In their past three matchups this summer against the Harwich Mariners, the Birds had taken every game. But that winning-streak ended on Friday night at Eldredge Park.

Unlike the last few high-scoring matchups, this one was relatively stagnant for both squads.

Scattered rainfall did not stop both teams, as the stage was set for a punch-for-punch battle. And it proved to be exactly that.

It wasn’t exactly clear until the final moment what the Birds’ fate would be.

Kai Wagner (Northern Colorado) and Cashel Dugger (UCLA) were both in scoring position. After a walk, sac bunt, and an intentional Javar Williams (Wake Forest) walk, the Birds had a chance to knot the score and possibly send it into extra innings.

Down by just one run in the bottom of the ninth, all eyes were on Anthony Potestio (UC San Diego) with two outs on the board.

But it was too good to be true. Striking out three of his next four batters, reliever Christian Rodriguez (Florida) held it together for Harwich, sending Potestio back to the dugout and ending Orleans’ chances of another home-game comeback.

This marks the Birds’ second-straight loss coming off Wareham’s 8–1 defeat over the Birds.

Game after game Orleans has shown that its best baseball doesn’t normally come in the early innings of the matchup.

That rang true on Friday night when it took hardly any time for Harwich to get on the board.

Just second at bat, Niko Brini notched a line drive double to left field off JT Raab’s (Georgetown) pitch, as Michael Crossland (UC San Diego) was unable to come up with the catch.

The Mariners were seemingly just getting started, though. CCBL East All-Star Aiden Robbins (Seton Hall) made it clear why he was chosen for the honors when he launched a home run to the opposite side of the field.

Bringing home both himself and Brini, Robbins’ heroics gave Harwich an early 2–0 lead. The tied game simply disintegrated right before the Birds’ eyes.

However, those would mark the last runs of the game for the Mariners, as the rest of the game remained a defensive battle.

Utilizing six pitchers within the matchup, manager Kelly Nicholson did everything possible to limit any further damage from Harwich’s offense. And his plan succeeded, as the pitching staff held the Mariners to just two runs off eight hits with 11 total strikeouts.

The Birds’ offense did not have the same efficiency, though. Tallying just one run off six hits, Orleans was unable to get anything going for the majority of the matchup.

The only time that the Birds made a dent in the scoreboard was in the bottom of the fourth inning. Following an Elijah Ickes (Hawaii) walk and a Tyler Myatt (Walters State Community College) single, Dugger was up to the plate.

After being hit by a pitch, Dugger walked to first as Myatt advanced to second. With loaded bases with one out, Dawson Bryce (Charlotte) took the plate.

Firing a deep fly ball near the center field wall, Bryce’s sac fly brought Ickes home. While Brini was able to come up with the catch in left field, it seemed like this was the exact offensive boost that the Birds needed.

That only intensified on the next play when Williams completed a successful bunt.

But none of these hits came to fruition for Orleans, as Bryce’s sac fly would be the first and last offensive push from the Birds.

Saturday’s game will also be no easy feat for Orleans. After taking on the 1st ranked CCBL East team in Harwich, the Birds are set to play the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, the second-ranked team in the division at Red Wilson Field.