Chatham, Mass. — With eight games remaining in the CCBL regular season, the Chatham Anglers look to keep their playoff hopes alive by squaring off with division opponents six more times before the summer’s end. In order for Chatham to make the playoffs, they must overtake a Brewster Whitecaps team that holds a game and a half advantage over the Anglers for the East’s final playoff spot. Chatham begins its first of four consecutive division games when they head to Yarmouth-Dennis tonight at 5 p.m. for a date with the Red Sox.

The Anglers (13-22-1) come into the contest on a three-game losing streak after being handed a disappointing 3-0 loss by the Hyannis Harbor Hawks on Sunday night. Last week, Chatham looked to be returning to its June form after winning two straight one-run games before stumbling against Wareham, Brewster, and then Hyannis.

Y-D (23-13) has put together a rather impressive campaign this summer, after beginning the season at 0-5. After defeating Harwich 3-0 on Sunday, the Red Sox now own a two-point lead over the Mariners for the top team in the East Division and look to widen that gap down the regular season’s final stretch. Scott Pickler’s squad looks to continue its recent hot streak – where the Red Sox have gone 8-2 in the past ten games – with three division matchups in its next four games.

At the Plate: With the departure of Patrick Mathis, the Anglers have now lost one of their greatest sources of offensive production. In his time with Chatham, the Texas product accounted for 23 total runs – eight scored, 15 driven in – while leading the Anglers with 4 homeruns and 23 hits.    

However, Mathis’s roommate, DJ Artis, still resides in Chatham and is still finding ways to spearhead the Anglers’ offense. In the last week, Artis has batted .429 thanks to six hits in 14 at-bats. In that four-game span, Artis has scored once, driven in two runs, and roped two doubles. The Freshman All-American is a Liberty Flame and currently enters tonight’s contest on fire, riding a five-game hit streak and a seven-game on base streak.

On the season Artis has scored 13 runs and has recorded 25 hits – both team highs for Chatham. The speedy lefty is also second on the team with 10 RBIs and 17 walks.

A recent pickup by the Red Sox, Korby Batesole has recorded four hits in his first three games as a member of a heavy-hitting Y-D team. After making a lone plate appearance against Hyannis on July 20, Batesole got his first start for the Red Sox the following night in Cotuit. In that contest, the Fresno State junior went 3-for-5, with a double, and two runs scored in Y-D’s 12-2 win. Batesole also reached base on a hit by pitch.

On the Rubber: Lincoln Henzman (1-2) takes the ball for John Schiffner’s Anglers, looking to become the first of the current A’s starters to reach two wins this summer. Henzman has pitched before at Red Wilson Field, in his CCBL debut back on June 22 – the last time Chatham won on the road. In that contest, Henzman was quick and effective, retiring all three batters he faced on eleven pitches in a lone inning of work.

Since becoming a starter for the Anglers back on July 4, Henzman has gone 1-1, allowing eight earned runs in 16 and two-thirds innings. The Louisville right-hander currently sports a 6.28 ERA, however that number is largely inflated due to a five-run outing in an inning and two-thirds against Hyannis on June 26.  

The Red Sox will send TCU sophomore Jared Janczak (0-1) to the bump tonight as the righty looks to rebound from a tough outing against Harwich on July 17. In that contest, Janczak was shelled, giving up seven runs on ten hits in three innings and taking the loss.

In his only other start for Y-D, Janczak tossed a two-hit gem across five innings against Bourne, but did not factor into the decision as the Braves rallied, winning the game thanks to a two-run eighth inning. In nine innings of work this summer, Janczak has allowed seven runs on 12 hits and has struck out six.

Down the Road: Chatham duels with Harwich at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Veterans Field before a day off on Thursday. The following day, the Anglers head to Whitehouse Field as they square off in the second of back-to-back games with the Mariners.