Chatham, Mass. — The Anglers (21-22) close out the regular season against the Orleans Firebirds (28-15) at Veterans Field tonight.

Following Wednesday’s road loss to the Firebirds, a victory tonight and a Brewster (20-21-2) loss will propel the Anglers past the Whitecaps for third place in East Division standings. The teams are currently tied for the third seat.

Last night, a ninth inning duel left the Anglers at a 3-2 loss to the Firebirds.

Left fielder Jake Palomaki (Boston College) tied the game in the top of ninth, plating right fielder Kyle Baker (Delaware) on a two-out single.

But Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) answered in the bottom of the ninth, knocking in a run on a single to claim the victory for Orleans.

“We need to get more men on base,” manager John Schiffner said. “We did pretty well considering the pitchers we saw, but we need to get more base runners.”

Shortstop Jeremy Peña (Maine) hit a solo home run over the right field fence in the third, giving Chatham an early edge.

On the mound, starter Jacob Stevens (Boston College) shut the Firebirds down, striking out two over four scoreless frames.

Rodney Hutchison Jr. (North Carolina) also kept a blank slate over two innings of relief, stepping in for Dan Metzdorf (Boston College) in the sixth. Adam Wolf (Louisville) took the field in the final stanza.

Joe Lienhard (Oklahoma State) will take the mound for Chatham tonight. Lienhard most recently took the team’s 4-2 victory over Falmouth (23-19-1) July 27, dealing six strikeouts over five scoreless innings.

Playoffs begin Saturday. Opponents and location are to be determined depending on results around the league tonight.

“[We’re] just trying to do it for Schiff, he’s been so great,” Palomaki said. “We’re going to try to put one more run together for him, and see if we can put him out on a high note.”

First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The Anglers Extra Pregame Show begins at 6:40 p.m. — listen here: http://bit.ly/ChathamBroadcasts