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Mark Sobolewski made a terrific defensive play tonight

Cards Can't Make It Four Straight

Late rally sends game to extra innings but Orleans can't capitalize

July 15, 2007

By: Brett Brecheisen - Orleans Cardinals Intern

Chatham, Massachusetts – After three straight wins by four runs or more, everything was looking up for the Cardinals.  For all but one inning tonight, it seemed like Orleans had gone back to the way they were playing before their little winning streak.  They fell in 11 innings to Chatham, 5-4.

The Cards fell behind in a lot of 0-2 counts at the plate, the offense lacked timely hits, and their pitchers worked from behind in many counts.  LHP Eric Surkamp (NC State) had been the Cardinals’ hottest pitcher in his last two starts with a 2-0 record and a 0.61 ERA.  Tonight was just not his night, however, as the left-hander was certainly not his sharpest.  Surkamp lasted 4.1 innings and threw nearly 100 pitches.  He put eight batters on base via hits or walks and allowed four runs.

Although Surkamp struggled, the Cardinals bullpen pitched excellent.  RHP Kyle Kamppi (Ga. Southern), RHP Brad Boxberger (USC) and RHP Ryan Perry (Arizona) all pitched scoreless outings and carried Orleans from the time Surkamp left the game all the way until the bottom of the eighth when RHP Sam Brown (NC State) entered.

Brown entered the game with two outs and Chatham leading the game 4-1.  It appeared as though Brown would only record one out before the Athletics retired the side and the game was over.  The Cardinals had better ideas, though.

DH Dennis Raben (Miami, FL) flew out to begin the inning but was followed by five consecutive base-runners after RHP Bryan Shaw (Long Beach St.) and RHP Alex White (UNC) combined to hit a batter, walk two more, and allow two hits.  That loaded the bases and put the tying run on third base as Orleans trailed by just a run.  Ollie Linton (UC Irvine) was called off the bench to pinch-hit and he delivered with a fly ball to centerfield that was deep enough to score CF Jon Gaston (Arizona) and tie the game at four.

Brown retired the Athletics in order in the bottom half of the ninth as the game went to extra innings.  That ninth inning was all the Cardinals bats really had in them as the only hit they picked up in the 10^th and 11^th innings came off a two-out double by SS Brandon Crawford (UCLA).  Crawford was left on second when C Hampton Tignor (Florida) struck out to end the inning.

After throwing 2.1 innings, Brown seemed to run out of gas in the 11^th frame.  Chatham C Tim Federowicz (UNC) and 1B Allan Dykstra (Wake Forest) began the inning with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners.  After an intentional walk, 2B Kyle Seager (UNC) drove a pitch up the middle of the field that just trickled off of Crawford’s glove and into center-field to win the game for the A’s.

Despite the lack of hitting tonight, the Cardinals position players had an outstanding game defensively.  3B Chase d’Arnaud (Pepperdine) made what might possibly be the defensive play of the year in the seventh when he snared an absolute one-hop rocket off the bat of Chatham DH Zach Putnam (Michigan).  The alert d’Arnaud popped up and sprinted to third to force out SS Scott Lyons (Arkansas) before he fired over to first and nabbed Putnam for the double play.

Putnam was robbed of a hit on another spectacular defensive play by Orleans when SS Mark Sobolewski (Miami, FL) snagged a hard-hit ball moving to his right and away from first base.  He proceeded to make an unbelievable throw as he threw it all the way across the diamond on a line right to 1B Jose Jimenez (Tampa)’s mitt to gun down Putnam.

The superb Cardinals defense has now only made one error in their past three games.  Their opponents, meanwhile, have made 11 playing on the same fields.

Orleans made several substitutions in their big ninth inning and ran out of position players which caused some unexpected lineup changes.  RHP Clayton Shunick (NC State) pinch-ran for Jimenez when he was walked in the inning.  Shunick would later come around and score as he is the first pitcher to score a run for the Cards this season.

Shunick came out of the game when the half inning ended and was replaced by LHP Will Atwood (S. Carolina) who went out to play left-field.  Atwood never had an opportunity to field a ball in both the 10^th and 11^th innings (he moved to right-field in the 11^th) but did have a plate appearance in which he flew out to left-field.

2B Alden Carrithers (UCLA) and Raben each had positives at the plate, as well.  Carrithers extended his streak of reaching base to 14 games with his ninth inning walk.  Raben had an RBI-single in the third and increased his league-leading RBI total to 24 runs batted in.

The Cards will look to bounce back tomorrow night when they play host to the Harwich Mariners.  Orleans defeated Harwich in their only meeting this season, 7-5, on June 29.  The game will be played at 7:00pm at Eldredge Park.  A live webcast of the game will be broadcasted by WBZ News Radio and will replace the normal Cardinals broadcast done by Andrew Gothelf and Joel Godett.  Legendary hockey announcer Fred Cusick will do the play-by-play and be joined in the booth by John Garner Jr., director of Public Relations and Broadcasting for the CCBL.  You can watch and listen to the game live online at www.wbz1030.com.

W – Kevin Couture (USC), 2-1

L – Sam Brown (NC State), 0-2