Hot bats, solid pitching, and pregame superstitions combined for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (2-0) to win Sunday’s game 7-2 against the Orleans Firebirds (0-2).
The Red Sox entered the top of the first inning ready to hit.
Brodie Johnston (Vanderbilt University), who ended 1-for-3 with one RBI and two walks, homered in the first inning to put Y-D ahead 2-0. He knocked in Jake Souders (Mississippi State), who previously singled and stole second.
Like Johnston, Souders is on the roster to create offensive opportunities. Tonight, he did just that.
He went 3-for-5 with one RBI in addition to his stolen base. His performance was no surprise given his success at Samford, where he holds a career slash of .335/.404/.504 for a .943 OPS and 26 stolen bases. His reputation precedes him, but his Y-D numbers have begun to match his Samford promise.
To keep his offense in proper shape, Souders plans to maintain his strict pregame routine. This is not a routine involving batting or fielding practice, although he does do those things, but rather the consumption of two pregame beverages.
“I drink the same two drinks before every game,” said Souders. “Red Alani (which he later clarified was the “Cherry Slush” Alani Nu energy drink) and Orange Gatorlyte.”
He drinks them before every game. After his performance today, he has no reason to stop.
John Beverley (Georgia State) was another run producer for Y-D this evening.
He recorded a two-run RBI in the top of the fifth to put the Red Sox ahead 5-0. This is hardly a surprise given his collegiate offensive success this past season. In 2026, he hit .364/.421/.469 for an .890 OPS with 35 stolen bases and 42 RBI, all over 209 at-bats. He’s on this team because he gets on base, is aggressive on the base path, and knocks in runners.
Another large contributor to advancing runners was Mateo Serna (University of Missouri), who went 1-for-2 with one home run, one walk, and two RBI.
On the pitching front, the Y-D rotation held up the Firebirds’ offense. Hunter Watkins, a rising junior at Oklahoma State University, started the night for Y-D.
The 6'9 right-hander finished three innings, allowing two hits, no earned runs, and no walks with three strikeouts.
Taylor Penn, a right-handed reliever and rising junior at Arizona State University, followed Watkins. He allowed only one hit with two walks, no earned runs, and two strikeouts.
The Florida State bullpen crew, which consisted of rising junior Cade O’Leary (four hits, two earned runs, and three strikeouts) and redshirt sophomore Rhett Vaughn (one hit, no walks, no earned runs, and three strikeouts), followed consecutively with two innings apiece.
Y-D will make its attempt at a 3-0 record on Monday at 5:00 E.T. at home against Falmouth.
