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A double by Alden Carrithers in the eighth began a Cardinals comeback

A Walk-Off Walk Wins Game For Cardinals

Dennis Raben's bases loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth wins game

July 22, 2007

By: Brett Brecheisen - Orleans Cardinals Intern

Orleans, Massachusetts – The Cardinals have been searching for a big hit in one-run games all summer long.  Tonight they finally came back to win a one-run game, and did not need that hit.  RF Dennis Raben (Miami, FL) and the Cardinals had a walk-off bases loaded walk to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth and defeat the Wareham Gatemen, 2-1.

After not picking up a hit in the last seven innings and blowing a lead yesterday to Falmouth, the bats came out flat again tonight with Wareham in town.  The Cardinals managed just three hits, all singles, in the first seven innings of the game and trailed 1-0.

After finally knocking Wareham starting pitcher LHP Jeremy Bleich (Stanford) out of the game after seven, Orleans knocked on the door with the Gatemen now reaching into their bullpen.  2B Alden Carrithers (UCLA) started things off with a double to lead-off the inning and extend his streak of consecutive games in which he has reached base to 19.  After two unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempts by CF Ollie Linton (UC Irvine) put him behind in the count, Linton fouled off four pitches to keep his at bat alive and ended up ripping a line drive to Wareham 1B Luke Murton (Georgia Tech).  Murton trapped it as Linton beat him to the bag for a base-hit. 

“It was a great at bat by Ollie in the eighth.  He kept fighting pitches off and he was a pest.  He was pesky at the plate,” Nicholson said.

With runners now on first and second, nobody out, and the dangerous Raben at the plate, the Gatemen changed pitchers again and brought in their closer, RHP Chris Hicks (Georgia Tech).  Hicks put Raben in a 0-2 hole but the slugger from Hollywood, FL, fought off two more pitches before he hit a groundball to the right side.  Murton recorded the out at first but the groundout moved both runners up a base and put the tying run just 90 feet from home.  After an intentional walk to 1B Nate Freiman (Duke), the bases were loaded for DH Jose Jimenez (Tampa) to not only have a chance to tie the game, but take the lead with a base-hit.

Jimenez wouldn’t need to put the ball in play to tie the game as a passed ball on the second pitch of the at bat scored Carrithers and tied the game at one.  With the go-ahead run now on third base, Jimenez struck out swinging for the second out of the inning.  LF Chase d’Arnaud (Pepperdine) didn’t have any luck either, as he went down on strikes to end the inning with the game tied at one.

LHP Rob Catapano (UNC) continued his dominance on the mound for the Cards with a 1-2-3 ninth inning and kept the momentum in the home dugout.  Catapano has now pitched 12.2 innings this summer without allowing a run.

SS Brandon Crawford (UCLA) led off the bottom of the ninth with a major league pop-up on the right side towards Murton.  The Yellow Jackets first baseman seemed to lose track of the ball way up in the sky, however, and the ball fell in for a hit.  A sacrifice bunt by 3B Mark Sobolewski (Miami, FL) put Crawford in scoring position for pinch hitter Eric Reese (Fordham).  Crawford wasted no time taking off for third base and swiped it - thanks to a great jump - on the first pitch to Reese.  The switch-hitting Reese, with a chance to win the game, was unsuccessful as he struck out for the second out of the inning.

With two outs and the winning run on third, the Gatemen carefully pitched around Carrithers to face Linton.  Linton was not an easy out, as he proved in the eighth, and drew a walk to load the bases for the league-leader in RBIs, Dennis Raben.  Raben, looking to win the game for the Cards, didn’t have to try very hard.  Hicks threw him four straight balls as he walked the third consecutive Cardinals hitter and Crawford jogged home to win the game.

“After he fell behind 2-0 I was sitting dead red on one spot and if it wasn’t there I wasn’t swinging,” Raben said.

LHP Pat McAnaney (Virginia) quietly dominated the Gatemen at the plate tonight as he pitched his fourth consecutive start allowing just one run or less.  The southpaw pitched seven innings and struck out a 12 batters, a team-high for 2007, while walking just one.

“I felt pretty good.  I think tonight my changeup finally clicked.  I’ve been working on it all summer and I think today it was finally there and it made a big difference.  Just little things throughout the course of the game made the difference and kept us in the ballgame,” McAnaney said. 

The lone run allowed by McAnaney came off of a solo shot from the bat of 3B Jason Ogata (Oregon State) in the second.  That blast was the lone mark on an otherwise superb outing.

“We had him 1-2 and we went with a slider.  I was just going to try to bury it under his hands and it really didn’t move at all.  It was a bad slider and he stayed back on it and hit it out of the park.  It happens but luckily for us it was just a solo home run,” McAnaney said.

The walk-off win completed a season sweep of Wareham and was the second in a row at Eldredge Park for Orleans.  The Cardinals walked-off courtesy of a tenth inning wild pitch on July 19 against Cotuit to defeat the Kettleers, 7-6.

“It was nice to win on a walk-off walk.  We’ll take them any way we can get them.  It was a well pitched game and tough one for either team to lose.  McAnaney was really good, as well as anybody has thrown the ball all summer.  It was a great win,” Nicholson said.

Even with the win, the Eastern Division standings remain tight. Tonight’s victory allowed 3^rd place Orleans to stay within three points of second place Chatham for the final playoff spot. Brewster lost to Hyannis tonight and are now one point behind the Cards. Yarmouth-Dennis continues to have the best record in the league as they comfortably lead the Eastern Division by eight points over Chatham.

The Cardinals have just 12 games remaining with only three, a make-up game on July 25 at Bourne and two against Falmouth, left against the Western Division. With tonight’s victory, Orleans (17-15-0) is now 11-6 against Western Division clubs. The Cards once again travel tomorrow night to red-hot Falmouth, winners of nine of their last 11 to take on the Commodores who defeated visiting Orleans last night, 6-4. LHP Eric Surkamp (NC State) will put his 2-0 record on the line against Falmouth’s RHP Aaron Crow (Missouri) who has a league leading ERA of 0.64 and a record of 3-1. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. with broadcasters Andrew Gothelf and Joel Godett providing the call.

W – Rob Catapano (UNC), 2-0

L – Chris Hicks (Georgia Tech), 0-1

SV – None