Gales whipped across Eldredge as the Firebirds took batting practice. With the wind swirling and dark clouds looming, players hoped they could create another offensive storm of their own.

Assistant Coach Ryan Hanigan took a day off from throwing his usual rounds of batting practice — instead watching the players hit off a machine from behind the cage. Hanigan talked with each player individually, breaking down swing tips and offering advice.

“It’s a constant grind everyday to control your movements,” Hanigan explained. “I’m watching for some checkpoints for each guy. There’s a lot of universal concepts. I’ve been around a lot of great players and hitting coaches, and I’m just here to drop some knowledge and help each guy with a couple swing thoughts. The summer is where you get better.”

Though Hanigan knows what’s worked for him, he understands that at the end of the day, it’s different strokes for different folks.

“It’s a conversation — not a directive,” Hanigan said. “I’m just trying to throw some [advice] at them without getting too mechanical. A lot of it’s timing, rhythm, and getting yourself loose enough that you can evaluate your swing. You only have so many ‘A’ swings every day.”

Ultimately, the Firebirds dropped another game that was quite close until the late innings. Casey Euper (Pepperdine) went toe to toe with Jaden Alba for five innings, only allowing one run via the long ball and striking out seven.

Euper waltzed out to the hill in the first looking to replicate his dazzling performance in the first game of the Firebirds season. Euper got off to a hot start, blowing Matt Bolton away on just three pitches. Undeterred by the foul weather, Euper continued dealing — striking out two more Braves swinging without throwing a ball.

Euper returned confident as ever in the second. With the American flag billowing behind him in center, he continued to make Braves hitters look clueless, retiring another three hitters in order.

Rex Watson (Coastal Carolina) nearly recorded his first hit of the season in the second, but was robbed on a successful diving play by Cal Sefcik.

In the top of the third, Euper continued dotting his low 90s fastball and excellent curve, getting three outs via soft contact.

The bottom of the inning began with a laser single from the powerful Tyler Myatt (Tennessee) — a whopping 107 miles an hour off the bat to the opposite field. Nothing would come of the traffic, as the Birds were unable to rattle Alba.

Andrew Costello ambushed Euper in the fourth, shooting a homer into the visiting bullpen. Myatt made an amazing jumping attempt and had the ball in his glove before it dropped down on the other side of the fence.

JD Stein, who just announced his entrance into the transfer portal Thursday afternoon, recorded the second Birds hit of the game in the fourth. A broken bat liner from Dominic Cadiz (UCLA) ended the inning, as the second baseman scooped it on the fly and threw Stein out at first.

The lefty Euper continued to dominate in his fifth and final inning, generating more weak contact and his seventh strikeout. Andrew Costello was the only Brave to have a sure swing against Euper.

“I felt like I had some good life on my fastball, and the curveball was working well,” Euper said. “Out of any role, my first focus is to attack the zone and throw as many strikes as I can.”

As Firebirds come from every corner of the country and beyond, they’re each taught a different pitching philosophy. With the Birds, Pitching Coach Jim Lawler does his best to synthesize everything.

“He’s a really good asset to have,” Euper said of Lawler. “He’s really hammered in using a changeup, and working on it if you don’t have one. I’ve been finding a good grove with the fastball-curveball combo, and developing that changeup should take me to the next level.”

Jake Echols (FSU) made his second Birds appearance after Euper’s night was done. He worked around two walks to post a scoreless frame. Echols struggled in his second inning, allowing two more Bourne runs with some questionable Birds defense.

The Birds finally showed some life. After Rex Watson wore one to get to first, Myatt came through yet again with the big fly — this time taking Noah Scott deep with an opposite field shot. His fourth and fifth RBIs in the last two games closed the Braves lead to just one.

“It was just confidence,” Myatt said, recalling his thoughts entering the box in the seventh. “Last couple of games before yesterday I hadn’t hit well, and then yesterday it turned around. I saw the ball really well in the game. I tricked myself into [believing] I was seeing the ball well and it worked.”

A classic pitcher’s duel then turned into a blowout in just one inning. Elai Iwanaga (UCLA) was not sharp in his second Birds bout. The righty allowed three runs while only recording one out, and was replaced with Brady Fox (MBC) in the eighth. Fox failed to clean up Iwanaga’s mess, letting two more runs score. Just like that, Orleans was down 8-2. The wind had died down, but so had the Birds’ hopes to win.

In a clean ninth, Fox sharpened his stuff, striking out the side. Orleans was given one final golden chance in the bottom of the inning as they loaded the bases, but fell flat once again.

As a returning Firebird, Myatt understands the pressure of the moment and how to turn things around early in a Cape League season.

“I think we just have to stay within ourselves,” Myatt said. “There’s a lot of scouts up here, and you want to show ‘em what you’ve got. I’m just trying to calm everybody down. Guys have to realize that they made it here and stay confident. Some people may be up here for just a couple weeks — and it may change their lives.”

The Firebirds head to Harwich to take on the Mariners on Friday for the first time in 2026.