(Above photo by Sophia Soropoulos)
Friday night's win in Brewster may have been exactly what the Firebirds needed, as each side of the ball turned in one of their most effective performances of the summer.
The win snapped a three-game skid, getting the Birds back into the win column, and as Mike Mancini knows, one win is all it takes to spark a turnaround.
"It's all about streaks," Mancini said. "One win can lead to another."
On the mound, Matt Dalquist worked relentlessly to make an impact, recording his fourth strikeout to strand two Brewster base runners in scoring position.
Mancini quickly ignited the third inning for the Birds, drawing a walk and stealing second base to put himself in scoring position.
In the next at-bat, Mancini's attentive base running paid off. Khadim Diaw's line drive single into center sent Mancini to third, and a fielding error allowed him to sprint home for the game's opening run.
Orleans hitters continued to put pressure on the Caps in the third, as Landon Moran battled for a walk of his own, moving Diaw to second.
Roch Cholowsky wasted no time taking advantage of the runner in scoring position, driving in an RBI double which brought in Diaw to put the Birds up 2-0.
With the Birds gaining more plate discipline and improving their base running as the season progresses, Mancini knows it's no coincidence their offense is becoming more efficient.
"If we continue to do the little things right, they'll turn into big things," the Orleans second baseman said. "I think you're seeing us start to click."
The Caps offense responded to the Birds' two-run inning by putting runners on the corners for the second time in as many innings. Dalquist's fifth and final K of the game once again stranded two Whitecaps in scoring position.
After Brewster went 1-2-3 to begin the fourth, lefty Miles Gosztola replaced Dalquist on the mound, likely to take care of a lefty-heavy portion of the Whitecaps' order. Like Dalquist in his two innings, Gosztola saw two runners advance into scoring position on stolen bases.
Despite the new face on the mound, it was the same story for the Brewster, as Gosztola retired two straight lefties and left two Whitecaps in scoring position for the third time in as many innings.
As the Birds' offense began to cool down after its strong third inning, Gosztola maintained his momentum, retiring six straight Whitecaps through the bottom of the sixth to protect his team's 2-0 lead.
After Colin Tuft led off with a triple, Mancini followed with one of his own, sending Tuft home to add to the Orleans lead.
With Mancini only 90 feet from home, a wild pitch over the head of the catcher gave him a free path to score, extending the Birds' lead to 4-0.
Despite a two-run seventh inning from Brewster, it wouldn't be enough. A clutch 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth from Itsuki Takemoto followed by another wild pitch that allowed Landon Moran to advance home and extend the lead to 5-2 put the game out of reach for the Whitecaps.
The Firebirds will look to string some wins together when they visit Harwich for the first time this summer, on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
