The Firebirds traveled to the heart of Chatham to play their July 4th classic against the Anglers. Veterans field was packed to the brim with patrons celebrating America’s 250th birthday with one of its most time honored traditions — good old fashioned baseball.

Veterans Field is another Cape Cod gem. Located just a short distance from the Atlantic Ocean and Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, the park is prone to frequent fog delays. A blue fence with American flag buntings barriers the warning track. A grassy embankment, including bleacher seats behind home plate, surrounds the field completely. Chatham’s fire station and the Chatham Railway Museum — an old restored train depot, loom from beyond right field.

Before the grounds hosted a baseball field, Chatham’s first high school, constructed in 1858, stood in this very spot. The land was secured for Veterans Field in 1923 when the high school was eventually moved. Construction was not complete until 1927.

The project’s name was chosen as a memorial to all Chatham citizens who served in the first World War, as well as all other wars. Veterans has been home to Chatham’s CCBL franchise ever since, though they changed their name from the Athletics to the Anglers in 2008 to avoid MLB trademark restrictions.

On paper, it was a Cape League pitching matchup for the ages. Chatham’s starter Angel Cervantes was the 50th pick in the 2025 draft, but turned down the selection to go to UCLA and improve his draft stock even further. LJ Cormier (Auburn) was yet to allow a run this summer, and had just earned D1 Baseball’s Freshman All-America honors.

Though the field was pristine, it was an ugly game for Orleans. They made three errors in the field as Cormier faltered on the mound. They outhit Chatham 8-7, but still lost by four runs. It was a frustrating Independence Day for a Birds team that’s seen too many highs and too many lows through almost half a season.

“We didn’t play very well tonight,” Manager Kelly Nicholson said. “We made some great plays in the first inning, but the game got away from us.”

Cormier wasn’t pounding the strike zone out of the gate. Web gems from Corey Nunez (UCSB) at short running into foul territory, and Jonathan Gomez (Stetson) making a diving play at second helped Cormier through the first.

Orleans put a run on Cervantes in the second. Adam Magpoc (SDSU) worked a leadoff walk. Cale Stricklin (Charlotte) singled behind him. Casey Cumiskey (SNHU), who’s been heating up at the plate, cracked another hit through the right side to score Magpoc.

The Anglers knocked Cormier around badly in the second. Eight Chatham hitters came to the plate. Three singled, one doubled, and another was hit by a pitch. When the dust settled, Chatham had scored four.

Orleans stranded a pair in the third. Cormier improved in the bottom of the frame, striking out his third batter and starting a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning.

The dynamic duo of Rowan Kelly (UCSB) and Dominic Cadiz (UCLA) both singled in the fourth, but Tyler Myatt (Tennessee) couldn’t provide a third hit with two outs.

The ball was taken from Cormier after three and a third. It was an uncharacteristic outing from the righty, who seemingly had no feel for any of his pitches. He fell behind early in counts and walked or hit multiple batters — only striking out three.

He left the bases loaded for Luca Alagheband (Harvard). Fireworks exploded behind a wall of dark clouds. Two more Anglers scored before Alagheband ended the inning with a K. The Birds were in a 6-1 hole.

Alagheband struck out two in the fifth. He had already walked a batter and had another reach on an error, but would have avoided any further damage if not for two straight singles from the bottom of the Chatham order. Brady Fox (UMBC) recorded the final out of the inning. The Birds were suddenly trailing by seven.

Fox rebounded in the sixth with a clean half inning. Bursts of bright colors exploded against the pitch black sky as a fireworks show raged on. Rowan Kelly singled and stole second in the seventh. He advanced to third on a wild pitch — but Nunez grounded into a double play, squandering the Birds’ first scoring opportunity since the fourth inning.

Joe Nottingham (Georgia) had the seventh. An even closer batch of fireworks went off between the field lights in right field. Nottingham lit up the radar gun as fireworks lit up the sky, sitting at 97 miles an hour with his fastball. He faced four Anglers and sat down three.

A surprising face took the mound for Orleans in the eighth. Kelly Nicholson called upon Chase Frey, the usual starter who recently announced his transfer to Oregon. He struck out two, but left runners on first and second for D.C. Brown (Brown), who made his second appearance in two nights. He sat down his first batter to give the Birds one last chance. Nicholson said Frey’s appearance was necessary so he could get some work in, as his next start has been moved back a few days.

Something was brewing in the ninth. Rowan Kelly walked. Cadiz singled. Nunez loaded the bases. Tyler Harmony (Northeastern) was hit by a pitch to score Kelly. Gomez ripped a two run single up the middle. The rally would end there. The Birds moved the score to a more respectable 8-4, but the late surge wasn’t reflective of the game’s mood.

Orleans will travel to Yarmouth to take on the 15-2 Red Sox on Sunday. Despite their excellent record, Nicholson knows that Orleans needs to stick to their guns.

“We just need to play good baseball," he said. "We need to throw strikes, play catch, and run the bases mindfully. The team that plays better will win tomorrow.”

Game start is scheduled for 4:30 PM due to lack of lights at Red Wilson Field. The Birds could definitely use some blue skies and sunshine.