By: Alec Henden

YARMOUTH, Mass. – Any good sports rivalry must have a reasonable give and take. For the Orleans Firebirds and Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox the meetings have been exceptionally one-sided as the Red Sox at one point bested the Firebirds for nine straight games.

Orleans had finally righted the tide with a statement victory against Y-D where the set a season-high in runs and hits. With the season winding down and the postseason inching closer, the Birds were looking for a big victory against a team they are likely to square off against in the postseason.

The Birds answered the bell on Monday afternoon as they soundly defeated Y-D by a 7-2 final at Red Wilson Field. Orleans clinched a postseason spot in the process and moved to within three points of the Red Sox for the number two seed.

“To get any wins against Y-D is always nice to see,” acting Orleans manager Jamie Quinn said. “We pitched well, played pretty solid defense and we had some timely consecutive hits. Pick’s (Y-D manager Scott Pickler) a great manager and he always has a team that comes ready to play.”

With the Firebirds utilizing another bullpen day to get through nine innings it began with three solid innings from starter David Stiehl (Northeastern). Stiehl allowed two runs across three innings and could’ve easily allowed only a single wrong had their not been a communication error between the Firebird infielders.

However, the star of the afternoon was reliever Angelo Smith (Michigan). The left-hander threw four scoreless innings in middle relief. Smith has emerged as an important cog in the Firebird bullpen after a rocky start to his Cape season.

“He’s getting hotter the longer he’s been here,” Quinn said. “He showed a lot of grit and guts by picking the team up. We’re a little thin right now with pitching with so many games and the doubleheader tomorrow, for him to get back out there and throw a fourth scoreless inning was a big lift for our pitching staff.”

The Birds received strong offensive production from catcher Rob Emery (San Francisco) who began his afternoon with a double and followed it up with a deep home run to center field at Red Wilson Field. Emery’s home run tied the game at two and paved the way for Orleans to take the lead and run away with the victory.

Emery’s bat has really come around for the Birds as the season has reached the latter stages. It’s his emergence at the plate that has forced the coaching staff to get his bat in the lineup more, especially when facing a left-handed starting pitcher.

“I feel like I’ve seen lefties really well this summer,” Emery said. “Getting on time is the biggest thing for me. I felt like yesterday I was starting a little bit late and was just really focused on getting on time today.”

After taking the lead on a solo shot from Tanner Murray (UC Davis), the Orleans offense went to work against the Y-D bullpen. They scored three late runs to tack on to their lead and excelled at extending innings with great at-bats that built off one another.

“Our offense plays follow the leader,” Emery said. “If one guy gets going it’s a pretty good indication for the rest of us. It can be a lot of blank innings but once guys start wearing down at-bats we’re not a lineup anyone wants to face.”

The Firebirds now embark on one of their most unique days of the summer, as they will play a doubleheader Tuesday. It will begin at 2 p.m. in Harwich and end with a 7 p.m. first pitch at Eldredge Park against the Chatham Anglers for the final home game of the regular season.

Due to the inclement weather all summer, the Cape League was forced to get creative with their scheduling in order to get every game in ahead of the postseason.

Short Hops:

Orleans’ win and the loss from the Brewster Whitecaps secured a postseason spot for the Firebirds in the east division. The Birds missed out on the postseason last year, which is an unfamiliar sight around Orleans.

The Firebirds will send left-hander Adam Seminaris (Long Beach State) for the first part of the doubleheader against the Harwich Mariners with Jared Shuster (Wake Forest) pitching the nightcap at home against the Chatham Anglers.

Tuesday’s action will mark the fifth doubleheader of the summer, but it will be the first double dip of the summer played at two different ballparks for the Firebirds.