It wasn’t clear until the bottom of the tenth inning with two outs on the board who was going to come up with the win at Eldredge Park.

While the Birds may have ended their four-game winning streak, it was anything but a disappointment against Chatham—but rather a hard-fought battle.

With Orleans sitting at fourth in the CCBL East, Chatham remains on its tail in last place. Just a few games ago, Orleans surpassed the Anglers in the standings.

All signs indicated that Wednesday night was going to be nothing short of a battle. And it was to say the least.

The Birds’ leadoff pitcher Jake Bean (Louisville) came out explosive for Orleans, allowing just a Daniel Jackson (Georgia) walk in the top of the first. The Anglers’ Reed Stallman (Mississippi State) lined into an unassisted double play, as Bean capped off the inning dominantly for the Birds.

While Alejandro Garza (Cal Poly) and Elijah Ickes (Hawaii) notched two consecutive singles for Orleans in the top of the first, it was not enough to make a dent in the scoreboard. With two outs on the board, Robbie Lavey (George Washington) grounded out, sending both Garza and Ickes back to the dugout.

The Birds’ defense didn’t falter in the top of the second inning, either. Despite a successful Roman Martin (UCLA) single to begin the inning, Orleans delivered its second double play of the game in just the second inning.

It all started with second baseman Jonathan Mendez (UC Santa Barbara), as he snatched a Jake Hanley (Indiana) hit. Winding up, Mendez fired the ball to Ickes, who then rapidly returned it to first baseman Dawson Bryce (Charlotte), sending both Hanley and Martin back to the dugout.

The Birds had the first punch in the bottom of the second. In Orleans’ 7–2 victory over Harwich the night before, Ryan Kucherak (Northwestern) had three hits and three RBIs.

Fortunately, Kucherak’s hitting frenzy carried over to Wednesday’s rivalry game against Chatham. It didn’t take long for Kucherak to hit it out of the park, as the ball sailed over the scoreboard of Eldredge Park after leading off at home-plate.

Kucherak’s home run sent the crowd wild in Orleans, as it marked his first in the CCBL.

“I’ve just been making small adjustments at the plate to be able to see the ball better, slow down the game a little bit and bring my confidence up,” Kucherak said after the game.

Anthony Potestio (UC San Diego) followed Kuckerak’s lead, proving exactly why he was selected for All-Star honors. Off a pop-up single to left field, Potestio brought Mendez home—giving Orleans a 2–0 edge over the Anglers.

The caused double plays were not done quite yet, though. Orleans’ defense held down the fort in the top of the third with another successful double play. Leading the charge was Bean, who launched it to Mendez, who then brought it back to Bryce at first.

Nothing changed for Orleans by the time the top of the fourth rolled around.

However, everything did change once the top of the fourth concluded and the Birds’ defense seemingly unraveled right before the crowds’ eyes.

Leadoff hitter Jackson Freeman (Northwestern) took no time to get started, posting a single on a line drive to right field.

The Anglers were just heating up, as Jackson got a single of his own on the subsequent play. Third times the charm rang true for Chatham as Chase Fralick (Auburn) earned the third-straight single, scoring the Anglers’ first run.

This prompted an Orleans’ pitching change as Mason Koch (Auburn) replaced Bean on the mound. In Bean’s 3.1 IP, he logged one strikeout and allowed three runs off of five hits.

With just one out on the board, Hanley carried the torch for Chatham off a line drive double to center field, knotting the score 2–2.

The Anglers’ lead only intensified with an Isaiah Lane (San Diego) balk, inching past Orleans 3–2.

All eyes were on the Birds in the bottom of the fourth. However, Orleans was unable to get anything going as Cashel Dugger (UCLA), Bryce, and Mendez were almost instantly sent back to the dugout.

Martin came up big yet again for Chatham as he tacked on another home run for the Birds in the top of the sixth, as the Anglers took a 4–2 lead.

Orleans’ bats continued to go cold even after the conclusion of the sixth inning.

But Chatham’s didn’t. Fralick made another statement in the top of the seventh with a line-drive double that gave the Anglers’ their sixth run of the night.

To say it was a blowout, would be inaccurate.

Slowly but surely, Orleans chipped away at Chatham’s lead. That took place in the bottom of the eighth inning, when the Birds pulled out four runs, knotting the score 6–6.

“Coming back from being down 6–2 to tie that thing, was awesome,” manager Kelly Nicholson said. “With that being said, we didn’t run the bases very well, we didn’t play clean defense, we didn’t pitch great. We scored enough runs to win, but when you do the other three things subpar, it can come back to get you, and it came back to get us tonight.”

A Lavey RBI started the scoring frenzy. Next up was Kucherak, who reached on a fielding error, as both Garza and Ickes ran home to bring in another two runs.

Down by just one run, a Bryce single provided the Birds with an answer, as it was now anyone’s game.

Going into extra innings, the excitement was high in Eldredge Park, as Steele Murdock (UC San Diego) stood on the mound. However, just as soon as it started, it was quickly depleted after a fielding error by Mendez brought Martin home.

The Anglers only increased that lead off a Freeman RBI, as the Birds were now down by two.

With one more chance to tie the game, the Birds almost seemed like they had it. After a Chatham wild pitch, Orleans was back within one. But they ultimately couldn’t get over the hump to get one last run.

Even though the winning streak may have ended, the spirit is anything but low for the Birds.

“It was good for us to rally back there, it showed grit and perseverance, which is something that this team definitely has,” Kucherak said. “Hopefully, we can continue to do that in the future and pull it off next time.”