Game 1: Firebirds at Red Sox, Red Wilson Field - 12:45 PM

The Birds would have to deal with a split doubleheader on Friday. A game that was supposed to be played on Wednesday was postponed for two straight days as the Cape was pelted with rain. Now, it would only be a seven-inning contest.

They made the trek back down to Y-D. The magic number was one. One Birds loss or one Chatham win was all it would take to eliminate Orleans. No matter the result, the Firebirds would be back at Eldredge later in the evening to play the Anglers.

Y-D is in a dogfight with Brewster for top playoff positioning in the East Division. Orleans would have to fight for a win without the powerful Tyler Myatt. He had departed just a day ago. Casey Cumiskey (SNHU) assumed the cleanup spot in his place.

Game start was originally scheduled for 12:15 PM. It was moved back to 12:45 as the field wasn’t prepared. The high-noon sun roasted everything below it.

The Birds had yet another opportunity to win a third game in a row. Like so many times before, they couldn’t get it done. Offensively, Orleans played well, scoring six runs on seven hits. Cumiskey had himself a huge game, launching a homer and recording half the team’s RBIs. Harrison Thayer (UTRGV) kept the Birds in the game, but the bullpen collapsed in the sixth — allowing five runs.

That wasn’t the only unfortunate news. Chatham had won their early game against the Whitecaps, officially pushing the Birds out of the playoffs. What a long, strange trip it’s been.

The Birds got nothing out the gate. Thayer got off to a slow start, allowing two easy runs on three hits in the first. The bats went quickly again in the second. Thayer returned the favor by cruising through the next three Red Sox hitters.

The bottom of the order reached consecutively for the Birds in the third. Mr. Consistency Dominic Cadiz (UCLA) brought the first run in on a sac fly to right. AJ Beltré (USD) got his sixth Orleans RBI with a grounder past the first baseman. The Sox went to the bullpen early, as starter Jack Robinson was pulled with two outs. The red-hot Cumiskey couldn’t be stopped, stinging one up the gut for the third run of the inning. Ryan MacDougall’s (Dayton) RBI single was the third straight. Adam Magpoc (SDSU) went down swinging, but Orleans had batted around in the third. Suddenly, they were up 4-2.

Thayer worked around a single and a steal for a clean bottom of the inning. Garrett Larsen (Yale) doubled in the fourth, but was stranded where he stood. The righty starter for the Birds stayed on, blowing through his fourth inning with ease.

After Cadiz worked a walk, Cumiskey belted his second homer of the year in the fifth. An absolute laser off the bat, it seemed that the rising shot was still gaining altitude as it careened off the trees above the center field fence. Cumiskey, whose average was below .100 at the start of his Birds’ tenure, had brought it all the way up to .292. Orleans now had a four run lead.

Cadiz made an impressive circus catch in the bottom of the frame, juggling a pop-up with his glove and bare hand before falling to the ground and triumphantly holding the ball in the air. With two outs, the top two Sox hitters singled. Magpoc dropped a fly ball in left battling the sun, and two Sox runs scored. Thayer was done.

Evan Holewinski (Kent State) entered to salvage a dangerous situation. The errors continued to come for the Birds, as Tyler Harmony (Northeastern) booted one to load the bases. Cumiskey and MacDougall connected for a nice play across the diamond to stop more damage.

Holewinski had the sixth. He was replaced by Beltré on the mound with runners on first and second and no outs. A double from Dante Vachini plated two. A single, triple, and fielder's choice later, the Sox had nine runs. Y-D wouldn’t stop. Kevin Takeuchi ripped another triple. The sleeping giant had awoken and batted around. Beltré just didn’t have it.

Though Cadiz lined a ground-rule double over the fence in center, Orleans could not mount a comeback.

Ryan MacDougall packed up his unused baby blue catcher’s gear. Starting his second game at first base, he’d played well defensively, and contributed an RBI single.

“I forgot how much harder hitters make contact at this level, I haven’t played first since high school,” he said. “I felt more at home there [first base] today, and it brought back a lot of memories. Instead of blocking the ball with my chest I could have put my glove on it, but I didn’t think about that.”

With just four games to go, MacDougall is thankful for the teammates and coaches that have shaped his first Firebirds summer.

“It’s a higher level of play than I’m used to,” he said. “I’ve learned so much being around this group, and it’s been so much fun. It’s just a lot of great people. Coach Hanigan has taught me so much.”

Casey Cumiskey’s ascension isn’t just noticed by Firebirds interns and coaches, but by his teammates.

“He’s a good person and a great player too,” MacDougall said. “Hitting behind him is humbling because he’s barreling every ball. It’s been super cool to watch him get hot.”

MacDougall’s message for finishing the summer on a high note is a simple but effective one.

“We’ve just got to take our at-bats and have fun with it,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s a game. It’s never that serious. It’s been a good ride so far.”

Game 2: Anglers at Firebirds, Eldredge Park - 6:30 PM

It was on to the next at Eldredge. Before the Birds were set to take on the Anglers, host families were honored during pre-game ceremonies. The player staying with each family awarded them with a rose before lining up for a photo opportunity. Without host families and their dedication, the Cape League simply wouldn’t function.

Though they were only playing for pride, the Birds got some redemption against Chatham. Cadiz went deep off Anglers pitching again. Rowan Kelly (UCSB) launched his first bomb of the year. Anglers’ pitching collapsed in the sixth inning, as a slew of errors and wild pitches handed the Birds five free runs. Luca Alagheband (Harvard) twirled a gem — recording the longest Orleans start of the summer.

The scout’s bench was empty. Both teams were playing for fun. Chatham’s playoff spot was secure. Alagheband took the hill. Ryan MacDougall was back at his more familiar home behind the plate. The lefty sat Chatham down in order.

Whenever the Birds play Chatham, they go toe-to-toe with Angel Cervantes. This time, he didn't need to go deep into the game. His start would be a mere tune-up before the playoffs.

Alagheband didn’t know where the ball was going in the second. He walked and hit two batters. He plunked another to allow the first run to cross. Two infield hits later, three Chatham runs were in.

After two innings, Cervantes had retired six Orleans hitters in order. Alagheband responded with a clean third and fourth. He had punched two tickets in total.

Christian Chatterton replaced Cervantes after three. He was up against the top of an Orleans order that was yet to record a hit. Dominic Cadiz put an end to that. Continuing his reign of terror against Chatham, he rocketed a solo homer way over the scoreboard in left. His fifth homer of the season left the bat at 102 miles an hour and traveled almost 400 feet.

Alagheband seemed to get sharper as he went on. He baffled Chatham bats in the fifth, striking out two. He stayed on for the sixth. The lefty worked around a leadoff double, striking out his fifth hitter. He was the first Firebird to go six innings in a start. Though he beaned two batters and walked three, he had only allowed three runs on two hits.

“I was just trying to do my thing out there, I had a good first inning, then the second inning started to get away from me,” Alagheband said. “Hanigan came out to talk to me, and reminded me not to rush and finish my extension. I was kind of babying it in there, and Hanny was like ‘just throw it man,’ so I could get my arm extended. As a starter, you have to be able to make the adjustment mid-game.”

Alagheband has undergone some mechanical adjustments since arriving in Orleans and transitioning from a reliever to a starter.

“At the start, those adjustments harmed my command,” he said. “I knew I just had to trust my process, and trust the coaches here. Over time, things have started working out. I’ve been using my changeup a lot more, and I got a lot of rollovers on them today.”

Alagheband said that the most important lesson he’s learned with the Birds this summer is a simple one.

“My biggest takeaway is trusting myself out there on the mound,” he said. “I wasn’t extremely confident in all my pitches. At the start of the year, Jim Lawler told me I was too timid, and that I needed to go out there with an aggressive and confident mentality. I’m going out there now with poise and maturity.”

Garrett Larsen and Rowan Kelly both reached in the bottom of the frame. Stolen bases had them at second and third. Cadiz walked to put a man at every base. A wild pitch scored the second Birds’ run and the other runners over. Beltré grounded one to short to tie it. The second wild pitch of the inning scored Cadiz. A Magpoc RBI single scored another. Magpoc stole second, then was seemingly hung up at third, but the struggling pitcher Noah Allen spiked the throw wide of third base. He trotted all the way home. With their aggressive baserunning extravaganza and a comedy of wild pitches by Allen, the Birds had a 6-3 lead.

D.C. Brown (Brown) replaced Alagheband for the seventh. The Birds committed three errors behind him, and two Chatham runs scored. Orleans’ lead was now only one.

More power came from an unlikely source before the inning was over. Kelly hit a hanging breaking ball high and deep to left, clearing the fence in right and travelling 380 feet in total. It was his first homer of 2026. 7-5 Birds.

Brown was back for the eighth. He continued to get hit around, and surrendered a run. Luckily, he was able to retire the scary Bino Watters with the bases loaded. It could have been much worse for Orleans. They had one more chance to ensure a one-run lead. Three outs later, the score was still 7-6.

Grant Garman (Hawaii) was in for the save. Armani Guzman singled and stole second, then dashed to third. Another Angler walked and stole. With one out, he K’d Cam Pruitt. Another strikeout ended the second game. An arduous day for Orleans had finally come to an end.

Orleans will make the short trip back to Brewster tomorrow to take on the Whitecaps at Stony Brook.