The Birds’ hopes of extending their three-game comeback winning streak was too good to be true on Thursday night in Wareham.
After coming back from behind and defeating Yarmouth-Dennis, Bourne and Brewster in their last three matchups, the Birds were not able to do the same, as the Gatemen silenced Orleans 8–1.
“We are getting a little momentum coming toward the end stretch of the season,” Javar Williams (Wake Forest) said after defeating Brewster. “I think that’s important for the playoffs. We are clicking on all cylinders and are looking forward to keeping this up.”
Those words didn’t exactly ring true at Spillane Field in front of a packed Wareham crowd.
“I hope we keep on rolling,” Steele Murdock (UC San Diego) said before the off day.
But the late-game runs and rhythm that had defined the last few wins for Orleans was nowhere to be found tonight. Wareham made it very clear why they remain first in the CCBL West.
While Wareham tallied eight runs off 12 hits, the Birds produced just one run off three hits.
However, both squads didn’t come out explosive to start the matchup. In fact, it was a defensive battle until the third inning.
Neither team tallied a hit until the bottom of the third, when the Gatemen took the first punch.
After an Aris Rivera (Central Florida) walk, Brayden Randle (Mississippi) changed the trajectory of the game for Wareham. Homering on a fly ball that sailed well over the reach of left fielder Anthony Potestio (UC San Diego), Randle delivered the first two runs of the night.
Meeting Rivera at home plate, Randle made the crowd go wild, as cheers erupted from the bleachers above.
With just one out on the board, a Hayden Yost (Florida) single continued the charge for Wareham. Fortunately, for the Birds, a Chris McHugh (North Carolina State) and a Caden McDonald (Florida) flyout spared Orleans from any further damage in the inning.
The top of the fourth looked vastly different for the Birds, as they tallied no hits. With three straight groundouts and just a Robbie Lavey (George Washington) walk, that wasn’t going to cut it for Orleans.
The Gatemen only doubled their lead by the time the bottom of the fourth concluded. Replacing Jake Bean (Louisville) on the mound for the Birds was Mason Morello (Fordham).
During Morello’s 1.2 IP, he allowed four runs off five hits.
The first hit came off a Chase Krewson (Central Florida) line drive single. Next at bat was Christopher Ramirez (Cal Baptist), who followed suit with a single of his own.
An Easton Breyfogle (Arizona) RBI was the icing on the cake for the Gatemen, as he logged Wareham’s third run of the night.
Things couldn’t have gone better for the Gatemen. Until, they did.
Capping off the inning with a sharp line-drive single, Rivera brought Ramirez home on the play—extending Wareham’s edge to four runs.
The top of the fifth was less than promising for the Birds. While Cashel Dugger (UCLA) was able to muster together a single, nothing would come from it, as Orleans’ offense quickly was sent back to the dugout.
The fifth inning was when everything clicked for Wareham, while everything unraveled for Orleans.
Knocking the ball over the scoreboard, McDonald’s heroics earned the Gatemen their second homer of the night, as their lead stretched to five runs.
A Colby Turner (Michigan) single then prompted an Orleans pitching change. All eyes were on Edward Hart (Duke) as he took the mound.
Krewson took no time to start chipping away at the Birds’ defense though, nailing a flyball double to left field.
After intentionally walking Ramirez, a Breyfogle groundball single only made matters worse for Orleans. Ramirez’s hit brought the Gatemen another two runs, as they increased their lead to a staggering eight runs.
While the Birds were nowhere close to a comeback, there was one memorable moment in the chaos.
Tyler Myatt (Walters State Community College) notched the Birds only home run of the night, launching the ball a whopping 471 feet.
The recent Tennessee commit proved exactly why he was selected the NJCAA D1 Baseball Player of the Year.
Becoming the first NJCAA player to lead the nation in batting average, home runs, and RBIS since 2019, Myatt made his impact for the Birds in his Thursday night debut.
However, that alone wouldn’t be enough, as Orleans snapped their three-game winning streak.
