Orleans Cardinals

Hit Parade for Cards on Independence Day

July 4, 2008

Orleans, Mass. – It was a happy Fourth of July for the Cardinals hitters tonight. They scattered 15 hits against their rivals, the Chatham A’s, and came out with a 5-2 victory to move above .500 for the first time since June 20^th. Three different Cardinals had three hits in the game.

Chatham defeated Orleans five of the six meetings between the two squads last summer and that was a major reason why the Cardinals failed to make the playoffs. There were no remnants of last year’s failures however as Orleans backed up last night’s performance with another near perfect game. OF Tim Wheeler (Sacramento St.)¸1B Nate Freiman (Duke) and 3B Rich Poythress (Georgia) all had three hits and were instrumental in the win.

Wheeler came up with a big two out, two run single in the fourth to give Orleans a 3-2 lead. He also came around to score in the eighth after reaching on another base hit.

There was a long wait for Poythress’ bat to appear in the Cardinals lineup but it was well worth it. It did not take him long to adjust to wood bats as his three hits tonight brought his season batting average to .571.

Orleans also received a lockdown performance from the pitching staff. LHP Eric Erickson (Miami) made his second start of the season and was brilliant. He pitched six solid innings and allowed just two runs while sending six down on strikes to pick up his first Cape Cod League victory.

He was relieved by RHP Brad Stillings (Kent State) who threw two scoreless frames. Stillings allowed just one hit, the first of the summer against him, on a bunt. He still has a perfect ERA of 0.00.

Stillings handed the ball off to RHP Kyle Kamppi (Georgia Southern) for the final inning of play. Kamppi was effective, as usual, and allowed just one batter to reach. His ERA is now an impressive 0.75 and his six saves are good for second in the league.

The 15 hits by the Cardinals was the most they have had all season and breaks their previous season high of ten set in the opening day win over Yarmouth-Dennis. Orleans is now hitting .198 as a team and has raised their team average by 29 points in the past five games. After tonight’s game, the Cardinals have played all nine of the other teams in the league. They are in a tie for second place in the Eastern Division with Harwich and have a 9-8 overall record.

The two-game set will conclude tomorrow when Orleans heads to Chatham to return the game. First pitch will take place at Veterans Field at 7:00pm EDT.

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Home Cards News Game Day Central Roster Statistics Coaching Staff Sounds of the Game Clinics Volunteer Alumni Contact	Hit Parade for Cards on Independence Day July 4, 2008 Orleans, Mass. – It was a happy Fourth of July for the Cardinals hitters tonight. They scattered 15 hits against their rivals, the Chatham A’s, and came out with a 5-2 victory to move above .500 for the first time since June 20^th. Three different Cardinals had three hits in the game. Chatham defeated Orleans five of the six meetings between the two squads last summer and that was a major reason why the Cardinals failed to make the playoffs. There were no remnants of last year’s failures however as Orleans backed up last night’s performance with another near perfect game. OF Tim Wheeler (Sacramento St.)¸1B Nate Freiman (Duke) and 3B Rich Poythress (Georgia) all had three hits and were instrumental in the win. Wheeler came up with a big two out, two run single in the fourth to give Orleans a 3-2 lead. He also came around to score in the eighth after reaching on another base hit. There was a long wait for Poythress’ bat to appear in the Cardinals lineup but it was well worth it. It did not take him long to adjust to wood bats as his three hits tonight brought his season batting average to .571. Orleans also received a lockdown performance from the pitching staff. LHP Eric Erickson (Miami) made his second start of the season and was brilliant. He pitched six solid innings and allowed just two runs while sending six down on strikes to pick up his first Cape Cod League victory. He was relieved by RHP Brad Stillings (Kent State) who threw two scoreless frames. Stillings allowed just one hit, the first of the summer against him, on a bunt. He still has a perfect ERA of 0.00. Stillings handed the ball off to RHP Kyle Kamppi (Georgia Southern) for the final inning of play. Kamppi was effective, as usual, and allowed just one batter to reach. His ERA is now an impressive 0.75 and his six saves are good for second in the league. The 15 hits by the Cardinals was the most they have had all season and breaks their previous season high of ten set in the opening day win over Yarmouth-Dennis. Orleans is now hitting .198 as a team and has raised their team average by 29 points in the past five games. After tonight’s game, the Cardinals have played all nine of the other teams in the league. They are in a tie for second place in the Eastern Division with Harwich and have a 9-8 overall record. The two-game set will conclude tomorrow when Orleans heads to Chatham to return the game. First pitch will take place at Veterans Field at 7:00pm EDT. (Unofficial Box Score)