Earlier this season, Orleans sat in last place in the CCBL East. Now, almost 40 games later, the Birds are the No.1 seeded 2025 East Division champs.

While Orleans was unable to extend its winning streak to eight games against Brewster, with help from the Anglers defeating Harwich, the Birds were able to take the division.

“I feel like we have a great vibe on this team,” Elijah Ickes (Hawaii) said. “We just love playing for each other and are thankful to have such a great group of guys.”

In front of a packed Brewster crowd, every at-bat mattered for both squads.

After intentionally walking Brendan Lawson (Florida), bases were loaded in the bottom of the ninth for the Whitecaps. Down by just one run, the Whitecaps were in the works of completing a comeback.

And all eyes were on closer Steele Murdock (UC San Diego).

Just two nights prior, Murdock was in the same position against the Anglers. Fortunately, for the Birds, Murdock got the job done—preventing Chatham from snatching the lead despite no outs and having bases loaded.

“Bases loaded, no outs, you gotta perform,” Murdock said. “The pressure is fun for me. It turns it into a more competitive atmosphere and gets my juices flowing a little bit more.”

However, the same did not ring true on Sunday night against Brewster. Taking the game 5–4 in a walk-off win, the Whitecaps made a statement against the Birds—preventing Orleans from taking its eighth-straight matchup.

The game was a punch-for-punch battle for both squads. It wasn’t clear exactly who would come out on top until the last pitch.

With bases loaded, Adam Magpoc (San Diego State) answered for Brewster. Notching a single on a fly ball to left field, Magpoc’s heroics were just enough to get the job done for the Whitecaps.

A sea of blue and white surrounded the field as Brewster stormed the field in its first walk-off win of 2025, as the players threw water on top of Magpoc.

Even though the Birds were unable to cap off their regular season with a win, the contest was anything but disappointing for the No. 1 seeded team.

After the Whitecaps took a 2–0 lead in the bottom of the second, Orleans was anything but fazed.

In fact, it may have only put more fuel under the Bird’s fire. Leadoff hitter Landon Hairston (Arizona) led the Bird’s offensive charge in the third frame with a double of his own.

And it didn’t take too long for Orleans to get on the board after that, though. After two consecutive passed balls by the Whitecaps’ Justin Ruiz (High Point), Hairston found himself back at home plate.

It wasn’t until the top of the fifth inning when the Birds finally made a dent on the scoreboard. And it was all because of one familiar face—Tyler Myatt (Tennessee).

The junior college player of the year turned Volunteer notched his fourth homer within the last week and a half, stretching the Birds to a 3–2 lead.

Myatt’s impact on the field has been nothing short of impressive. Within his ten games with the Birds, Orleans has gone 7–3, as Myatt boasts a .302 batting average in the league.

Everything seemed to be clicking for the Birds. In the bottom of the sixth, grounding into a double play, Brewster was unable to get anything started again, with Ryan Oshinskie (Brown) at the helm for Orleans.

After an exceptional outing against Harwich, Oshinskie did not falter against the Whitecaps either on Sunday night. Posting five strikeouts and allowing just two runs off five hits, Oshinskie had his longest outing of the season in his 6 IP.

The Birds momentum only intensified when they stretched their lead to two runs in the top of the eighth off a Brewster wild pitch.

However, that was all too good to be true.

The bottom of the ninth was when everything changed for Orleans. Riddled by errors, the Bird’s defense did not have the same composure as seen earlier within the contest.

After a throwing error by Ryan Kucherak (Northwestern) to start the inning, that would soon be followed with another one by Ickes—giving Brewster opportunities to chip away at a Birds’ lead.

That’s exactly what happened. While it seemed like the game would go into extra innings after the Whitecaps tied the score up, a Magpoc game-winning single shut down that reality almost immediately.

After having a walk-off of its own the night before, Orleans was now on the receiving end of one.

While the Birds couldn’t stretch their winning-streak to eight games, they still have home-field advantage in the playoffs after clinching the division.

And nothing has changed in the Birds’ morale.

“This league and the playoffs is just about getting hot at the right time,” Murdock said the previous night. “I think we got a shot to take this pretty far in the playoffs.”