Forty-six minutes after the scheduled 6 p.m. first pitch, the rain had dispersed, the field had been attended to, the anthem had been sung, and Hudson Shupe (Gonzaga) walked up to the plate to get the game underway.
Shupe, as he typically has since entering the leadoff spot in the Birds' order, reached base, winning a seven-pitch battle against Ciaran Caughey (Kent State).
Ian Daugherty (Oklahoma State) followed Shupe's productive at-bat with his first homer as a Firebird, giving his squad an early 2-0 lead.
Throughout the first four innings of the Firebirds' final trip to McKeon Park, the best version of their offense was on display, posting five runs — a start Daugherty credits to his team's early fight at the plate, which he knows needs to stretch over a full nine.
"We strung together some good ABs and had some timely hitting," Daugherty said. "As the game went on we just didn't keep it rolling."
After a two-run fourth tied the game at 5, the Birds offense came to a sudden halt when Reed Moring (UC Santa Barbra) checked onto the mound, who, in contrast to the Orleans pitching staff, kept the basepaths clean.
On a night the Birds handed out eight free passes that helped the Harbor Hawks put up seven runs, manager Kelly Nicholson knows that isn't going to cut it.
"Anytime you walk eight guys against a good team like Hyannis, you really don't deserve to come out on top," Nicholson said.
"We gave up seven, and anytime you give up seven runs in this league you're not going to win very often."
Despite the hot start, effective pitching from the Hyannis bullpen held Orleans scoreless after the fourth and handed the Birds their second straight loss.
The Firebirds will look to get back in the win column at their house, as the Falmouth Commodores pay their final visit to Eldredge Park.
