There is one lasting image after Tuesday night’s home game against Brewster, and it all started with Steele Murdock (UC San Diego). Pumping his fist in the air, a triumphant Murdock celebrated the Birds’ third straight comeback win.

“I mean obviously a little excitement came out,” Murdock said about his celebration. “To win against the No. 1 team in the East Conference is a lot of fun to do.”

After notching three strikeouts in his one inning pitched, Murdock was met by a sea of young fans waiting for his autograph.

“It’s honestly really cool, because growing up, I kind of probably would have never seen myself in this situation, and kind of almost being in a reverse role and an inspiration to these kids is really awesome,” Murdock said.

But Orleans wasn’t running the show for most of the game. In fact, it wasn’t until the bottom of the eighth inning when the Birds even had a chance, taking the matchup, 7-4.

Brewster took no time to get started in the top of the first. After delivering a home run on the first pitch the last time the Whitecaps came to Orleans, Adam Magpoc (Boston College) came out with the same explosiveness.

Doubling on a sharp line drive to center field, Magpoc got the Brewster dugout loud, as cheers erupted.

That only intensified when Magpoc stole third and when a Cal Fisher (Florida State) RBI brought Magpoc home, as the Whitecaps took an early 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the second, Orleans eventually matched Brewster. Leading the charge was Ryan Kucherak (Northwestern), who after completing a single also managed to steal second.

However, it was Dawson Bryce (Charlotte) who made a dent in the scoreboard, delivering an RBI that brought home Kucherak.

Everything seemed to unravel for the Birds in the top of the fourth. With Logan Reddemann (San Diego) on the mound for Orleans, the Whitecaps did everything to chip away at Orleans’ defense.

Brendan Lawson (Florida) and Alex Sosa (North Carolina State) did just that, logging two back-to-back homers that flew over the fence of Eldredge Park and beyond the reach of Orleans’ outfield.

Silence took over at Eldredge Park, as with no outs on the board, Brewster had stretched its edge to two runs.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Birds were unable to get anything going.

But in the bottom of the fifth, they came close. But not close enough.

Thanks to Alejandro Garza (Cal Poly), the Birds were on base after a sharp line-drive single to center field, as Magpoc was unable to come up with the catch for the Whitecaps.

Elijah Ickes (Hawaii) then followed suit. Grounding into a forceout, Ickes managed to make it to second after a Brewster throwing error, while Garza was sent back to the dugout.

Ickes was only one step closer to earning the Birds another run when he stole third. And, eventually, that became a reality when a wild pitch by Kyle Kipp (Boston College) narrowed the score down to just a one-run Brewster lead.

The eighth inning was when everything changed, for both squads.

Piecing together the last run of the night for the Whitecaps, Brody DeLamielleure (Florida State) notched Brewster’s third homer of the night on a fly ball to left field, giving Brewster a 4-2 lead.

But the bottom of the eighth proved that would not be enough. Tallying four runs to cap off the inning, the Birds had just about another Cinderella story win.

After three consecutive Lavey, Kucherak and Dugger walks, the bases were loaded. Reaching on a fielder’s choice, Lavey ran home.

It was Javar Williams (Wake Forest) who ultimately proved to be the difference-maker for Orleans. Posting a single when it mattered most, Williams brought home both Kucherak and Dugger as the crowd went wild.

Just like that, the Birds had snatched the lead.

“I felt really good today, and I’ve been in the lineup the past few days, and I just wanted to do everything I could for my team to win,” Williams said. “Grind out those last few at-bats for the team and put the ball in play, and let good things happen. And that’s what happened.”

They weren’t done just yet, though.

After a passed ball by Sosa and a Kyle Johnson (Virginia) single, the Birds had increased their lead to three runs. And they never looked back.

Capping it off for Orleans, Murdock held Brewster to a 1-2-3 inning, sending Dalton Wentz (Wake Forest), Carson Tinney (Texas) and Ryan Martin (Dallas Baptist) almost immediately back to the dugout.

When asked about what it felt like to have a three-game comeback winning streak, Murdock praised his teammates.

“We got a bunch of mature guys out here that can go out and turn off the scoreboard almost and go pitch by pitch and do their thing,” Murdock said. “It’s a lot of fun, and I hope we keep on rolling.”

Williams expressed a similar sentiment.

“We are getting a little momentum coming toward the end stretch of the season, and I think that’s important for the playoffs,” Williams said. “We are clicking on all cylinders, and are looking forward to keeping this up.”