Posted on by Will Geoghegan

Daily Fog: Fire It Up

The last time the Orleans Firebirds took the field for a game at Eldredge Park, they faced future first-round pick Mark Appel in a playoff game, managed five hits, struck out 10 times and got shut out in a 4-0 loss.

This was a little better.

Orleans hosted Brewster last night in the season opener and won in dramatic fashion after Mike Montville (Maryland) blasted a solo home run to break a tie game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Trevor Gott (Kentucky), the league’s reigning relief pitcher of the year, took the one-run lead and ran with it, picking up the save to secure a 4-3 victory.

The Firebirds were shut out for the first three innings by Falmouth starter Mike Theofanopoulos (Cal) but there would be no repeat of last year’s playoff game. Orleans scored two in the fourth and one in the fifth after Brewster tied it. The Whitecaps tied it again in the eighth on a sac fly by Dan Olinger (Minnesota), but Orleans wasn’t done.

Montville didn’t have the greatest season in College Park, hitting .234. But he couldn’t have dreamed up a better start to his summer. With one out in the eighth, Montville fell behind 0-2 when he fouled off five straight pitches. He hit the next one a long way and trotted home with the go-ahead run.

Manager Kelly Nicholson had an easy decision about what to do next. Gott saved 13 games for Orleans last year and he wasted no time getting career save number 14. Gott walked one batter and hit another but struck out two to finish off the one-run victory for the Firebirds.

Philip Pfeifer (Vanderbilt) got the win in relief for Orleans with .2 innings of work. Trevor Williams (Arizona State), who’s also a Team USA invite, got the start for the Firebirds and pitched five strong innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out three.

Gregor and Max Rossiter (Arizona State) had two hits each to lead the Firebirds. Brewster got two hits from Trevor Mitsui (Washington).

Elsewhere

  • Y-D got two impressive pitching performances on its way to a 3-1 victory over Falmouth. Starter Aaron Blair (Marshall), struck out eight and allowed two hits in five scoreless innings. Reliever Brian Gilbert (Seton Hall) also struck out eight in four innings pitched. Offensively, Indiana’s Sam Travis, the Big 10 Freshman of the Year, got his summer off to a big start with a 3-for-4 night. Jake Schrader (Tampa) and Robert Pehl (Washington) each had an RBI. Falmouth got two hits from Jared King (Kansas State).

  • Cotuit and Hyannis squared off in an early rivalry match-up, and the Kettleers came out ahead with a 3-2 victory. Patrick Biondi (Michigan) singled in the eighth and broke a 2-2 tie when he scored on a double by Jacob May (Coastal Carolina). The win was particularly impressive since Hyannis got one of the best starts of opening night, as Sean Manaea (Indiana State) allowed two hits and struck out eight in five innings. For Cotuit, reliever Dan Slania (Notre Dame) picked up the win with 1.2 hitless innings.

  • Defending champion Harwich got off to a quick start against Bourne and never looked back on its way to an 8-5 victory over the Braves. Phil Ervin, who’s coming off a big season at Stamford, went 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Matt Reida (Kentucky) added two hits for the Mariners. David Whitehead (Elon) got the win with 5.2 solid innings. He struck out two and allowed just one earned run on three hits. Bourne scored three in the ninth thanks to a three-run home run by Mike Ahmed (Holy Cross), but it wasn’t enough.

  • Chatham made the long trek to Wareham and came home happy after a 7-5 victory. Facing Wareham starter Jared Ruxer (Louisville), the Big East Rookie of the Year, the Anglers broke through for four runs in the second to take control. Andrew Knapp (California) went 2-for-5 with two RBI to lead the Anglers, while Aaron Brown (Pepperdine) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Chatham starter Scott Frazier (Pepperdine) struck out five in five strong innings for the win. Jake Joyce (Virginia Tech) picked up the save.

    • What to Watch

    Harwich will visit Falmouth at 6:30 p.m. in a championship rematch. Gonzaga two-way star Marco Gonzales is listed as the probable starter for the Commodores. Dimitri Kourtis (Mercer) is slated to go for Harwich.

    RELATED POSTS

    One Reply to “Daily Fog: Fire It Up”

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *