Chris Anderson didn?t make it out of the third inning, giving up five hits and four runs, in Y-D?s loss to Chatham.
By: Andrew Constant / @andrew_constant
Chatham struck for two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 6-6 tie and the Red Sox went down for the third straight night, 8-6, at Veterans Field in Chatham.
The Red Sox came back from 4-0 down to tie the game in the sixth inning and again in the seventh, but it wasn?t enough to snap a mini-losing streak following the team?s seven-game winning streak.
Y-D didn?t record a hit until the fourth inning when Sam Travis hit a solo home run to left-center off Chatham starter Louie Lechich. But that seemed to ignite the Red Sox bats, as in the sixth they got starter Chris Anderson off the hook. In the sixth, Morgan Mickan reached on a throwing error by Lechich leading off the inning and advanced to second when Tanner Mathis singled through the right side. Carlos Asuaje dropped a bunt down, but the ball died out in front of the plate and catcher Josh Martinez threw Mickan out at third. One batter later, Travis loaded the bases with his second hit of the game, bringing up Robert Pehl.
Pehl popped up to shallow right field, but it was deep enough to score Mathis from third, cutting the lead in half at 4-2. Zak Blair chased Lechich with an RBI single to left field, bringing the Red Sox within one. Alex Blandino greeted reliever Jaime Schultz with an RBI single of his own, tying the game and keeping Anderson?s name out of the loss column.
The Y-D starter lasted only two innings, allowing five hits and four runs, walking three and registering only one strikeout. Andrew Bowen was first out of the Red Sox bullpen, and he gave his team a lift, tossing four innings and only yielding two hits and two runs, while picking up four strikeouts. Bowen kept the deficit at arm?s length, giving Y-D a chance to come back and beat Chatham for the third time this summer.
In the seventh, pinch-hitter Wayne Taylor led off with a double to right-center and scored when Mickan picked up his first hit as a Red Sox, giving Y-D its first lead of the ballgame. Travis picked up a sacrifice fly later in the frame, stretching the advantage to two, but the lead wouldn?t last.
After ace starter Aaron Blair came on to pitch a perfect seventh inning, Bryan Verbitsky, recently named to the Cape League All-Star Game, struggled to get through the eighth unscathed. Chatham put the first two batters of the inning on and threatened to re-claim the lead.
But a grounder back to the mound allowed Verbitsky to get the lead runner at third, and after a fly out to shallow right, it looked like the game would remain tied heading to the ninth. Adam Engel had other ideas though, lashing a single to center, scoring Dale Carey from second base just ahead of the throw from Mathis. Later in the inning, Verbitsky issued a based loaded walk to Andrew Knapp, giving the Anglers their final two-run cushion.
The Red Sox? recent skid has dropped them from first place in the Eastern Division to third, but they still have a two-game cushion on the Anglers. They?ll have Thursday off before hitting the field on Friday night when the Harwich Mariners visit Red Wilson Field. Ben Lively, who pitched five strong innings in his last start against Bourne, is scheduled to take the hill for the Red Sox.
