The Anglers are in the midst of their hottest stretch of the season — winners of eight of their last nine games. And with the playoffs starting in less than a week, the first place A’s are the frontrunners for the top seed in the East Division. On Saturday, they’ll face Cotuit for the final time this season. 

In its last game, Cotuit broke a recent slump with a 6-1 win over Wareham. Its pitching staff allowed just three hits, but the Kettleers recorded three errors.

For Chatham, Friday was an extension of their latest win streak, which moved to four games after a 6-2 win over Bourne at Doran Park. The A’s scored four runs in the top of the first and pitchers Ty Madden (Texas) and Jack Owen (Auburn) each allowed a run in four innings of work each.

The Anglers secondary hitters led the way, most notably Tyler Doanes (West Virginia) and Charlie Welch (St. Johns River State College) who had three hits each. The victory is the Anglers last road trip against a West Division opponent.

“Until those guys who are banged up are healthy, we’re going to play these guys on the bench to try and put this thing away as quick as we can,” manager Tom Holliday said on Friday.

Probable pitchers

Daniel Federman (Miami) will get the start for Chatham. After he allowed four runs in his first outing, the right-hander has been one of Chatham’s most consistent starters. In his last two starts, he’s allowed eight hits in 11 innings, striking out 10 batters while allowing just three runs. After Friday’s game, Holliday said he's in a great position with his pitching staff after just two pitchers were needed to throw nine innings.

Jackson Wolf (West Virginia) is expected to start for the Kettleers. Wolf comes into Saturday with a 2.77 ERA in six appearances and 21 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. This will be the third time Wolf faces Chatham. His first outing, he allowed two earned runs in 5.2 innings and picked up a loss. In the second, the lefty allowed three scores, two earned in three frames. 

Player to watch

Tyler Doanes (West Virginia) is coming off a three-hit night at Bourne and Saturday’s starter is his college teammate. He’s faced Wolf before this season, but his familiarity with the opposing pitcher, on top of his recent hot stretch, could be the difference. Doanes is hitting .250 in 64 at-bats this season.

Stat to know — 3

Saturday will be the third time Chatham will face Jackson Wolf (West Virginia) this season. In his first start, he went 5.2 innings against the A’s. But most recently on July 6, he allowed three runs in three innings, including two that were earned. Wolf is the only pitcher Chatham has faced three times this season.

Last time they played

The A’s defeated Cotuit in their last matchup on July 6, 5-3. Chatham scored three runs off Wolf and added a fourth in the fourth inning. The A's added an insurance run and Zach Cable (Oklahoma State) threw four shutout innings in relief to get the win.