• Home
• Cards News
• Game Day Central
• Roster
• Coaching Staff
• Sounds of the Game
• Clinics
• Volunteer
• Alumni
• Contact

C Hampton Tignor (Florida) collected his first hit of the season

Cards Fall To Chatham Again, Winning Streak Ends At Three

Great pitching by Chatham LHP Tommy Milone (USC) does Cardinals in

June 24, 2007

By: Brett Brecheisen - Orleans Cardinals Intern

Chatham, Massachusetts - The Chatham Athletics aren’t very big and aren’t very strong, but they sure know how to do the little things right and how to beat the Orleans Cardinals.  The A’s found ways to get runners on base, and also found ways to score those runners and defeated the Cardinals 4-1.  It was the second time this season that Chatham has picked up a victory over Orleans.

LHP Pat McAnaney (Virginia) struggled mightily with his control tonight.  After recording the first two outs in the first inning, he went on to walk the next four batters to give Chatham their first run of the game.

His control issues carried into the second inning when he walked the lead-off batter.  That’s when a lapse in the Cardinals defense hurt them, as well.  CF Addison Johnson (Clemson) hit a routine ground ball to the left side that went right under the glove of SS Brandon Crawford (UCLA) and put Johnson aboard.  With two runners on, Chatham SS Scott Lyons (Mt. San Antonio) hit a fly ball to left field that was misplayed by Orleans LF Nate Freiman (Duke) and scored a run. The next batter, 1B Allan Dykstra (Wake Forest), lined a pitch into the left field corner that drove in Johnson and Lyons and put the A’s on top 4-0.

After throwing 70 pitches in the first two innings, McAnaney found his control and put himself in a bit of a groove.  He worked quickly through the next 2.1 innings and allowed only two hits and kept the A’s from scoring any more runs before being replaced by RHP Brad Gemberling (Princeton).  Gemberling went on to throw his best outing of the season, completing 3.2 innings only allowing one hit and no runs. 

“Brad threw the ball really well.  He hadn’t thrown in awhile but he kept the ball down, threw strikes, and kept them off balance,” Field Manger Kelly Nicholson said.

Gemberling kept the team in the game and in the eighth inning, a Cardinals rally started brewing.  A single by 1B Jose Jimenez (Tampa) put him aboard and a groundout from DH Chase d’Arnaud (Pepperdine) moved him to second.  Another base-hit, this one from CF Jon Gaston (Arizona) sent Jimenez to third.  Jimenez ran home to score when Chatham 2B Andrew Crisp (S. Carolina) overthrew first base in an attempt to keep Gaston from getting on. The next batter, C Hampton Tignor (Florida) collected his first hit of the summer as he doubled down the left-field line.  That put the tying run at the plate with two runners in scoring position.

That double ended USC LHP Tommy Milone’s night as threw 7.1 innings and struck out an incredible ten Cardinals hitters.  Milone has now started two games this season against Orleans and has not allowed an earned run.

RHP Greg Shannon (San Jose St.) relieved Milone, and continued the solid Chatham pitching.  With two runners on and the top of the order coming up for Orleans, Shannon struck out 3B Mark Sobolewski (Miami, FL) and 2B Eric Reese (Fordham) to end the inning and stop the Cardinals’ rally short.

The Cards had one last opportunity to tie the game when they came up to the plate in the ninth inning.  A lead-off single by Crawford set the table for Orleans to get another rally started; but, RF Dennis Raben (Miami, FL) was called looking at a questionable strike three that not only upset Raben, but took the wind out of the sails of the Cardinals and Shannon struck out the final two batters to end the game.

“Tip your hat to Tommy Milone, he threw the ball really well.  We haven’t scored an earned run off of him in two games.  Lefties who throw strikes and change speeds are very effective and very frustrating to offense and you have to tip your hat to him.  We’re not going to win many games scoring one run,” Coach Nicholson said.

Luckily for Coach Nicholson, his team has won two games only scoring one run this season.  Unfortunately for the club, OF Marcus Jones (NC State) suffered a hand injury while working out prior to this evening’s game.  It is unknown how long he will be out for, but he did not suit up for the team’s game today.

The Cardinals will cross over the bridge tomorrow and travel to play the Wareham Gatemen.  Orleans defeated the Gatemen last week by a score of 1-0.  RHP Clayton Shunick (NC State) is scheduled to be the Cards’ starting pitcher.  He is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in one start this summer.

W – Tommy Milone (USC), 2-0

L – Pat McAnaney (Virginia), 0-2

SV – Greg Shannon (San Jose St.), 2