• Home
• Cards News
• Game Day Central
• Roster
• Coaching Staff
• Sounds of the Game
• Clinics
• Volunteer
• Alumni
• Contact

Cardinals closer Nick Christiani (Vanderbilt) allowed his first run of the season, albeit an unearned one, in the 1-0 loss to Cotuit

Orleans Suffers Another 'Frustrating' Loss

Cardinals fall 1-0 to Cotuit in another late-inning one-run loss, their second in as many nights

July 1, 2007

By: Brett Brecheisen - Orleans Cardinals Intern

Orleans, Massachusetts – The Orleans Cardinals suffered their second loss in a row this evening, this time to the Cotuit Kettleers, 1-0.  The pitcher’s dual featured just four hits from both teams combined.  The only run of the game came unearned in the top of the 9^th inning for the Kettleers.

The Cardinals went down on strikes 16 times on the evening.  A stat that certainly stood out considering the game was so low scoring.

“We just have to change our approach at the plate a little bit.  We have to put the ball in play and try to bunt and do some other things to try to hit our way out of this.  Hitting becomes contagious and we just have to change our approach,” Manager Kelly Nicholson said.

Orleans wasted what was quite possibly their best start from a pitcher this season.  The Cardinals staff has posted a remarkable 2.13 ERA over the young season but LHP Pat McAnaney (Virginia) rose to new heights tonight.

“I was happy with the way it went.  I was anxious to get back on the mound after the way the Chatham game went and I was fortunate enough to throw some strikes and get great plays behind me.  1B Nate Freiman (Duke) had a couple nice plays and it’s just so much easier when you don’t have to try to strike guys out and just let them hit it,” McAnaney said.

In his seven innings of work, McAnaney allowed only one base-runner as Stock singled to right in the fifth inning.  P-Mac, as his teammates call him, threw 75 pitches in those seven innings and 77% (58) for strikes.  He stuck out eight of the 22 hitters he faced and did not walk anyone.

“I really don’t like to walk guys.” McAnaney said. “At Virginia we really preach no walks at all and let the guys hit it.  I’d rather see them earn their way on with a single than let me just give them a base with a walk.  I can’t remember the last time I walked four straight guys like I did in the Chatham game.  Hopefully I got that out of my system and can just get back to throwing strikes the rest of the summer,” he added.

Unfortunately for McAnaney, his defensive help did not carry over to the plate.

“It’s very frustrating,” Coach Nicholson said about his team’s lack of run support today.

Neither team really threatened to score in the game until the 9^th inning when Cardinals closer RHP Nick Christiani (Vanderbilt) entered the game.  Christiani struck out Cotuit 2B Corey Figueroa (St. Petersburg College) but the pitch trickled off of C Hampton Tignor (Florida)’s glove and to the back-stop.  Figueroa reached first base in time on the dropped third strike.  It was ruled a passed ball but Christiani felt like he was to blame.

“The ball just tailed a little too much and went off Tignor’s glove.  It just happens, and there is not much you can do about that.  It was supposed to be inside and it just ran outside a bit out of his reach so that one is on me,” Christiani said.

The struggle for Christiani continued when the next batter, 3B Josh Harrison (Cincinnati), bunted the ball right back to the pitcher.  Christiani fielded the ball and had the runner at second in plenty of time, but the throw sailed on him.  Figueroa and Harrison were both safe on the error.

“Freiman and Tignor were both yelling two,” Christiani said. “I just got under it too much and it sailed a little high.  He would have been out,” he added.

A couple batters later, pinch-hitter Brian Wilson (LMU) laid down a suicide squeeze to bring in the game-winning run with one out.  Christiani fielded the ball cleanly again this time, but flipped it to first when he realized he had no play at home.  The run scored but was unearned.

The frustrating night for the Cardinals closer and the rest of the team came to an end shortly after that as RHP Josh Lindblom (Purdue) struck out two batters and forced Freiman to groundout and end the game.

The loss was the first time Orleans had been shutout all season.  The Cardinals did draw their largest crowd thus far in 2007 with an attendance of nearly 3,000 fans.  The Cards will take the day off tomorrow before returning back to the field on Tuesday night.  That’s when Coach Nicholson and his team will travel over the bridge again and into Wareham for their second and final visit this season.  LHP Eric Surkamp (NC State) will take the mound for his first start of the season.  In a relief appearance earlier this summer, Surkamp threw two shutout innings in a win over Falmouth on June 28. 

The Cardinals are now 9-6 on the year.  They have defeated Wareham twice this season.

W – Josh Lindblom (Purdue), 3-0

L – Nick Christiani (Vanderbilt), 1-1

SV – None