By: Cole Bradley
HYANNIS, Mass- Peyton Chatagnier (Mississippi) has a thing for fast starts.
In his first at-bat of the summer he singled, kickstarting what ended up being a 12-4 win against the Cotuit Kettleers, and an offensive barrage for the ensuing two games. But on Thursday, he went 0 to 100.
On the third pitch of the game from Hyannis starter Hunter Dula (Wingate), Chatagnier blasted his third home run of the summer, leading-off what ended up being a 11-6 win for the Orleans Firebirds.
The game was called due to fog, which started to become prevalent during the sixth inning.
The Birds blew it open in the second, putting up a six-spot and batting around, taking advantage of a pair of costly errors in the process. Dula, who managed to escape the first unscathed after the homer, was pulled after 1.2 innings where he surrendered seven runs, four of which were earned.
Once again, Chase DeLauter (James Madison) put a ball above the tree line, his sixth long ball of the year to make it 9-2, a two-run shot. It came off the bat at 103 mph, and it’s the first time he has blasted one to his pull side this season.
He finished with yet another three-hit night, raising his average to .362.
“I was sitting off speed and said, ‘There’s no way he throws a fastball,’” DeLauter said. “When we’re all putting good swings on balls it’s the best feeling in the world.”
On the mound, Donovan Benoit (Tulane) made his last outing as a Bird count, even after giving up a first inning homer to Marcos Pujols Martínez (Dayton). He finished with six strikeouts in three innings, not giving up a hit in his final two frames of work.
Benoit spent time with Orleans in 2019 as well, it’s his last taste of Cape League baseball before his road to the show starts after the MLB Draft.
“This one is a little bittersweet since I know I’m not coming back,” Benoit said. “I wanted to go out there and do everything I could. I’m gonna miss just being with the coaches and the players. You become really close with the guys very quickly. I love coach Kelly and Troupe, it’s a great time being out here.”
The bullpen had a rough go in the middle innings before the fog became a factor after the sixth. Kyle Ball (Stetson) doubled home a pair in the bottom of the fifth before Luke Mann (Missouri) did the same in the sixth.
The Firebirds are now (7-5-2) tied with the Brewster Whitecaps for second in the East. They’ll play in Brewster on Friday at 5:00 pm.