ORLEANS — The Firebirds had six players named to the Cape Cod Baseball League’s East Division All-Star team on Monday: Jo Oyama (Southern Cal), Jack Penney (Notre Dame), Matt Halbach (UC San Diego), Sean Matson (Harvard), Derek Clark (Northwood), and Jonathan Gonzalez (Stetson).
The game will be played on July 22 at Whitehouse Field in Harwich. Gates open at 1:30 p.m., followed by an autograph session and homerun derby before the game at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10; children 12 and under get in free.
Oyama, the Firebirds’ leadoff man, is second in batting in the league with a .348 average. He leads the team with 32 hits, 17 runs scored, 5 doubles, and 5 triples in 25 games.
Penney is hitting .275 and is tied for the team lead with 11 RBIs. Halbach’s .279 average is fourth on the team.
Matson has been a key cog out of the bullpen; he’s yet to allow a run in 15 2/3 innings pitched. The rising junior has given up just eight hits, walked two batters, and recorded 20 strikeouts. He has a 3-0 record and four saves.
Clark’s 1.33 ERA in 27 innings pitched ranks second league-wide, trailing Cotuit’s Camron Hill. He’s compiled a 4-1 record with 29 strikeouts in 9 appearances out of the bullpen. Gonzalez has a 2-1 record and a 2.07 ERA in 17 1/3 innings.
The team has climbed above .500 at 15-14 and overtook Harwich for second place in the East Division standings. The Firebirds are 6-4 in their last 10 games.
Firebirds 12, Mariners 0
A 6-run third inning was sparked by a Jack Penney double to center field that drove in two. Justin Rubin (Virginia), who arrived on July 2, extended his hit streak to six games.
Irvan Romero (UC San Diego), Chase Hungate (Virginia), and Sam Hliboki (Vanderbilt) combined to blank the Mariners on just one hit.
Firebirds 4, Braves 2
Daniel Avitia rebounded from his worst start of the season by giving up just one earned run in 4 2/3 innings pitched. Orleans used six pitchers including Clark, who picked up his third win of the season. He struck out 4 and didn’t allow a hit in 1 1/3 innings. Sean Matson earned the save, pitching 2 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts.
Gatemen 5, Firebirds 4
Bobby Boser’s walk-off single ended Orleans’s 3-game winning streak on Saturday night at Spillane Field. Orleans twice trailed by 2 runs but rallied in the top of the ninth, with Justin Rubin’s putout at first scoring Jake Casey (Kent State) and Fenwick Tremble’s fielder’s choice pushing Jo Oyama across. But the Firebirds stranded the potential winning run at second base.
Firebirds 6, Kettleers 5
Orleans came from behind to beat the league’s top team on Sunday night at Eldredge Park. The Firebirds trailed 5-0 entering the home half of the fifth, where they scored 4 runs, led by Eddie King Jr.’s 2-run homer. Penney’s single scored Oyama and Jake Casey to cut the deficit to 5-4, and Rubin tied the game with a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth before the Firebirds loaded the bases. King, who walked for the 13th time this season, pushed across the winning run on the fifth pitch of the at-bat.
Jonathan Gonzalez had his longest outing of the season, pitching 4 innings, giving up 6 hits and 3 runs — 2 earned. Chase Hungate pitched 3 innings in relief before Matthew Watson (UT Corpus Christi) came in to pick up the win.
Firebirds 4, Whitecaps 1
Orleans made it back-to-back wins at Eldredge Park on Monday night. Drew Faurot had a 2-RBI night for the Firebirds, who never trailed. Orleans scored in three straight innings before Matson came on for his fourth save of the season, striking out three in two innings.
Clark pitched 7 innings, giving up 5 hits, no walks, and one earned run to improve to 4-1. Oyama had his 11th multi-hit game of the season while Eddie Micheletti Jr. went 2 for 2 at the plate.
Upcoming games
July 20 vs. Hyannis, 6:30 p.m.
July 21 vs. Chatham, 3:30 p.m.
July 23 vs. Yarmouth-Dennis, 5:30 p.m.
July 24 at Yarmouth-Dennis, 4:30 p.m.
July 25 vs. Wareham, 6:30 p.m.
July 26 at Falmouth, 6 p.m.
