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Win Gives Cards Top Record on the Cape

July 9, 2008

Brewster, Mass. – In a game that was for first place in the Eastern Division, the Cardinals blew Brewster out of their own park.  Orleans capitalized on an eight run sixth inning, in which all eight runs were scored with two outs, to defeat the Whitecaps 13-2.

The game started off slowly for both squads and was tied at one after four.  Brewster loaded the bases up in the bottom of the fifth and scratched out a go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly from DH Brent Milleville (Stanford).

Orleans responded in a big way, however, with an unbelievable sixth frame.  It started rather uneventful, with OF Angelo Songco (Loyola Marymount) doubling and winding up at third base with one away after a wild pitch.  SS Cole Figueroa (Florida) attempted to lay down a squeeze bunt but popped the attempt up behind the plate.  Whitecaps C Yasmani Grandal (Miami) fielded the bunt and looked to double up Songco but the Whitecaps did not have anybody covering third.  Songco beat Brewster 3B Connor Powers (Mississippi St.) back to the bag and kept the inning alive.

With two outs and trailing by a run, it was an excellent time for DH Shaun Kort (Nevada) to deliver his first home run of the season.  He hit the deep fly over the fence down the right-field line to give Orleans a 3-2 lead.  That’s when the wheels came off the Brewster wagon and the contest started to get out of hand.

“I went to a two-strike approach and just tried to put the ball in play.  The pitcher left a changeup up so I took a swing.  I was running as hard as I could.  I didn’t think it was going to go out but thank goodness it did,” Kort said.

C Hampton Tignor (Florida) had a base hit to keep the inning alive and LF Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) singled as well.  A walk to OF Tim Wheeler (Sacramento St.) loaded the bases and the Whitecaps made a pitching change.  RHP Wade Broyles (Mississippi) entered the game and issued walks to 2B Matt Bowman (Nevada) and 3B Rich Poythress (Georgia) to bring in two more runs.

Songco came up again, still with the bases loaded, and hit a weak groundball back to Broyles.  The pitcher fielded it cleanly but threw it over the first baseman’s head with plenty of time to make the play as Songco reached safely.  Two more Cardinals came in to score and make it a 7-2 game.  1B Nate Freiman (Duke) and Figueroa singled in two more runs before Kort struck out to finally end the inning.

It completed a half inning that saw Orleans score eight runs on six hits.  All eight runs came with two outs and the Cardinals hit through the entire batting order with two down in the frame.

The Cardinals would add three more runs in the seventh, thanks in part to a Brewster error.  Another run crossed the plate in the eighth to make the score 13-2 before the game was called due to darkness.

Wheeler picked up two more hits to increase his hitting streak to 10 games.  It is the longest active streak in the league.  He is now hitting .311 this summer.

A multi-hit game by Songco also improved his batting average.  He is now hitting .300 on the year; one of three Cards who have broke the .300 mark.

Every Cardinal in the starting lineup recorded a hit in the game.  The only player to appear at the plate and not record a hit was 3B Mike Murphy (Maryland) who entered the game in the seventh and was held hitless despite driving in two runs.

LHP Rob Rasmussen (UCLA) picked up the win, his third of the year.  His ERA on the season is now 1.83 and he has struck out a team-high 26 batters as he tries to earn a spot on the All-Star team.  RHP Brad Gemberling (Princeton) pitched a perfect 1.1 innings in relief.

The win gives Orleans a record of 13-8, the best mark in the league.  It also puts them in first place in the Eastern Division for the first time this season.  They are now a point better than Brewster and six points ahead of Chatham and Harwich who are tied for third in the division.  Orleans has played one fewer game than Brewster, the same amount as Chatham and one more than Harwich.

The Cardinals will look to make it seven wins in a row tomorrow night when they return home and host the Hyannis Mets.  Orleans and Hyannis have split the season series at a game apiece.  The Cards will have LHP Eric Erickson (Miami) on the mound for the 7:00pm start.

(Unofficial Box Score)