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2B Alden Carrithers has been getting on base and scoring runs, but the Cardinals still aren't winning

The One-Run Losses Keep Coming, This Time To Y-D

Cardinals have scored in the first inning five games straight but early success isn't translating to victories

July 11, 2007

By: Brett Brecheisen - Orleans Cardinals Intern

South Yarmouth, Massachusetts – The Cardinals put themselves in great position to take down the Eastern Division leading Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox by scoring a run in the first inning for the fifth straight game.  Unfortunately, those first inning runs have only led to one Cardinals win in their last five attempts and today was no different.  Orleans fell in eight innings due to darkness, 5-4.

“The little things are biting us again.  A balk scored a run tonight.  No big hits.  Just little things,” Manager Kelly Nicholson said of his team’s recent struggles.

Orleans started things off with lead-off man 2B Alden Carrithers (UCLA) again.  Carrithers walked to lead-off the inning and came around to score a few batters later on 1B Nate Freiman (Duke)’s single.  That’s the fourth run Carrithers has scored in the past five first innings that Orleans has played.

Carrithers continued his solid hitting with a sacrifice fly in the second inning.  That scored C Travis Tartamella (Pepperdine) who singled to right to put himself on the base-paths.

“I hit that sac-fly but should have done more with the pitch,” said Carrithers, who felt that might have been the start of a big inning that the Cards have so desperately needed.

It didn’t take long for the Eastern Division-leading Red Sox to hit their way back into it.  An RBI double by C Buster Posey (Florida State) scored LF Jason Castro (Stanford) who had walked.  Posey moved to third on a passed ball and would score when Cardinals starter RHP Michael Schwimer (Virginia) was called for a balk.  Schwimer did not agree with the call but the run scored anyway and tied the game at two.

“The umpire said he twitched and made a shoulder move to first before he brought his leg up,” a frustrated Manager Kelly Nicholson said.

Y-D continued to swing the bat and that led to more Red Sox runs.  A double by 1B Sean Ochinko (LSU), a base-hit by CF Collin Cowgill (Kentucky), and a triple by RF Johnny Ayers (Boston College) led to two more runs allowed by Schwimer in the bottom of the fourth.

The Cardinals chipped away in the fifth when Freiman hit a sacrifice fly to score SS Mark Sobolewski (Miami, FL).  Orleans had runners on the corner with RF Dennis Raben (Miami, FL) on third with one out to tie the game but a strikeout by 3B Eric Reese (Fordham) and a fly out by LF Jon Gaston (Arizona) ended the Cardinals rally down a run.

Yarmouth-Dennis responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth when Ochinko singled in Y-D 2B Gordon Beckham (Georgia) as Beckham slid in under a tag at the plate and was ruled safe.  With two one and a double steal called by the Red Sox, Freiman made a diving catch on a pop-up just beyond first base to not only save a run or two, but double up Ochinko at first and end the threat.  That gave the Red Sox a 5-3 lead.

The teams kept trading runs as Orleans took no time to pick up another, this time in the sixth as Sobolewski drove in Carrithers.  The run by Carrithers was the second of the night for the UCLA Bruin.

Carrithers extended his team-leading runs scored count to 17 runs in just 13 games for the third lowest scoring team on the Cape.  The Portland, OR native has also reached base successfully in his last 11 games.

“I like to swing.  I don’t go up there looking to walk.  If the pitch isn’t in my zone I’m not going to take a hack on it.  If they give you the walk and you get on base then that’s great,” Carrithers said.

The Cardinals played great defense today and it continued to show in the sixth as the left side of the infield made two superb plays to start the frame.  Reese snagged a hard hit groundball by Posey to throw out the Seminole catcher to begin the inning.  The next batter, Cowgill, hit a line drive back to LHP Rob Catapano (UNC).  Catapano deflected the line drive to the left side of the field as Sobolewski bare-handed the ball and made a great throw to get the speedy Cowgill.

The Cardinals ran out of innings, however, and never could plate the tying run. After seven and a half, the game was called due to darkness and Orleans lost, yet again.

“I think anytime you lose by a run you don’t get as many runs as you’d like.  We couldn’t get a really big hit tonight and put together a big inning.  We didn’t play poorly or make any terrible mistakes but we didn’t have timely hitting.  Schwimer was okay but wasn’t as sharp as he has been and they got some timely hits,” Nicholson said.

The Cardinals (11-12-0), fell below .500 for the first time since June 19 when the club was 2-3. Orleans has now lost seven one-run games since June 30, a span that covers only ten games.  The Cards will attempt to fight their way out of this funk tomorrow afternoon when they head to Cotuit.  The Kettleers have defeated Orleans in both meetings this summer.  LHP Will Atwood (S. Carolina) will make his first start of the summer when the Cards head to Lowell Park.

W - D.J. Mauldin (Cal Poly), 1-0

L - Michael Schwimer (Virginia), 2-1

SV - Nick Cassavechia (Baylor), 7