By Jack Loder
Patrick Reilly has settled into a habitual routine this summer. The Vanderbilt right hander is often dominant for the majority of his starts, but falters in a single frame. That was the case again on Sunday as Reilly struggled in the first inning, giving up two runs on three hits before many fans were settled in their seats.
Brewster barreled up Reilly from the get go, smacking two singles and a double to take the early two run advantage. Reilly wasn’t all there with his usual stuff in the inning as his fastball was sitting around 94 when it generally hangs out at 96.
As it turned out, the two runs Brewster scored in the first would have been enough to get them the win on Sunday night. Orleans’ winning streak was stopped at three, as the Whitecaps shutout the Birds in front of one of the largest crowds of the summer at Eldredge Park.
Brewster was able to add to its lead with a run in the sixth and two in the seventh thanks to some poor defense from Orleans.
At the plate, Orleans looked a lot like it did in early July when the Birds struggled to get anything going on offense. A fatal combination of feeble 1-2-3 innings and squandered scoring opportunities kept them off the scoreboard all night long.
Isaac Humphrey extended his on base streak to a whopping 28 with a single. Luke Keaschall collected a pair of knocks. Other than that, the bats didn’t provide much to write home about.
Two games remain in the regular season slate, with the Firebirds standing to clinch a playoff spot with a win in either. They’ll be playoff bound as well if Chatham drops just one of its final two games. The magic number is one.