The Birds are no stranger to a walk-off win. In fact, they have notched two walk-offs in one week, with their last one coming Saturday against the Harbor Hawks.

Thanks to Dawson Bryce (Charlotte), Orleans remains atop the standings of the CCBL and the East Division heading into its final regular-season game against Brewster on Sunday.

It was down to the wire for Orleans. Whether or not the Birds won their seventh straight game would soon be decided. Knotted at 6-6 with two outs on the board in the bottom of the 10th, Robbie Lavey (George Washington) stood on second, as the crowd went silent.

Stepping up to the plate was no other than first baseman Bryce, who has become a familiar and reliable face for Orleans this season.

When it mattered most, Bryce was able to deliver, nailing a line drive to center field as Lavey ran home. In a matter of seconds, the crowd erupted in cheers and the players stormed the field, dumping water on Bryce for his game-winning heroics.

“When I hit it, I knew I had the game-winning run,” Bryce said. “I knew it was going to be driven far off the bat.”

The postgame celebrations continued as Orleans took its seventh straight game in front of a packed Eldredge Park.

“Dawson might be a little soaked now, but that’s special,” pitcher Ed Hart (Duke) said. “It’s a fun team, having Elijah’s walk-off the other night and then Dawson tonight, it’s special.”

But Saturday night’s contest was not always so smooth sailing for the Birds, as for much of the game they were trying to make a comeback. In fact, the only time that Orleans had a lead in the matchup was off Bryce’s RBI in the bottom of the 10th.

The majority of the battle was defined by a Birds’ game of catch-up. Down 4-2 by the time the top of the sixth rolled around, Orleans needed to get something going — soon.

Fortunately for the Birds, the bottom of the sixth was rather promising.

Off two consecutive Anthony Potestio (UC San Diego) and Javar Williams (Wake Forest) walks, something was starting to click for Orleans.

That only intensified when Ryan MacDougall (Dayton) reached on a fielding error, as Potestio ran back home, splitting the Harbor Hawks’ lead in half. The seventh inning was not as lucky for Orleans, though. After an explosive Ryan McKay (Michigan State) double to start the inning, Hyannis went on a scoring frenzy.

Notching another two runs off a Deiten Lachance (McLennan Junior College) homer, the Harbor Hawks returned their lead back to three.

Orleans did not go down without a fight, though. In the bottom of the seventh, the Birds tallied another two runs as both Ryan Kucherak (Northwestern) and Williams walked home.

With just a one-run lead, the game was anything but comfortable for Hyannis. Just as the Birds always seem to do in the later innings, they found a way to chip away at their opponent's lead.

“We can put together an at-bat at any time, so we’re never down at any point in the game,” Bryce said.

That rang true when the Birds knotted the score in the bottom of the ninth — sending the game into extra innings as the crowd let out a sigh of relief. Leadoff hitter Bryce, the game’s MVP, led Orleans’ offensive charge with a fly-ball single to right field, as Hyannis was unable to come up with the stop.

Kucherak followed suit with a single of his own, nailing a ground ball to second base that was deflected by pitcher Ryan Speshyock (Stanford).

The third time was the charm for the Birds, as MacDougall capped it off with another ground-ball single in his debut game that brought Bryce home. Heading into the 10th, all eyes were on Hart as he took the mound with one out on the board.

And it didn’t take long for him to send the Harbor Hawks back to the dugout as Jake Schaffner (North Dakota State) grounded out and Charlie Bates (Stanford) struck out.

The energy shifted at Eldredge going into the bottom of the 10th. Something felt hopeful. And that’s exactly what occurred when Bryce came up big for his team — again.

When asked about what this win meant for the team, Bryce kept his response simple.

“Let’s just keep it rolling going into the playoffs,” he said.