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Williams' go-ahead RBI seals Chatham's 5-4 win over Harwich
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Less than a week ago, Jordan Williams was at his younger brother's workout in Vero Beach, Florida. That’s when he received a call from Chatham interim manager Eric Beattie, asking if he wanted to play for the Anglers.
As someone who always wanted to experience the CCBL, Williams obliged. Within 24 hours, he was on a flight from Orlando International Airport to Logan Airport in Boston. A two-hour bus ride to Barnstable ensued and that night, he suited up for the Anglers in a 4-0 win over Wareham.
In three games with Chatham, he’s impressed with a gritty approach at the plate along with elite defense. Though Saturday, he produced his biggest moment yet.
Chatham and Harwich were deadlocked at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Williams stepped to the plate with Jayden Davis (Vanderbilt) on second following a lead-off double. Williams expected a fastball considering Harwich had been attacking him with off-speed pitches in his first three at-bats.
The outfielder slapped a 1-1 pitch through the middle, putting Chatham up 5-4 and delivering it the lead for good.
The RBI single from Williams (Tampa) in the penultimate frame propelled Chatham (20-19 East) to a 5-4 win over Harwich (15-24, East). Williams was a late addition to the Anglers’ roster, and is primed to play a crucial role in their postseason run. Across three games, the outfielder has gotten on base at a .333 rate while driving in two runs.
“He doesn't try to do too much, he lets the ball get really deep and he's got really fast hands and drives the baseball and finds a hole,” Beattie said.
Earlier this summer, Williams played with the Frederick Keys in the MLB Draft League. In nine games, he batted .316 with a .749 OPS, but departed on July 13. He didn’t expect to play the rest of the summer, until Beattie called him.
Jordan Williams tosses a ball to himself prior to Chatham's contest against Harwich. Williams delivered the game's go-ahead RBI single in just his third appearance with the Anglers. / Photograph by Ella Tovey
Williams spent the past two seasons with Florida State, but next year he’ll attend Tampa. Beattie is a Tampa alum, so he contacted head coach Joe Urso to discuss Williams. Following another discussion with FSU head coach Link Jarrett, Beattie reached out to Williams.
Williams jumped at the opportunity. When he was younger, Williams watched the 2001 romantic comedy “Summer Catch,” centered around a fictional Anglers player. Ever since then, he’s always had an appreciation for the Cape and especially Chatham.
When he got the chance, he didn’t think twice. It also gave him a reason to get out of the nasty Florida humidity in the dead of summer.
“Of course I wanted to come see what Chathams like and in July and August,” Williams said. “It sounded like a lot better weather than Florida.”
So far, he’s fit right in with the Anglers. After arriving at Veterans Field mere hours before Chatham’s game against Wareham on Aug. 1, he made an instant impact. Williams threw out Aris Rivera at the plate following a Yohann Dessureault flyball to left field. He also registered two hits that game, along with an RBI as Chatham sealed a home playoff game for the first time since 2019.
Despite his limited time in Chatham, Williams has already noticed the culture surrounding the Anglers this summer.
“This group has great chemistry especially for the summer ball team, and I know they love that Angler blue,” Williams said.
Chatham entered Saturday with its spot in the playoffs set in stone. It’s win over Wareham two nights before sealed its spot as the No. 2 seed in the East Division. Though the Anglers still don’t know who they’ll take on in a single elimination game at Veterans Field on Aug 6. Brewster, Harwich and Orleans are battling for the two final playoff spots in the East, all of which are potential opponents for the A’s.
Saturday, Chatham got started early. Chayton Krauss (Dallas Baptist) crushed a solo home run off Andrew Evans to deep center field to put Chatham in front 1-0 in the first inning. Krauss’ fourth home run of the summer equaled former Angler John Bay (Austin Peay) for the team lead. An RBI single from Daniel Jackson (Georgia) doubled Chatham’s lead later in the inning.
Chatham starter Augie Mojica (San Jacinto) got through his first two innings scoreless, but Harwich got to him in the third. Aden Hill turned on a fastball for a two-run home run instantly tying it at 2-2. Mojica forced two straight groundouts, but they would be the final batters he faced. Andrew Williams (Georgetown) entered in the fourth inning.
The lefty instantly got into a jam. A single sandwiched in between two walks loaded the bases with nobody out. Harwich’s most productive hitter, Cam Maldonado, then came to the plate. The outfielder entered with a team-leading 30 hits and 20 RBIs. Maldonado drilled the first pitch he saw to the wall in right field to give Harwich a 4-2 lead, its first of the night.
The Anglers quickly responded. An RBI single from Campbell Smithwick (Ole Miss) off Evans halved Chatham’s deficit. Danny Macchiarola replaced Evans the next inning. The second batter he faced, Robin Villeneuve (Texas Tech) tied the game at 4-4 with a solo home run.
After suffering the initial blemish, Macchiarola kept Chatham’s bats quiet, letting up just one hit after. Chatham relief pitchers Garrett Payne (Tulane) and Tanner Franklin (Tennessee) followed suit. The duo combined for three perfect innings. They struck out six of the nine batters they faced, setting the stage for Williams’ big hit in the eighth.
For the second time in three nights, JD McReynolds (Central Missouri) came in to close out the ninth inning. The righty retired the first two batters he faced, but walked Daniel Dickinson. On the first pitch Sam McNulty saw, Smithwick threw out Dickinson at second, sealing the Anglers’ victory.
As Chatham gets ready to face Orleans Sunday, it has nothing to play for. Meanwhile, the Firebirds have everything on the line. A win seals a spot in the playoffs, while a loss puts their fate out of their hands.
Even with the low stakes, Beattie’s and Chatham’s mindset remains unchanged.
“Whether we're playing baseball, right here and there's nothing on the line or we're playing baseball in somebody's backyard, it's fun and we're trying to win,” Beattie said.
As someone who always wanted to experience the CCBL, Williams obliged. Within 24 hours, he was on a flight from Orlando International Airport to Logan Airport in Boston. A two-hour bus ride to Barnstable ensued and that night, he suited up for the Anglers in a 4-0 win over Wareham.
In three games with Chatham, he’s impressed with a gritty approach at the plate along with elite defense. Though Saturday, he produced his biggest moment yet.
Chatham and Harwich were deadlocked at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Williams stepped to the plate with Jayden Davis (Vanderbilt) on second following a lead-off double. Williams expected a fastball considering Harwich had been attacking him with off-speed pitches in his first three at-bats.
The outfielder slapped a 1-1 pitch through the middle, putting Chatham up 5-4 and delivering it the lead for good.
The RBI single from Williams (Tampa) in the penultimate frame propelled Chatham (20-19 East) to a 5-4 win over Harwich (15-24, East). Williams was a late addition to the Anglers’ roster, and is primed to play a crucial role in their postseason run. Across three games, the outfielder has gotten on base at a .333 rate while driving in two runs.
“He doesn't try to do too much, he lets the ball get really deep and he's got really fast hands and drives the baseball and finds a hole,” Beattie said.
Earlier this summer, Williams played with the Frederick Keys in the MLB Draft League. In nine games, he batted .316 with a .749 OPS, but departed on July 13. He didn’t expect to play the rest of the summer, until Beattie called him.
Jordan Williams tosses a ball to himself prior to Chatham's contest against Harwich. Williams delivered the game's go-ahead RBI single in just his third appearance with the Anglers. / Photograph by Ella Tovey
Williams spent the past two seasons with Florida State, but next year he’ll attend Tampa. Beattie is a Tampa alum, so he contacted head coach Joe Urso to discuss Williams. Following another discussion with FSU head coach Link Jarrett, Beattie reached out to Williams.
Williams jumped at the opportunity. When he was younger, Williams watched the 2001 romantic comedy “Summer Catch,” centered around a fictional Anglers player. Ever since then, he’s always had an appreciation for the Cape and especially Chatham.
When he got the chance, he didn’t think twice. It also gave him a reason to get out of the nasty Florida humidity in the dead of summer.
“Of course I wanted to come see what Chathams like and in July and August,” Williams said. “It sounded like a lot better weather than Florida.”
So far, he’s fit right in with the Anglers. After arriving at Veterans Field mere hours before Chatham’s game against Wareham on Aug. 1, he made an instant impact. Williams threw out Aris Rivera at the plate following a Yohann Dessureault flyball to left field. He also registered two hits that game, along with an RBI as Chatham sealed a home playoff game for the first time since 2019.
Despite his limited time in Chatham, Williams has already noticed the culture surrounding the Anglers this summer.
“This group has great chemistry especially for the summer ball team, and I know they love that Angler blue,” Williams said.
Chatham entered Saturday with its spot in the playoffs set in stone. It’s win over Wareham two nights before sealed its spot as the No. 2 seed in the East Division. Though the Anglers still don’t know who they’ll take on in a single elimination game at Veterans Field on Aug 6. Brewster, Harwich and Orleans are battling for the two final playoff spots in the East, all of which are potential opponents for the A’s.
Saturday, Chatham got started early. Chayton Krauss (Dallas Baptist) crushed a solo home run off Andrew Evans to deep center field to put Chatham in front 1-0 in the first inning. Krauss’ fourth home run of the summer equaled former Angler John Bay (Austin Peay) for the team lead. An RBI single from Daniel Jackson (Georgia) doubled Chatham’s lead later in the inning.
Chatham starter Augie Mojica (San Jacinto) got through his first two innings scoreless, but Harwich got to him in the third. Aden Hill turned on a fastball for a two-run home run instantly tying it at 2-2. Mojica forced two straight groundouts, but they would be the final batters he faced. Andrew Williams (Georgetown) entered in the fourth inning.
The lefty instantly got into a jam. A single sandwiched in between two walks loaded the bases with nobody out. Harwich’s most productive hitter, Cam Maldonado, then came to the plate. The outfielder entered with a team-leading 30 hits and 20 RBIs. Maldonado drilled the first pitch he saw to the wall in right field to give Harwich a 4-2 lead, its first of the night.
The Anglers quickly responded. An RBI single from Campbell Smithwick (Ole Miss) off Evans halved Chatham’s deficit. Danny Macchiarola replaced Evans the next inning. The second batter he faced, Robin Villeneuve (Texas Tech) tied the game at 4-4 with a solo home run.
After suffering the initial blemish, Macchiarola kept Chatham’s bats quiet, letting up just one hit after. Chatham relief pitchers Garrett Payne (Tulane) and Tanner Franklin (Tennessee) followed suit. The duo combined for three perfect innings. They struck out six of the nine batters they faced, setting the stage for Williams’ big hit in the eighth.
For the second time in three nights, JD McReynolds (Central Missouri) came in to close out the ninth inning. The righty retired the first two batters he faced, but walked Daniel Dickinson. On the first pitch Sam McNulty saw, Smithwick threw out Dickinson at second, sealing the Anglers’ victory.
As Chatham gets ready to face Orleans Sunday, it has nothing to play for. Meanwhile, the Firebirds have everything on the line. A win seals a spot in the playoffs, while a loss puts their fate out of their hands.
Even with the low stakes, Beattie’s and Chatham’s mindset remains unchanged.
“Whether we're playing baseball, right here and there's nothing on the line or we're playing baseball in somebody's backyard, it's fun and we're trying to win,” Beattie said.
