CHATHAM, Mass. – The Chatham hitters and coaches have been working together over the past weeks. On game days and off days alike, groups could be seen on the Veterans Field infield taking small steps towards improving their swings. They eliminated excessive motion. They became more direct to the ball. They stayed inside of themselves and worked on hitting line drives.

At first, breaking old habbits was difficult. But the hitters and coaches stayed at it, and the results of late speak for themselves.

Nick Sciortino was one of three Anglers with two RBIs Wednesday. 

“The hitters have really responded to [the coaches] and bought into what they’re talking about,” said Manager John Schiffner. “It’s been fun to watch.” 

Chatham batters demonstrated their improved swings again in a 13-6 victory over Wareham at Veterans Field Wednesday night. The Anglers have now won four of their last five, and the offense has led the way. They have scored 35 runs (averaging seven per game) over the period, including three games in which they put up at least nine runs.

“The swings up there are so much better it’s unbelievable,” said Schiffner. “I can’t pay enough compliments to the hitting guys—[Coaches] Mike [Miller], Aaron [Reza], and Travis [Beausoleil].”

Every Angler in the starting lineup reached at least once in Chatham’s latest offensive explosion against Wareham (11-13), and 21 total Chatham baserunners took to the base paths. The Anglers put up all 13 runs without use of a homerun; they did it in a far more impressive way—repeated excellence in situational hitting.  

“We did what we’ve been doing the last week or so,” said Schiffner. “Timely hitting and good swings going along with excellent pitching and good defense.”

Nick Sciortino (Boston College) got the scoring started with a two-run frozen rope that dented the right-field wall in the bottom of the second, and the Anglers (14-11) never looked back.

Chatham went on to notch five runs in that bottom of the second before adding one in the third and seven in the fourth. Trenton Brooks (Nevada) had four hits and joined Luke Persico (UCLA) and Nick Sciortino as players with two RBIs.

“I was just trying to go up there and get good pitches to hit,” said Brooks, who joined Bourne’s Nick Solak (Louisville) as the second Cape League player to record four hits in a game. “I was lucky enough to have a few runners in scoring position as well.”

Todd Czinege (Villanova) and Jake Fraley (Louisiana State) each added three hits of their own, while Will Craig (Wake Forest), Cory Raley (Texas Tech), and Aaron Knapp (California) each drew two walks.

“Having a summer under my belt up here has been a really big help for me,” said Fraley, who is a second-year Angler. “Last year I didn’t know what to expect, but having that experience has helped me a lot and allowed me to simplify things.”

Chatham starter Ty Damron (Texas Tech) appreciated the run support, but he did not require nearly as much scoring as his teammates gave him. The left-handed Texan struck out four over six innings of one-run ball. He surrendered a meager four baserunners on the night.

“Damron threw very, very well,” said Schiffner. “He threw strikes and kept them off-stride.”

He was succeeded by C.J Burdick (San Diego), who struck out two in as many scoreless innings.

“That’s two outings in a row [Burdick] has done an excellent job,” said Schiffner. “That just makes us a better pitching staff when he’s throwing well.”

Jeff Paschke (Southern California) started a muddy ninth inning. A small downpour opened up making for some messy baseball, and at one point a group of Chatham players and coaches had to come out to spread more surface on the field. Paschke got the first two outs before James Mulry (Northeastern) came on to get the final out.

The Anglers next travel to Brewster (12-12) to take on the Whitecaps 5 p.m. Friday. A.J. Puckett (Pepperdine) is expected to get the get the ball for the Anglers. The right-hander from California has 6 strikeouts to 3 walks and a 3.52 ERA through his first two go rounds on the Cape. His likely Whitecap adversary is Jordan Sheffield (Vanderbilt). The Commodore righty has only thrown one inning on the summer. He gave up one run and struck out one batter in that frame.