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Spraker's Slam Knocks Out Y-D

July 7, 2008

South Yarmouth, Mass. – The Cardinals have found many different contributors throughout the course of their winning streak.  Tonight, another unlikely source came through with an even more unlikely result.

The game resembled a heavyweight bout, with both teams going back and forth landing punch after punch but neither being able to knock the other out.  That all changed with one swing of 3B Kyle Spraker (Loyola Marymount)’s bat.

With the bases loaded and the Cardinals trailing by one in the top of the seventh, Spraker’s turn to the dish arrived.  He lined a two out, 1-0 pitch over the left field fence to give the Cardinals a three run lead that wound up being the knockout punch the Red Sox could not recover from.

Of all the ways that Spraker could win a game for the Cardinals, hitting a grand slam was pretty far down on the list.  The utility infielder hit just one home run last season at Loyola Marymount and has just four in his college career, the other three all coming during his 2005 campaign at California.

Yarmouth-Dennis opened the game with a run in the first and another in the second to take an early lead.  Orleans bounced back, as they have many times on this winning streak, with a three-run bomb from OF Tim Wheeler (Sacramento St.) that bounced off the top of the fence in right-center and over for a home run.

The Red Sox answered Wheeler’s homer with a fierce uppercut.  They picked up a couple of two-RBI hits by C Ryan Ortiz (Oregon State) and DH Andy Wilkins (Arkansas) and took a 6-3 lead.

The two squads traded runs in the fourth and then Orleans slowly started to chip away in the fifth.  Trailing by three, the Cardinals had runners on the corners with two outs when a ball in the dirt was blocked by Ortiz and ricocheted down the third base line.  Wheeler broke for home immediately and beat the pitcher to the plate with a hook slide to make it a two run game.

In the sixth, OF Angelo Songco (Loyola Marymount) led off the frame with a home run down the right field line.  That made it a 7-6 ballgame and gave the Cardinals plenty of time to strike again.

Orleans did just that with a leadoff double by Wheeler to start things again in the seventh.  He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and then Red Sox RHP Greg Peavey (Oregon State) started to lose some command.  He walked 1B Rich Poythress (Georgia) and Songco to load the bases for Spraker’s shot.

Yarmouth-Dennis did crawl around and attempt to stand up before the match ended.  The Red Sox loaded up the bases in the bottom of the seventh with two outs.  LHP Adam Wilk (Long Beach St.) struck out Red Sox INF Josh Rutledge (Alabama) looking to end the threat and leave the tying run at first.

RHP Kyle Kamppi (Georgia Southern) came on for the ninth, a recent trend for the Cards. He struck out two en route to a 1-2-3 inning and picked up his eighth save of the year.  He’s now halfway to the Cape League record set by former Bourne pitcher Ryan Speier in 2001 when he saved 16 games.

Although Kamppi is on pace to break the record, his biggest obstacle might not be the record book itself but a fellow closer in Hyannis RHP Russell Brewer (Vanderbilt).  Brewer has already saved nine games for the Mets and is also on pace to set a new league mark.

Not only did Spraker have an incredible game but his teammate Wheeler had one as well.  Wheeler was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBIs.  He was a triple away from hitting for the cycle.  He improved his batting average to .308 on the season and is second on the team in hitting.

Orleans has now won four straight and six of their last seven.  With a win by Brewster tonight, the Cardinals are still three points back from first in their division. They sit in second place with a two point lead over Chatham. 

They’ll continue the bout with Yarmouth-Dennis tomorrow evening at Eldredge Park in a makeup game from a rainout on June 24^th.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:00pm.  The game will be carried live on OrleansCardinals.com and the Cardinals Clubhouse pre-game show will begin 20 minutes prior to the start of the game.

(Unofficial Box Score)