By: Alec Henden

HARWICH/ORLEANS, Mass. – Everything about Tuesday in the Cape Cod League was weird. A 2019 season that was consistently mired with poor weather conditions that led to numerous delays and cancelations forced the schedulers to get creative.

The solution: Certain teams would play split day-night doubleheaders where they would play a road and home game against division rivals in order to try and reach 44 games ahead of the postseason that begins on Friday.

Tuesday’s uniqueness was not lost on any around surrounding the Orleans Firebirds.

“It was fun,” infielder Tanner Murray (UC Davis) said. “It was a long day and thank goodness I was placed with a host family that was right across the street (from Eldredge Park) so I got some time to cool off in the A/C.”

What made it even sweeter was a doubleheader sweep of the Harwich Mariners and the Chatham Anglers that catapulted the Birds into a tie for first place in the east division.

“We’re playing good baseball right now,” Orleans assistant coach Jamie Quinn said. “It’s not how you start the season it’s how you finish and we want to get hot at the right time. The guys reset today after game one’s win and put on a good show for game two.”

Orleans began their day with a hot and humid game at Whitehouse Field that was tailor made for hitters. The bats continued their relentless approach at the plate by scoring eight runs and finding little resistance from Mariner pitching.

Infielder Shay Whitcomb exceled at the plate going 3-for-4 and falling just a triple shy of the cycle in the day half of the double dip. The offensive excellence way key because most balls hit in the air carried well with many leaving the yard.

Firebirds’ starter Adam Seminaris (Long Beach State) battled through five innings to allow only three earned runs to keep his team in position to pick up the victory.

The nightcap was a much different story. Both pitchers exceled under the lights in front of a large crowd at Eldredge.

Orleans starter Jared Shuster (Wake Forest) completed five shutout innings as he baffled the Anglers hitters throughout. The Birds got on the board on a two-run single from Murray to put them ahead for good, the Orleans left-hander made sure that the lead wasn’t going anywhere.

Shuster found a lot of success with his slider that was breaking very sharply that played well off his fastball and changeup combination.

Orleans turned to reliever Jeffrey Praml (Southern New Hampshire) to get the final six outs as he breezed through the Chatham lineup to secure the Firebirds’ seventh shutout of the season.

“Jared did a great job of throwing strikes and getting us through five innings,” Praml said. “I just came in and did my job.”

The outing was a big bounce back for Praml who has been a key contributor at the back of the bullpen all summer. Pitching the late innings with a mentality of getting key outs and stretching out when the team needed length.

For a team that has spent much of the season in the middle pack of the lead, the Birds are now at the top of the division with only two games remaining. The team is clicking at the right time and has found that rallying cry as the postseason looms, and the mentality is not lost among the players.

“If you’re going to be in it you might as well win it,” Orleans catcher Rob Emery stated. “We know how good of a team we are. We’ve come all this way we’re going to go out there and give it all we got.”

Short Hops

Orleans now ends their season with two games against the Anglers at Veterans Field in Chatham. Depending on the outcome of Wednesday’s action. The Firebirds will potentially get Thursday off but it would require a Chatham win as well as Hyannis defeating Yarmouth-Dennis.

The Birds will send right-hander Noah Skirrow (Liberty) to the mound for Wednesday night’s game. Skirrow the Cape League all-star has been tremendous all summer posting 1.82 ERA in six starts for Orleans.

Manager Kelly Nicholson returned to the dugout for the second game of the doubleheader after sitting out two games stemming from his ejection in the tie against Brewster on Sunday.