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1B Jose Jimenez (Tampa) hits the game-winning homer for the Cardinals tonight in a 2-0 win.

Jimenez's Ninth Inning Home Run Wins Game For Cards

1B Jose Jimenez (Tampa) picked up three hits tonight including a triple and a home run

June 22, 2007

By: Brett Brecheisen - Orleans Cardinals Intern

Brewster, Massachusetts – The shutouts keep coming for the Orleans Cardinals, and the heroes keep changing.  The Cardinals pitching staff combined for its third shutout of the season, and the second started by RHP Brad Boxberger (USC) in a 2-0 win over the Brewster Whitecaps. Meanwhile, 1B Jose Jimenez (Tampa) had three hits and delivered a two-run bomb to drive in the game's only two runs.

Boxberger was efficient in his second start against the Whitecaps as he only threw 80 pitches in his six inning outing.  He held Brewster to two hits and only walked two while he struck out four.

“I feel really good about everything right now,” Boxberger said.  “I’m definitely locating my fastball pretty well.  It’s definitely getting me ahead of hitters and getting me out of jams,” he added.

Boxberger didn’t find himself in any jams, though.  The Whitecaps failed to have a runner reach third base in the game and have been shutout by the Cardinals staff in both games that the two teams have played against each other this year.  Boxberger did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and also never had two or more base-runners on base at any one time.

“Our pitchers who ran out to the mound tonight did a good job throwing strikes and attacking the zone.  We didn’t walk many batters and anytime you do that and the other team puts the ball in play, our defense puts us in good shape,” Field Manager Kelly Nicholson said.

The player of the game, though, was undoubtedly Jimenez.  The heavy-hitting first baseman was 3-for-4 on the evening; his lone out coming on a line drive in which CF Blake Tekotte (Miami, FL) made a nice running catch.  Jimenez, measuring in at a stout 5’10” and 240 lbs, turned a lot of heads when he turned a line drive into the right-center gap into a triple.

“He really surprised me on the triple.  He said he felt great after a day off and he looked very confident,” Nicholson said.

The triple didn’t surprise Jimenez as much as it surprised his skipper, however.

“I hit a triple in my freshman year and again in my sophomore season so I’ve hit a few in the last couple years,” Jimenez said.

It wasn’t the triple that made the headlines, though.  In a scoreless game with DH Jon Gaston (Arizona) on first base and one out in the ninth inning, Jimenez changed the game with one swing of the bat.

“It was 3-1 and I was looking for a pitch to drive.  He left the fastball over the plate and I hit it hard and luckily it carried over the fence,” Jimenez said.

The home run drove in the first two runs of the game and gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.  RHP Matt Christiani (Vanderbilt) came into the game in the bottom half of the inning and shut the Whitecaps down for his first save of the season.

The win over Brewster was the 60^th win of Nicholson’s Cape League career and the fourth Cardinals win this season.  LHP Will Atwood (S. Carolina) picked up the win in his first appearance of the season.  Atwood faced seven batters and struck out four of them in two innings of work.  The only hit he allowed came in the eighth when 3B Austin Yount (Stanford) singled to left.

LHP Craig Bennigson (California) will take the mound for Orleans tomorrow night as they host the Bourne Braves in Orleans at 7:00pm.  The Cardinals defeated Bourne 4-2 on the road Monday night.  Bennigson has made one start on the season and is 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA.

W – Will Atwood (S. Carolina), 1-0

L – Chris Kupillas (C. Michigan), 0-2

SV – Nick Christiani (Vanderbilt), 1