Leading 5–4 against Chatham in the bottom of the seventh, it seemed like the Birds were going to deliver a Fourth of July win in front of a packed Eldredge Park—until they didn’t.
It all fell apart for Orleans in the top of the eighth, when the Anglers tacked on another two runs.
Taking the game 7–5, Chatham remains fourth in the CCBL East, while Orleans stays at 5th in the standings.
“I know we have been on a losing streak lately, we won last night, but today I tried to do my best to help the team win,” Alejandro Garza (Cal Poly) said.
However, the Birds came up short, marking their tenth loss of the season.
Orleans didn’t start out explosive in Friday’s game. In fact, Chatham maintained an early 4–0 edge by the top of the third.
After a Cade Arrambide (Louisiana State) single, Henry Ford (Virginia) followed suit with one of his own.
Ethan Mendoza (Texas) was then up next at bat. Slamming the ball to center field, Orleans needed to respond.
Making a diving save to snatch the ball, Javar Williams (Wake Forest) came up with the catch. However, Arrambide ran home on a sacrifice fly to give the Anglers a 1–0 lead.
“It was really cool playing in front of everyone on the Fourth of July,” Williams said. “I was just giving my best effort out there and trying to steal a home run and a couple hits for our pitchers out there.”
Chatham was just getting started, though. With Luke Pettitte (Dallas Baptist) on the mound, Chase Fralick (Auburn) then walked, advancing Gavin Gallaher (North Carolina) to second.
It was Jackson Freeman (Northwestern) that proved to be the difference maker for the Anglers, igniting Chatham’s offense with a homer.
Looking Pettitte in the eye, Freeman made contact with the ball, sailing it past the outfield and over the fence of Eldredge Park, as the Anglers notched another three runs.
With the score now 4–0 Chatham, the Birds needed to get something going—quickly.
They did just that in the bottom of the third. After an Anthony Potestio (UC San Diego) walk, Michael O’Shaughnessy (Georgia) delivered a single of his own.
Soon enough, Potestio stole third, as O’Shaughnessy stole second.
Robbie Lavey (George Washington) would ultimately respond for the Birds, delivering an RBI that brought Potestio home, diminishing the Anglers’ lead to three.
Orleans wasn’t done just yet, though.
Off a Garza single, O’Shaughnessy got a run of his own and Chatham’s lead was cut in half.
Replacing Pettitte on the mound, Kai Leckszas (Georgetown) made his debut for the Birds. He came out dominant for Orleans, holding the Anglers to a 1–2–3 inning.
The Birds kept that same tempo in the bottom of the fifth. Off a Garza sacrifice fly, O’Shaughnessy then had his chance to run home.
With the score 4–3 Chatham, the Birds had the optimal chance for a comeback, they just needed to deliver.
Eventually, they did.
In the bottom of the seventh, it all started with both a Potestio and Elijah Ickes (Hawaii) walk.
Lavey then had his chance to make a dent in Chatham’s lead, hitting a ground-rule double on a line drive to left field that scored O’Shaughnessy and knotted the game 4–4.
Soon enough, the Birds took the lead off a Garza sacrifice bunt that brought Ickes home and gave the Birds a 5–4 edge.
In the top of the eighth, that all changed.
Not only did the Anglers knot the score again, but they eventually inched past the Birds.
After two consecutive Chatham singles, Fralick reached on a fielder’s choice. Unfortunately, for Orleans, a wild pitch by Steele Murdock (UC San Diego), Mendoza scored on the play.
That would be the last time in the game when the score was tied, as Chatham would soon take the lead and never look back.
An Isaiah Lane (San Diego) ground ball single made that happen for Chatham, scoring both Fralick and Freeman.
Just like that, the Birds’ lead disintegrated right before their eyes as their scoring woes continued.
“We came up short, but we always have tomorrow, so we will get it back tomorrow,” Garza said.
