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Chatham storms back from 6-run deficit, falls short in 9-8 loss to Y-D
Chance Cox stood alone on the mound almost in disbelief, trying to process what just happened. He remained a stiff statue, staring blankly at the backstop. Cox knew the inevitable — his night was done before the end of the first inning.
The lefty from Austin Peay suffered a first-inning ambush from Yarmouth-Dennis. There were no two ways about it. Two three-run home runs spelled doom for Cox. Chatham interim manager Eric Beattie didn’t hesitate to remove his starter. He slowly made his way up the first-base dugout steps and pointed to left field, signaling the end of Cox’s outing.
He solemnly walked back with his head slumped down, seemingly embarrassed at his performance. Y-D’s six-run first frame put Chatham immediately behind the eight ball. At the time, it looked like game over, but the A’s didn’t go away.
Chatham (16-17, East) battled back from its early hole but fell just short of a miracle come-from-behind win over Y-D (21-9-4, East). The Anglers tied the Red Sox on two separate occasions but fell 9-8. Jackson Chirello’s safety squeeze RBI-bunt in the ninth inning proved to be the difference as the Anglers dropped their third straight contest.
Postgame, Beattie remained upbeat due to his team’s near-comeback. His team had chances late on to complete a miraculous comeback, but their execution in the latter innings cost them.
“We lost but I’m proud of the guys for the heart they showed,” Beattie said.
Yet early on it looked like the Anglers wouldn't even be in a position to be competitive against Y-D. The Anglers fell behind in an instant as Easton Carmichael blasted a three-run home run with two outs in the first inning.
Carmichael’s homer was an early blow, though Cox seemingly bounced back. He forced Garate to pop up to shallow right field. Yet, Ashton Larson (LSU) dropped a routine pop-up. Chirello walked and then Charlie Saum cranked the Red Sox’s second three-run long ball of the inning. The Anglers faced a 6-0 before they could even blink.
Following the disastrous half inning, Beattie pondered holding a team meeting. He wanted to reiterate to them to just play hard. Though, the meeting never happened. Beattie didn’t feel the need for it. Nobody was pouting or had their heads down, despite giving up a half-dozen runs in the opening frame.
Beattie felt the energy and ran with it. He told Cox that Chatham would get back in the game and flush the start so he could be ready for the next one.
Throughout the summer, Chahtham has displayed its grittiness by never backing down when behind. The Anglers have produced numerous come-from-behind victories. None bigger than on July 7 against Harwich. The Anglers scored six runs across the eighth and ninth innings to come back from a once seven-run deficit. A walk-off sacrifice fly by Campbell Smithwick (Ole Miss) proved to be the difference in a 13-12 victory.
Another rally seemed to be on the cards Friday. Chatham got to Y-D starter Ian Cooke, placing runners on first and second. A bloop single from Larson brought home the A’s first run. Chayton Krauss (Dallas Baptist) further cut into the deficit with a two-RBI double down the left-field line, making it 6-3.
Augie Mojica, who replaced Cox in the opening frame, continued into the second. While Y-D plated another run, the damage was limited. An RBI single from Aiva Arquette in the bottom of the frame cut the Anglers’ deficit back to three.
Noah Czajkowski replaced Cooke in the second inning but didn't record an out during his first full inning. Robin Villeneuve (Texas Tech) and Larson reached prior to Krauss driving in the Anglers' fifth run with a single. A wild pitch to Ty Johnson (Baylor) spelled the end of Czajkowski’s night with the count at 3-0.
Justin Lee hit Johnson on his second pitch to load the bases. Jayden Davis (Vanderbilt) earned a base on balls bringing the Anglers within one. Bermudez got hit on the ensuing at-bat and all of a sudden, it was 7-7 and the six-run deficit was erased.
Y-D’s six-run lead was erased in just three innings. A once-dead and buried Chatham team had new life and all the momentum on its side.
“It’s fun to be in a dugout with a bunch of guys that love baseball and I'm proud to say I am,” Beattie said.
Chatham’s key to its comeback was its offensive approach according to Beattie. He felt players were loose in the box and combined with their decisions at the plate, it created a recipe for success. Even though the Anglers finished with 17 strikeouts they also came up with 15 hits — its second most this summer.
In the seventh inning, the Anglers were presented with a golden opportunity to jump in front for the first time. Chatham trailed 8-7 with Ty Johnson (Baylor) on first base. Davis lined a fastball into right field and Ethan Petry tried making a play on the ball but was caught in between whether to dive or not. The ball ricocheted off his body and trickled to the wall.
Johnson scored all the way from first off the error, making it 8-8. Dylan Delvecchio exited as a result following two scoreless innings. Davis planted himself at third with nobody out though Marko Sipila recorded three straight outs, preventing the Anglers from taking their first lead.
A scoreless eighth frame set up a pressure-filled final frame. Y-D placed runners on the corners with one out. Pitcher Jacob Heath (West Florida) looked to get out of the jam, but Carter Garate took a risk by squaring to bunt.
He made contact on a high fastball, placing the bunt just along the gross on the right side. Heath charged and attempted to flip the ball to Smithwick, but Skylar King beat it out to score the go-ahead run.
Down to its last out in the bottom of the frame, Smithwick singled down the right field line, placing runners on the corners. Luke Yuhasz (Louisiana Lafayette) had the chance to be a hero with Smithwick swiping second two pitches later.
Sipila closed things out, getting Yuhasz to bite on an elevated fastball. Yuhasz’s ill-advised swing closed the door on another stunning victory as the Anglers fell below .500 for the first time since July 10.
The lefty from Austin Peay suffered a first-inning ambush from Yarmouth-Dennis. There were no two ways about it. Two three-run home runs spelled doom for Cox. Chatham interim manager Eric Beattie didn’t hesitate to remove his starter. He slowly made his way up the first-base dugout steps and pointed to left field, signaling the end of Cox’s outing.
He solemnly walked back with his head slumped down, seemingly embarrassed at his performance. Y-D’s six-run first frame put Chatham immediately behind the eight ball. At the time, it looked like game over, but the A’s didn’t go away.
Chatham (16-17, East) battled back from its early hole but fell just short of a miracle come-from-behind win over Y-D (21-9-4, East). The Anglers tied the Red Sox on two separate occasions but fell 9-8. Jackson Chirello’s safety squeeze RBI-bunt in the ninth inning proved to be the difference as the Anglers dropped their third straight contest.
Postgame, Beattie remained upbeat due to his team’s near-comeback. His team had chances late on to complete a miraculous comeback, but their execution in the latter innings cost them.
“We lost but I’m proud of the guys for the heart they showed,” Beattie said.
Yet early on it looked like the Anglers wouldn't even be in a position to be competitive against Y-D. The Anglers fell behind in an instant as Easton Carmichael blasted a three-run home run with two outs in the first inning.
Carmichael’s homer was an early blow, though Cox seemingly bounced back. He forced Garate to pop up to shallow right field. Yet, Ashton Larson (LSU) dropped a routine pop-up. Chirello walked and then Charlie Saum cranked the Red Sox’s second three-run long ball of the inning. The Anglers faced a 6-0 before they could even blink.
Following the disastrous half inning, Beattie pondered holding a team meeting. He wanted to reiterate to them to just play hard. Though, the meeting never happened. Beattie didn’t feel the need for it. Nobody was pouting or had their heads down, despite giving up a half-dozen runs in the opening frame.
Beattie felt the energy and ran with it. He told Cox that Chatham would get back in the game and flush the start so he could be ready for the next one.
Throughout the summer, Chahtham has displayed its grittiness by never backing down when behind. The Anglers have produced numerous come-from-behind victories. None bigger than on July 7 against Harwich. The Anglers scored six runs across the eighth and ninth innings to come back from a once seven-run deficit. A walk-off sacrifice fly by Campbell Smithwick (Ole Miss) proved to be the difference in a 13-12 victory.
Another rally seemed to be on the cards Friday. Chatham got to Y-D starter Ian Cooke, placing runners on first and second. A bloop single from Larson brought home the A’s first run. Chayton Krauss (Dallas Baptist) further cut into the deficit with a two-RBI double down the left-field line, making it 6-3.
Augie Mojica, who replaced Cox in the opening frame, continued into the second. While Y-D plated another run, the damage was limited. An RBI single from Aiva Arquette in the bottom of the frame cut the Anglers’ deficit back to three.
Noah Czajkowski replaced Cooke in the second inning but didn't record an out during his first full inning. Robin Villeneuve (Texas Tech) and Larson reached prior to Krauss driving in the Anglers' fifth run with a single. A wild pitch to Ty Johnson (Baylor) spelled the end of Czajkowski’s night with the count at 3-0.
Justin Lee hit Johnson on his second pitch to load the bases. Jayden Davis (Vanderbilt) earned a base on balls bringing the Anglers within one. Bermudez got hit on the ensuing at-bat and all of a sudden, it was 7-7 and the six-run deficit was erased.
Y-D’s six-run lead was erased in just three innings. A once-dead and buried Chatham team had new life and all the momentum on its side.
“It’s fun to be in a dugout with a bunch of guys that love baseball and I'm proud to say I am,” Beattie said.
Chatham’s key to its comeback was its offensive approach according to Beattie. He felt players were loose in the box and combined with their decisions at the plate, it created a recipe for success. Even though the Anglers finished with 17 strikeouts they also came up with 15 hits — its second most this summer.
In the seventh inning, the Anglers were presented with a golden opportunity to jump in front for the first time. Chatham trailed 8-7 with Ty Johnson (Baylor) on first base. Davis lined a fastball into right field and Ethan Petry tried making a play on the ball but was caught in between whether to dive or not. The ball ricocheted off his body and trickled to the wall.
Johnson scored all the way from first off the error, making it 8-8. Dylan Delvecchio exited as a result following two scoreless innings. Davis planted himself at third with nobody out though Marko Sipila recorded three straight outs, preventing the Anglers from taking their first lead.
A scoreless eighth frame set up a pressure-filled final frame. Y-D placed runners on the corners with one out. Pitcher Jacob Heath (West Florida) looked to get out of the jam, but Carter Garate took a risk by squaring to bunt.
He made contact on a high fastball, placing the bunt just along the gross on the right side. Heath charged and attempted to flip the ball to Smithwick, but Skylar King beat it out to score the go-ahead run.
Down to its last out in the bottom of the frame, Smithwick singled down the right field line, placing runners on the corners. Luke Yuhasz (Louisiana Lafayette) had the chance to be a hero with Smithwick swiping second two pitches later.
Sipila closed things out, getting Yuhasz to bite on an elevated fastball. Yuhasz’s ill-advised swing closed the door on another stunning victory as the Anglers fell below .500 for the first time since July 10.
