Y-D Drops to Second Place in the East After Orleans Offense Mashes

(Photo Courtesy of Zach Foley)

By Kieran Wilson

Y-D came into the game just one point ahead of the Orleans Firebirds for first place in the East. Of course, whichever team finishes first in the division has home field advantage through the entirety of the East Division playoffs, and the importance of this game was not lost on the team. But the Firebirds entered the game red hot on a three-game winning streak, and unfortunately, Y-D couldn’t do enough to end that streak, losing 11-4 to fall one point behind Orleans for first place.

Braden Montgomery made his first start of the season for the Red Sox and had a rocky first inning. He hit a batter and then gave up a single and a walk to load the bases for Eddie King. A 2-1 pitch flew way over the head of catcher Ryan Stafford, and Orleans took a 1-0 lead on the wild pitch. King worked a walk to load the bases again, and Montgomery walked Brandon Stahlman on just five pitches to spot the Firebirds another run. With the bases still juiced, Montgomery surrendered his fourth walk of the inning, and Orleans scored their third run of the inning.

RJ Austin recorded an infield single to lead off the Red Sox’s first inning. Two batters later, Montgomery batted as the designated hitter and laced a single into center field to advance Austin to third. Hunter Hines came up with runners on the corners and smoked a line drive that Jo Oyama at second base couldn’t snare, scoring Austin and cutting into the deficit, 3-1.

The Red Sox tied the game at 3-3 in the third inning thanks to clutch hitting with runners in scoring position. Stafford doubled with one out, bringing Montgomery to the plate again. He also doubled to drive in Stafford and keep the inning going. Hines got his second RBI of the game on a single to the outfield that plated Montgomery and knotted the game at three apiece.

Gavin Bruni had entered the game in relief for the Red Sox in the second inning and put up two zeros on the scoreboard in the second and third innings. However the fourth was a very different story. He gave up a leadoff walk to Henry Hunter and then a single to Oyama before Fenwick Trimble stepped up. He smacked a single to the outfield allowing Orleans to retake the lead 4-3. A single by Jack Penney loaded the bases again for the Firebirds. 

Matt Halbach followed with another single to score Oyama and Trimble; Penney also attempted to score but was thrown out on the relay throw from Hunter Hines. Bruni still couldn’t escape the inning, as Eddie Micheletti Jr. doubled on a ball that just stayed inside the third base line and scored two more runs. King drove him home with a base hit to right field, but mercifully, the inning came to an end after Will Armbruester replaced Bruni and got a groundout to end the inning. All told, the Firebirds totaled five runs and left the fourth with an 8-3 lead.

Y-D looked to crawl back into the game in the bottom of the same inning, after loading the bases with a walk, a double, and a bunt hit. Montgomery made the score 8-4 with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Theo Hardy from third, but they would leave two runners on base after Hines struck out with runners on second and third to end the inning.

The Firebirds tacked onto their lead in the eighth with singles from Penney and Halbach and an RBI double from Micheletti Jr., and they didn’t stop there. With two outs, Henry Hunter singled to right field to drive in Halbach and Micheletti Jr., extending their lead to 11-4.

That would end the scoring for the night, as Y-D couldn’t muster up anything else on offense. The loss pushes them to second place, just a point behind Orleans for first place and home field advantage. They can reclaim first if Orleans loses against Chatham and Y-D beats Wareham on Wednesday.

Manager Scott Pickler sounded upbeat after the tough loss, saying, “We’re gonna go out and play [on Wednesday against Wareham], and you know, if they [Orleans] lose, we’re back in the same position.”