Cardinals Pick Up Seventh Shutout Of 2007, Win On Raben's Blast
Dennis Raben's solo home run in the top of the eighth was the difference
July 23, 2007
By: Brett Brecheisen - Orleans Cardinals
Intern
Falmouth, Massachusetts – The Cardinals pitching staff threw their seventh shutout of the 2007 season in a 1-0 win over the Falmouth Commodores. RF Dennis Raben (Miami, FL) hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth for the only run of the game.
A recent trend for Orleans has been leaving runners in scoring position with less than two outs and tonight was no different. The Cardinals had the bases loaded with one out in the third and runners on second and third with one out in the fourth but could not manufacture a run to take the early lead in what was clearly going to be a pitcher’s duel.
With RHP Aaron Crow (Missouri) on the mound for the Commodores and LHP Eric Surkamp (NC State) pitching for Orleans, the game stayed scoreless until after both pitchers had been relieved. Crow entered the game with a 3-1 record and a 0.64 ERA, having allowed just two earned runs all season. Despite hitting three batters, including two in the third inning, Crow worked his way out of jams and left the game after six without allowing a run.
“It’s not like we aren’t giving a good effort with runners in scoring position. We just didn’t bring them in tonight for whatever reason. The guys they ran out there were good arms and you have to give them credit for getting themselves out of jams,” Manager Kelly Nicholson said.
Surkamp’s outing was even more impressive and, unfortunately, will be his last as a Cardinal. After two summers in Orleans, Surkamp has decided to rejoin Team USA for the remainder of the summer. He was simply phenomenal in his final start wearing the Cardinals uniform as he pitched 5.1 scoreless innings while striking out nine.
“It’s been a fun two years up here and I’ve had a blast. I felt really good tonight. I came in with four pitches and that’s probably the best I’ve felt since the first start I had up here this summer,” Surkamp said.
Coach Nicholson had a ringing endorsement for the pitcher he’s seen grow up in the past two years.
“He has really grown up from last summer. He got himself in great physical shape and I think he learned how to work and really mature from last summer. We’re really going to miss him,” Nicholson said.
The NC State southpaw left the game without allowing a run but had loaded up the bases for the Commodores with only one out in a tied game. Nicholson called on RHP Kyle Kamppi (Ga. Southern) to help Orleans find a way out of the jam and Kamppi did just that. The right-hander jammed clean-up hitter DH Matthew Hague (Washington) as he hit a weak grounder back to the mound and Kamppi fielded the ball and went home with the ball to pick up the force-out at the plate. With two down and the bases still loaded, Kamppi forced RF Aja Barto (Tulane) to hit a soft line-drive right at Cardinals 1B Nate Freiman (Duke) and end the Commodores threat.
“I felt good. My ball was running in the bullpen and I felt like everything was alive and moving so I had a lot of confidence coming into that situation,” Kamppi said.
RHP Jason Novak (UCLA) entered the game in the seventh and pitched a 1-2-3 inning to quickly bring Orleans back to the plate. Novak struck out one.
After striking out in his first three at-bats, including a strike-out back in the third in which he visibly showed his displeasure for the called strike-three, Raben changed the game with one swing of the bat. The slugger belted a 1-2 pitch over the right-centerfield fence, just over the outstretched arm of Falmouth CF Chris Hopkins (Oregon State). The solo shot was the sixth of the season for Raben and gave the Cardinals the 1-0 lead.
“Dennis did not let his previous at bat in which he struck out on a pitch that he really felt was way outside affect him the rest of the game. That’s why he’s one of the best hitters in the league and one of the best hitters I’ve seen in my seven summers up here. He is mentally tough. He doesn’t let pitches or at bats affect what he’s going to do throughout the remainder of the game and that’s why he’s Dennis Raben,” Coach Nicholson said.
After LHP Will Atwood (S. Carolina) pitched a scoreless bottom half of the eighth, the game entered the final inning with the Cardinals still ahead by a run. LHP Rob Catapano (UNC) came into the game for Orleans and entered the contest without allowing a run in his 12.2 innings this season. Catapano found himself in a little trouble after allowing a single and walking a batter.
With two on and just one out, Falmouth 1B Jeremy Farrell (Virginia) stung a ball to the right-side. Freiman leaped full-extension into the air to catch the ball. With both runners moving on the line drive, it looked as if Freiman would easily double one of them up and end the game. As he fell to the ground, however, Freiman lost control of the ball to null the catch. After the runners hesitated, Freiman alertly threw the ball to second base to record the second out of the inning. His leap, and size, kept the Commodores from tying or even winning the game on a potential extra-base hit.
“That ball was really hit hard and if it gets by him, that’s probably a double. He made a terrific play and maintained his poise and composure. It really saved us and it’s a good thing he’s 6-foot-8,” Coach Nicholson said.
The force out put runners on the corners for Falmouth with the tying run being just 90 feet from home. Nicholson walked out to the mound to call in flame-throwing RHP Ryan Perry (Arizona) to pick up the final out and end the game. Perry walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but came back with a first pitch strike on Hopkins. Perry continued to try to blow the ball past the 5’11”, 170 pound Hopkins but the center-fielder kept fouling them off. That’s when Perry dropped in his devastating slider that froze Hopkins and ended the game.
“I was hitting my spots and got the ball up a little. Then I threw that slider and I don’t think he was expecting it. He thought I was going to blow it by him again,” Perry said.
The win was the third Cardinals victory in their last four tries and the first Cape Cod League victory for Novak. Wins by Brewster and Chatham this evening did not allow Orleans to gain much ground in the chase for second place and the second playoff spot in the East. The Cards did pick up two points on division-leading Yarmouth-Dennis, though, who lost to Brewster today. Orleans now trails Y-D by nine points and trails Chatham by three points with 11 games left to play. The Cardinals will have a chance to increase their one-point lead over fourth-place Brewster tomorrow when they head to Brewster for their fifth meeting with the Whitecaps this summer. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00pm.
W - Jason Novak (UCLA), 1-0
L - Brett Graffy (Notre Dame), 0-2
SV - Ryan Perry (Arizona), 2
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