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Chatham ignites for 3 home runs, beats Y-D 9-5 in EDS Game 1
SOUTH YARMOUTH, Mass. — In Dennis Cook’s mind, it’s all about who gets hot.
When the CCBL playoffs start, the regular season is an afterthought. It’s — at most — nine games with a clean slate. The teams who enter the playoffs riding high tend to fare best.
Advantage Anglers. Chatham entered the postseason having won eight of its previous nine games. But the A’s first-round opponent, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, had been the best team in the Cape Cod Baseball League from start to finish this season.
“Basically every time you show up, there's a different team between them and us,” Cook said. “They got a lot of good players over there, and we got our work cut out for us. There's definitely nothing guaranteed.”
In a battle of the league’s hottest team and the league’s consistently best team, Chatham came out on top. The Anglers’ bats ignited for 14 hits and three home runs, the latter mark tying their single-game season-high. That offensive production led Chatham (1-0, East) to a 9-5 win over Yarmouth-Dennis (0-1, East) in Game 1 of the East Division Series.
The A’s can punch their ticket to the East Division Championship Series with a win at Veterans Field Wednesday.
“I’m proud of the kids,” Cook said. “Especially the offense. They swung the bats good. Angel (Cervantes) pitched great. They did a good job.”
It didn’t take long for Chatham to threaten. Aidan Eshelman (UTSA) led off the game with a walk before Bino Watters (LSU) laced a single into left-center to put two aboard with no outs. Armani Guzman (West Virginia) moved the runners into scoring position with a groundout, but Jamie Palmese (Kansas) struck out and Jack Bell (Texas A&M) popped out to end the inning.
The A’s had their ace on the hill to counter. Angel Cervantes (UCLA) got the ball for Chatham. He allowed an infield single on the first batter he faced, but then struck out Kevin Takeuchi (USC) and got Tommy Goodin (Vanderbilt) to softly line into a double play. He again gave up a soft hit in the second, but got two strikeouts and a lineout to escape the frame.
"He's done a great job pitching so far for us. He’s attacking the zone, and he's mixing well,” Cook said of Cervantes. “We hope he’s going to continue to have success.”
Y-D’s starter, Cade O’Leary (Florida State), didn’t last much longer than that. He began the game with 2.1 scoreless innings, but was relieved by Cameron Teper (Cal Baptist) in the third.
The A’s gave him a rude welcome. Watters walked before Guzman blasted a two-run shot into the trees beyond center field. You’d be hard-pressed to find Guzman — who had one homer this past spring — hit a ball hit further than the one he knocked in the third inning.
“I've had a couple balls that I hit this summer that I'm, like, ‘Dang, that should have been a homer,’ so it was good to finally see one get over,” Guzman said postgame. “The swing feels good. It's cool to hit homers.”
Eddie Marshall (Florida) helped add some extra insurance. After Palmese walked, Marshall roped a fly ball off the wall in right-center, plating Chatham’s third run of the inning. Harlin Hovater (Mississippi State) went down on strikes to end the frame right after, but not before the Anglers could take a commanding lead.
The Red Sox had an answer. Reid Howard (Virginia) jumped on the first pitch Cervantes offered and pummelled a one-out solo homer over the wall in left-center. Takeuchi gave another ball a ride with two outs, but Guzman made a running catch on the warning track to keep Y-D at bay.
After Tyler Howe (North Carolina) singled in the fourth, Y-D manager Scott Pickler turned to Evan Hoeckele (St. John’s) on the bump. But Watters mashed a single through the right side, Guzman walked to load the bases, and Palmese walked to drive in Chatham’s fourth run.
In the top of the fifth, Hovater mashed a one-out homer into center to extend Chatham’s lead to four runs. Pruitt then reached on an infield single before Howe pummelled a fly ball into a similar spot beyond the wall in left-center.
“Just score however we can score,” Cook said.
”The offense did a good job, so I'm proud of it.”
Out of nowhere, Chatham had a 7-1 lead. Cervantes made it impossible for Y-D to catch up. He punched out two more batters in a scoreless fifth, then went back out for the sixth. He induced a soft ground ball back to the mound, then a flyout to put two early outs on the board.
Goodin then roped a triple off the wall in right, but the A’s stuck with Cervantes. He couldn’t reward the decision, as Mateo Serna (Alabama) roped a single off the center field wall to plate Goodin. Wyatt Nadeau (Vanderbilt) relieved him, and Cervantes ended his outing with 5.2 two-run innings, five hits and seven punchouts.
Chatham punctuated the win in the seventh. Marshall singled up the middle before Hovater blasted a ball off the wall in center to put two in scoring position with no outs. Pruitt dribbled a ground ball along the first base line, which scored Marshall. Howe then roped a single into right to add a ninth run for the A’s. Even after Y-D put three runs across in the ninth, the A’s offensive output was more than enough.
As he stood outside his dugout postgame, Cook discussed what separates the good teams from the contenders in the CCBL. Pitching, he said, is the big one. Having the bats hot is a plus, too. But momentum is another animal.
“That's the secret, is who's hot at the end,” Cook said. “A lot of times, that's the way it works out.”
If that’s the case, that’s a good sign for Chatham.
When the CCBL playoffs start, the regular season is an afterthought. It’s — at most — nine games with a clean slate. The teams who enter the playoffs riding high tend to fare best.
Advantage Anglers. Chatham entered the postseason having won eight of its previous nine games. But the A’s first-round opponent, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, had been the best team in the Cape Cod Baseball League from start to finish this season.
“Basically every time you show up, there's a different team between them and us,” Cook said. “They got a lot of good players over there, and we got our work cut out for us. There's definitely nothing guaranteed.”
In a battle of the league’s hottest team and the league’s consistently best team, Chatham came out on top. The Anglers’ bats ignited for 14 hits and three home runs, the latter mark tying their single-game season-high. That offensive production led Chatham (1-0, East) to a 9-5 win over Yarmouth-Dennis (0-1, East) in Game 1 of the East Division Series.
The A’s can punch their ticket to the East Division Championship Series with a win at Veterans Field Wednesday.
“I’m proud of the kids,” Cook said. “Especially the offense. They swung the bats good. Angel (Cervantes) pitched great. They did a good job.”
It didn’t take long for Chatham to threaten. Aidan Eshelman (UTSA) led off the game with a walk before Bino Watters (LSU) laced a single into left-center to put two aboard with no outs. Armani Guzman (West Virginia) moved the runners into scoring position with a groundout, but Jamie Palmese (Kansas) struck out and Jack Bell (Texas A&M) popped out to end the inning.
The A’s had their ace on the hill to counter. Angel Cervantes (UCLA) got the ball for Chatham. He allowed an infield single on the first batter he faced, but then struck out Kevin Takeuchi (USC) and got Tommy Goodin (Vanderbilt) to softly line into a double play. He again gave up a soft hit in the second, but got two strikeouts and a lineout to escape the frame.
"He's done a great job pitching so far for us. He’s attacking the zone, and he's mixing well,” Cook said of Cervantes. “We hope he’s going to continue to have success.”
Y-D’s starter, Cade O’Leary (Florida State), didn’t last much longer than that. He began the game with 2.1 scoreless innings, but was relieved by Cameron Teper (Cal Baptist) in the third.
The A’s gave him a rude welcome. Watters walked before Guzman blasted a two-run shot into the trees beyond center field. You’d be hard-pressed to find Guzman — who had one homer this past spring — hit a ball hit further than the one he knocked in the third inning.
“I've had a couple balls that I hit this summer that I'm, like, ‘Dang, that should have been a homer,’ so it was good to finally see one get over,” Guzman said postgame. “The swing feels good. It's cool to hit homers.”
Eddie Marshall (Florida) helped add some extra insurance. After Palmese walked, Marshall roped a fly ball off the wall in right-center, plating Chatham’s third run of the inning. Harlin Hovater (Mississippi State) went down on strikes to end the frame right after, but not before the Anglers could take a commanding lead.
The Red Sox had an answer. Reid Howard (Virginia) jumped on the first pitch Cervantes offered and pummelled a one-out solo homer over the wall in left-center. Takeuchi gave another ball a ride with two outs, but Guzman made a running catch on the warning track to keep Y-D at bay.
After Tyler Howe (North Carolina) singled in the fourth, Y-D manager Scott Pickler turned to Evan Hoeckele (St. John’s) on the bump. But Watters mashed a single through the right side, Guzman walked to load the bases, and Palmese walked to drive in Chatham’s fourth run.
In the top of the fifth, Hovater mashed a one-out homer into center to extend Chatham’s lead to four runs. Pruitt then reached on an infield single before Howe pummelled a fly ball into a similar spot beyond the wall in left-center.
“Just score however we can score,” Cook said.
”The offense did a good job, so I'm proud of it.”
Out of nowhere, Chatham had a 7-1 lead. Cervantes made it impossible for Y-D to catch up. He punched out two more batters in a scoreless fifth, then went back out for the sixth. He induced a soft ground ball back to the mound, then a flyout to put two early outs on the board.
Goodin then roped a triple off the wall in right, but the A’s stuck with Cervantes. He couldn’t reward the decision, as Mateo Serna (Alabama) roped a single off the center field wall to plate Goodin. Wyatt Nadeau (Vanderbilt) relieved him, and Cervantes ended his outing with 5.2 two-run innings, five hits and seven punchouts.
Chatham punctuated the win in the seventh. Marshall singled up the middle before Hovater blasted a ball off the wall in center to put two in scoring position with no outs. Pruitt dribbled a ground ball along the first base line, which scored Marshall. Howe then roped a single into right to add a ninth run for the A’s. Even after Y-D put three runs across in the ninth, the A’s offensive output was more than enough.
As he stood outside his dugout postgame, Cook discussed what separates the good teams from the contenders in the CCBL. Pitching, he said, is the big one. Having the bats hot is a plus, too. But momentum is another animal.
“That's the secret, is who's hot at the end,” Cook said. “A lot of times, that's the way it works out.”
If that’s the case, that’s a good sign for Chatham.
