’s fifth home run — and third against Chatham — this summer.
Neither side threatened again until the top of the sixth, when Marshall doubled down the left field line for Chatham’s second hit. But the A’s couldn’t push him home with one out.
In the bottom of the sixth, Orleans left Chatham wishing it had capitalized. Noah Allen (Alabama) took over, and Orleans loaded the bases with no outs. Garrett Larsen (Yale) was hit by a pitch and reached third before Rowan Kelly (UCSB) and Cadiz walked.
A wild pitch scored Larsen before AJ Beltré (San Diego) grounded out to plate the game-tying run. Another wild pitch scored Cadiz to give Orleans the lead, then Adam Magpoc (San Diego State) singled up the middle to score Casey Cumiskey (Southern New Hampshire) from third. Then Allen tried to pick off Magpoc, but spiked the throw at third and it trickled to the wall. Magpoc came home to score to make it 5-3.
“Noah struggled. I wanted him to finish that inning,” Powell said. “It was his last outing for us, and in a normal situation, we probably would have got him earlier, but I wanted him to leave here finishing the inning.”
Allen’s inning ended with three walks, four wild pitches and three earned runs. Suddenly, the A’s two-run lead was a two-run hole.
Orleans gave Chatham an opportunity to get back into the game. Eshelman led off the top of the seventh with a bunt single, then Driver reached on an error. A wild pitch advanced both of them before Palmese singled into center to score Eshelman. Armani Guzman (West Virginia) then reached on a grounder to second, which plated Driver and cut the Orleans lead to one.
But that’s all the A’s could muster in the seventh. Shane Huntsberger (Western Carolina) took over in the bottom of the frame, and sat the first two Firebirds down before Kelly crushed a ball well beyond the right-field fence, restoring Orleans’ two-run lead with a solo shot.
Chatham again threatened in the eighth, putting two on with no outs. Eshelman knocked a sacrifice fly to score Bell from third and cut the lead to one once again. The Anglers loaded the bases with two outs after Driver walked and Palmese was hit by a pitch.
But Bino Watters (LSU) flew out to left and — again — the A’s ended the inning down by a run.
Guzman led off the ninth, but he was stranded on third after Pruitt and Tyler Howe (UNC) struck out swinging to end the game. So, Chatham’s streak is over. But the playoff dream is still fulfilled.
And while the goal of catching Harwich lives on, Powell said that’s not on the forefront of his mind. Being in the postseason is enough of an opportunity to compete.
“We want to finish as high as we can, but I don't think (positioning) matters, to be honest with you,” Powell said. “I think we're playing good, and I think that there's not a lot of difference between one and four.”
