All summer, I’ve thought that Orleans could make a run. The lineup has some very talented hitters, and the pitching rotation looks solid enough.
It looks the Firebirds are making that run.
While Y-D has made the most headlines with its surge into first place, Orleans is actually the hottest team in the league. The Firebirds beat Harwich last night 14-3 for their fifth victory in a row. The teams came in tied for third place, but the win moves Orleans into third, just four points back of second-place Brewster. All of a sudden, the Firebirds, at 20-18-1, have the third best record in the league.
Not too long ago, the Firebirds were floundering — but they weren’t getting blown out. Twelve of their 18 losses have been by two runs or fewer. These last few games, the Firebirds have turned that trend around. They won two close games to start the streak and have won the last three a little more easily.
Last night’s game was the easiest yet.
The Firebirds broke open a 1-0 game with eight runs in the fourth inning. They finished with 11 hits, four for extra-bases. Jayce Boyd (Florida State) had a huge night, going 2-for-5 with a home run, a triple and six RBI.
Kolten Wong (Hawaii) was his usual self, going 2-for-2 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI. With that showing, he took over the batting average lead from Drew Martinez. Steve Selsky (Arizona) and Matt Koch (Loyola Marymount) also had two hits.
Orleans used five pitchers to keep the big cushion. Kyle Long (Illinois State) was credited with the win.
The Firebirds will try to stay hot tonight when they host Wareham.
Elsewhere
Y-D stopped Chatham’s five-game winning streak and stretched its own streak to four with a 7-5 victory. The Red Sox now lead the East by five points. Jordan Ribera (Fresno State) once again was a driving force, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Ribera struggled mightily at the beginning of the season but is hitting .405 with five home runs in the last two weeks. Not coincidentally, Y-D has won eight of 11 games in that span. Last night, Caleb Ramsey (Houston), Tyler Hanover (LSU) and Matt Watson (Boston College) also had two hits each, while Joe Panik (St. John’s) drove in two. Tommy Toledo (Florida) got the win after allowing three runs in 5.1 innings.
Wareham played two games in two different places yesterday but came away with the same result — a one-run victory. Wareham topped Falmouth 5-4 in the afternoon and finished off the doubleheader with a 3-2 victory over Brewster. The wins moved the Gatemen to within one point of first place. In the first game, the Gatemen led the whole way behind seven shutout innings from Joe Flynn (Franklin Pierce). They held of a late charge by the Commodores, with Ken Ferrer (Elon) closing the door for the save. Tyler Bream (Liberty) went 3-for-5 with four RBI to lead the offense. In the second game, Wareham broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth on an RBI single by Zach Wilson (Arizona State), which proved to be the game-winner. Jake Davies (Georgia Tech) got the win in relief. The loss was Brewster’s second in a row.
Hyannis snapped an eight-game skid with a 4-2 victory over Cotuit. Cole Cook (Pepperdine) allowed two runs in 6.2 innings and got the win. Dan Sheppard (Iowa) went 3-for-3 to lead the offense.
Grayson Garvin (Vanderbilt) dominated again as Bourne topped Falmouth 5-1. Garvin allowed one run in seven innings and struck out nine. He’s now 5-0 with a 0.74 ERA. The Bourne offense was led by Creede Simpson (Auburn), who went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Travis Shaw (Kent State) also had two hits. The Braves are in a first-place tie with Cotuit.
What to Watch
Austin Wood (St. Petersburg) gets the ball as Cotuit visits rival Hyannis. Wood has a league-best 0.58 ERA.
RELATED POSTS
