Orleans Cardinals

Poythress Hit Fuels Orleans

July 6, 2008

Harwich, Mass. – After two strikeouts and a pop up that was caught in foul territory by the catcher, some people might have though that 3B Rich Poythress (Georgia)’s welcome had warn out. Poythress had gone 4-for-7 in his first two games in the most prestigious summer league around and it is a little unfair to expect him to hit above .500 the entire season. Instead of rolling over and chalking it up as a rough day at the plate though, Poythress made the most of his final at bat.

In a low-scoring tied ballgame with a runner on third and one out in the eighth, Poythress lined a pitch through into left field and down for a base-hit. 2B Matt Bowman (Nevada) crossed the plate to give Orleans a lead, one they would not relinquish.

The Cardinals bullpen had yet another solid game from a couple of unfamiliar faces. LHP Isaac Morales (Cal State L.A.) and RHP Martin Viramontes (Loyola Marymount) both came out of the pen after not seeing some action in over a week. Both are starting pitchers for Orleans; but, due to some unforeseen circumstances and lack of action, were available for bullpen work tonight.

Morales tossed two scoreless innings in which he allowed just one hit to pick up his second win of the season. Viramontes followed up the two-run rally in the eighth to quiet the Mariners bats in the bottom half and send the game to Cardinals closer RHP Kyle Kamppi (Georgia Southern).

After allowing a hit and a walk, Kamppi picked up an outstanding play from his defense and induced a game-ending fly-ball to secure his seventh save of the season. He is now a perfect 7-for-7 in save opportunities this summer and ranks second in the league in that category.

“There’s nothing like going out there when the game is on your shoulders and you want to win for your team,” Kamppi said.

He received some help from SS Cole Figueroa (Florida), however, who robbed Mariners 1B Jeff Cusick (UC Irvine) of a potentially game-tying hit. With OF Dustin Ackley (North Carolina) at second and representing the tying run, Cusick hit a sharp line drive in the hole between Figueroa and third. Figueroa reached full-extension to his backhand side to snag the ball and keep Ackley from advancing.

“I stayed aggressive, trusted my defense and Cole made a great play,” Kamppi said about his heart-racing ninth inning.

The Mariners took a 1-0 lead after a walk and a base-hit put runners on the corners against Cardinals RHP Matt Thomson (San Diego) in the third. A high Thomson fastball skipped off the glove of C Travis Tartamella (Pepperdine) and to the backstop to bring in OF Chase Leavitt (Arkansas) and put Harwich on the board.

The game remained 1-0 until the eighth thanks to some solid pitching from both Thomson and Mariners LHP Chris Manno (Duke). Thomson surrendered five hits and just one earned run while striking out two in five innings. Manno was even better, allowing one hit and no runs through 6.1 innings.

It was not until the Cardinals forced Manno to leave the game and had the opportunity to face the Harwich bullpen before they could jumpstart the offense. OF Tim Wheeler (Sacramento State) led the inning off with a base hit to right off of RHP Patrick Johnson (North Carolina). That’s when Bowman laid down a perfectly placed bunt between Johnson and 3B Joe Sanders (Auburn). Johnson tried to make an off balanced throw moving away from first and wound up throwing it wide of the bag. It allowed Wheeler and Bowman to move into scoring position with nobody out. The runners advanced again on a wild pitch before Poythress had his go-ahead base knock.

The win gives the Cardinals sole possession of second place in the Eastern Division. They will begin a two game set with Yarmouth-Dennis tomorrow evening at 5:00pm EDT before returning home to host the Red Sox in a makeup game on Tuesday at 7:00pm. Orleans is now 10-8 overall on the season.

This site is powered by c4.net, a division of Cape Cod Computer, Inc.
Sponsors of:	SearchCapeCod.com	Cape Cod & Islands Search Engine
	CapeEvents.com	Current Events
	CapeCodIslands.com	Regional Business Directory
	CapeCodChambers.com	Available Accommodations



Home Cards News Game Day Central Roster Statistics Coaching Staff Sounds of the Game Clinics Volunteer Alumni Contact	Poythress Hit Fuels Orleans July 6, 2008 Harwich, Mass. – After two strikeouts and a pop up that was caught in foul territory by the catcher, some people might have though that 3B Rich Poythress (Georgia)’s welcome had warn out. Poythress had gone 4-for-7 in his first two games in the most prestigious summer league around and it is a little unfair to expect him to hit above .500 the entire season. Instead of rolling over and chalking it up as a rough day at the plate though, Poythress made the most of his final at bat. In a low-scoring tied ballgame with a runner on third and one out in the eighth, Poythress lined a pitch through into left field and down for a base-hit. 2B Matt Bowman (Nevada) crossed the plate to give Orleans a lead, one they would not relinquish. The Cardinals bullpen had yet another solid game from a couple of unfamiliar faces. LHP Isaac Morales (Cal State L.A.) and RHP Martin Viramontes (Loyola Marymount) both came out of the pen after not seeing some action in over a week. Both are starting pitchers for Orleans; but, due to some unforeseen circumstances and lack of action, were available for bullpen work tonight. Morales tossed two scoreless innings in which he allowed just one hit to pick up his second win of the season. Viramontes followed up the two-run rally in the eighth to quiet the Mariners bats in the bottom half and send the game to Cardinals closer RHP Kyle Kamppi (Georgia Southern). After allowing a hit and a walk, Kamppi picked up an outstanding play from his defense and induced a game-ending fly-ball to secure his seventh save of the season. He is now a perfect 7-for-7 in save opportunities this summer and ranks second in the league in that category. “There’s nothing like going out there when the game is on your shoulders and you want to win for your team,” Kamppi said. He received some help from SS Cole Figueroa (Florida), however, who robbed Mariners 1B Jeff Cusick (UC Irvine) of a potentially game-tying hit. With OF Dustin Ackley (North Carolina) at second and representing the tying run, Cusick hit a sharp line drive in the hole between Figueroa and third. Figueroa reached full-extension to his backhand side to snag the ball and keep Ackley from advancing. “I stayed aggressive, trusted my defense and Cole made a great play,” Kamppi said about his heart-racing ninth inning. The Mariners took a 1-0 lead after a walk and a base-hit put runners on the corners against Cardinals RHP Matt Thomson (San Diego) in the third. A high Thomson fastball skipped off the glove of C Travis Tartamella (Pepperdine) and to the backstop to bring in OF Chase Leavitt (Arkansas) and put Harwich on the board. The game remained 1-0 until the eighth thanks to some solid pitching from both Thomson and Mariners LHP Chris Manno (Duke). Thomson surrendered five hits and just one earned run while striking out two in five innings. Manno was even better, allowing one hit and no runs through 6.1 innings. It was not until the Cardinals forced Manno to leave the game and had the opportunity to face the Harwich bullpen before they could jumpstart the offense. OF Tim Wheeler (Sacramento State) led the inning off with a base hit to right off of RHP Patrick Johnson (North Carolina). That’s when Bowman laid down a perfectly placed bunt between Johnson and 3B Joe Sanders (Auburn). Johnson tried to make an off balanced throw moving away from first and wound up throwing it wide of the bag. It allowed Wheeler and Bowman to move into scoring position with nobody out. The runners advanced again on a wild pitch before Poythress had his go-ahead base knock. The win gives the Cardinals sole possession of second place in the Eastern Division. They will begin a two game set with Yarmouth-Dennis tomorrow evening at 5:00pm EDT before returning home to host the Red Sox in a makeup game on Tuesday at 7:00pm. Orleans is now 10-8 overall on the season. (Unofficial Box Score)