By: Alec Henden

ORLEANS, Mass. – The game of baseball can frustrate like few other sports can. You can hit the ball right on the barrel, execute a pitch exactly where you want and give your all diving for a ball in the gap.

Regardless of the effort put forth success is never guaranteed. For the Orleans Firebirds, they’ve felt all of the above through a six-game losing streak that has been coupled with an unrelenting schedule without off-days due to inclement weather earlier in the season.

Monday night featured a gem from the Chatham Anglers starter that left the Firebird bats quiet en route to a 6-1 loss at Eldredge Park. The Birds have yet to play a complete game through this rough patch, where some areas have excelled, one crucial aspect of the game has been the difference in every loss.

“Right now it’s been sort of a mixed bag,” Orleans assistant coach Brendan Eygabroat said. “The games that we’re hitting we’re not pitching. But the last few games it’s really been the defense.”

The defensive miscues have been adding up for Orleans (11-10-2) through the last week of play. A team that’s normally sure-handed hasn’t been able to pick up their pitchers, leading to extra runs.

In the top of the first, Orleans starter Austin Love (North Carolina) was able to get a ground ball that should have been an out but was mishandled. Chatham (15-8-1) turned the misplay into a two-run double from Kaden Polcovich (Oklahoma State) and a daunting 3-0 deficit early in the contest.

Love was able to settle into his outing despite the early three-spot, as he tossed four innings while walking three hitters and striking out four. The big right-hander’s adjustment later in his outing allowed his team to remain in striking distance the majority of the game.

“He (Love) started shaking me off a lot more towards the middle of the game,” Firebirds catcher David Avitia (Grand Canyon) said. “I appreciate that because he pitches his own game. I haven’t been able to get to know him as much because he’s newer so I was glad he was able to settle in and throw the game he wants.”

Anglers’ starter Parker Scott (Oklahoma State) threw a season-high seven shutout innings in a dominating performance. Scott threw a ton of strikes and was tremendously efficient throughout his outing, striking out nine hitters while throwing less than 70 pitches.

“We had a couple opportunities early. I thought their lefty (Scott) did a really good job settling in and keeping us off-balance,” Eygabroat said.

Orleans was able to build some innings against the Anglers but twice grounded into double plays and ran into a strike-‘em-out-throw-‘em-out inning killer.

Infielder Shay Whitcomb (UC San Diego) injected a bit of life into the crowd late in the game as he pulled a line drive home run over the fence in left for his second round-tripper of the season.

“I was just looking for something down,” Whitcomb said. “He happened to throw me a slider in the spot I was looking and I was able to get a barrel on it.”

R.J. Dabovich (Arizona State) shut the door for Chatham going two innings and only allowing the solo home run to further separate his team from Orleans in the standings.

The Birds now turn their attention to a home meeting with the Brewster Whitecaps. It’s been a while sine the Firebirds took on Brewster as the last matchup was canceled due to two weather delays and darkness.

Short Hops:

-Orleans will send left-hander Adam Seminaris (Long Beach State) to the mound for Tuesday night’s start against Brewster. Seminaris has been exceptional all summer and has yet to walk a batter in his first 18 2/3 innings of work.

-Monday night’s loss moves the Firebirds to 0-7 against the two teams ahead of them in the East Division. The Birds now hold just a two-point lead over Harwich for last place.