Baseball Recap: Chatham Comes Up Short

Chatham dropped their record down to 3-8 on Monday, which also ended the team's three-game streak of wins on the road. They fell just short of Pope John XXIII by a score of 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Cougars have suffered against Pope John XXIII since May 26, 2021.

As for Pope John XXIII, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games.

For Pope John XXIII's part, they got a great performance from Justin Smith as he pitched 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Alex Rakowsky, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That run marked the first that he has scored this season. Will Ryan was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple and two RBI.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Chatham will host West Essex at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. As for Pope John XXIII, they will welcome St. Joseph Regional at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Green Knights' pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Pope John XXIII's hitters will have their work cut out for them.