Since the start of the summer, the Firebirds have slowly been molding into the team that held Y-D scoreless for eight innings, and that can become dangerously hot at any given moment.
Much of the credit toward the near shutout of the league-leading Red Sox will deservingly go to the two on the mound for Orleans, Itsuki Takemoto (Hawaii) and Lucas Litteral (Western Kentucky). However, the game may have looked much different if not for a fresh face making an immediate impact.
Chris Barr (Army), who arrived in Orleans just three short days ago, and hasn't played infield since high school, made an early mark on the game with three leaping catches in the outfield, one of which robbed Anthony Martinez (UC Irvine) of a two-run homer.
While thrilled to make such impact plays in his long-awaited return to the outfield, Barr is looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.
"I've been playing infield my whole career, so it was nice to make some athletic plays out there, and it worked out well tonight," Barr said.
"But just being able to come down here and bring some more life to the guys by being a new face has been a blast so far, and we're gonna continue this energy."
Barr didn't just shine in the outfield, as he drove in two of the Birds' eight runs, which quickly earned the props of his new coach, Kelly Nicholson.
"He's as advertised," Nicholson said.
"He was advertised as a switch-hitting, impact bat who could really run and defend, and he's been exactly that."
On the other side of the ball for Orleans, Takemoto made his first start of the summer after seven appearances and didn't disappoint.
Despite throwing 85 pitches through six innings, Takemoto showed no signs of slowing down, attributing his endurance to his rigorous training back home.
"In high school, I would throw for seven, eight, even nine innings," Takemoto said.
"High school baseball in Japan is so huge, everyone watches high school baseball."
Takemoto is no stranger to winning; his high school team clinched the Koshien Tournement, Japan's premier high school baseball event. Known as 'Summer Koshien,' it's the largest-scale amateur sporting event in Japan.
On top of Barr's two RBI, both Lorenzo Meola (Stetson) and Robbie Ayers (Loyola Marymount) recorded home runs, and Ben Zeigler (Hawaii) went 5-for-5 reaching base.
Combined with the masterful pitching of Takemoto and Litteral, the Birds strung together their first pair of wins all summer, and are now one game out of a playoff spot.
They will look to inch a game closer to the playoffs in the final game of a three-game home stand, as the Brewster Whitecaps come to town Saturday for a 6:30 p.m. matchup.
