By: Alec Henden

ORLEANS, Mass. – In the three previous meetings between the Orleans Firebirds and Cotuit Kettleers, a single word is necessary to describe the contest: Close. An uncomfortable kind of close that makes every manager’s hairs stand up on the back of their necks.

As the game marched along at a frantic pace, neither team could scratch a run across. Both starting pitchers were exceptional as they carved through both opposing orders in what looked like it was shaping up to be the third tie between the two teams in 2019.

Luckily for the Firebirds, the efforts of two players who didn’t enter the contest until the eighth inning played the pivotal roles in their 1-0 victory over the Kettleers Tuesday night at Eldredge Park.

It was the kind of victory that Orleans has become accustom to, and secured the season series against a quality opponent they could potentially see later in the summer.

“You can’t underestimate the value of a run in this league,” Orleans manager Kelly Nicholson said. “They happened to throw one away, we capitalized on that and came out on the good side today.”

Zach Daniels (Tennessee) came in to pinch run after David Avitia (Grand Canyon) worked a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth and ended up scoring on a wild pitch uncorked by Cotuit’s Evan Justice (North Carolina State).

“I’ve been taught to always keep my weight on the front side and to always be ready,” Daniels said of his technique on taking extra bases. “The ball can kick away at any moment so you have to be ready to go.”

Daniels played a pivotal role in the first meeting between the two teams when he delivered a two-run triple and scored on a sacrifice fly that led to a 3-3 tie at Lowell Park. While Daniels has struggled at the plate this summer, his speed and athleticism has proven vital to the Firebirds (15-11-3).

As the Birds got to the top of the ninth and clung onto their one run lead, closer Connor Pellerin (Tulane) easily retired the first two hitters he faced but then allowed a single. Cotuit (15-13-3) pinch ran to get some more speed on the bases.

Newly entered catcher Rob Emery (San Francisco) was challenged by Donta Williams (Arizona), who tried to steal second base to get into scoring position.

Emery came up firing, delivering a one-hop on the money throw into shortstop Tanner Murray’s (UC Davis) glove for the final out of the ballgame.

“I tell Zach and Emery, as well as whomever isn’t starting, that it’s not who starts it’s who finishes,” Nicholson said. “That’s extremely important in athletics whether it’s your closer or Zach Daniels it matters who finishes the game.”

It was another tremendous outing from left-hander Jared Shuster (Wake Forest), who threw five shutout innings while showcasing a dominant changeup. Shuster ran into some early trouble in the first two innings, but settled in to retire eight of the final nine men he faced.

“I was a little off the first two innings but I think I settled in the last three to do my job,” Shuster said. “I feel confident going into each start because of the work I put in during the week and it helps me feel prepared.”

Shuster will now take the hill Sunday evening at Eldredge Park for the Cape League All-Star game. The adjustments he’s made have impressed many people working to the tune of a sub-1 earned run average.

“He commands the zone with a plus, plus changeup,” Nicholson said. “When Al Leiter was here and spoke with Shuster, and all of our lefties, was to throw left-on-left changeups. That’s what Jared did tonight. Most lefties don’t expect changeups from left-handed pitchers.”

The Firebirds now head out on the road for a Wednesday night meeting with the Chatham Anglers. Orleans has dropped the previous three meetings with Chatham, including an 8-7 walk-off loss at Veterans Field on July 3.

Short Hops:

-With tonight’s victory, the Birds have now eclipsed their win total from the 2018 season as they picked up win No. 15.

-Murray had a personal cheering section for Tuesday night’s game as a group of his friends and family wore ‘Fill the Hill’ shirts while sitting down the first base line at Eldredge.

-Orleans will send southpaw Adam Seminaris (Long Beach State) to the mound for Tuesday’s start against Chatham. Seminaris allowed two runs in five innings and left with the Birds leading in his prior start against the Anglers