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C Hampton Tignor was outstanding defensively tonight and helped block a pitch in the dirt during a crazy ninth inning to preserve a Cardinals win

Orleans Happy To Win An Ugly Affair

Cardinals strikeout 12 times to top 400 K's on the season and make seven errors, yet still find a way to win

August 3, 2007

By: Brett Brecheisen - Orleans Cardinals Intern

Orleans, Massachusetts – It certainly was not pretty but the Cardinals defeated Brewster tonight, 5-4, despite seven defensive errors and picking up their 400^th strikeout this season.

The Cardinals certainly did not start the game off as they would have liked as they made three miscues defensively in the first half inning.  It led to two Whitecaps runs but CF Ollie Linton (UC Irvine) threw out a tagging Brewster 1B Yonder Alonso (Miami, FL) at the plate to end the inning without any more harm done.

It didn’t take long for Orleans to bounce back with the help of errors from the Whitecaps.  The Cardinals scored three in the bottom of the first thanks, in part, to a wild pitch and two errors.  Linton and RF Dennis Raben (Miami, FL) each singled and 1B Nate Freiman (Duke) picked up an RBI on a groundout.

Brewster would tie things up in the fourth after Whitecaps C Ryan Babineau (UCLA) scored on an error by Cardinals SS Brandon Crawford (UCLA).  Babineau reached third on a triple to right.

The Whitecaps would score again in the sixth on a throwing error from LF Chase d’Arnaud (Pepperdine).  It gave Brewster the lead back, this time at 4-3.

With the Cardinals trailing by a run in the first, they needed a rally.  A lead-off single by Crawford was just the remedy as 3B Mark Sobolewski (Miami, FL) followed with a double to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with nobody out.

Back-to-back strikeouts by C Hampton Tignor (Florida) and 2B Alden Carrithers (UCLA) turned things gloomy for Orleans.  That’s when the Cardinals caught a break in the form of a wild pitch from Whitecaps LHP Ben Hornbeck (Kansas State).  The pitch brought in Crawford to tie the game.  Just a few pitches later, following a walk to Linton, Hornbeck threw the ball away again and Sobolewski came home to give Orleans the 5-4 lead.

RHP Ryan Perry (Arizona) came in to shut the door on Brewster in the ninth but found himself in quite a bit of trouble after just three batters.  Perry walked two and threw a sacrifice bunt into the right-field stands, past the reach of Freiman, to load the bases with nobody out.  Perry picked up a grounder with the infield in, however, and Crawford cut down the tying run at the plate for the first out.  Perry then went after the dangerous Alonso and struck him out.  A line-drive off the bat of 3B David Doss (S. Alabama) was knocked down by Freiman and he touched the bag to end the game and preserve the victory.

“We had the bases loaded and nobody out so we brought the infield in and Perry did a great job to get a groundball and get the guy at home.  Perry did a good job of mixing up his pitches and going after Alonso and it worked out for us,” Tignor said.

The win was the first for Orleans since July 24, which also came against Brewster.

“We put some balls and play and were fortunate.  We battled at the plate and had some good at bats.  When you put balls in play you’re going to force some errors and we got some runs across tonight,” Manager Kelly Nicholson said. “It’s good to get a win.  We’ve had a tough week,” he added.

Carrithers was 0-for-4 in the game with four strikeouts, ending his 23 game on-base streak.  It ties the longest streak by a Cape Leaguer this season as Carrithers reached base in every game he appeared in during the month of July.

The Cardinals received another great outing by LHP Rob Catapano (UNC).  Catapano pitched two shutout innings and struck out three while allowing just one Whitecap to reach base.  He has now pitched 17.2 innings this summer without allowing a run.

“Catapano has great stuff.  His slider was working well today.  He’s just nasty,” Tignor said.

The Cardinals will look to continue their winning ways tomorrow night when they complete their Western Division schedule by hosting the Falmouth Commodores.  Orleans has defeated Falmouth in two of their three previous meetings this summer.  LHP Will Atwood (S. Carolina) will make just his second start of the summer for the Cards after making the All-Star team pitching mostly in relief.  The game will start at 7:00pm at Eldredge Park.

W – Rob Catapano (UNC), 3-0

L – Ben Hornbeck (Kansas State), 1-1

SV – Ryan Perry (Arizona), 3