Overview
The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (7-3) head to Orleans to take on the Firebirds (2-8) Thursday at 7 p.m. This is the first meeting of the season between the two squads.
Pitching matchup
Micah Bucknam (1-0) will start on the mound for Y-D. Bucknam just finished his sophomore campaign at LSU but entered the portal after the season. He recently announced his commitment to Dallas Baptist, where he will suit up next spring. In his one appearance on the mound so far this summer, Bucknam gave up three hits and an earned run in his 1 2/3 innings on the bump. Michael Foltz (0-0) will start for Orleans. The lefty out of George Washington has appeared in two games for the Firebirds, starting in one of those. His first start came on Friday against the Harwich Mariners, where Foltz tossed five strong innings, only giving up two hits and two walks. In his eight innings of total work on the season, Foltz has yet to give up a run and has a WHIP of 0.75.
Y-D player feature
Ethan Petry from South Carolina made his debut for the Red Sox on Wednesday at home against the Cotuit Kettleers and quickly showed why he’s one of the top 2025 MLB Draft prospects. The 2024 preseason First Team All-American and preseason First Team All-SEC selection went 3-for-4 with a solo shot to left-center in his second at-bat of the summer. Petry also has a big frame at first base to give his middle infielders a big target to hit for the rest of the summer.
Y-D overview
The Red Sox, currently holding sole possession of first in the CCBL East, came into last night on a three-game winning streak before falling to the scorching hot Cotuit Kettleers, 9-2. Y-D looked passive at the plate and lacked the aggressiveness its batters have shown as the season has progressed. The Tuesday off day seemed to put Y-D out of their rhythm on the field, too, as the team committed three errors in the first three innings, all on routine throws to first. Although the Red Sox pitching staff gave up three home runs on Wednesday, it still enters as one of the deepest staffs in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Y-D is second in the league in wins (seven) and has six different pitchers with double-digit strikeouts on the season.
Orleans overview
The Firebirds sit in last place in the CCBL East and are four games back of the Brewster Whitecaps, the next team up. Orleans’ two wins have both come at home, and the Firebirds have yet to score more than four runs in a contest. Orleans is letting up an average of 6.75 runs on the road compared to just 1.5 per contest at home. Against the talented offense of Y-D, which averages 4.6 runs per contest on the road and has a 4-1 record away from home so far through the 2024 season, this is a prime opportunity for Orleans to
gain some momentum with a victory going forward.
