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EDS Game 2 Preview: Chatham vs. Yarmouth-Dennis
CHATHAM, Mass. — The stakes couldn’t be clearer. Chatham now stands just one game away from its first playoff series win since 2018.
The Anglers, entering the postseason as the East Division’s No. 4 seed, dominated No. 1 seeded Yarmouth-Dennis start-to-finish in Game 1 of the East Division Series at Red Wilson Field. Chatham’s offense ignited for three home runs and five extra-base hits Tuesday, securing its first playoff victory in eight years.
Now, after that 9-5 victory, the Anglers return to action Wednesday with a chance to finish an East Division Series sweep at Veterans Field.
Here’s everything to know before Chatham (1-0, East) plays Game 2 of the East Division Series against Yarmouth-Dennis (0-1, East) Sunday afternoon.
In this potential series-clincher, Christian Chatterton (Auburn) will be the man on the mound to open the game for Chatham. Chatterton became one of the Anglers’ best starters down the stretch, ending his regular season with a 3.78 earned run average in 16.2 innings pitched. The last time he faced Yarmouth-Dennis was July 24, a 9-1 victory for the A’s where he tossed 12 strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work. He’ll look to repeat that performance Wednesday.
In a win-or-go-home game, Brock Ketelsen (Stanford) will start for Yarmouth-Dennis. Ketelsen started in the outfield for the Red Sox Tuesday, but he’s been one of the more efficient two-way players in the CCBL this summer. On the mound, he’s tossed 18.2 innings and allowed five earned runs, good for a 2.41 earned run average. Tuesday’s game will be his third start of the summer.
Reid Howard (Virginia) didn’t hit a homer this past spring at Western Kentucky, and he hadn’t hit a homer through 22 regular season games for Y-D this summer, either. But in his Cape League playoff debut, Howard crushed a homer to left-center field off of Angel Cervantes (UCLA) to break Yarmouth-Dennis’ shutout. He was also the only Y-D player to have multiple hits against the Anglers Tuesday.
Jayce Tharnish (Kentucky) didn’t have the best reintroduction to the Cape League playoffs Tuesday, but Y-D’s leadoff hitter was still able to reach base. He hit a ground ball single to second in the bottom of the first, beating out Cam Pruitt’s throw to give the Red Sox an early baserunner. The rest of the game wasn’t as productive for him, but Tharnish is a two-year Y-D veteran who hit .315 in 2025 and .300 this past regular season. He’ll be key in Y-D’s offense.
In a playoff win where everyone was hitting well for Chatham, Tyler Howe (North Carolina) was hitting exceptionally well for Chatham. The A’s first baseman had three hits in five at bats against the Red Sox, and he crushed his first homer of the summer over the center field fence to extend Chatham’s lead to 7-1. His three runs batted in were the most of any Angler Tuesday, and he’ll be looking to ride that momentum into Veterans Field Wednesday.
But Howe wasn’t the only Angler who stood out Tuesday. Harlin Hovater (Mississippi State) also had a three-hit day and a homer against the Red Sox, and that blast — his third of the summer — brought Chatham’s lead up to 5-1. He nearly hit for the cycle as well, notching a single, homer and double before striking out in his final at bat.
That’s how many hits Chatham racked up against Yarmouth-Dennis: 14.
There’s a lot of statistics that are indicative of a team’s offensive performance. Runs scored is a simple one, and Chatham’s tally of nine was certainly good last night. Extra-base hits are another, and the A’s mark of five was particularly good as well. Home runs are a third, and the Anglers had three of them last night.
But teams could conceivably lose games with three homers, or nine runs, or five extra-base hits. It’s awfully difficult to lose a game when you get 14 hits, and Chatham will hope to continue that offensive success against Y-D Wednesday.
If it wasn’t clear enough, Chatham was dominant in Game 1 of its East Division Series against Yarmouth-Dennis. Cervantes got the A’s started on the bump, and he threw a season-high 5.2 innings of two-run ball, striking out seven.
The offense took it from there. Chatham blasted three homers — courtesy of Armani Guzman (West Virginia), Hovater and Howe — and saw four hitters put up three-hit games. Outside of the aforementioned stars in Howe and Hovater, Bino Watters (LSU) and Eddie Marshall (Florida) also each had three hits against the Red Sox. With Cervantes’ strong start, that was all the offense that Chatham needed to secure its 9-5 win over Yarmouth-Dennis.
The Anglers, entering the postseason as the East Division’s No. 4 seed, dominated No. 1 seeded Yarmouth-Dennis start-to-finish in Game 1 of the East Division Series at Red Wilson Field. Chatham’s offense ignited for three home runs and five extra-base hits Tuesday, securing its first playoff victory in eight years.
Now, after that 9-5 victory, the Anglers return to action Wednesday with a chance to finish an East Division Series sweep at Veterans Field.
Here’s everything to know before Chatham (1-0, East) plays Game 2 of the East Division Series against Yarmouth-Dennis (0-1, East) Sunday afternoon.
Probable Starters
In this potential series-clincher, Christian Chatterton (Auburn) will be the man on the mound to open the game for Chatham. Chatterton became one of the Anglers’ best starters down the stretch, ending his regular season with a 3.78 earned run average in 16.2 innings pitched. The last time he faced Yarmouth-Dennis was July 24, a 9-1 victory for the A’s where he tossed 12 strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work. He’ll look to repeat that performance Wednesday.
In a win-or-go-home game, Brock Ketelsen (Stanford) will start for Yarmouth-Dennis. Ketelsen started in the outfield for the Red Sox Tuesday, but he’s been one of the more efficient two-way players in the CCBL this summer. On the mound, he’s tossed 18.2 innings and allowed five earned runs, good for a 2.41 earned run average. Tuesday’s game will be his third start of the summer.
Yarmouth-Dennis Players To Watch
Reid Howard (Virginia) didn’t hit a homer this past spring at Western Kentucky, and he hadn’t hit a homer through 22 regular season games for Y-D this summer, either. But in his Cape League playoff debut, Howard crushed a homer to left-center field off of Angel Cervantes (UCLA) to break Yarmouth-Dennis’ shutout. He was also the only Y-D player to have multiple hits against the Anglers Tuesday.
Jayce Tharnish (Kentucky) didn’t have the best reintroduction to the Cape League playoffs Tuesday, but Y-D’s leadoff hitter was still able to reach base. He hit a ground ball single to second in the bottom of the first, beating out Cam Pruitt’s throw to give the Red Sox an early baserunner. The rest of the game wasn’t as productive for him, but Tharnish is a two-year Y-D veteran who hit .315 in 2025 and .300 this past regular season. He’ll be key in Y-D’s offense.
Chatham Players To Watch
In a playoff win where everyone was hitting well for Chatham, Tyler Howe (North Carolina) was hitting exceptionally well for Chatham. The A’s first baseman had three hits in five at bats against the Red Sox, and he crushed his first homer of the summer over the center field fence to extend Chatham’s lead to 7-1. His three runs batted in were the most of any Angler Tuesday, and he’ll be looking to ride that momentum into Veterans Field Wednesday.
But Howe wasn’t the only Angler who stood out Tuesday. Harlin Hovater (Mississippi State) also had a three-hit day and a homer against the Red Sox, and that blast — his third of the summer — brought Chatham’s lead up to 5-1. He nearly hit for the cycle as well, notching a single, homer and double before striking out in his final at bat.
Number To Know: 14
That’s how many hits Chatham racked up against Yarmouth-Dennis: 14.
There’s a lot of statistics that are indicative of a team’s offensive performance. Runs scored is a simple one, and Chatham’s tally of nine was certainly good last night. Extra-base hits are another, and the A’s mark of five was particularly good as well. Home runs are a third, and the Anglers had three of them last night.
But teams could conceivably lose games with three homers, or nine runs, or five extra-base hits. It’s awfully difficult to lose a game when you get 14 hits, and Chatham will hope to continue that offensive success against Y-D Wednesday.
Last Time They Played
If it wasn’t clear enough, Chatham was dominant in Game 1 of its East Division Series against Yarmouth-Dennis. Cervantes got the A’s started on the bump, and he threw a season-high 5.2 innings of two-run ball, striking out seven.
The offense took it from there. Chatham blasted three homers — courtesy of Armani Guzman (West Virginia), Hovater and Howe — and saw four hitters put up three-hit games. Outside of the aforementioned stars in Howe and Hovater, Bino Watters (LSU) and Eddie Marshall (Florida) also each had three hits against the Red Sox. With Cervantes’ strong start, that was all the offense that Chatham needed to secure its 9-5 win over Yarmouth-Dennis.
