It goes without saying that it’s often harder to defeat the same team a second time around.
Yet, the Birds achieved just that on Monday night at Lowell Park, as the Cotuit Kettleers were unable to come away with their shot of redemption against Orleans.
Defeating the Kettleers 8–2 in front of a packed crowd, the Birds diminished any hope of a Cotuit comeback.
After the previous night’s matchup against Yarmouth-Dennis where the Red Sox shutout Orleans 4–0, Monday’s game told a vastly different story for the Birds.
“It’s always good to get a win, and it’s hard to get wins in the Cape League,” manager Kelly Nicholson said. “All last night meant was that we weren’t going to win them all and all the first night meant was that we weren’t going to lose them all.”
With Miles Gosztola (Gonzaga) returning for his second summer on the mound for the Firebirds,
Gosztola and co. prevented the Kettleers from gaining any footing in the first few innings. In his 3.2 IP, Gosztola allowed one run, three hits, and notched three strikeouts.
In fact, it was the Firebirds who opened up the scoring early in the second inning. Once ignited, the Birds’ offense was only heating up.
Alejandro Garza (Cal Poly) started the Firebirds off on an explosive note, singling a line drive. A Joey Volchko (Stanford) pitch then allowed Javar Williams (Wake Forest) to walk.
With Garza on second and Williams on first, a wild pitch advanced both players. And things only looked better for the Firebirds, as Volchko walked Jonathan Mendez (UC Santa Barbara), loading the bases with zero outs.
Tristin Salinas (North Greenville) kept his foot on the gas pedal, sending a sacrifice fly on the play that brought Garza home. Jaden Bastian followed suit with an RBI that extended the Firebirds’ lead to two runs.
But there was one play by a Bird that truly changed the trajectory of the game, thanks to Michael O’Shaughnessy (Georgia).
Locking eyes with Volchko, O’Shaughnessy settled into his windup and delivered—nailing a fly ball to right field that sailed past the fence.
“With two strikes, on the home run, I was trying to put something in play, and being ready for the heater and just trusting myself with that,” O’Shaughnessy said.
O’Shaughnessy’s heroics marked the first Firebirds’ home run of the season, giving Orleans a 4–0 edge over the Kettleers.
“[Michael O’Shaughnessy] just really hit, and he’s a good hitter,” Nicholson said. “He is as advertised, and I am glad that he is on our team.”
For the next two innings, the Kettleers attempts to chip away at the Birds’ lead were unsuccessful until a Case Sanderson (Nebraska) RBI earned Cotuit a run.
After a Birds pitching change, Brayden Krenzel (Tennessee) replaced Gosztola on the mound. Krenzel allowed one run, one hit, and three strikeouts during his 2.1 IP. Luke Pettitte (Dallas Baptist) was the last of the pitching trio on the mound with just one hit and three strikeouts in his 3 IP.
“I liked the fact that we didn’t have to use any extra guys tonight, and it’s nice when you can get through a Cape game with three arms,” Nicholson said. “Luke kept his pitch count down, which was very good and he was outstanding tonight.”
Even though the Kettleers managed to cut the Birds’ lead in half in the bottom of the fifth, it was too little too late.
The Firebirds’ dominance only intensified in the top of the seventh inning when Orleans doubled its lead.
A Michael Crossland (UC San Diego) RBI then gave the Birds its first run after two scoreless frames. A Max Haug (George Washington) wild pitch scored O’Shaughnessy, while advancing Crossland to third and Robbie Lavey (George Washington) to second.
Garza topped it all off with a RBI of his own, adding two more runs to the Birds’ collection and leaving Cotuit in the dust.
“It’s always a brand new day and everyday is a chance to be successful,” Nicholson said. “That’s what we kind of harp on. Tomorrow we have to turn the page, but we can enjoy this for a little bit tonight.”
