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Chatham defeats Harwich 7-2, inches closer to 3rd place in East Division
CHATHAM, Mass. — The truth is, none of these games matter as much now. Clinching the playoffs with three games left in the regular season does that for a team.
After Chatham defeated Brewster 9-0 in the first leg of its Friday doubleheader to book its ticket into the Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs, the calculus changed for Jay Powell, currently the A’s acting manager while Dennis Cook attends his son’s wedding. Each individual result doesn’t matter nearly as much for the Anglers anymore. Everything builds toward Tuesday.
That’s why, with a chance to close the gap between itself and Harwich from five to three points Saturday night, Powell decided to throw the idea of a rotation out of the window. In his mind, going from fourth to third in the standings means little. Having guys ready to pitch when it’s playoff time means a lot.
“We wanted to make sure all these guys got in the game, and were able to come back and pitch Tuesday with two days off,” Powell said. “That was the thought process behind it.”
His gambit worked. Despite using five pitchers and giving Justice de Jong (NC State) his first start of the summer, Chatham (17-18-3, East) pieced together a strong enough outing to defeat Harwich (20-19, East) 7-2 at Veterans Field, closing that aforementioned gap from three to five points. The Anglers were deadlocked for most of the game, but broke through with a five-run seventh inning to secure the victory over the Mariners.
“The last week they've been swinging it well, and I like our pitching,” Powell said. “If we can kind of keep this going, I mean, I think we've got a shot.”
It wasn’t even an ideal start for de Jong, who allowed Harwich’s Niko Brini (Wofford) to score on a sacrifice fly in the top of the first. But he settled down in the second, and Chatham took full advantage of its chance to erase the deficit.
Eddie Marshall (Florida) began the proceedings with a walk, and Ty Peeples (Florida State) moved him to second with a hit-by-pitch. Then, Tyler Howe (North Carolina) came through with an opposite-field double, driving in Marshall to tie the game up at 1-1.
It was the first run that Harwich’s starter, Brady Bendik (Navy), had allowed all summer.
Harwich had opportunities, squandering a bases-loaded one in the fourth, but neither side was able to score again until the fifth. That’s when Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe (Kent State) blasted an outside fastball from Chatham reliever Ty Thames (Rice) over the right field fence, making it 2-1.
But that lead didn’t last for very long. The A’s erased it in the bottom of the frame, beginning with two consecutive singles from Aidan Eshelman (UTSA) and Jacob Driver (Meridian Community College). Jamie Palmese (Kansas) drove in the former soon after by lining a double into right, tying the game at 2-2 and giving the Anglers runners on second and third with zero outs.
Andrew Basel (Northeastern), Harwich’s reliever, had a much easier time getting out of his jam than Odom did in the fourth. He didn’t even need to rely on his teammates’ mitts. Three strikeouts of Guzman, Bell and Marshall would do. No home plate dramatics needed.
After escaping the jam, he was replaced by Ben Alekson (Fairfield), who tossed a clean sixth inning for the Mariners. He wasn’t so fortunate in the seventh.
It all began with two outs. That’s when Guzman singled into right, driving in Eshelman to give Chatham the lead. Bell then reached on an error by Kurland, putting runners on the corners for the A’s. Marshall doubled into left, clearing the bases and putting Chatham up 5-2.
“Football says look at third down conversions, and in baseball, I say look at two-out hits,” Powell said. “I mean, if you're a good two-out RBI team, you usually have a really good club.”
And, just for good measure, Ty Peeples (Florida State) sealed the deal by driving a breaking ball over the right-field fence, making it a 7-2 game.
Alekson departed the game after that. He took Harwich’s chances of victory with him.
“Ty’s a good athlete,” Powell said. “He's got a chance to be a really good hitter.”
Powell doesn’t particularly know what the next few days might look like for this A’s squad. Postgame, he said Peeples will depart Chatham after Sunday’s doubleheader and report to Florida State. He also said that the Anglers have three pitchers at their disposal to cover two games for them tomorrow: Brady Coe (Houston), Austin Shirley (UT Arlington) and Derek Desmarais (Tufts). Cam Pruitt (Missouri), the Chatham third baseman, has been lobbying hard to pitch. Powell is yet to decide if he wants that to happen.
“I don't know,” Powell said of his plan for Sunday. “We'll figure it out as we go.”
He’s not all too concerned. It’s not like these games are life-or-death.
“If we could get to No. 2 (seed), it'd be a bigger deal,” Powell said postgame. “But No. 3 or No. 4 (seed) doesn't matter, I don't think.”
After Chatham defeated Brewster 9-0 in the first leg of its Friday doubleheader to book its ticket into the Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs, the calculus changed for Jay Powell, currently the A’s acting manager while Dennis Cook attends his son’s wedding. Each individual result doesn’t matter nearly as much for the Anglers anymore. Everything builds toward Tuesday.
That’s why, with a chance to close the gap between itself and Harwich from five to three points Saturday night, Powell decided to throw the idea of a rotation out of the window. In his mind, going from fourth to third in the standings means little. Having guys ready to pitch when it’s playoff time means a lot.
“We wanted to make sure all these guys got in the game, and were able to come back and pitch Tuesday with two days off,” Powell said. “That was the thought process behind it.”
His gambit worked. Despite using five pitchers and giving Justice de Jong (NC State) his first start of the summer, Chatham (17-18-3, East) pieced together a strong enough outing to defeat Harwich (20-19, East) 7-2 at Veterans Field, closing that aforementioned gap from three to five points. The Anglers were deadlocked for most of the game, but broke through with a five-run seventh inning to secure the victory over the Mariners.
“The last week they've been swinging it well, and I like our pitching,” Powell said. “If we can kind of keep this going, I mean, I think we've got a shot.”
It wasn’t even an ideal start for de Jong, who allowed Harwich’s Niko Brini (Wofford) to score on a sacrifice fly in the top of the first. But he settled down in the second, and Chatham took full advantage of its chance to erase the deficit.
Eddie Marshall (Florida) began the proceedings with a walk, and Ty Peeples (Florida State) moved him to second with a hit-by-pitch. Then, Tyler Howe (North Carolina) came through with an opposite-field double, driving in Marshall to tie the game up at 1-1.
It was the first run that Harwich’s starter, Brady Bendik (Navy), had allowed all summer.
Harwich had opportunities, squandering a bases-loaded one in the fourth, but neither side was able to score again until the fifth. That’s when Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe (Kent State) blasted an outside fastball from Chatham reliever Ty Thames (Rice) over the right field fence, making it 2-1.
But that lead didn’t last for very long. The A’s erased it in the bottom of the frame, beginning with two consecutive singles from Aidan Eshelman (UTSA) and Jacob Driver (Meridian Community College). Jamie Palmese (Kansas) drove in the former soon after by lining a double into right, tying the game at 2-2 and giving the Anglers runners on second and third with zero outs.
Andrew Basel (Northeastern), Harwich’s reliever, had a much easier time getting out of his jam than Odom did in the fourth. He didn’t even need to rely on his teammates’ mitts. Three strikeouts of Guzman, Bell and Marshall would do. No home plate dramatics needed.
After escaping the jam, he was replaced by Ben Alekson (Fairfield), who tossed a clean sixth inning for the Mariners. He wasn’t so fortunate in the seventh.
It all began with two outs. That’s when Guzman singled into right, driving in Eshelman to give Chatham the lead. Bell then reached on an error by Kurland, putting runners on the corners for the A’s. Marshall doubled into left, clearing the bases and putting Chatham up 5-2.
“Football says look at third down conversions, and in baseball, I say look at two-out hits,” Powell said. “I mean, if you're a good two-out RBI team, you usually have a really good club.”
And, just for good measure, Ty Peeples (Florida State) sealed the deal by driving a breaking ball over the right-field fence, making it a 7-2 game.
Alekson departed the game after that. He took Harwich’s chances of victory with him.
“Ty’s a good athlete,” Powell said. “He's got a chance to be a really good hitter.”
Powell doesn’t particularly know what the next few days might look like for this A’s squad. Postgame, he said Peeples will depart Chatham after Sunday’s doubleheader and report to Florida State. He also said that the Anglers have three pitchers at their disposal to cover two games for them tomorrow: Brady Coe (Houston), Austin Shirley (UT Arlington) and Derek Desmarais (Tufts). Cam Pruitt (Missouri), the Chatham third baseman, has been lobbying hard to pitch. Powell is yet to decide if he wants that to happen.
“I don't know,” Powell said of his plan for Sunday. “We'll figure it out as we go.”
He’s not all too concerned. It’s not like these games are life-or-death.
“If we could get to No. 2 (seed), it'd be a bigger deal,” Powell said postgame. “But No. 3 or No. 4 (seed) doesn't matter, I don't think.”
