After a summer in which he ranked among the Cape League's leaders in strikeouts for the Y-D Red Sox, Baylor's Sean Tolleson had a difficult spring. The redshirt sophomore struggled at times, and joined the Anglers looking to regain his 2008 form. If Sunday's performance in Brewster is any indication, that form is not far off, as Tolleson fired seven innings of one-hit ball, lifting Chatham to a 3-0 win over the Whitecaps. Tolleson and Brewster starter Matt Lujan (San Francisco) locked horns early, but it was the Anglers who were on the board first. Whit Merrifield (South Carolina) walked in the top of the third, stole second, and moved to third on Tom Belza's groundout. With fellow Gamecock Parker Bangs at the plate, Lujan's pitch got through the legs of Whitecaps catcher Bryan Holliday. Merrifield didn't hesitate, dashing home from third with the game's first run.
New Whitecaps manager Tom Myers went to his bullpen in the sixth. Stanford's Danny Linebrink gave up a single to Tom Belza on the first pitch of the inning. Parker Bangs followed with a walk, and after Matt Duffy was called out on strikes, Dean Green singled down the right field line, scoring Belza, and giving the Anglers a 2-0 lead. Tolleson continued his dominance, throwing just 73 pitches over seven innings, and not allowing a hit until the fifth inning. The righthander struck out seven and walked only two before giving way to Fordham's Pete Kennelly in the eighth. Kennelly, a recent draft pick of the Minnesota Twins, came to the mound with a 3-0 lead, after Brian Harris drove in George Carroll with an RBI single. That was all the offense Chatham needed, as Kennelly, pitching in his first game since the spring of 2008 due to Tommy John surgery, allowed just one runner to reach base while striking out four batters.
Notes
With the win, Chatham opens the season 2-0 for the first time since 2004...
Anglers manager John Schiffner returned to the dugout after missing the season's first two games for medical reasons.
Box Score
WP- Tolleson (1-0) LP- Lujan (0-1) SV- Kennelly (1)
Next Game
The Anglers look to open the season 3-0 on Monday when they head to Red Wilson Field to take on the Y-D Red Sox. Pitt-Johnston's Kaleb Fleck will start for the Anglers, with the gametime scheduled for 5:00. Full audio coverage begins with the Anglers Extra Pregame Show at 4:40 on chathamanglers.com.
Live Audio
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