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Anglers' bats falter in 9-2 loss to Falmouth
Tuesday officially marked the start of the final quarter of the CCBL season. Rosters across the league looked vastly different from day one and expectations shifted as a result. Chatham — like the other nine teams — fell victim to the shuffling roster act. But the expectations of manager Jeremy “Sheets” Sheetinger haven’t shifted.
The first-year skipper hasn’t shied away from his desire to help Chatham secure its first playoff berth since 2019. Through 30 games, he's put the Anglers in prime position to complete his number one goal. They already exceeded their 2023 wins total (16) and entered Tuesday five victories away from a playoff berth.
A matchup with West Division bottomfeeders Falmouth provided the Anglers with a golden chance to make another step toward the postseason. Yet, the A’s stumbled.
A lackadaisical offensive performance was Chatham’s (16-15, East) downfall as the Anglers fell 9-2 to Falmouth (12-18-1). Chatham was shut out in eight of nine innings, producing just one hit across the final seven frames Tuesday night at Veterans Field. Falmouth's bullpen silenced the A’s lineup, combining to throw seven scoreless frames with 11 strikeouts and two walks to hand the A’s their third loss in five days.
During back-to-back losses earlier in the week against Cotuit and Hyannis, Chatham had its fair share of offensive struggles. Friday’s matchup with the Harbor Hawks saw the Anglers get shut out for the second time this summer. The following day facing the Kettleers, the A’s scored one run in the first six innings. Both games resulted in losses by a combined score of 17-5.
Prior to its off day, Chatham brought home seven runs in a win over Brewster, but its offensive lulls returned Tuesday.
“We just didn't play very well,” Sheetinger said postgame. “That’s what happens when you don't play very well in this league. You get beat.”
Gabe Van Emon lunges forward to deliver a pitch amid his 3.2-inning, six-strikeout performance in Chatham's loss to Falmouth / Photograph by Ella Tovey
Falmouth’s pitching has been shaky throughout the summer. It entered Tuesday with the third-worst ERA in the CCBL. In the Anglers’ last meeting with the Commodores on July 16, the A’s shelled them for a season-high 14 runs. And early on, it looked to be much of the same.
Starter Mac Heuer allowed a double to Eddie Hacopian (Maryland) and walked Campbell Smithwick (Ole Miss) in the second inning. A passed ball advanced both before Will Bermudez (UC Irvine) drove them in with a two-RBI single, putting Chatham up 2-0.
Though, Bermudez’s base knock was Chatham’s second-to-last hit all night. The Anglers didn’t produce a hit until Ike Irish (Auburn) shot an opposite-field double in the eighth inning. By the time Irish’s recorded his two-bagger, Chatham trailed 9-2.
At times under Sheetinger, the Anglers have found ways to manufacture runs without consistently hitting. Patient approaches at the plate have led to a plethora of walks and runs through small ball. But that wasn’t the case Tuesday.
Following Bermudez’s second-inning single, Jack Seppings replaced Heuer. Seppings held a 2.63 ERA in 13.2 innings with 18 strikeouts coming into Tuesday and he completely dominated Chatham’s hitters. The righty constantly fooled them with his wicked slider, striking out six of the first batters he faced. The Anglers put just one ball in play — a Jayden Davis (Vanderbilt) pop-up — during that time.
“They got really good dudes on the mound,” Sheetinger said of Falmouth’s pitching performance. “We needed to make better adjustments and we didn’t and the at-bats didn’t go our way.”
While Seppings dominated, Chatham starter Tyler Murphy (Florida Atlantic) struggled in his first start of the summer. A litany of pitchers have left Chatham due to the MLB Draft and innings limits. Murphy flashed his potential with a 5.1-inning debut outing against Bourne on July 17. He let up just one earned run while striking out seven.
Early on, Murphy piggy-backed on his previous outing performance, letting just one of his first seven batters reach. But Falmouth got to Murphy in his second time through the Commodores’ order.
Jaxon Willits drove a hard-hit ball off Aiva Arquette at shortstop for a single. Davis bobbled the ball at the edge of the grass in right field, allowing Isaiah Barkett to score and tie the game at 1-1. Two batters later, Jayson Jones pummeled a homer to left field to give Falmouth a lead it never surrendered.
Falmouth’s lineup continued to get to Murphy in the top of the fourth. Two straight singles got things going. Both runners were pushed into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt from Robby Bolin. Donovan LaSalle plated two more Falmouth runs, increasing its lead to 5-2.
LaSalle was Murphy’s last batter as he exited with five earned runs on six hits in 3.1 innings. Lefty Gabe Van Emon (UConn) stepped in for the ailing Murphy.
Despite going relatively untouched through 2.1 innings, Seppings was unexpectedly pulled ahead of the fifth for Nick Gravel. He didn’t allow a hit during nor did he walk anybody. Gravel picked up right where Seppings left off as Chatham’s lineup continued to look befuddled.
Gravel plunked Bermudez in the fifth and walked Krauss the next inning, but nothing came of either base runner. The Keystone product dominated Chatham’s lineup. He didn’t blow many pitches by batters, but his off-speed pitches kept the Anglers off balance. Gravel induced three straight put-outs in the seventh inning, none of which were hit with much force.
With Chatham’s bats muted, Falmouth added to its advantage. Dylan Carey crushed a Van Emon fastball off the scoreboard in left field to make it 6-2 Falmouth in the top of the seventh. Lefty Cameron Johnson (Oklahoma) looked to keep the Anglers deficit manageable, but he was erratic with his command.
The lefty walked four batters in the eighth and allowed three runs on just one hit, all but sealing Chatham’s third loss in four games. Irish’s late double was barely even a consolation as three straight A’s were retired by Edward Hart to conclude the eighth.
Sheetinger has preached a 30-second memory when faced with adversity this season. It’s been the consistent message following losses. His one ask — come to the ballpark with better effort the next day.
Chatham is going to need a major response against Hyannis — a team the Anglers haven’t beaten in nine innings this season. A loss puts them back at .500 for the first time in two weeks while a win can create possible momentum with less than 10 games left in the regular season.
“It's really up to them, we've put them in positions that they should have confidence right now,” Sheetinger said. “We're just hoping that the best version of them continues to show up.”
The first-year skipper hasn’t shied away from his desire to help Chatham secure its first playoff berth since 2019. Through 30 games, he's put the Anglers in prime position to complete his number one goal. They already exceeded their 2023 wins total (16) and entered Tuesday five victories away from a playoff berth.
A matchup with West Division bottomfeeders Falmouth provided the Anglers with a golden chance to make another step toward the postseason. Yet, the A’s stumbled.
A lackadaisical offensive performance was Chatham’s (16-15, East) downfall as the Anglers fell 9-2 to Falmouth (12-18-1). Chatham was shut out in eight of nine innings, producing just one hit across the final seven frames Tuesday night at Veterans Field. Falmouth's bullpen silenced the A’s lineup, combining to throw seven scoreless frames with 11 strikeouts and two walks to hand the A’s their third loss in five days.
During back-to-back losses earlier in the week against Cotuit and Hyannis, Chatham had its fair share of offensive struggles. Friday’s matchup with the Harbor Hawks saw the Anglers get shut out for the second time this summer. The following day facing the Kettleers, the A’s scored one run in the first six innings. Both games resulted in losses by a combined score of 17-5.
Prior to its off day, Chatham brought home seven runs in a win over Brewster, but its offensive lulls returned Tuesday.
“We just didn't play very well,” Sheetinger said postgame. “That’s what happens when you don't play very well in this league. You get beat.”
Gabe Van Emon lunges forward to deliver a pitch amid his 3.2-inning, six-strikeout performance in Chatham's loss to Falmouth / Photograph by Ella Tovey
Falmouth’s pitching has been shaky throughout the summer. It entered Tuesday with the third-worst ERA in the CCBL. In the Anglers’ last meeting with the Commodores on July 16, the A’s shelled them for a season-high 14 runs. And early on, it looked to be much of the same.
Starter Mac Heuer allowed a double to Eddie Hacopian (Maryland) and walked Campbell Smithwick (Ole Miss) in the second inning. A passed ball advanced both before Will Bermudez (UC Irvine) drove them in with a two-RBI single, putting Chatham up 2-0.
Though, Bermudez’s base knock was Chatham’s second-to-last hit all night. The Anglers didn’t produce a hit until Ike Irish (Auburn) shot an opposite-field double in the eighth inning. By the time Irish’s recorded his two-bagger, Chatham trailed 9-2.
At times under Sheetinger, the Anglers have found ways to manufacture runs without consistently hitting. Patient approaches at the plate have led to a plethora of walks and runs through small ball. But that wasn’t the case Tuesday.
Following Bermudez’s second-inning single, Jack Seppings replaced Heuer. Seppings held a 2.63 ERA in 13.2 innings with 18 strikeouts coming into Tuesday and he completely dominated Chatham’s hitters. The righty constantly fooled them with his wicked slider, striking out six of the first batters he faced. The Anglers put just one ball in play — a Jayden Davis (Vanderbilt) pop-up — during that time.
“They got really good dudes on the mound,” Sheetinger said of Falmouth’s pitching performance. “We needed to make better adjustments and we didn’t and the at-bats didn’t go our way.”
While Seppings dominated, Chatham starter Tyler Murphy (Florida Atlantic) struggled in his first start of the summer. A litany of pitchers have left Chatham due to the MLB Draft and innings limits. Murphy flashed his potential with a 5.1-inning debut outing against Bourne on July 17. He let up just one earned run while striking out seven.
Early on, Murphy piggy-backed on his previous outing performance, letting just one of his first seven batters reach. But Falmouth got to Murphy in his second time through the Commodores’ order.
Jaxon Willits drove a hard-hit ball off Aiva Arquette at shortstop for a single. Davis bobbled the ball at the edge of the grass in right field, allowing Isaiah Barkett to score and tie the game at 1-1. Two batters later, Jayson Jones pummeled a homer to left field to give Falmouth a lead it never surrendered.
Falmouth’s lineup continued to get to Murphy in the top of the fourth. Two straight singles got things going. Both runners were pushed into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt from Robby Bolin. Donovan LaSalle plated two more Falmouth runs, increasing its lead to 5-2.
LaSalle was Murphy’s last batter as he exited with five earned runs on six hits in 3.1 innings. Lefty Gabe Van Emon (UConn) stepped in for the ailing Murphy.
Despite going relatively untouched through 2.1 innings, Seppings was unexpectedly pulled ahead of the fifth for Nick Gravel. He didn’t allow a hit during nor did he walk anybody. Gravel picked up right where Seppings left off as Chatham’s lineup continued to look befuddled.
Gravel plunked Bermudez in the fifth and walked Krauss the next inning, but nothing came of either base runner. The Keystone product dominated Chatham’s lineup. He didn’t blow many pitches by batters, but his off-speed pitches kept the Anglers off balance. Gravel induced three straight put-outs in the seventh inning, none of which were hit with much force.
With Chatham’s bats muted, Falmouth added to its advantage. Dylan Carey crushed a Van Emon fastball off the scoreboard in left field to make it 6-2 Falmouth in the top of the seventh. Lefty Cameron Johnson (Oklahoma) looked to keep the Anglers deficit manageable, but he was erratic with his command.
The lefty walked four batters in the eighth and allowed three runs on just one hit, all but sealing Chatham’s third loss in four games. Irish’s late double was barely even a consolation as three straight A’s were retired by Edward Hart to conclude the eighth.
Sheetinger has preached a 30-second memory when faced with adversity this season. It’s been the consistent message following losses. His one ask — come to the ballpark with better effort the next day.
Chatham is going to need a major response against Hyannis — a team the Anglers haven’t beaten in nine innings this season. A loss puts them back at .500 for the first time in two weeks while a win can create possible momentum with less than 10 games left in the regular season.
“It's really up to them, we've put them in positions that they should have confidence right now,” Sheetinger said. “We're just hoping that the best version of them continues to show up.”
