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Orleans Dominant in Fourth Straight Win Over Bourne

By Tyler Maland

July 18, 2009

Bourne , Mass. –One night after scoring a season high 10 runs, the Orleans Firebirds did one better – against the West-leading Bourne Braves, no less.  Orleans defeated Bourne 11-1 Saturday afternoon, piling up 16 hits, at least one by every starter.  Devin Lohman (Long Beach St.) was the second Firebird in two days to go 4-for-5, and added his first home run of the year.

Orleans scored four runs in the first four innings and clearly was not intimidated by Bourne starter Turner Phelps (James Madison), who entered the game 3-1 with a 1.35 ERA.  It was a six-run sixth inning, however, that broke the game wide open.

Orleans loaded the bases in the sixth with its first three batters on singles by Alex Hassan (Duke) and Jarren Matthews (Rutgers), and a Steve Selsky (Arizona) walk.  Hassan then scored on a wild pitch with Jeremy Gould (Duke) at the plate.  A few pitches later, Gould cracked a three-run home run to left-center, denting the rooftop of a shed beyond the fence and putting Orleans up 8-1.  Two batters later, Lohman hit his two-run shot to left field, making it ten runs in five innings and marking the end of the day for Phelps, who lasted 4.1 innings and gave up 13 hits and ten runs, all earned.

Elliot Glynn (Connecticut), meanwhile, was rolling from the start.  Glynn gave up one run on back-to-back doubles in the second inning by Raynor Campbell (Baylor) and Nick Schwaner (New Orleans), but that was it.  The 6’1” lefthander controlled a potent Bourne offense and scattered eight hits in seven innings, giving up just the one earned run while walking one and striking out six.  The win improves Glynn to 3-1 on the year, and he now has a 1.10 ERA in five starts and 32.2 innings pitched.

Gary Brown (CS Fullerton) again ignited Orleans at the outset by reaching base and scoring in the first inning off a Hassan RBI single, and bunting for a hit and scoring in the second off a two-run double by Danny Muno (Fresno St.). 

It was the shortstop Lohman, however, who was most superlative in this game.  He came in hitting just .171, but quickly pushed any struggles with the stick to the distant past.  He singled and scored on the Muno double in the third, singled again in the fourth, hit his two-run shot in the fifth, and singled again in the sixth before finally grounding out in the ninth.

Matthews also appeared to emerge from a hitting slump that had dropped his average in the last couple weeks.  He hit the ball hard all night, and ended the day 2-for-5 with a sacrifice fly. 

Hassan finished 2-for-5 with one RBI, Muno 1-for-5 with 2 RBI, and catcher Matt Koch went 2-for-5 with two runs.  Every Firebirds starter scored a run except for third baseman Ross Heffley, who did have two hits and a walk. 

Matt Packer (Virginia) struck out the side for a perfect eighth for Orleans, and Matt Hiserman (San Francisco) pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts. 

Scott Woodward (Coastal Carolina) was 3-for-3 for the Braves, but was stranded on base in the third, fifth and seventh innings.

Orleans is now 17-11-1, and has outscored Bourne 28-7 in their four matchups this year, all Firebirds wins.  Orleans is now tied with the Y-D Red Sox for first place in the East with 35 points, though Y-D has played two more games.  Bourne drops out of first place in the West with the loss.  The Braves are now 14-12-2; Wareham moved into first place Friday night with a win over Falmouth.

Orleans will play Y-D in three straight games, starting with a crucial double-header Sunday with games at 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.  Bourne travels to Cotuit for a 5:00 p.m. game Sunday afternoon.

(Box Score)