Orleans returned to action at their home park Friday. Their last game before the All-Star break would see them face off against Hyannis for the fourth time. The Birds had bested the Hawks once at McKeon, but lost their other two head-to-head matchups.

Looking for a morale boost, Mental Skills Coach Jay Banfield distributed Orleans Firebirds “Challenge Coins” to the media team. The thick metal talisman displays Orleans’ current logo on one side. Since the Birds were founded in 1928, they’ve undergone several name changes. The other side of the coin sports the old Orleans Cardinals mascot and former team names: Sparklers and Red Sox.

Traditionally, “Challenge Coins” symbolize fraternity and unity within an organization. They have a deep military history — often carried by members of the same unit as a recognition of great achievement. The history of the medallions can be traced back to the Roman Empire, when soldiers received specially minted coins for military feats, but often kept them to commemorate their service. The Birds could use just about anything to keep the team together and try to turn their luck around.

Much nicer weather prevailed at Eldredge. Crowds swarmed the hill again. Tyler Myatt (Tennessee) distributed some rubber bracelets to the broadcast team. Hopefully, a night of many trinkets would mean a Firebirds win.

AJ Beltré (USD) stepped to the plate in a storybook scenario. Bottom of the ninth. Two outs. Bases loaded. Birds down by three. The count was 3-2. Beltré took a deep breath, shrugged his shoulders, and stared down the barrel of his bat. He watched a fastball inside. According to the Trackman strike zone, it has missed the plate. Home-plate umpire JC Fernandes watched the pitch, stood motionless, then emphatically rang up Beltré. The Firebirds lost their 20th game before the All-Star break.

The Firebirds loss to the Harbor Hawks on Friday was perfectly symbolic of their season so far. A 1-1 pitcher’s duel became a 5-1 blowout after Birds pitching collapsed in the eighth. The Hawks stole seven bases. Tyler Myatt nearly capped off a great night with a walk-off tank, but it was caught at the fence. Jonathan Gomez (Stetson) notched multiple extra-base hits. Orleans outhit Hyannis 12-8, but committed two errors, and still lost 5-3 after another failed comeback.

Ben Rabatin (Kent State) was throwing flames in his second Orleans start. The righty had topped out in the mid-90s at Kent State, but on Friday, he was up to 96 miles an hour with his fastball out of the gate. His increased velocity stymied Hyannis in the first, as he punched his first ticket and got two outs on weak contact.

Hyannis starter Ryan Bosch sat the Birds’ top three down quickly to finish the first. Rabatin quickly returned the favor with a quick half-inning and second strikeout.

Tyler Myatt and Casey Cumiskey (SNHU) both reached on infield hits in the second. A Tyler Harmony (Northeastern) walk loaded the bases, but new catcher Brendan Buecker (Monmouth) couldn’t find the big hit in his first Cape League at-bat. Since losing Cale Stricklin, the Birds have turned to Buecker to spell MacDougall, who had caught three straight games up until today.

Rabatin walked two Hawks in the third, but got several ground balls to escape. Bub Terrell (Auburn) singled, and Jonathan Gomez (Stetson) nearly doubled him home — but a great series of throws cut Terrell down at the plate by a hair.

Rabatin’s scoreless bid would end in the fourth. USC’s Andrew Lamb caught a changeup that was left over the middle of the plate out in front — sending a towering homer to right field. Caden Miller singled and advanced all the way to third, but stopped there. The Birds were lucky to only be down one.

Some controversy gripped the field in the bottom of the fourth. After Myatt reached on another infield hit, he slid into second to break up a double play, clipping Charlie Bates at second. His slide was ruled to be interference, and Bates exited with injury. Two more Birds would reach, but Buecker would come up empty again with runners in scoring position.

Luca Alagheband (Harvard) took over for Rabatin in the fifth. He pitched a clean frame and struck out the fourth Hawk of the day.

In the Birds’ half of the fifth, Taylor Kirk robbed Rowan Kelly (UCSB) of a double down the line with an amazing diving play. Kelly couldn’t seem to catch a break. The sky glowed orange as Terrell struck out swinging.

Alagheband dominated the sixth. He struck out two more Harbor Hawks. Through two innings, he was working on his best appearance of the year.

Gomez led off the bottom of the inning with his second double. Myatt immediately evened the score with yet another hard hit.

Rabatin’s Kent State teammate Evan Holewinski had the seventh. A remote-controlled airplane patrolled the trees beyond center field as darkness set in. He hit a batter and another reached on an error, but Gomez, Cumiskey and Dominic Cadiz (UCLA) hooked up for a beautiful double play to escape the damage.

Kelly and Cadiz partnered up again for back-to-back singles. The red-hot Gomez had another chance to add to the score, but grounded out, giving the ball back to Holewinski for the eighth. A waxing crescent moon sparkled over the parking lot in right field.

The righty allowed singles to the nine and one hitters. Kelly Nicholson visited the mound, but Holewinski pushed to stay in the game. He immediately flung a ball into the backstop, allowing a second run to score. A bunt single put runners on the corners for a second time. A steal and fourth hit made it 4-1 Hawks. Nicholson’s decision to trust his guy hadn’t paid off.

D.C. Brown (Brown) took Holewinski’s place — still looking for a first out in the eighth. Brown got a quick K, but a bad situation turned into a disaster. Terrell dropped a routine fly ball in right. The Hawks continued to drop in bloop hits and steal bases with reckless abandon. When the smoke had cleared, the Birds were down 5-1.

Myatt continued to be a model of consistency, reaching with a walk. He had been on base all four times. Cumiskey singled behind him, and Beltré brought in the Birds second run with a double. Ryan MacDougall drove in another with a sacrifice fly to left. The Birds had made it close yet again, but they still had to complete the comeback.

Beltré returned to the field for another pitching appearance in the ninth. Kelly made two catches in center. A hit batter advanced all the way to third with two steals, but Beltré locked it down.

The heart of the order was due up for Orleans in the ninth. Two singles and a walk juiced the bases. Beltré’s strikeout completely took the air out of Eldredge Park. Perhaps the All-Star break is exactly what the Birds need to reset and recharge for their last 12 games.