Before Tuesday night’s matchup against the Firebirds, the Brewster Whitecaps were 0–7 in their last seven games in Orleans. The Whitecaps had not defeated the Birds in front of packed Eldredge Park since 2023.

That all changed on Tuesday when the Whitecaps cruised past the Birds 8–2, leaving Orleans with only two wins in their eight home games so far.

Starting on the mound for the Birds was Brayden Krenzel (Tennessee), who in his 3 IP had one strikeout and allowed one run.

For the first few innings, it seemed like the Birds were successfully keeping the Whitecaps in check.

And the Whitecaps appeared to be doing the same.

In the bottom of the second, Brewster’s starting pitcher Owen Proksch (Duke) held Orleans to a 1–2–3 inning as Dawson Bryce (Charlotte), Cashel Dugger (UCLA), and Ryan Kucherak (Northwestern) were all sent quickly back to the dugout.

That pattern followed in the bottom of the third when Proksch did just the same. In his 3 IP, Proksch notched three strikeouts and allowed two hits.

The fourth inning was when Brewster started to really separate itself from Orleans.

After a Orleans pitching change, Sebastian Gonzalez (Hawaii) was now on the mound for Orleans.

However, Brewster didn’t take too long to put runs on the board. Off a Brendan Lawson (Florida) single and Carson Tinney (Texas) double, the Whitecaps had notched their first run of the game, scoring Collin Priest (Clemson) on the play.

Brewster’s tempo continued when Josiah Ragsdale (Boston College) singled on a ground ball to second baseman Luke Nixon (NC State).

But a Nixon throwing error propelled Ragsdale to third and brought both Tinney and Lawson home, as the Whitecaps now had a 3–0 edge.

In the bottom of the fourth, while Robbie Lavey (George Washington) and Elijah Ickes (Hawaii) both notched consecutive singles, Orleans was unable to convert on the opportunity. Orleans’ offensive pressure remained stagnant.

The top of the fifth was more promising for the Birds, as Gonzalez delivered a 1-2–3 outing, leaving Brewster scoreless for some time.

It wasn’t until the top of the sixth when everything unraveled for the Birds, as Brewster would take a 7–0 lead by the end of the inning.

Lawson took no time to get on base, singling on Gonzalez’s first pitch. Following a Gonzalez wild pitch, Lawson advanced to second.

Tinney came next with a walk of his own. Ragsdale would piece together another Brewster scoring opportunity, as he nailed a single to left field that brought Lawson home on the play.

With a 4–0 lead, everything was clicking for the Whitecaps. Nothing was clicking for Orleans.

Replacing Gonzalez on the mound, Mason Koch (Auburn) tried to limit the bleeding.

However, a Koch throwing error on a pickoff attempt didn’t help.

Cal Fisher (Florida State) capitalized on the Whitecaps’ momentum, as he delivered a single off a ground ball to left field, bringing Tinney home and giving Brewster a 5–0 lead.

But the Whitecaps were far from done.

With Dalton Wentz (Wake Forest) batting, Ragsdale scored on a balk, while Fisher advanced to second.

Alex Sosa (NC State) would finish it off for Brewster with a single of his own, scoring Fisher and advancing the Whitecaps to a 7–0 lead.

The bottom of the sixth marked the first time that the Birds would put anything on the board.

After a Michael O’Shaughnessy (walk), it was Ickes who put something together for Orleans.

Homering on a fly ball to left field that flew past the heads of Brewster outfielders, Ickes gave the Birds two runs.

While not enough for a comeback, it did give the Birds some peace of mind.

Just as soon as Orleans had a homer, Brewster delivered one of its own off a Lawson fly ball to right field, bringing the score to a 8–2 Whitecap advantage.

Kyle Kipp (Boston College) finished off with a dominant outing for Brewster, limiting any Birds’ opportunity to get something going as the Brewster offense went cold.

Across the final three innings, Kipp held the Birds to just one hit, notching a game-high five strikeouts, and silencing any hope of an Orleans’ comeback.

The Birds will look to shake their two-game losing streak against Bourne on Wednesday night at Doran Park.