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Cardinals SS Brandon Crawford (UCLA) hit his first home run of the season tonight

The Bats Come Alive for Orleans!

Huge eighth inning propels the Cardinals for their second come from behind win against Bourne this year

June 23, 2007

By: Brett Brecheisen - Orleans Cardinals Intern

Orleans, Massachusetts – The Cardinals sent 15 batters to the plate, combined for ten hits and eight runs in the team's final two at bats as the Cards came from behind to top the Bourne Braves by a final score of 8-4.  Orleans trailed two different times in the game but stayed on top for good with a monstrous eighth inning at the dish.

LHP Craig Bennigson (California) had a no-hitter through 4.2 innings but had it broken up in the 5th when C Brett Basham (Mississippi) single to right-center.  Bennigson went 5.1 innings for the Cardinals without allowing a run. He only walked one while giving up three hits, but struck out an impressive seven batters.  He left the game in a scoreless tie and failed to receive a decision.

“A lot of credit goes to Bennigson for keeping us in the game,” Orleans C Travis Tartamella (Pepperdine) said.

While Bennigson was tossing a no-hitter, his counterpart for the Braves, LHP Rick Zagone (Missouri), was working on a no-no of his own.  It wasn’t until Tartamella hit a deep fly ball to centerfield that got over the head of CF Ben Guez (William & Mary) for a triple to lead-off the sixth.  It was Tartamella’s second hit of the season, and one of many on the night.

Things started to get rocky for the Cards in the seventh.  RHP Jason Novak (UCLA) surrendered a walk and a single to lead-off the inning.  After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, Field Manager Kelly Nicholson called in RHP Sam Brown (NC State) from the bullpen.  Brown struck out pinch-hitter Andrew Clark (Louisville)  to get the second out but Guez singled down the right-field line to bring in both base-runners and give Bourne the 2-0 lead in what had the look and feel of a tight game.

After his team took the lead, Bourne Field Manager Harvey Shapiro decided to replace Zagone and the Cardinals bats weren’t the same the rest of the night.  After CF Marcus Jones (NC State) drew a lead-off walk, SS Brandon Crawford (UCLA) got a hold of a pitch that he sent over the left field fence for a two-run home run that tied the game.  The Cardinals rally continued as LF Nate Freiman (Duke) single to left-center.  The rally ended, though, when 1B Jose Jimenez (Tampa) failed in an attempt to sacrifice Freiman over and bunted into a 1-6-3 double play.

“It was awesome to see Crawford get that hit tonight,” Coach Nicholson said.  “Once they get a couple base hits and confidence builds it’s just progression from there,” he added.  Crawford was a hitless 0-for-7 in his first three games of summer ball for the Cards.

The Braves got to the Cardinals again in the eighth when RHP Ryan Perry (Arizona) hit a batter and walked another to start the inning.  After a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk to load the bases, Basham put down a perfectly placed bunt that turned into a hit and scored a run.  OF D.J. Mitchell (Clemson) came to the plate next and beat out a double play ball to score another run and give Bourne a 4-2 lead.

Orleans wasn’t out of gas just yet.  With the top of the order leading off the bottom half of the eighth, DH Mark Sobolewski (Miami, FL) and 2B Eric Reese (Fordham) did exactly what they were placed at the top of the order to do: get on base.  After the two of them singled, Sobolewski tagged up from second on a fly ball hit by 3B Chase d’Arnaud (Pepperdine).  RF Dennis Raben (Miami, FL) and Jones hit back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game again, this time at four runs a piece.  The next batter, Crawford, struck out but a base hit by Freiman loaded the bases with two outs and a tied game for Jimenez.

Jimenez hit the game-winning home run last night and he had the game-winning hit tonight.  On a 2-2 count, Jimenez lined a pitch over the first baseman’s head and into right field.  The double scored two runs and gave the Cardinals their first lead of the game.  But the Cards weren’t done just yet.  With runners on second and third, Tartamella collected his third hit of the night and drove in two more runs.  Orleans wound up with seven hits and six runs in the eighth inning alone.

“I’m relaxing at the plate and trying to get a hitter’s pitch and I’ve been lucky they’ve been leaving balls over the plate and I’ve been driving them,” Jimenez said.

RHP Nick Christiani (Vanderbilt) came in again to finish the game for the Cardinals.  He threw a perfect ninth inning and has been established as the closer for the ball club.

“As of right now, Christiani is our closer.  We really like him,” Coach Nicholson said.

The Cardinals will be in Chatham tomorrow night to take on the Chatham Athletics.  The A’s defeated the Cards in Orleans last Sunday by a score of 8-2.  First pitch is scheduled at 7:00pm.

W – Ryan Perry (Arizona), 1-1

L – Mickey Storey (Florida Atlantic), 0-1