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Dennis Raben hit his fifth home run of the season in tonight's game

Raben's League-Leading 5th Home Run Not Quite Enough

Dennis Raben hit a two-run shot in the ninth to bring Orleans within one run

July 5, 2007

By: Brett Brecheisen - Orleans Cardinals Intern

Cotuit, Massachusetts – A big inning for the Cotuit Kettleers did the Cardinals in tonight as they fell for the second time in this week to Cotuit, 7-6.  The Kettleers scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 7-4 lead.  RF Dennis Raben (Miami, FL) hit a two-run homer, his league-leading fifth of the year, for the Cards in the ninth but it was not enough for Orleans.

RHP Michael Schwimer (Virginia) started the game for the Cards.  Cotuit picked up one run in each of the first three innings on what was Schwimer’s least successful start of the season.  Having not allowed an earned run in his first two starts with Orleans, the Virginia native gave up five hits and walked three in his five innings of work.  Only two of the three runs he allowed were earned.

The Cardinals slowly started to slowly chip away at the lead in the fourth when SS Brandon Crawford (UCLA) launched his first home-run of the summer.  The solo shot came with two outs and continued the Cardinals’ success at scoring runs with two outs in an inning.

2B Alden Carrithers (UCLA) joined his Bruins teammate in the home-run section of the box score in the fifth inning when he too went yard.  The 165 pound lead-off man from Portland, OR knocked only two out all season at UCLA but certainly helped the Cards tonight as they pulled within one run.

“It felt good, just like every home run does.  I knew the ball was gone when I hit it.  I got a good pitch to hit, made good contact with it, and it went out of here,” Carrithers said.

The Cardinals capped off the comeback with a two-out bases loaded single by DH Chase d’Arnaud (Pepperdine) that brought in two runs in the top of the seventh.  The hit gave Orleans a 4-3 lead and with a solid back-end of the bullpen, the Cards felt like they were in business.

“I just tried to stay inside the ball and get on top a bit and good things happen when you do that. It wasn’t the quality contact that I wanted but it was definitely the best result it could have been,” d’Arnaud said.

The Cardinals set-up man, RHP Ryan Perry (Arizona), came in for the eighth inning and certainly was not his sharpest.  Perry was touched up for four consecutive hits to start off the inning, three of them doubles.  The Kettleers wound up scoring four runs and took a 7-4 lead into the ninth.

Orleans had one last rally left in them in the top half of the ninth.  With two outs, LF Jon Gaston (Arizona) worked a four-pitch walk.  Raben followed with a monstrous home run down the right field line.  The distance was not able to be estimated by anybody at the park but Manager Kelly Nicholson had his own opinion of where the ball went.

“Raben is, well, Raben.  I think the ball he hit is in Brewster,” Nicholson said.

The two-run shot brought the Cards within a run and d’Arnaud looked to continue the rally as he continued the game by drawing a walk.  With the tying run aboard, d’Arnaud broke for second to get into scoring position on a ball that scooted away from C Caleb Joseph (Lipscomb).  Joseph picked it up and fired to second to nail d’Arnaud just in time to end the game.

“They just hit the ball that eighth inning.  It’s not like we made any errors.  They just hit the ball.  They executed, they laid down bunts, and they did what they had to do,” Coach Nicholson said.

“When you score six runs, you should win most of the time on the Cape.  Our pitching broke down tonight.  It wasn’t defense, it wasn’t offense, it was pitching. You have to pitch and play defense and score some runs to win in this league every night,” Nicholson added.

The loss for Orleans is their second in a row and the Cardinals have now dropped four of their last five.  They will look to change their fortunes tomorrow afternoon when they head to Hyannis.  RHP Brad Boxberger (USC) is expected to take the hill for the Cards.  He has started three games for Orleans and pitched well in all three but has not earned a decision.  The first pitch is slated for 5:00pm.

W – Garrett Richards (Oklahoma), 1-0

L – Ryan Perry (Arizona), 1-2

SV – Robert Stock (USC), 2