AUBURNDALE, FL. – Chatham Baseball (5-5, 0-0 PAC) split their double header against Wentworth (2-7, 0-0 CNE) on Friday, winning game one 13-8 but falling in game two 8-2.
Matt Bamford started on the bump for the Cougars in game one and got out of a bases loaded jam in the first inning. Chatham unlocked their offense in the third inning, kicking off the scoring with a
Nolan Boehm single to right field that plated
Eddie Rueda and
Devin Fluhmann to make the score 2-0.
Caleb Jones,
Ty Blackburn and
Cooper Baxter all added tp the Cougar advantage with RBI singles before Fluhmann capped the rally with a double that brought in 2 runs and pushed the score to 7-0.
Chatham would surrender 4 runs in the bottom of the fourth but came back with 3 of their own in the top half of the fifth.
Angelo DeLeonardis brought 2 runs home with a single to center field, which
Eddie Rueda followed with a shift-beating back-side base hit to give the Cougars a 6-run cushion. The Leopards would put 3 more runs on the board in the bottom half of the frame and cut their deficit to 10-7. In the top of the seventh, Chatham put another 3-spot on the scoreboard courtesy of an errant Wentworth pickoff attempt, another Rueda RBI single and a Boehm base knock to solidify the 5-run victory.
Fluhmann finished game one 3-3 at the plate with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI. Boehm went 4-4 with 3 RBI and scored a run for the Cougars. Rueda was 2-4, batted in 2 runs and crossed the plate twice, and DeLeonardis was 2-5 with a run and 2 RBI.
Ethan Botkin picked up the win on the mound after tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings and giving up two hits.
Matt Bamford struck out five Leopards in his 3 2/3 innings of work and gave up 4 earned runs.
Chatham's offense was not as hot in game two, as they went scoreless in the first three innings and fell into a 5-0 hole by giving up four runs in the second inning and a solo home run in the third. The Cougars scored a run in the fourth inning via a
Devin Fluhmann RBI single that brought home
Jake Bredl and cut the deficit to 5-1. The Leopards increased their lead to 6 in the top of the sixth before Chatham got a run back in the bottom half of the inning when Bredl crossed the plate on a wild pitch. That would be all the offense the Cougars could muster, however, as Wentworth was able to add a run in the final frame to secure the 6-run win.
Kayden Leck was 2-4 in game two for Chatham. Fluhmann went 1-2 with an RBI and a walk.
Peter Tadic recorded the Cougars' other hit of their four and Bredl scored 2 runs.
Cason Bennett allowed 4 earned runs in his 5 inning start on 7 hits and struck out 3.
Chatham will play their final two games in Florida tomorrow against Russell Sage. The doubleheader in Davenport will begin at 3:45 p.m.
