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Mark Sobolewski and the Cardinals defense tonight led Orleans to first win in past five games

The Cardinals Snap Four-Game Losing Streak, Defeat Hyannis

7-1 victory over Hyannis is first Cardinals win since July 3

July 9, 2007

By: Brett Brecheisen - Orleans Cardinals Intern

Orleans, Massachusetts – It’s starting to become a trend for the Cardinals to score early.  While that might sound like a good thing for the team, it certainly has not translated into wins. That all changed this evening when not only did the Cards score early, but they exploded in the first two innings of play to pick up a win and snap a four game losing streak.

RF Dennis Raben (Miami, FL) began his day with an RBI double, scoring lead-off man 2B Alden Carrithers (UCLA).

After four straight days of scoring a run or more in the first, Orleans finally turned that success into runs in other innings, as well.  The Cards busted out for six runs in the second tonight which ties the team-high for most runs scored in an inning this season.  The six-run Cardinals inning resulted from three hits, a couple of errors, and a walk.  Carrithers drove in a run with a double.  1B Jose Jimenez (Tampa) picked up an RBI with a single and SS Mark Sobolewski (Miami, FL) hit a sacrifice fly to drive in his former high school teammate, C Hampton Tignor (Florida).

“Guys just put good swings on the ball that inning and hitting is contagious.  Once we got it going it just continued and it was good to see.  It’s just a matter of time before something like that happens,” Manager Kelly Nicholson said.

LHP Eric Surkamp (NC State) earned his second victory of the season after another impressive start.  He allowed his first run of the summer after Hyannis CF Dan Brewer (Bradley) smacked an opposite field RBI-single to right in the third.  The southpaw from Cincinnati, OH went five innings, giving up only one run and six hits while striking out one.

“We always tell them that the key to being a good pitcher is to be able to get out of jams. Surkamp did a good job and all around it was just a great effort by everybody,” Nicholson said.

The Cardinals picked up their second consecutive solid outing from the bullpen.  RHP Sam Brown (NC State), LHP Will Atwood (S. Carolina), RHP Ryan Perry (Arizona), and RHP Nick Christiani (Vanderbilt) each had an inning of work and combined to shut down the Mets the rest of the game.

Hyannis C Francis Larson (UC Irvine) was hit in the head with a pitch in the eighth inning by Perry.  Larson exited the game but Hyannis Manager Greg King said he was fine after the game and was removed for precautionary reasons.

Carrithers continued his fantastic play for the Orleans Cardinals as their everyday second basemen.  The junior from UCLA scored twice and reached base three times with two doubles and a walk. Carrithers, along with Sobolewski, played superb defense up the middle for the Cardinals in the win.  Sobolewski appeared in just his fourth game at shortstop this summer.

“I’m still getting used to third base, actually.  I played shortstop all throughout high school and my whole life so I’m comfortable at the position.  It was nice to get a start there tonight, it was refreshing,” said Sobolewski.

The 7-1 win was the largest margin the Cards have won by this season. It is the second win for the Cardinals since they started struggling on June 30.

"Even during the four losses in a row, a couple of one-run losses could have gone anyway so we didn’t lose confidence.  We knew we would be just fine," Nicholson said.

Hyannis left 13 runners on base during the game and has now stranded 29 base-runners on in the past two games. Orleans will look to take advantage when they head back to Hyannis tomorrow to face the Mets again in a game that was suspended due to lightning on Friday.  The contest will resume with two outs in the bottom of the fourth and a runner on second base for Hyannis.  The Cardinals will have the 3-1 lead when the game resumes.

W – Eric Surkamp (NC State), 2-0

L – Austin Wood (Texas), 0-2

SV - None