Chatham Falls to Morris Catholic, 5-3

DENVILLE — Despite a strong effort, the Chatham Cougar baseball team fell to Morris Catholic, 5-3, on Wednesday.

In this one, starting pitcher Brian Ballard didn't have his best stuff, but was able to battle, recording a complete game in the loss.

But he may have come out with the win if it weren't for a few costly mistakes.

"I think we played well today," Head Coach Doug Chambers said after the loss. "We certainly faced a quality team and a quality pitcher on the mound. A couple of breaks our way instead of their way, and I think we might have a different result."

Ballard found himself into trouble in almost every inning in this one, but the most problematic inning was the third.

Nursing a 3-1 lead, Ballard walked Morris Catholic's Robert Drexel to open the inning. Drexel would steal second and after a wild pitch move to third with no one out.

After getting Michael McDonnell to strike out with a 3-2 fastball, starting pitcher Brett Bially helped his own cause, hitting an RBI single to center.

Bially would then steal second and score on an RBI single by Thomas Rogers, making the score 3-3. Rogers would advance to second on another wild pitch from Ballard.

After a single and a walk loaded the bases, a Paul Shapiro single to left scored one, giving the Crusaders a 4-3 advantage.

Ballard would get the next batter to ground out to end the inning, but the damage had been done.

Ballard found his way into trouble in the following innings as well but was able to battle his way out of it until the fifth inning, when an RBI triple by Dave Ferrara gave Morris Catholic a 5-3 lead.

Ballard finished the day throwing seven innings while allowing nine hits and four earned runs, with six strikeouts and four walks.

"Overall a good effort, especially from Ballard on the hill," Chambers said. "To hold a team like this to only five runs [four earned] is good."

Offensively, though, Chatham's bats were silent through most of the contest.

So silent, in fact, that the only inning in which they were able to get more than one base runner on was in their half of the third.

Really, most of the production in the inning was byproduct of Morris Catholic mistakes.

After centerfielder Dan Haus walked and James Demato was hit by a pitch, right fielder Matt Reader hit a routine grounder to short. An errant throw over the first baseman's head allowed one Chatham run to score.

Catcher Tommy Devito, who was up next, doubled to right center on an 0-1 pitch, scoring two more Cougar runs.

DeVito was 1 for 3 on the day.

But that was all the offense the Cougars would be able to muster against Morris Catholic's Brett Bially (3-0).

Bially went seven innings, giving up one earned run, while allowing only three hits, two walks and striking out nine.

"We have a couple of things to improve upon," Chambers added. "We walked a couple of hitters after being up 0-2, we dropped a couple of balls and let them take bases on us. So if we improve little things like that I think we'll be fine."

Up next for Chatham (3-7) is Mountain Lakes on Friday in Chatham.