The third meeting between the Y-D Red Sox and Firebirds kicked off at Eldredge on Saturday. A win for Y-D would represent their 20th victory of the year, and a third win against Orleans. A win for Orleans would represent a tale of underdog victory as ancient as the Old Testament.

In the bottom of the tenth inning, Jonathan Gomez (Stetson) found himself in one of the most intense at bats of his life. The game was tied 4-4. He had just come off the bench to pinch hit with the bases loaded and a chance to make magic happen. The stadium lights blazed through the dark night. Every fan, intern, and player was on their feet.

In a 2-2 count, he twirled his bat, stepped into the box, and punched a single between the first and second basemen. As soon as he rounded first, utter pandemonium ensued. His teammates mobbed him. Gomez had played hero.

“All I had to do was see the ball up [in the zone] and put it in play,” Gomez said. “It feels great just fighting with the team. We definitely needed that. Y-D is good, but they’re just another opponent. All we have to do is compete.”

When the Firebirds win, they like to walk games off. Their third walk-off of the season was a complete team effort. The Birds notched five runs on 11 hits against a Red Sox staff that had dominated all season long. LJ Cormier (Auburn) delivered a strong performance in his last Orleans start, backed by masterful appearances from Brayden Toro (Stetson) and Evan Holewinski (Kent State) from the bullpen. Most importantly, the Birds had proved that Y-D was mortal. Though they might have nine All-Stars, they were just a group of ballplayers — not a machine.

Before the Birds took the field, the MLB Draft commenced at 1 PM. 2024 Firebird Roch Cholowsky (UCLA) was selected as the first overall pick by the Chicago White Sox. Birds 2025 alumnus Logan Reddemann, Cholowsky’s former Bruin teammate, was taken in the second round by the Colorado Rockies at pick 38.

Cholowsky joins five other former Birds to be selected in the top five: Carlton Fisk (Red Sox), Ben McDonald (Baltimore Orioles), Mark Teixeira (Texas Rangers), Matt Wieters (Baltimore Orioles), and JJ Bleday (Miami Marlins). Over 100 total Firebirds have gone on to play in the Majors since the team’s inception.

Also announced today were the Firebirds All-Stars. With Manager Kelly Nicholson working as the skipper for the game, he’ll see friendly faces in Dominic Cadiz (UCLA), Tyler Myatt (Tennessee), and Casey Euper (Pepperdine). Bub Terrell (Auburn) is set to participate in the Home Run Contest. Both events will take place on July 18 at Whitehouse Field.

“All those guys earned it. Nobody deserves anything, but those guys earned it,” Nicholson said of his players.

LJ Cormier took the mound, stopping first for a silent prayer. The heat beat down as he started to rebound from his rough start against Chatham, getting three outs without any trouble in the first.

The Birds love an early lead. Rowan Kelly (UCSB) made good on a batting practice promise to get things started for Orleans — singling and stealing second. Kelly’s red-hot UCSB teammate Corey Nunez knocked him in with his fifth hit in his last six plate appearances.

Cormier put away the Sox in the second on only six pitches. Orleans hitters made three lazy outs.

The third inning turned the score upside down. Cormier allowed four hits and three runs crossed. Multiple Red Sox advanced on savvy base running and caught the Firebirds napping. It was another case of landing a haymaker and being knocked down right after.

The two-way phenom Brock Ketelson entered for Y-D in the fourth. He bested Orleans’ two-way talent AJ Beltré, inducing an inning-ending double play.

Ryan MacDougall (Dayton) helped Cormier out of the fifth with a nice throw to catch a runner stealing second.

Orleans hitters mustered a solid comeback in the bottom of the frame. Ketelson got two fast strikeouts, but was taken out after a Kelly walk and a Dominic Cadiz single. Tyler Myatt worked another walk before Nunez came through yet again, hitting an infield single over the head of pitcher Charles Andrews that couldn’t be corralled. Two runners scored to tie the game. The Firebirds wouldn’t go quietly.

Reflecting on a three RBI night, Nunez noted the West Coast vibes that’ve taken over the dugout.

“We finally cashed in,” Nunez said. “The SoCal boys have really good chemistry. We just have to keep it moving. We won the day today. All we have to do is win the day tomorrow.”

Cormier got one out in the sixth before being replaced by Brayden Toro. Cormier had kept Orleans in the game against the league's best. Toro got multiple flyouts to silence the Red Sox.

Toro commanded the zone well in the seventh, striking out two more Red Sox. For the third out, Rowan Kelly made his second highlight reel catch of the year — diving full extension into the left center field gap to rob Reid Howard of extra bases.

Kelly kept providing the spark, collecting his third hit of the game with a double down the line. Myatt dropped in a single, but the next Birds up couldn’t push another run across.

Evan Holewinski took over in the eighth. He worked around a double and steal from All-Star Kevin Takeuchi. The Birds' chances were running out.

Opportunity came and went in the eighth. Holewinski trudged back out to the hill for a pitch-black ninth. He picked off Caleb Daniel and struck out Phoenix Call to escape a dangerous situation.

Things didn’t go the Firebirds’ way in the ninth. Garrett Larsen (Yale) was robbed by Phoenix Call on a fly ball to center, as he made a twisting circus catch to fall over and make the play. Kelly dribbled a ball down the line which somehow rolled fair, getting him tagged out. Cadiz and Myatt reached but would not score, as Nunez was unable to get the job done.

Holewinski remained in for extras and his third inning of work. He K’d Cole Hansen, but allowed a single to Reid Howard. In dramatic fashion, the ghost runner scored, but a relay from Larsen, to Beltré to MacDougall cut down a second run. The Birds were down one going into the bottom of the tenth.

The Birds shocked the world with their final opportunity. A Bub Terrell (Auburn) single immediately tied the game as the Birds’ ghost runner Tyler Harmony (Northeastern) scored. Adam Magpoc (SDSU) and Casey Cumiskey (SNHU) both worked gutsy walks to load the bases.

Jonathan Gomez had slain the giant. Beyond the result on the scoreboard, Kelly Nicholson was impressed with the energy that the team brought.

“Our bench tonight showed effort, energy, and enthusiasm. They really got excited for one another,” Nicholson said. “We had some really good at bats from Terrell, Magpoc, and Cumiskey, then Gomez got that base hit to win it. It was awesome to beat those guys tonight.”

Though Saturday’s victory was monumental, the Firebirds can’t let off the gas pedal now. In the midst of massive roster turnover, especially on the pitching side, it’s going to be all hands on deck for the rest of the season.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us, but there’s light at the end o the tunnel,” Nicholson said. “We’re 7-16, and we’d been on a little bit of a skid. We’ve still got a dozen guys out here at 2:00 PM before the game doing early work with Ryan Hanigan. These guys enjoy one another, playing the game, and doing the preparation. I’m extremely proud of the way [the players] conducted themselves tonight — and they earned that victory. It shows their grit.”

Orleans will look to keep the momentum rolling going into another game versus Chatham on Sunday — the team they need to hunt down for a playoff spot.