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Firebirds Wrap Up Regular Season with Thrilling Win

August 5, 2009

By Tyler Maland

Chatham, Mass. - One night after a late inning win over Chatham, Orleans was able to stave off the Anglers’ attempt at their own dramatic home field comeback.  Jeremy Gould (Duke) ended the game decisively by throwing the potential tying run out at the plate, and Orleans walked away with a 3-2 victory over its Route 28 rival to end the regular season. 

Orleans will have the chance to make it three wins in a row when it hosts Chatham for a one-game series in the opening round of the playoffs Friday night at 7:00 p.m.

Chatham trailed 3-0 after the fifth inning, but got RBI’s from Brian Harris (Vanderbilt) in the seventh and ninth.  Whit Merrifield (South Carolina) came up with the tying run on second and two outs in the bottom the ninth, and came through with a single to right field. 

Gould, however, challenged the runner at the plate with a near-perfect throw.  The ball bounced just before it reached home, and Firebirds catcher Hampton Tignor (Florida) scooped it smoothly on the short hop and slapped the tag on Matt Duffy (Tennessee) to end the game.

Rob Rasmussen (UCLA) pitched 6.2 solid innings for the Firebirds, and got the win.  He scattered six hits with five strikeouts, and allowed just one earned run on the RBI single by Harris in the seventh.

Brock Stassi (Nevada) came out of the bullpen in the seventh and pitched two innings.  He gave up two hits, two walks and one earned run, but got out of a bases loaded jam in that seventh inning to preserve the 3-2 lead. 

After Stassi allowed one run in the ninth, Matt Hiserman (San Francisco) came in to get the last out of the game.  He got it unconventionally on Gould’s assist, and earned the save, his first of the year.

Gould was not the only defensive standout Wednesday night; the Firebirds defense had one of its most sound games of the season.  Shortstop Devin Lohman (Long Beach St.) leads Orleans in errors, but was flawless on the night with 11 assists including a leaping throw from deep in the hole to get a runner at first.

Lohman was also 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-out double in the second inning.  Anderson Gardner (SUNY Cortland) followed Lohman with a single and a stolen base before Tignor singled them both home to put Orleans up 2-0.

The Firebirds scored their third run in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by Riccio Torrez (Arizona St.).  Kevin Muno (San Diego) was on base three times for Orleans, and went 1-for-2 with a double and two walks.

Harris provided the only two Chatham RBI’s, and Addison Johnson (Clemson) and Merrifield each had two hits.

The Anglers used five different pitchers on the night, but starter Shawn Tolleson (Baylor) gave up all three runs in five innings of work and got the loss (3-3).

Orleans finishes the regular season 25-17-2, second in the East and tied with Bourne for the second best record in the Cape League.  Chatham finishes 21-23 for third place in the East. 

The other first-round match-up of the playoffs will be between Wareham and Cotuit at Lowell Park in Cotuit Friday at 3:00 p.m.  The East-leading Y-D Red Sox and the West-Leading Bourne Braves both have first round byes.

(Box Score)