The Birds made their second trip to Doran Park in Bourne on Monday. The large construction site beyond center field remained. A sunny day high on the hill near Upper Cape Technical High School would hopefully serve to rejuvenate the Birds.
The two days of All-Star festivities over the weekend didn’t go exactly according to plan. The Home Run Contest went off without a hitch. Orleans’ own Bub Terrell advanced into the final round, but fell to the overall winner Brady Christman who had blasted towering homers through the rain to all fields at Whitehouse.
Foul weather threw a wrench in Saturday’s All-Star plans. The game began as anticipated, but only three innings were completed before pouring rain shut things down. Casey Euper did not pitch his scheduled inning. Instead, he went home without representing Orleans on the big stage.
Other Birds’ All-Stars Tyler Myatt (Tennessee) and Dominic Cadiz (UCLA) did not see game action before the contest was called. The game was initially rescheduled for Sunday, but Whitehouse Field did not dry in time — resulting in a cancellation. It was only the second cancellation of the All-Star game in league history. The only other time the game was cancelled was when the entire season was called off due to COVID-19 in 2020.
The Birds got set to play their last 12 games of the season with another round of transactions being made. Joining Casey Euper, fan-favorite speedy-slugger Bub Terrell departed after his Home Run Contest performance. New infielder Shaun McMillan (St. John’s) joined the Birds for his first batting practice. The rising junior was coming off a season where he’d hit .312, belting 10 homers good for 43 RBIs.
The Firebirds earned themselves another demoralizing loss on Monday. They struck out a combined 17 times against Braves arms. At least one runner was left on base every inning. In total, 14 runners were stranded. Andrew Cutler’s (George Washington) five runs allowed in the fifth effectively sealed the game. The respite of the All-Star break wasn't enough to spark a Birds team that’s running out of gas with 11 games left to play.
Orleans got back in action with a bang. Rowan Kelly (UCSB) worked a leadoff walk, and a hit and run single by Cadiz put runners on second and third with no outs, with help from an errant throw by Braves third baseman Paul Vasquez. Jonathan Gomez (Stetson) continued to ride his hot streak, dropping a bloop single into center for the Birds’ first run.
Cutler made another start for the Birds. He had made a clean transition from reliever to starter so far. Blake Schaaf laid down a perfect bunt out of the leadoff spot. The ball seemed to hug the chalk before colliding with the third base bag. A fielder’s choice moved him over, and he stole third shortly after. Andrew Costello knocked him in, but he got hung up on the bases in the next at bat. Cutler left the first having allowed one run.
Two Birds went down swinging in the second. Garrett Larsen (Yale) returned to the lineup, and was seemingly given an extra strike in his first at bat. He fouled off two pitches and watched a third called strike — but the umpire had apparently lost track of the count. He took full advantage, working a walk. Kelly singled behind him, but Cadiz K’d to end the frame. The Birds had already struck out five times.
Cutler racked up two strikeouts in his second inning, and the Braves ran into another out on the bases. Gomez collected his second hit in the third inning and stole his first bag of the season. Shaun McMillan worked a walk in his second Birds’ at bat. Despite the traffic, the Birds left two more runners stranded.
Cutler imploded in the third. He allowed four straight singles without getting an out. Ryan MacDougall (Dayton) tossed one into the outfield to try and stop a steal, which led to another run. A double from Andrew Costello drove in another runner. Matt Bolton drove in the fifth Braves’ run of the inning. The offensive barrage was finally over, but not before the Birds were down 6-1.
Tyler Baird added an eighth strikeout in the fourth, but was removed after Kelly laced a ground-rule double to center. Cadiz grounded out against the new pitcher Austin Musso to end the frame.
Joe Nottingham (Georgia) took over for Cutler in the fourth. He K’d one and walked one. Rustan Rigdon ripped an RBI triple all the way down the slope of center field and to the fence. 7-1 Braves. He pitched a scoreless fifth and sixth, exceeding the maximum length he’d gone for the Firebirds or the Georgia Bulldogs. He struck four Bravos out in total in his career-long outing.
The Birds continued to struggle in the seventh. They got a gift error and hit by pitch, but struck out three more times. Birds’ bats had K’d 14 times through seven.
Elai Iwanaga (UCLA) took the bottom of the frame for the Birds, battling around multiple runners to record a strikeout and a scoreless inning. Jackson Kircher entered for the Braves in the eighth. He made Birds’ hitters look silly — striking out two. A loud cheering match erupted between Birds’ fans and the Braves bullpen.
Charlie Lapp (RPI) became Iwanaga’s catcher in the eighth. The usual bullpen catcher saw his first taste of in-game action since being activated a few weeks ago. He teamed up with the righty for a scoreless inning.
Cadiz got his first hit to start the top of the ninth. AJ Beltré (USD) ripped a double down the line on a 3-2 count. McMillan got his first Orleans’ RBI on a fielder’s choice, but the scoring would end there.
After another disappointing loss, the Firebirds will return home to face the Gatemen on Tuesday. They have a chance to win the season series versus Wareham if they can come out on top. The threat of poor weather in the forecast hangs in the balance.
