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Early offense, Helsel’s gem carries Chatham to 7-3 win over Brewster
Will Bermudez bore an ear-to-ear grin as he jogged to first base, not flashing a typical expression for someone whose right ankle was just nailed by a fastball.
Chatham’s lead-off man was hit by two pitches in two at-bats across the first two innings against Brewster. He got beaned a third time in the eighth inning, too. But his second HBP was the most productive one. It came with the bases loaded.
“Honestly, I was just happy I didn’t hit into a double play,” Bermudez said postgame. “If a hit by pitch is what it takes, then that’s what it takes.”
Once he got to first base, Bermudez (UC Irvine) smiled and chuckled fresh off garnering an RBI. Yet the pain in his ankle became the perfect remedy for the A’s three-game losing skid. He came around to score the Anglers’ fourth and final run of the second inning just a few batters later. In between his hit-by-pitch and crossing home on an Ike Irish (Auburn) RBI fielder’s choice, Ashton Larson (LSU) laced a two-RBI single to right field.
The gaudy inning against Brewster starter Will Ray proved to be crucial for Chatham. It held a 5-0 lead early, setting the stage for its third straight win over the Whitecaps.
Chatham (16-14, East) toppled Brewster (12-17-1, East) 7-3 Sunday at Stony Brook Field, a resurgent response to suffering three consecutive losses entering the game. The win featured an Anglers side that piled runs early and let Garrett Helsel’s (SIU Edwardsville) 10-strikeout, 6.1-inning start propel them to victory.
The A’s now boast a 3.5-game advantage over Brewster as the No. 2 seed in the East Division, while also holding a 3-1 record against the Whitecaps in 2024.
Offensive production commenced in the top of the first for Chatham. It put runners on first and second base after Bermudez was hit in the right leg by a Ray pitch and Larson drilled a single up the middle. Irish flew out to advance Bermudez to third, leaving Chayton Krauss (Dallas Baptist) to drive Bermudez home via a sacrifice fly to the center-field warning track.
The run gave Helsel a 1-0 cushion in his first-ever CCBL appearance. Helsel, a 6-foot-5 left-hander, joined the club two days prior. He shined early, K’ing Brewster lead-off hitter Kaeden Kent en route to a one-two-three first inning.
Helsel coughed up a run in the bottom of the second inning courtesy of an RBI single by Drew Faurot. Though, that wasn’t before the Anglers plated four in the top half. Chatham failed to reach the five-run mark until at least the ninth inning in each of its previous two games. Sunday, however, a 5-1 lead through two frames brought that trend to a close.
“When you put a crooked number up on the board, it always feels good,” Bermudez said.
Ray, who normally comes out of the bullpen, struggled to find consistent location against the Anglers’ lineup. His afternoon finished after just two innings. All five of Ray’s runs were earned, and he never registered a strikeout.
Helsel, meanwhile, racked up six Ks in his first four frames. His fastball hummed into the corners of the strike zone. His poise was palpable, even with it being his Chatham debut. A lineup littered with home-run threats had trouble creating clean connections off the bat.
“It’s a heck of a debut,” Chatham manager Jeremy “Sheets” Sheetinger said of Helsel. “To walk in this league and pitch with the confidence that he has is huge. We could feel that when he walked in the dugout the other day.”
Ashton Larson slides head first into second base during Chatham's 7-3 win over Brewster. Larson recorded in four RBIs in the Anglers' victory. / Photograph by Ella Tovey
It was a much-needed change of pace for the Anglers. Their last three affairs contained similar outcomes not just in score, but in the games’ sequence.
A July 18 battle against Cotuit saw starter Chance Cox (Austin Peay) give up a three-run homer in the fourth inning to Tyler Cerny, which caused the Kettleers’ offense to break open and down the A’s 8-5. The following day saw a tough outing for Anglers’ starter Quinn Holt (Austin Peay) and no offensive relief in a 6-0 loss to Hyannis. Another loss to Cotuit capped off Chatham’s three-game skid as a lopsided 11-5 defeat provided the same script.
The Anglers lacked reliability on the mound and timely outcomes at the plate. They received both Sunday.
Helsel mowed down the Whitecaps once again, ringing up two batters in the bottom of the fifth. He was untouchable. Helsel’s eight Ks through five frames were the most for an Anglers’ starter since Liam Paddack (Chicago White Sox) struck out eight in 4.1 innings on July 6 versus Falmouth.
Helsel’s afternoon persisted into the sixth, a rare feat for most CCBL starters. He allowed a lead-off single to Dallas Macias, Brewster’s first hit since the second inning, yet immediately quelled the chance by inducing a 4-6-3 double play. Helsel ended the frame with his ninth strikeout of the game as Helfrick whiffed at a 3-2 outside slider.
His pitch count neared 100, yet Helsel charged back out for the seventh. Cuvet got around on a fastball and slashed it for a single. Then, Helsel hit Donay with a pitch. He answered by striking out Colby Shelton, Helsel’s 10th and final K. Chatham pitching coach Eric Beattie pulled Helsel at 101 pitches as Hayden Murphy (Auburn) replaced him after 6.1 innings.
“He’s just an absolute dude, that’s all I’ve got to say,” Bermudez said of Helsel.
Murphy struggled, however, walking JD Rogers and allowing a two-run single from Macias to shrink the Anglers’ lead to 5-3. Murphy forced Kent into a 4-3 groundout to escape without further damage.
But Helsel’s prior success already paved a lane for Chatham to cruise to a win. Larson delivered a two-RBI double in the top of the eighth — part of a game-high four RBIs — to give the Anglers a 7-3 lead. Murphy fired off a one-two-three bottom half and then a scoreless ninth to earn the save.
Though, it was Murphy’s final save for the Anglers this summer. It was a foregone conclusion Sunday was his last day on the Cape. Murphy’s loss leaves a hole in the late-relief sector of Chatham’s bullpen. Yet if Bermudez’s rise or Helsel’s immediate impact is any indication, the A’s have proved they’ll find a way to replace him.
Chatham’s lead-off man was hit by two pitches in two at-bats across the first two innings against Brewster. He got beaned a third time in the eighth inning, too. But his second HBP was the most productive one. It came with the bases loaded.
“Honestly, I was just happy I didn’t hit into a double play,” Bermudez said postgame. “If a hit by pitch is what it takes, then that’s what it takes.”
Once he got to first base, Bermudez (UC Irvine) smiled and chuckled fresh off garnering an RBI. Yet the pain in his ankle became the perfect remedy for the A’s three-game losing skid. He came around to score the Anglers’ fourth and final run of the second inning just a few batters later. In between his hit-by-pitch and crossing home on an Ike Irish (Auburn) RBI fielder’s choice, Ashton Larson (LSU) laced a two-RBI single to right field.
The gaudy inning against Brewster starter Will Ray proved to be crucial for Chatham. It held a 5-0 lead early, setting the stage for its third straight win over the Whitecaps.
Chatham (16-14, East) toppled Brewster (12-17-1, East) 7-3 Sunday at Stony Brook Field, a resurgent response to suffering three consecutive losses entering the game. The win featured an Anglers side that piled runs early and let Garrett Helsel’s (SIU Edwardsville) 10-strikeout, 6.1-inning start propel them to victory.
The A’s now boast a 3.5-game advantage over Brewster as the No. 2 seed in the East Division, while also holding a 3-1 record against the Whitecaps in 2024.
Offensive production commenced in the top of the first for Chatham. It put runners on first and second base after Bermudez was hit in the right leg by a Ray pitch and Larson drilled a single up the middle. Irish flew out to advance Bermudez to third, leaving Chayton Krauss (Dallas Baptist) to drive Bermudez home via a sacrifice fly to the center-field warning track.
The run gave Helsel a 1-0 cushion in his first-ever CCBL appearance. Helsel, a 6-foot-5 left-hander, joined the club two days prior. He shined early, K’ing Brewster lead-off hitter Kaeden Kent en route to a one-two-three first inning.
Helsel coughed up a run in the bottom of the second inning courtesy of an RBI single by Drew Faurot. Though, that wasn’t before the Anglers plated four in the top half. Chatham failed to reach the five-run mark until at least the ninth inning in each of its previous two games. Sunday, however, a 5-1 lead through two frames brought that trend to a close.
“When you put a crooked number up on the board, it always feels good,” Bermudez said.
Ray, who normally comes out of the bullpen, struggled to find consistent location against the Anglers’ lineup. His afternoon finished after just two innings. All five of Ray’s runs were earned, and he never registered a strikeout.
Helsel, meanwhile, racked up six Ks in his first four frames. His fastball hummed into the corners of the strike zone. His poise was palpable, even with it being his Chatham debut. A lineup littered with home-run threats had trouble creating clean connections off the bat.
“It’s a heck of a debut,” Chatham manager Jeremy “Sheets” Sheetinger said of Helsel. “To walk in this league and pitch with the confidence that he has is huge. We could feel that when he walked in the dugout the other day.”
Ashton Larson slides head first into second base during Chatham's 7-3 win over Brewster. Larson recorded in four RBIs in the Anglers' victory. / Photograph by Ella Tovey
A July 18 battle against Cotuit saw starter Chance Cox (Austin Peay) give up a three-run homer in the fourth inning to Tyler Cerny, which caused the Kettleers’ offense to break open and down the A’s 8-5. The following day saw a tough outing for Anglers’ starter Quinn Holt (Austin Peay) and no offensive relief in a 6-0 loss to Hyannis. Another loss to Cotuit capped off Chatham’s three-game skid as a lopsided 11-5 defeat provided the same script.
The Anglers lacked reliability on the mound and timely outcomes at the plate. They received both Sunday.
Helsel mowed down the Whitecaps once again, ringing up two batters in the bottom of the fifth. He was untouchable. Helsel’s eight Ks through five frames were the most for an Anglers’ starter since Liam Paddack (Chicago White Sox) struck out eight in 4.1 innings on July 6 versus Falmouth.
Helsel’s afternoon persisted into the sixth, a rare feat for most CCBL starters. He allowed a lead-off single to Dallas Macias, Brewster’s first hit since the second inning, yet immediately quelled the chance by inducing a 4-6-3 double play. Helsel ended the frame with his ninth strikeout of the game as Helfrick whiffed at a 3-2 outside slider.
His pitch count neared 100, yet Helsel charged back out for the seventh. Cuvet got around on a fastball and slashed it for a single. Then, Helsel hit Donay with a pitch. He answered by striking out Colby Shelton, Helsel’s 10th and final K. Chatham pitching coach Eric Beattie pulled Helsel at 101 pitches as Hayden Murphy (Auburn) replaced him after 6.1 innings.
“He’s just an absolute dude, that’s all I’ve got to say,” Bermudez said of Helsel.
Murphy struggled, however, walking JD Rogers and allowing a two-run single from Macias to shrink the Anglers’ lead to 5-3. Murphy forced Kent into a 4-3 groundout to escape without further damage.
But Helsel’s prior success already paved a lane for Chatham to cruise to a win. Larson delivered a two-RBI double in the top of the eighth — part of a game-high four RBIs — to give the Anglers a 7-3 lead. Murphy fired off a one-two-three bottom half and then a scoreless ninth to earn the save.
Though, it was Murphy’s final save for the Anglers this summer. It was a foregone conclusion Sunday was his last day on the Cape. Murphy’s loss leaves a hole in the late-relief sector of Chatham’s bullpen. Yet if Bermudez’s rise or Helsel’s immediate impact is any indication, the A’s have proved they’ll find a way to replace him.
