Say this about the Orleans Cardinals: they know how to win a close game.
Orleans beat Cotuit 5-4 last night, with the winning run trotting home on a suicide squeeze in the bottom of the 10th inning. That makes four one-run victories out of six total wins for the Cardinals this year.
In large part, it’s out of necessity. The Cardinals don’t score many runs, but the fact that they’ve won so many games while scoring so few runs is pretty incredible.
Last night’s five-run total matched their season-high, and they needed it against the high-powered Cotuit offense. Orleans pitchers Matt Thomson (San Diego) and Elliot Glynn (UConn) held the Kettleers to just one run through the first seven innings. But in the top of the eighth, Cotuit scored three runs with the help of three Orleans errors.
The Cardinals managed to bounce back with two in the bottom of the inning then won it in the 10th. Mike Murphy (Maryland) got the squeeze bunt down, and Alex Hassan (Duke) scored the run to give Orleans the victory.
The win moved Orleans to within a game of .500. For the Kettleers, it was the third loss in a row, but they still sit in first place with an 8-5 record.
The only other game on the schedule last night — Harwich at Hyannis — was rained out.
What to Watch For Tonight
- Nate Garcia (Santa Clara), who has quietly turned in two very good starts, will need another one as Cotuit tries to snap its longest losing streak of the year tonight at Chatham. Garcia has a 1.93 ERA.
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