ORLEANS — The Firebirds, seeded second, swept their playoff series with number 3 Harwich to advance to the East Division Finals this week, where they took game 1 against top-seeded Yarmouth-Dennis on Monday night at Red Wilson Field. It’s the first time since 2017 that Orleans has advanced to the playoff semifinals.

Jack Penney (Notre Dame) has had the hot bat in the playoffs, hitting .500 through 3 games with 2 RBIs. Matt Halbach (UC San Diego) is batting .333 with an RBI and a run scored.

Ivran Romero (UC San DIego) and Greysen Carter (Vanderbilt) were strong in both their starts. Both went 6 innings and combined to give up just 7 hits and 3 runs. Carter struck out 8 — the most by a Firebird pitcher this season — in game 1 against Harwich. Romero tallied 6 strikeouts in game 2.

Evan Truitt gave up a pair of home runs in his start against the Red Sox but limited the damage to 3 runs in 4 innings.

The Firebirds-Red Sox game 2 on Tuesday was rained out and was rescheduled to Wednesday.

Game 1: Firebirds 2, Mariners 1

Jack Penney delivered a hit on a full count to lift Orleans to a 2-1 walk-off victory over Harwich at Whitehouse FIeld on Friday night in game 1 of the East Division playoffs. The Firebirds scored both runs in the bottom of the ninth. Greysen Carter gave up only the solo home run that put the Mariners ahead 1-0.

The Firebirds weren’t without their chances to tie the game after Ali Camarillo (Texas A&M) took Carter deep to left-center field in the sixth. They stranded Eddie King Jr. (Louisville) at third in the seventh. They loaded the bases in the ninth when King reached on a walk, Brandon Stahlman (UNC-Charlotte) got a hit, and Owen Carapellotti (Georgetown) laid down a perfect bunt single. Colin Tuft (Virginia) struck out on a checked swing, and Jo Oyama (UC Irvine) also went down on strikes. But Justin Rubin (Virginia) chopped into the outfield to tie the game. Penney then connected on a 3-2 pitch to give the Firebirds the win.

Game 2: Firebirds 4, Mariners 2

Orleans scored 3 runs to erase a one-run deficit en route to a 4-2 series-clinching win over Harwich on Saturday at Eldredge Park. The Firebirds held a 1-0 advantage early when Eddie Micheletti Jr.’s (George Washington) single to center field drove in Jack Penney. Kevin Keister (Maryland) hit a sacrifice fly off Firebirds starter Ivran Romero to tie the game before Ethan Anderson’s (Virginia) RBI gave the Mariners a 2-1 lead.

Matt Halbach’s single to right field put runners at the corners and Micheletti delivered again to score Justin Rubin to make it 2-2. With Halbach on third, Eddie King Jr. fought through an extended at bat of nine pitches, and his sacrifice fly put Orleans ahead 3-2. Penney added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, which set up the best closer in the league, Sean Matson (Harvard), to finish the game out and send the Firebirds into the next round.

Game 1: Firebirds 8, Red Sox 4

Fenwick Trimble (James Madison) hit a grand slam to lift Orleans to an 8-4 victory over Yarmouth-Dennis in game 1 of the East Division Finals at Red Wilson Field on Monday. The Red Sox took a 3-1 lead thanks to a pair of home runs on either side of a Skylar King RBI. Brady Day and Zander Darby each left the park against Evan Truitt (College of Charleston). Hunter Hines took Everett Catlett (Georgetown) deep to make it 4-1 Red Sox in the sixth.

But the Firebirds didn’t allow a run after that. Oyama drove in a run and then scored on a wild pitch to get Orleans within 4-3. It was Trimble’s turn to produce the heroics when he hit his grand slam to left field, giving the Firebirds a 7-4 advantage. They addded a run in the eighth.

ORLEANS — The Firebirds (24-19) secured a berth in the Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs with a win over Falmouth on July 26. The team has a shot at the East Division championship. A win on Wednesday over Chatham or a Yarmouth-Dennis loss to Wareham would give the Firebirds the title. Orleans is 7-3 in its last 10 games and has been building momentum with four straight wins.

Besides the Red Sox and Firebirds, Harwich and Brewster both clinched spots in the postseason from the East. On the other side of the line, Cotuit locked up the West Division title and will be joined by Hyannis, Falmouth, and Bourne in the playoffs.

Firebirds 8, Anglers 7

Orleans beat Chatham at Veterans Field on Friday. The Firebirds saw a 5-2 lead slip away as Chatham scored 3 runs in the fifth inning before play was halted by fog. When it resumed, Greysen Carter (Vanderbilt) threw just one pitch on a 3-2 count to end the inning. Jo Oyama (UC Irvine) broke the tie with an infield single, but the Anglers responded with two runs in the bottom half of the sixth to take a 7-6 lead.

Eddie Micheletti Jr. (George Washington), who has provided clutch hits at big moments all season, delivered on 1-0 pitch to drive in Jack Penney (Notre Dame) to tie the game. Matt Halbach (UC San Diego) then crossed home plate on a passed ball to put the Firebirds ahead. Sean Matson (Harvard) came in for the save, stranding a runner in scoring position.

Jack Penney (Notre Dame) was 2 for 5, including a 3-run homer. Carter got the win, pitching 4 2/3 innings and allowing only 2 hits and 2 runs.

Anglers 5, Firebirds 4

Orleans’s comeback bid fell short in the second game of an abbreviated double-header at Veterans Field on Friday. The Firebirds trailed 5-2 after the Anglers pushed across three runs in the home half of the sixth inning, sparked by Kyson Donahue’s (Hawaii) two-run home run. It was the first batter that Cole Glassburn (Keiser) faced, having come in in relief for Colton Sundloff (Oklahoma).

Orleans fought back and got within 5-4 on Halbach’s 2-run single in the eighth, but the Firebirds went down 1-3-4 in the top of the ninth, leaving a runner on first.

Firebirds 10, Whitecaps 6

Halbach hit 2 home runs to spark the Firebirds’ win over Brewster at Eldredge Park on Saturday. Halbach’s 3-run shot in the first was followed by a Jack Penney single that drove in Jo Oyama to wipe out Brewster’s early lead. The Firebirds put up 4 more runs in the third.

Halbach hit his second blast of the night — a two-run shot in the sixth — to make it 10-2.

Brewster responded with 3 runs in the eighth, but Sean Matson came in to close out the win with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Starting pitcher Sam Hliboki (Vanderbilt) went 3 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and 3 runs. Matson improved to 3-0 in his eighth appearance without surrendering a hit. Halbach was 3 for 5 with 5 RBIs.

Firebirds 11, Harbor Hawks 7

The Firebirds built an 11-0 lead through eight innings on Sunday before holding off a late rally by the Harbor Hawks. The Orleans bats exploded for 13 hits in the win, while seven batters reached via walks. Eddie King Jr. had three hits in a game for the third time this season, driving in a run and scoring two. Oyama, Fenwick Trimble (James Madison), Micheletti, and Colin Tuft (Virginia) all had two hits. Ivran Romero (UC San Diego) pitched six scoreless innings to secure his first win.

Firebirds 2, Mariners 1

Orleans made it three straight wins with a 2-1 walk-off victory over Harwich on Monday. The Firebirds and Mariners combined for 11 hits and 16 runners left on base in the pitcher’s duel at Eldredge Park. Derek Clark (Northwood) pitched 7 innings before Matson closed out the visitors with 2 scoreless innings. Penney and Jake Casey (Kent State) each had RBIs when runs were at a premium.

Firebirds 11, Red Sox 4

Orleans had a 5-run fourth inning to pull away from Yarmouth-Dennis on Tuesday in a win that put the Firebirds a half game ahead in the standings in the race for the East Division crown with one game remaining. Trimble broke a 3-3 tie with a single that drove in Henry Hunter (Alabama Birmingham) before hits from Halbach and Micheletti, who pushed across 2 runs with a double, and a bases loaded walk made it 8-3. The Firebirds added three more runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach.

Halbach went 4 for 6. Mauricio Rodriguez (Rice) earned the win in his third appearance for the Firebirds. Ryan Rissas (UC San Diego) pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts before Nate Scott (Fordham) came on to close the game out.

ORLEANS — Despite falling a game below .500, the Orleans Firebirds (17-18) maintained their second-place spot in the Cape Cod Baseball League’s East Division standings. The team dropped two straight to division leaders Yarmouth-Dennis on Sunday and Monday but split a Friday double-header with Chatham, which is struggling at the bottom of the league standings.

UNC-Charlotte’s Brandon Stahlman has been a spark for the Firebirds since his arrival on July 15. Stahlman has 4 multi-hit games, including a 3-for-4 performance against Bourne on July 19. He’s hitting .375 and has 9 hits and just 2 strikeouts in 24 plate appearances.

Jo Oyama (UC Irvine) was named the East MVP at the All-Star Game on Saturday. He was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base, and he scored the lone run for the East.

Sean Matson has yet to relinquish a run in 16 2/3 innings pitched. Matson has tallied 20 strikeouts, given up 8 hits, and walked only 2. He has a 4-0 record with 4 saves.

Elsewhere across the league, Cotuit has clinched a playoff berth with a 23-11-1 record. They lead the West Division by a narrow margin over surging Hyannis. 

Harbor Hawks 15, Firebirds 5

Orleans was clobbered by Hyannis — the hottest team in the league — on Thursday at Eldredge Park. The Harbor Hawks, who are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, put up 6 runs in the 2nd inning to erase a 2-0 Firebirds lead. Kros Sivley (Southern Miss) earned the win, pitching 3 scoreless innings and giving up just one hit with 3 strikeouts.

Sam Hliboki dropped to 0-2 on the season, lasting just 1 1/3 inning. Oyama went 2 for 4, reached base via a walk, and scored two runs. Owen Carapellotti (Georgetown) also was 2 for 4 from the 8th spot in the lineup and had 2 RBIs. Matt Halbach (UC San Diego) was 3 for 5 with an RBI in the loss.

Will Taylor (Clemson) had the hot bat for the Harbor Hawks, going 4 for 6 with a home run and a double.

Anglers 6, Firebirds 3

Chatham beat Orleans in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday at Eldredge Park. The Firebirds took the lead on an Eddie Micheletti Jr. (George Washington) single that scored Oyama. The Anglers responded with 2 runs in the third and 3 in the fourth. After the Firebirds scored twice in the bottom of the third, they would be held scoreless in the shortened game. Aidan Meola (Oklahoma State) drove in Zach MacDonald (Miami) to tie the game at 3-3 before Deric Fabian (Florida) stepped up and hit a 2-run homer to make it 5-3. The Anglers added an insurance run in the sixth.

Evan Truitt (Charleston Southern) pitched 4 innings, surrendering 5 runs, 3 of them earned. He is 1-1 on the season in 5 starts and one appearance out of the bullpen. Gabe Davis (Oklahoma State) earned the win pitching 4 innings. He struck out 5. Zander Sechrist (Tennessee) picked up the save for the Anglers with 3 scoreless innings.

The first 3 Orleans batters all had multi-hit games, including the leadoff man Oyama.

Firebirds 4, Anglers 3

Orleans bounced back in the back end of the doubleheader, holding on to beat Chatham 4-3 on Friday. The Firebirds took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Jo Oyama’s homer. But the Anglers responded with a 2-run shot off the bat of Kaeden Kent (Texas A&M). Orleans regained the advantage when Micheletti drove in Oyama and Justin Rubin (Virginia).

The Anglers would not go away, tying the game with a Zach MacDonald single. Matson set up Orleans for a chance for heroics after stepping in in relief with 3 straight outs in the top of the seventh. Micheletti reached base with a double and was replaced by Jake Casey as a pinch runner. Casey advanced to third on an error by the second baseman before Owen Carapellotti’s sacrifice fly scored his teammate for a walk-off win.

Greysen Carter (Vanderbilt) pitched a strong 3 1/3 innings, striking out 6 and giving up no hits. Matson moved to 4-0 on the season. Micheletti was 4 for 4 with two RBIs while Oyama went 2 for 3, scoring two runs.

Red Sox 8, Firebirds 2

Yarmouth-Dennis defeated Orleans 8-2 at Eldredge Park on Sunday. The Red Sox jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning. The Firebirds posted a lone run in the home half, but the lead grew to 7 when the Sox scored 2 in the ninth. Jack Penney drove in Henry Hunter (UAB) in the last frame before Halbach was thrown out at first to end the game.

Sean Hliboki suffered losses in consecutive outings. Ryan Delgado (California Baptist) earned the win in his second appearance for the Red Sox, lasting 5 1/3 innings. He gave up 2 hits and had 6 strikeouts. Zander Darby (UC Santa Barbara) hit his third home run and went 4 for 5 at the plate with two RBIs for Yarmouth-Dennis.

Red Sox 5, Firebirds 0

Orleans was blanked by Yarmouth-Dennis at Red Wilson Field on Monday. Jason Doktorczyk (Nevada Reno) pitched 6 scoreless innings in his first start. He struck out 6, walked none, and gave up 6 hits. Doktorczyk combined with Boston Mabeus (Brigham Young), who kept the Firebirds’ bats quiet in 3 innings pitched. He had 4 strikeouts and allowed 4 hits in his first appearance.

Orleans stranded 9 batters in the loss. Oyama was 0 for 4 for the second straight game. Micheletti and Brandon Stahlman both went 2 for 4 for the Firebirds.

Upcoming games

July 28 at Chatham, 5 p.m.
July 28 at Chatham, 7 p.m.
July 29 vs. Brewster, 6:30 p.m.
July 30 at Hyannis, 6 p.m.
July 31 vs. Harwich 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 1 at Yarmouth-Dennis, 4:30 p.m.
Aug. 2 vs. Chatham, 6:30 p.m.

ORLEANS — The Orleans Firebirds ended a three-game losing streak with a win over Cape Cod Baseball League East Division foe Brewster on Tuesday night at Stony Brook. The Firebirds are now 5-5 in their last 10 games, which has them holding onto third place in the division over the Whitecaps but trailing Yarmouth-Dennis and Harwich.

Justin Rubin has been a spark among the Firebirds’ bats since arriving from Virginia. He’s had six hits in his first five games on the Cape. Jo Oyama (Southern Cal) has paced Orleans with a .357 batting average — second in the league — and has seven-game hitting streak going, dating back to a 3-for-5 performance at Bourne on July 1. Oyama has eight multi-hit games and has seven RBIs and 12 runs in 20 games.

Firebirds alumnus Jacob Wilson (Grand Canyon) was drafted sixth overall by the Oakland Athletics, and Luke Keaschall (Arizona State) was taken 49th by the Minnesota Twins in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft on Monday night.

Wilson played 10 games for the Firebirds during the 2022 season, hitting .278. Keaschall led the 2022 team in hits and RBIs with 44 and 20 respectively.

Mariners 5, Firebirds 0

Daniel Avitia had his worst outing, surrendering five runs in four innings, in a 5-0 loss to Harwich at Whitehouse Field on Friday, July 7. Jacob Humphrey (UMass Lowell) hit a two-run homer in the third.

The Firebirds left six runners on base and had just five hits against the East Division’s top team. 

Commodores 6, Firebirds 3

Orleans next lost to Falmouth at Eldredge Park on July 8. Falmouth used a three-run third inning to erase a 1-0 deficit, then added three more runs in the top of the seventh. The Firebirds came back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning when Jack Penny (Notre Dame) hit a two-run homer to make it 6-3. But Orleans stranded two runners to end the inning.

Oyama went 2 for 4 from the leadoff spot and scored a run and Penny went 2 for 5 with two RBIs. The Firebirds stranded 12 runners in the game.

Kettleers 6, Firebirds 5

Cotuit edged Orleans at Lowell Park on July 9. The Kettleers broke open a one-all game in the fifth inning with one swing of the bat as Ryan Galanie (Wofford) hit a grand slam to make it 5-1. Orleans fought back with a three-run sixth inning to cut it to 5-4. Colin Tuft’s (Virginia) double drove in Fenwick Trimble (James Madison) before scoring a run of his own, while Drew Faurot was driven in by Rubin. The Firebirds tied the game when Eddie Micheletti Jr. (George Washington) scored off an error in the seventh inning. But Cotuit regained the lead when Cole Mathis’s (Charleston) single pushed Carter Mathison (Indiana) across.

Firebirds 8, Whitecaps 4

Oyama and Penney each scored twice to help Orleans end their losing streak. The Firebirds, who never trailed, put up two runs in the first and followed that up with five more runs in fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Jake Casey (Kent State) had a solo home run for Orleans.

The Firebirds used six pitchers, with Jonathan Gonzalez (Stetson) earning the win. Vanderbilt starter Greysen Carter gave up zero hits and one run in his two innings pitched to go with two strikeouts. Sean Matson (Harvard) closed the game out in a non-save situation.

Upcoming games

July 13 at Harwich, 6:30 p.m.
July 14 vs. Bourne, 6:30 p.m.
July 15 at Wareham, 6 p.m.
July 16 vs. Cotuit, 6:30 p.m.
July 17 vs. Brewster, 6:30 p.m.

ORLEANS — The Orleans Firebirds (7-8) are battling to get back to .500 with back-to-back wins over Brewster and Yarmouth-Dennis, an extra-inning thriller, this week. But they dropped both games to Cape Baseball League division leaders Harwich and Cotuit before defeating Brewster again on Tuesday.

The Firebirds were edged by Harwich on Friday in a game where Grand Canyon’s Daniel Avitia continued to exhibit a strong arm despite the loss. Avitia, with an ERA of 0.69 over 13 innings, is tied for fourth in the league with 15 strikeouts. He’s given up just nine hits and walked six in three starts and allowed only one earned run.

Sean Matson, meanwhile, has picked up two saves and was the decisive pitcher in the Firebirds’ win over Yarmouth-Dennis on June 25. The right-hander has struck out seven in 6.2 innings and walked just one.

Jo Oyoma (UC Irvine) has been pivotal in the leadoff spot for the Firebirds; he’s batting .355. He ranks second on the team in hits with 11, including three triples and three RBIs, and has scored six runs. He’s reached base by a walk six times.

Eddie Micheletti Jr. is batting .271 and has six hits in his last four games. He leads the team with eight RBIs and is tied for the lead with two home runs.

The Firebirds’ game against Hyannis on June 24 was postponed to July 3.

Firebirds 13, Whitecaps 2

Orleans swept the midweek home-and-home series with Brewster, topping the Whitecaps 13-2 in a shortened game on Thursday at Eldredge Park. The Firebirds broke the game open with an eight-run sixth inning, sparked by Eddie Micheletti Jr.’s (George Washington) three-run homer that gave the hosts a 9-2 lead.  Oyama (UC Irvine) followed that up with a bases-clearing triple and Fenwick Trimble (James Madison) drove him in three pitches later.

Andy Blake (Duke) had his best performance of the season, going 4 for 5 with a double and two RBIs. The Firebirds, meanwhile, tallied 19 hits and struck out just eight times. Evan Truitt (Charleston Southern) picked up his first win with five innings pitched. He gave up just three hits and one earned run to go with four strikeouts. Konner Eaton (George Mason) pitched two scoreless innings in relief.

Mariners 2, Firebirds 1

Harwich edged Orleans 2-1 in a pitchers’ duel at Whitehouse Field on Friday. The Firebirds’ Avitia (Grand Canyon) maintained his strong start to the season as he pitched four scoreless innings, walking only two and striking out four. Andrew Armstrong (Florida State) also went four innings for the Mariners, giving up just one run before Aidan Moza (Alabama) secured the win in his debut. Moza pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out six.

Orleans took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth when Micheletti’s double to center field drove in Fenwick Trimble. The Firebirds stranded two to end the inning, however. Harwich tied the game with a single in the fifth and then scored the winning run on Bryan Arendt’s (UNC Wilmington) solo home run in the sixth. The Firebirds left three on base over the final three innings.

Firebirds 5, Red Sox 4

Trimble’s heady base running in extra innings helped lift Orleans to a 5-4 win over Yarmouth-Dennis at Red Wilson Field on Sunday. Sean Matson (Harvard) sealed the victory by striking out the last three batters in the bottom of the 10th. The Firebirds built a 3-1 lead, which they maintained through the top half of the seventh inning. But the Red Sox went ahead after Hunter Hines (Mississippi State) took Danny Carrion (UC Davis) deep for a three-run homer to make it 4-3. Jack Penny (Notre Dame) had his first home run to pull Orleans even in the eighth. The Firebirds retook the lead, 5-4, following an error by the catcher that saw Trimble score from third.

Orleans used seven pitchers, who combined to allow just four hits in the win. They tallied 14 strikeouts, led by starting pitcher Jake Peppers’s (Jacksonville State) five. Peppers gave up two runs — one earned — in four innings of work. They walked seven but stranded eight Red Sox runners. Eric Yost (Northeastern) lasted three innings and gave up four hits and three runs, including two earned, before being relieved by Connor O’Hara (Florida Gulf Coast). O’Hara limited the damage for the Red Sox, pitching four innings of scoreless baseball and giving up just one hit to go with three strikeouts.

Kettleers 5, Firebirds 2

Ryan Galanie’s grand slam broke open a scoreless game, and the West Division leaders beat Orleans 5-2 on Monday. The two battled through seven scoreless innings before the Wofford Terrier took Stetson’s Dylan Jacobs deep on the fourth pitch of the at bat. The Firebirds responded with two runs in the eighth after Eddie King Jr. (Louisville), who went 2 for 4 for his first multihit game of the season, and Oyama each crossed home plate to make 4-2. But Ryan Waldschmidt’s sacrifice fly scored Tanner Thach to quell the Firebirds’ comeback bid.

Jacobs had one of his best outings for the Firebirds. He was hit just four times, throwing five scoreless innings. Cotuit’s pitching staff limited Orleans to eight hits, walked none and struck out 12. Cameron Hill (Georgia Tech) didn’t give up a hit in four scoreless innings pitched while Rafe Schlesinger (Miami) earned the win.

Upcoming games

June 29 at Brewster, 5 p.m.
June 30 vs. Yarmouth-Dennis, 6:30 p.m.
July 1 at Bourne, 6 p.m.
July 2 vs. Wareham, 6:30 p.m.
July 3 vs. Hyannis, 6:30 p.m.