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Chatham squanders Chatterton’s gem, loses 1-0 to Y-D in Game 2 of EDS
CHATHAM, Mass. — Angel Cervantes set the bar incredibly high, as the UCLA righty has all summer. That’s why he received Chatham’s Ed Baird Most Outstanding Pitcher award, and the Cape Cod Baseball League’s B.F.C. Whitehouse Pitcher of the Year award. Whether it’s the league-leading 1.05 regular season earned run average, or the league-leading .170 regular season batting average against, he just shoves. It’s what he does.
Cervantes was certainly up for the task in his playoff debut Tuesday, tossing 5.2 two-run innings to steer Chatham to its 9-5 victory over Yarmouth-Dennis in Game 1 of the East Divisional Series at Red Wilson Field. On Wednesday, in a potential series-clincher for Chatham, it was Christian Chatterton’s turn to one-up him.
And the Auburn righty did just that. Making his Cape League playoff debut in front of a Veterans Field crowd of 4,712 fans, Chatterton tossed five no-hit innings and allowed two baserunners to give the Anglers every chance at a victory over Yarmouth-Dennis in Game 2 of the East Divisional Series. But the A’s (1-1, East) couldn’t keep up late in their 1-0 loss to the Red Sox (1-1, East) at Veterans Field, sending the series to a Game 3 at Red Wilson Field.
“He did great,” A’s manager Dennis Cook said of Chatterton’s performance. “Just what we expected he would do.”
Unfortunately for Chatham, Brock Ketelsen (Stanford) was ready to match him. The Red Sox starter didn’t toss a no-hit bid — he gave up two in 5.2 innings of work — but with nine strikeouts and zero runs allowed, his start might’ve been just as good as Chatterton’s.
“Sometimes, you just gotta tip your hat to the other team, pitching-wise,” Cook said.
The scoreless first inning was just a preview of the pitcher’s duel to come. Chatterton got two flyouts and a strikeout in the second, Ketelsen answered by working around a single with a strikeout and a groundout double play. Chatterton began the third with two groundouts and a flyout, Ketelsen responded by striking out the side.
It was a staring contest. Neither one wanted to be the first one to blink.
Ketelsen allowed just one baserunner through three innings, striking out six Anglers in his first trip through the order. Chatterton didn’t allow anyone to reach until the top of the fourth, when he walked Phoenix Call (UCLA). In the bottom of that frame, Ketelsen gave up a single to Bino Watters (LSU), but the inning ended with Chatham’s outfielder getting picked off.
Chatterton came back out for the fifth, and the only baserunner he gave up was a one-out walk to Reid Howard (Virginia). Five innings down, zero hits allowed for the Anglers’ starter. Ketelsen returned for the fifth, and an Aidan Eshelman (UTSA) walk was the lone blemish on his frame.
When the top of the sixth came, Justice de Jong (NC State) began the inning for Chatham. But he was soon replaced by lefty reliever Kyle England (Houston), who held Y-D scoreless.
Ketelsen began the sixth, unlike Chatterton, but Peyton Rodgers (UC Irvine) replaced him after two flyouts. The righty had been Y-D’s best reliever all summer, finishing the regular season with a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings, and he continued his dominance into the postseason by ending the inning with a Palmese groundout.
“The last guy was really good with the off-speed stuff,” Cook said, referring to Rodgers. “And he had enough on his fastball to get us.”
The duel that began with Chatterton and Ketelsen was soon contested between England and Rodgers, and the two relievers were just as steadfast in their commitment to this scoreless deadlock as their predecessors. They both retired the side in the seventh.
And the top of the eighth began just as the top of the seventh did for England: an out. But with Ryder Robinson (BYU) coming up to bat, Cook opted to replace him for Ty Thames (Rice).
“He ran out of gas a little quicker than we wanted,” Cook said of England. “But he did good.”
Cook said that Robinson, a switch-hitter, hits better against lefties than righties, which also motivated the switch. Robinson finished the regular season with a .375 batting average in eight at bats against lefties, and a .333 batting average in 27 at bats against righties.
That move, unlike the previous switch from de Jong to England, didn’t work out as well for Cook. Robinson sent the second strike Thames threw over the right-field fence.
For the first time in eight innings, a team had a lead. And it was Yarmouth-Dennis.
Y-D manager Scott Pickler stuck with Rodgers through the eighth, and his trusted reliever rewarded him by striking out the side. Cook stuck with Thames through the ninth, and he worked around a Kevin Takeuchi (USC) double to keep Chatham’s deficit at just one run.
Chatham All-Star Rob Rispoli (UConn), making his first appearance since July 23, entered the game to pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth. He warmed up to the soundtrack of “Let’s go Anglers, let’s go!” chants ringing out among the crowd of A’s fans, which hadn’t thinned much from the nearly 5,000 that was there to begin the contest.
Then, Rispoli struck out, and Tyler Howe (North Carolina) — fresh off a three-hit, three-RBI performance in Game 1 — came up as the tying run. He worked a full count off Rodgers, who was entering his third inning of work.
But if he was tired, it didn’t show. Rodgers struck out Howe, just as he had done to the six Anglers before him, and ended the game by getting Palmese to ground out and sending the series to a winner-take-all Game 3.
Cook’s not too worried about his offense. Why would he be? They just had a 14-hit, nine-run performance in Game 1. Sometimes, he says, you just have to tip your cap to the other team, and Wednesday was one of those nights. Thus, his message to the team is simple:
“Go eat a good supper, get a good night's sleep, and we'll go play baseball tomorrow.”
Cervantes was certainly up for the task in his playoff debut Tuesday, tossing 5.2 two-run innings to steer Chatham to its 9-5 victory over Yarmouth-Dennis in Game 1 of the East Divisional Series at Red Wilson Field. On Wednesday, in a potential series-clincher for Chatham, it was Christian Chatterton’s turn to one-up him.
And the Auburn righty did just that. Making his Cape League playoff debut in front of a Veterans Field crowd of 4,712 fans, Chatterton tossed five no-hit innings and allowed two baserunners to give the Anglers every chance at a victory over Yarmouth-Dennis in Game 2 of the East Divisional Series. But the A’s (1-1, East) couldn’t keep up late in their 1-0 loss to the Red Sox (1-1, East) at Veterans Field, sending the series to a Game 3 at Red Wilson Field.
“He did great,” A’s manager Dennis Cook said of Chatterton’s performance. “Just what we expected he would do.”
Unfortunately for Chatham, Brock Ketelsen (Stanford) was ready to match him. The Red Sox starter didn’t toss a no-hit bid — he gave up two in 5.2 innings of work — but with nine strikeouts and zero runs allowed, his start might’ve been just as good as Chatterton’s.
“Sometimes, you just gotta tip your hat to the other team, pitching-wise,” Cook said.
The scoreless first inning was just a preview of the pitcher’s duel to come. Chatterton got two flyouts and a strikeout in the second, Ketelsen answered by working around a single with a strikeout and a groundout double play. Chatterton began the third with two groundouts and a flyout, Ketelsen responded by striking out the side.
It was a staring contest. Neither one wanted to be the first one to blink.
Ketelsen allowed just one baserunner through three innings, striking out six Anglers in his first trip through the order. Chatterton didn’t allow anyone to reach until the top of the fourth, when he walked Phoenix Call (UCLA). In the bottom of that frame, Ketelsen gave up a single to Bino Watters (LSU), but the inning ended with Chatham’s outfielder getting picked off.
Chatterton came back out for the fifth, and the only baserunner he gave up was a one-out walk to Reid Howard (Virginia). Five innings down, zero hits allowed for the Anglers’ starter. Ketelsen returned for the fifth, and an Aidan Eshelman (UTSA) walk was the lone blemish on his frame.
When the top of the sixth came, Justice de Jong (NC State) began the inning for Chatham. But he was soon replaced by lefty reliever Kyle England (Houston), who held Y-D scoreless.
Ketelsen began the sixth, unlike Chatterton, but Peyton Rodgers (UC Irvine) replaced him after two flyouts. The righty had been Y-D’s best reliever all summer, finishing the regular season with a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings, and he continued his dominance into the postseason by ending the inning with a Palmese groundout.
“The last guy was really good with the off-speed stuff,” Cook said, referring to Rodgers. “And he had enough on his fastball to get us.”
The duel that began with Chatterton and Ketelsen was soon contested between England and Rodgers, and the two relievers were just as steadfast in their commitment to this scoreless deadlock as their predecessors. They both retired the side in the seventh.
And the top of the eighth began just as the top of the seventh did for England: an out. But with Ryder Robinson (BYU) coming up to bat, Cook opted to replace him for Ty Thames (Rice).
“He ran out of gas a little quicker than we wanted,” Cook said of England. “But he did good.”
Cook said that Robinson, a switch-hitter, hits better against lefties than righties, which also motivated the switch. Robinson finished the regular season with a .375 batting average in eight at bats against lefties, and a .333 batting average in 27 at bats against righties.
That move, unlike the previous switch from de Jong to England, didn’t work out as well for Cook. Robinson sent the second strike Thames threw over the right-field fence.
For the first time in eight innings, a team had a lead. And it was Yarmouth-Dennis.
Y-D manager Scott Pickler stuck with Rodgers through the eighth, and his trusted reliever rewarded him by striking out the side. Cook stuck with Thames through the ninth, and he worked around a Kevin Takeuchi (USC) double to keep Chatham’s deficit at just one run.
Chatham All-Star Rob Rispoli (UConn), making his first appearance since July 23, entered the game to pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth. He warmed up to the soundtrack of “Let’s go Anglers, let’s go!” chants ringing out among the crowd of A’s fans, which hadn’t thinned much from the nearly 5,000 that was there to begin the contest.
Then, Rispoli struck out, and Tyler Howe (North Carolina) — fresh off a three-hit, three-RBI performance in Game 1 — came up as the tying run. He worked a full count off Rodgers, who was entering his third inning of work.
But if he was tired, it didn’t show. Rodgers struck out Howe, just as he had done to the six Anglers before him, and ended the game by getting Palmese to ground out and sending the series to a winner-take-all Game 3.
Cook’s not too worried about his offense. Why would he be? They just had a 14-hit, nine-run performance in Game 1. Sometimes, he says, you just have to tip your cap to the other team, and Wednesday was one of those nights. Thus, his message to the team is simple:
“Go eat a good supper, get a good night's sleep, and we'll go play baseball tomorrow.”
