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Early 6-run deficit leads Chatham to lose 8-5 at Yarmouth-Dennis
by Cooper Andrews
Friday, August 02, 2024
There is nothing material for Chatham to play for right now. It locked up the East Division’s No. 2 seed Thursday night. It is set in stone the A’s will start their first CCBL postseason run since 2019 with an evening bout at Veterans Field on Aug. 6.
So it was only fitting that a day after clinching their playoff spot, the Anglers battled their toughest possible opponent — Yarmouth-Dennis — in the on-paper East title matchup.
The Red Sox boast the Cape League’s best record and sealed the East’s No. 1 seed a week ago via a 9-8 win over Chatham. Not only that, but the Anglers entered Friday 0-4 against Y-D this summer. It was the A’s last chance to make inroads on a team that’s proven to be their worst matchup, and one they’ll likely have to go through to advance deep in the playoffs.
Though, yet another loss to the Red Sox was foreshadowed once Ethan Petry demolished a solo homer to dead center field to put the Anglers behind 5-0 in the third inning.
Chatham’s (19-19, East) regular-season mark in 2024 versus Yarmouth-Dennis (24-10-4, East) ends at 0-5. The Anglers made a small comeback late but fell 8-5 at Red Wilson Field, snapping a three-game winning streak. As the playoffs near, there’s not much more for the A’s to do than play for pride and consistency. Yet if Friday’s result showed anything, it’s that they stare at a steep slope if they were to meet the Red Sox again.
When asked what needs to change against Y-D, A’s interim manager Eric Beattie kept it simple.
“We just need a good start,” Beattie said. “If you take the second through the ninth inning of these last few ball games, we’re right in it.”
The Anglers trailed 4-0 after the first inning. It was the second straight game against Y-D where Chatham allowed four or more runs in the opening frame. Even though A’s starter Carson Johnson (Arizona) weathered a difficult CCBL debut, Beattie was impressed at his quick adjustments in the latter two of his three-inning outing.
But Beattie knows the first inning Johnson had Friday can’t be replicated again.
It took Johnson six batters to nab an out. Before then, he issued three walks and allowed RBI singles to Y-D’s Anthony Martinez and Petry. He struck out Charlie Saum in response. Though the bases remained loaded, and Johnson gave up an RBI single from Skylar King. The Red Sox crossed the plate again off a fielder’s choice groundout to make it 4-0.
Johnson settled down in the second, tossing a scoreless frame. At the same time, he received no relief from Chatham’s offense, which didn’t record a baserunner in the first three innings.
Yarmouth-Dennis started Northeastern product Will Jones, who was also making his first outing of the CCBL season. Jones didn’t skip a beat, though. He bulldozed the A’s for a perfect first, second and third inning, racking up three strikeouts in the process.
It set up the Red Sox’s offense for more production in the bottom of the third.
Petry tied himself for the Cape League home-run lead with his 10th long ball of the year, throttling a Johnson fastball over the center-field wall to lead off the half-inning. Johnson answered by inducing Carter Garate into a flyout and K’ing Saum again. But he couldn’t get three outs in a row against King, who slammed Y-D’s second solo homer of the third frame.
Down 6-0, the Anglers were in a similar position to the last time they faced the Red Sox. They trailed to Y-D by the same score after just the top of the first inning on July 26 at Veterans Field. Yet, Chatham stormed back to tie the game late.
Early indications showed Friday wouldn’t warrant a similar comeback. Until the Anglers’ bats came alive in the middle of the game.
A four-hit fourth inning brought two runs home for Chatham. Ashton Larson (LSU) drove the first run in off a single, then Robin Villeneuve (Texas Tech) registered an RBI fielder’s choice groundout. The A’s left two runners on base, however, as Jordan Williams (Tampa) grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Johnson was replaced entering the fourth by right-hander Jack Nedrow (Lee University), another pitcher who made his Cape League debut. Nedrow faced the Y-D minimum. The A’s inched closer at their deficit in the top of the fifth, where Kyle Lodise (Georgia Tech) belted a 392-foot home run to left-center field, his third of the summer.
Lodise isn’t necessarily a power-hitter, though his homer total dwarfs that of Petry, who continued to torment Chatham. The CCBL home-run derby champion blasted a no-doubt solo shot off Nedrow in the bottom of the fifth. All A’s left fielder Cole Fellows (Columbia) could do was watch Petry’s second home-run ball sail over his head as Chatham trailed 7-3 after five.
Y-D plated an insurance run in the seventh to increase the A’s deficit to 8-3. Chatham needed to find a major groove to make matters close. It loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth, but Jayden Davis (Vanderbilt) grounded into a double play to end a prime scoring chance.
“They turned some nice double plays with the bases loaded,” Beattie said of Y-D. “A couple of hits here and there and that could have been a different ball game.”
The Anglers made some noise in the ninth to come close at matching Y-D’s run total. Daniel Jackson (Georgia) roped a solo homer to left-center field — his first long ball of the summer — and Campbell Smithwick (Ole Miss) tallied an RBI double.
Yet, the A’s early struggles were ultimately too taxing. Petry made a diving put-out on a Krauss line drive to end the game.
Two more opportunities remain for Chatham ahead of the postseason. Matchups against Harwich and Orleans will give the Anglers crucial looks at who they’ll most certainly face in the first round. Still, the Red Sox are the one division team that’s given the Anglers fits. That didn’t change Friday. And in all likelihood, it’ll have to change soon.
So it was only fitting that a day after clinching their playoff spot, the Anglers battled their toughest possible opponent — Yarmouth-Dennis — in the on-paper East title matchup.
The Red Sox boast the Cape League’s best record and sealed the East’s No. 1 seed a week ago via a 9-8 win over Chatham. Not only that, but the Anglers entered Friday 0-4 against Y-D this summer. It was the A’s last chance to make inroads on a team that’s proven to be their worst matchup, and one they’ll likely have to go through to advance deep in the playoffs.
Though, yet another loss to the Red Sox was foreshadowed once Ethan Petry demolished a solo homer to dead center field to put the Anglers behind 5-0 in the third inning.
Chatham’s (19-19, East) regular-season mark in 2024 versus Yarmouth-Dennis (24-10-4, East) ends at 0-5. The Anglers made a small comeback late but fell 8-5 at Red Wilson Field, snapping a three-game winning streak. As the playoffs near, there’s not much more for the A’s to do than play for pride and consistency. Yet if Friday’s result showed anything, it’s that they stare at a steep slope if they were to meet the Red Sox again.
When asked what needs to change against Y-D, A’s interim manager Eric Beattie kept it simple.
“We just need a good start,” Beattie said. “If you take the second through the ninth inning of these last few ball games, we’re right in it.”
The Anglers trailed 4-0 after the first inning. It was the second straight game against Y-D where Chatham allowed four or more runs in the opening frame. Even though A’s starter Carson Johnson (Arizona) weathered a difficult CCBL debut, Beattie was impressed at his quick adjustments in the latter two of his three-inning outing.
But Beattie knows the first inning Johnson had Friday can’t be replicated again.
It took Johnson six batters to nab an out. Before then, he issued three walks and allowed RBI singles to Y-D’s Anthony Martinez and Petry. He struck out Charlie Saum in response. Though the bases remained loaded, and Johnson gave up an RBI single from Skylar King. The Red Sox crossed the plate again off a fielder’s choice groundout to make it 4-0.
Johnson settled down in the second, tossing a scoreless frame. At the same time, he received no relief from Chatham’s offense, which didn’t record a baserunner in the first three innings.
Yarmouth-Dennis started Northeastern product Will Jones, who was also making his first outing of the CCBL season. Jones didn’t skip a beat, though. He bulldozed the A’s for a perfect first, second and third inning, racking up three strikeouts in the process.
It set up the Red Sox’s offense for more production in the bottom of the third.
Petry tied himself for the Cape League home-run lead with his 10th long ball of the year, throttling a Johnson fastball over the center-field wall to lead off the half-inning. Johnson answered by inducing Carter Garate into a flyout and K’ing Saum again. But he couldn’t get three outs in a row against King, who slammed Y-D’s second solo homer of the third frame.
Down 6-0, the Anglers were in a similar position to the last time they faced the Red Sox. They trailed to Y-D by the same score after just the top of the first inning on July 26 at Veterans Field. Yet, Chatham stormed back to tie the game late.
Early indications showed Friday wouldn’t warrant a similar comeback. Until the Anglers’ bats came alive in the middle of the game.
A four-hit fourth inning brought two runs home for Chatham. Ashton Larson (LSU) drove the first run in off a single, then Robin Villeneuve (Texas Tech) registered an RBI fielder’s choice groundout. The A’s left two runners on base, however, as Jordan Williams (Tampa) grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Johnson was replaced entering the fourth by right-hander Jack Nedrow (Lee University), another pitcher who made his Cape League debut. Nedrow faced the Y-D minimum. The A’s inched closer at their deficit in the top of the fifth, where Kyle Lodise (Georgia Tech) belted a 392-foot home run to left-center field, his third of the summer.
Kyle Lodise celebrates in the dugout with teammates following his fifth inning home run against Y-D. Photograph by Ella Tovey
Lodise isn’t necessarily a power-hitter, though his homer total dwarfs that of Petry, who continued to torment Chatham. The CCBL home-run derby champion blasted a no-doubt solo shot off Nedrow in the bottom of the fifth. All A’s left fielder Cole Fellows (Columbia) could do was watch Petry’s second home-run ball sail over his head as Chatham trailed 7-3 after five.
Y-D plated an insurance run in the seventh to increase the A’s deficit to 8-3. Chatham needed to find a major groove to make matters close. It loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth, but Jayden Davis (Vanderbilt) grounded into a double play to end a prime scoring chance.
“They turned some nice double plays with the bases loaded,” Beattie said of Y-D. “A couple of hits here and there and that could have been a different ball game.”
The Anglers made some noise in the ninth to come close at matching Y-D’s run total. Daniel Jackson (Georgia) roped a solo homer to left-center field — his first long ball of the summer — and Campbell Smithwick (Ole Miss) tallied an RBI double.
Yet, the A’s early struggles were ultimately too taxing. Petry made a diving put-out on a Krauss line drive to end the game.
Two more opportunities remain for Chatham ahead of the postseason. Matchups against Harwich and Orleans will give the Anglers crucial looks at who they’ll most certainly face in the first round. Still, the Red Sox are the one division team that’s given the Anglers fits. That didn’t change Friday. And in all likelihood, it’ll have to change soon.
