Y-D offense rolls in Chatham, Red Sox win 7-4

By Ben Strober

Yarmouth-Dennis’ offense came out of its slump in Chatham, compiling 11 hits en route to a crucial 7-4 victory over the Anglers.

The Red Sox scored in six of the final seven innings of the game and came up with multiple important two-out rallies. The victory snaps a recent Y-D skid that saw its offensive production tail off.

“We had three guys come up big and change the game for us,” field manager Scott Pickler said. “All it takes is a couple of good at-bats to get it going.”

Finnegan Wall picked up his first win of the season following another solid five innings of three-run ball. The win comes even more deserved for Wall considering his stellar performance in Chatham six nights prior resulted in an undeserved loss.

After going down early, a three-run fourth inning sparked the offense into its best night in quite a while.

“They just took unselfish at-bats today,” Pickler said. “Those are big things.”

Early on, Wall put two runners in scoring position in the second, but punched in a vital strikeout to end Chatham’s rally.

The third held more trouble for Wall and was an overall odd inning. A walk and base hit left the corners occupied by Angler baserunners. Y-D shortstop Theo Hardy initially saved a run with a diving snag to his left. 

Unfortunately for Wall, Tyler Wulfert’s blooper put Red Sox RF Ryan Stafford in a really tough spot because of how close the ball was to dropping foul. Instead, Stafford let it bounce, and it clipped the line, bringing home the go-ahead run.

Nolan Schubart then crushed a ball to center that forced Enzo Apodaca to make a miraculous over-the-head catch, which didn’t matter because the runner on third tagged to score. 

Wulfert, however, actually got doubled off at first to end the inning because he took off on contact and couldn’t get back to the bag.

The Y-D bats had Wall’s back and posted three runs in response.

RJ Austin’ two-out single sparked a rally that saw him score on a Zander Darby opposite-field single on a 3-0 pitch. 

“Darby came up with a 3-0 count and didn’t try to do too much,” Pickler said. 

Following a wild pitch that moved both on base into scoring position, Ryan Jackson put Y-D on top with a two-run rip.

“This feels really good,” Jackson said. “I’m proud of myself for pushing forward.”

Four pitches into the back half of the fourth, Kyson Donahue launched Wall’s fastball out for a tying blast.

The runs kept on coming. Y-D implemented runners on the corners in the fifth with no one out, and Hunter Hines’ 4-6-3 double play brought home Hardy for a 4-3 lead.

Jackson’s success at the dish continued in the sixth with a bloop single that scored Manny Garza from second and extended the lead to two.

“We had Jackson come through for us,” Pickler said.

Dub Gleed’s second homer of the season in the seventh became the fifth-straight inning that Y-D scored in and made it 6-3.

Chatham struck back with a run in the back half off the frame before Blake Aita kept it at that.

Stafford provided the Red Sox extra insurance in the top of the ninth, taking one the other way to score Austin from second.

Braden Montgomery entered for Y-D in the eighth, and the two-way stud did not disappoint in his pitching debut. He struck out two of the three batters he faced before Leighton Finley came in to seal the win.

“Montgomery and Finely were excellent out the back end,” Pickler said. “That’s how you draw it up.”