Chatham scratched at the surface of the breakthrough it’s needed since an opening-night win in Orleans, but timely hits were at a premium in the first game of a doubleheader against Cotuit on Sunday. 

The Anglers (1-3) dropped game one 4-1 to the Kettleers, missing opportunities both early and late in the seven-inning game. Chatham did snap an 18-inning scoreless streak that started in a loss to Wareham on Thursday night, but was unable to muster enough offensive and dropped its third straight home game. 

Tanner Scott (Howard) started for the Anglers and received the loss after throwing four innings and giving up two unearned runs and just one hit, also finishing with six strikeouts while walking four. Adam Whitt earned the win for Cotuit throwing two scoreless innings in relief to close out the game. 

Cotuit leadoff hitter Caleb Whalen reached on an error by Garrett Hampson (Long Beach State) with one out in the top of the third, and thus started a one-hit rally that plated the game’s winning runs. Scott walked Jameson Fisher to put two on, and catcher Casey Schroeder singled in a run before later scoring on a wild pitch. 

Scott was impressive when controlling his overpowering fastball, striking out five hitters in the first two frames and one more in the third. He also fielded his position well, knocking down a would-have-been RBI single in the third and starting a double play to end his day in the fourth. 

Cotuit manager Mike Roberts — the father of former Chatham infielder and current New York Yankee Brian Roberts — kept the Anglers on their toes, calling a host of steals, hit and runs and safety squeezes. The aggressive base running paid off in the Kettleers’ two-run third inning, which were all the runs they’d need in the game. 

Chatham’s fifth-inning rally only amounted to one run and was the closest it would come to a comeback. Singles by Hampson and A.J. Murray and a walk to Chris Shaw (Boston College) loaded the bases, but Matt Peters (California-Pennsylvania) grounded out to first after Patrick Mazeika (Stetson) brought home a run with a fielder’s choice. 

The Kettleers added two more runs in the top of the fifth and seventh, and the Anglers went down in order in their last two at-bats to drop the first of the two-game set.