On the fourth day of the season, I wrote about Chatham’s big hitters, who were off to a fast start. With Ricky Oropesa (USC) and Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State) hitting well, Chatham was 3-0 and poised for a big year.
The big year never materialized. The hitters struggled and the Anglers floundered, losing eight in a row at one point and plummeting to last place in the East.
Things have been better lately, though, and those big hitters? They’re coming around again.
Chatham won five in a row to get back into contention, and after a loss on Friday, rebounded Saturday for their sixth win in seven tries, a 10-9 thriller over Cotuit.
Oropesa, who was still showing pop despite an average that dipped close to .200, went 2-for-2 last night with two home runs and four RBI. His three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth erased a 9-6 deficit and tied the game.
After Oropesa’s bomb, Chatham kept pushing and eventually won the game when Beau Amaral (UCLA) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Ginther joined Oropesa with a big night, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt) also had two hits. Kevin Vance (Connecticut) got the win in relief. For Cotuit, Mike Yastrzemski (Vanderbilt) hit a grand slam.
The win puts Chatham at 18-19-1. With six games left, the Anglers are just two points behind Harwich for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Elsewhere
The loss to Chatham was the nightcap of a doubleheader for Cotuit. The Kettleers won the first game 3-1 over Hyannis. Austin Wood (St. Petersburg) allowed one run in 5.1 innings. Ryan Duke (Oklahoma) got the win when Cotuit broke a 1-1 tie with two in the eighth. A bases-loaded walk and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch brought the runs home. Cotuit stayed in a first-place tie with Bourne.
Orleans beat Wareham 3-1 for its sixth consecutive win. The Firebirds scored three runs in the first four innings and watched their pitching staff make the lead stand up. Andrew Kittredge (Washington) got the win after allowed just a run on two hits in five innings. Jack Leathersich (UMass-Lowell), Mitchell Lambson (Arizona State) and Marcus Stroman (Duke) held Wareham scoreless the rest of the way. Riccio Torrez (Arizona State) led Orleans with two hits, including a home run. The Firebirds are now four points out of second place.
It wasn’t easy, but Brewster finally got the good times rolling again with a late rally that beat Hyannis 4-2. The Whitecaps, who hadn’t won in eight games, scored two in the eighth and two more in the ninth to win this one. The Harbor Hawks were playing their second game of the day and were in line for a win before the Whitecaps rallied. A two-run double by Jeremy Schaffer (Tulane) tied the game. Brewster took the lead on a two-run triple by Derek Jones (Washington State) in the ninth. The win means the Whitecaps, even with all their struggles, are only three points out of first place.
Bourne stopped Y-D’s four-game winning streak with a 3-2 victory in 10 innings. The game was tied 2-2 into the 10th, when Bourne’s Travis Shaw (Kent State) knocked in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly. Tony Zych (Louisville) came on in the bottom of the ninth and slammed the door. The Braves have now won three in a row.
Taylor Wall (Rice) and Nick Maronde (Florida) combined on a shutout as Falmouth beat Harwich 2-0. Wall went 5.1 innings and allowed five hits. Maronde went the last 3.2, surrendering three hits and striking out seven. The game was scoreless until the eighth, when a walk and an error gave Falmouth a chance. K.C. Serna (Oregon) followed with a single to plate the go-ahead run. Another error allowed a second run to score. The rally spoiled a strong performance by Harwich starter Joe Holtmeyer (Nebraska at Omaha), who didn’t allow a runner past second in the first seven innings. Harwich has lost three in a row.
What to Watch
Y-D will visit Brewster in a battle of the top two teams in the league. The Whitecaps have been heading in the wrong direction, but they won Saturday, and with a win today, could get within one point of first place.
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