Nick Costello made a highlight-reel catch in the seventh inning, but the Y-D Red Sox fell to the Orleans Firebirds, 2-1, on Wednesday.
Y-D got off to a fantastic start thanks to a leadoff home run by Brayden Dowd. The center fielder drove the first pitch he saw over the right field fence for his second home run of the year. Dowd hit 10 home runs during his sophomore season at the University of Southern California, posting a .524 slugging percentage. While his power hasn’t been as prominent this summer, a .308 batting average over his last 11 games is a strong sign of his recent offensive resurgence.
Left fielder Jayce Tharnish reached base three times against Orleans, collecting a single, a double and drawing a walk in the ninth inning. In addition to reaching base three times, Tharnish also stole two bases.
Offense was hard to come by at Eldredge Park, with both starting pitchers shutting down the opposing lineups. Firebirds starter Jake Bean (Louisville) allowed just one run, which came on Dowd’s leadoff home run. Cole Tryba (UC Santa Barbara) closed out the game for Orleans, recording the final 5 1/3 innings and throwing 72 pitches. In 25 1/3 innings of work this summer, Tryba has posted a 1.07 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. The southpaw cruised through Y-D’s lineup, allowing only one hit and issuing three walks.
Brady Hamilton made what will likely be his final regular-season start for Y-D, tossing three scoreless innings with one strikeout and just one walk. He lowered his ERA to 1.48 in the process.
Chris Downs, who has started two games for Y-D, handled the bulk of the work on Wednesday. The left-hander threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings, limiting the Orleans offense to just one hit. He has been outstanding this summer, posting a 1.93 ERA over 18 2/3 innings.
Aside from the excellent pitching, several defensive web gems were made throughout the game. Elijah Ickes has played outstanding defense at shortstop this summer for Orleans, and Wednesday was no exception.
Costello made two standout plays in the outfield. The first came in the sixth inning, when he made a running catch in right field to prevent the tying run from scoring — an effort that may not have seemed flashy but proved critical in the moment.
In the bottom of the seventh, Dawson Bryce (Charlotte) drilled a deep fly ball to right field that looked destined to leave the yard. But Costello timed his jump perfectly, reaching over the wall to rob a go-ahead home run and preserve Y-D’s lead.
Ickes followed up his strong defensive performance with a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, handing Y-D its 15th loss of the season.
