Coming off the Firebirds’ walk-off win against the Cotuit Kettleers on Opening Night, it seemed like Orleans couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.

Something had seemingly clicked for the Birds that night, as a sea of players ran out of the dugout and onto the field for postgame celebrations.

“The first one is always the hardest one, you just got to get it out of the way, and I’m glad we got the job done,” Robbie Lavey (George Washington) said.

Under the stadium lights of Eldredge Park, spirits remained high after the first win. The expectation that the Birds' dominance would continue into a two-game streak remained.

“They showed a lot of character and grit tonight,” manager Kelly Nicholson said after Saturday night’s win. “Anytime you get a walk-off win at home, it’s good in this league. It’s hard to win games in this league, so good for the Birds.”

And that’s all Orleans needed on Sunday night.

Unfortunately for the Birds, Sunday’s matchup against Yarmouth-Dennis told a different story, as Yarmouth-Dennis beat Orleans, 4-0, in front of a packed Red Wilson Field.

The Firebirds never managed to get anything going. In fact, there never was a moment in the game where Orleans maintained the lead.

Unable to bring in Saturday’s 10th-inning magic, Brady Hamilton (Wichita State) pieced together a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the first, knocking the Birds down before they even had their footing.

With Itsuki Takemoto (Hawaii), the 2024 Cape Cod League’s most outstanding pitcher and a Firebirds veteran, back on the mound for the Firebirds, it seemed rather familiar for Orleans.

However, Y-D's offensive dominance started early, as its first batter, Cody Miller (East Tennessee State), doubled on a fly ball.

With Will Baker (Georgia Tech) grounded out in the next at-bat, and Miller ran to third on the play, with the optimal opportunity to run home.

It was the Y-D Red Sox’s Chris Hacopian (Maryland) that proved to be the difference maker, as his RBI single brought Miller home, giving Y-D a 1-0 edge.

While Sebastian Pisacreta (Pittsburgh) kicked off the next inning with a double on a fly ball, the Birds were ultimately unable to convert on the play, marking one of Orleans’ missed opportunities in the matchup.

For the next inning and a half, nothing changed, as the scoreboard stood at 1-0.

It wasn’t until the bottom of the third when Orleans couldn’t contain the bleeding.

Following a Nolan Traeger (Texas Christian) single and a Dean Carpentier (Southern California) walk, Miller was back at-bat. A towering fly to center field sent Carpentier to second and Traeger to third.

Y-D continued to apply pressure with a Baker RBI single that brought Traeger home and Carpentier to third. Hacopian followed suit with an RBI single of his own, scoring Carpentier on the play.

Containing Y-D’s explosive offensive pressure was no easy feat for the Firebirds, as Y-D notched four hits and three runs against the veteran pitcher. Owen Kelly (Saint Louis) replaced Takemoto after three innings pitched and three strikeouts.

Fortunately for the Birds, the bleeding stopped for the next four innings.

Baker had himself an outing against Orleans, as the next and final time that Y-D scored, he was at the helm with another RBI.

Unfortunately for Orleans, its inability to convert any hits to runs plagued its chances at applying any further pressure. Despite boasting five hits compared to Y-D’s six, the Birds were unable to continue their perfect script.

The Firebirds have the opportunity to get back in the win column against the Kettleers at 5 p.m. Monday in Cotuit.

Whether or not the Orleans will go two for two against the Kettleers will soon be decided.

All eyes will be on the Birds.