12 August, 2005

Eastern playoffs pack in crowds

The outcome of the East Division playoffs was lost in the fog, at least as of press time Thursday.

Wednesday night's game was suspended in the fourth inning with Chatham (29-15-1) ahead of Orleans (30-15-0) 2-1 and up 1-0 in the three-game series. The game was scheduled to resume yesterday at 1 p.m., with the third game, if necessary, in Orleans at 7 p.m.

The winner hosts Bourne (28-17-1) tonight in the first game of the finals. Game two will be Saturday afternoon in Bourne, and if necessary, the third game will be Sunday night back on this end of the Cape.

"I'm very happy," said Chatham coach John Schiffner. "This is the best we've been playing, and this is a great time of year to be playing like we are. You've got to love having the top three hitters (Chris Coghlan .346, Baron Frost .343 and Alex Presley .341), and we were near the top in pitching and second or third in least errors. It's been a good year."

On a night when the fans ringed Veterans Field and were peering over the outfield fence, the fog rolled in a tad too late for Orleans, or the game was called too late, depending on how you look at it.

The Cardinals were up 1-0 as the bottom of the fourth began, and starter Everett Teaford was cruising along. But Coghlan blooped a fly ball to right that fell between second baseman David Uribes and right fielder Matt Camp, who apparently couldn't see it. Uribes couldn't find Josh Morris' popup to second, either, but shortstop Steve Singleton had an eye on it and gloved it.

When Garrett Bussiere cranked a line drive to left, Orleans' Robert Perry had no idea where it was and never moved. It didn't matter; the ball was over his head and over the fence for a two-run homer. That was the last play of the night, as the umps called play for 45 minutes and then suspended the game.

"This team has confidence and they're looking forward to (Thursday)," noted Cape League Manager of the Year Kelly Nicholson of Orleans. "These guys are battlers. We got some bad breaks. We're extremely hopeful. Obviously we'd like to have a few more games to play." 

Robert Woodard was pitching for Chatham before the game was halted, giving up a run in the fourth when Uribes doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Brett Pill's infield single.

Chatham won game one 6-3 in 11 innings before a huge crowd of 5,000-plus in Orleans.

The A's had to rally from some bitter disappointments. They led the Cardinals 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth when Pill belted a home run off reliever Derrick Lutz.

Pill has been hot. He started the season real slow, hitting under .100, but wound up with six home runs.

"I just tried to stay confident," he said. "It's tough coming here and using wood bats. I just kept my swing short. If you hit the ball on the barrel of the bat, as hard as these guys throw, it'll go a long way. I've had fun up here. It's a beautiful town and we get a ton of fans every game. It's the best place to play."

Orleans had good chemistry too.

"We've got a lot of guys from California and we're a close group," Pill said. "We get along really well. The chemistry is great. It all came together."

That was the first run off Lutz in 26 innings of relief work this season, and he returned to form over the next three innings.

"I just throw a lot of strikes," said Lutz, who had 12 saves and struck out 39 in 25 innings. "I only had three walks all season. You don't want to give any freebies."

Lutz was a reliever as a freshman at George Washington, but started last year.

"I'm basically a relief pitcher," he said. "I love it. Every time it's a chance to shut the door on a team. It's a lot more exciting. Don't give any free passes and have a good out pitch. You have to be able to strike out a lot of guys. There is a lot more stress on every pitch you throw, and that's what I like."

Chatham loaded the bases on the 10th when Frost singled to third and took second on a passed ball. Coghlan was intentionally walked and Jacob Dempsey walked with two out, but Cape League Reliever of the Year Steven Wright got Todd Frazier to bounce out.

The Cardinals loaded them up in the bottom of the 10th with none out when Jason Jacobs and Singleton singled and Manny Burriss was intentionally walked. Lutz bore down and struck out Uribes, then got Colin Curtis to pop up and Pill to fly out to right.

The A's won the game in the top of the 11th. Bussiere singled to third, and Adrian Ortiz reached on a fielder's choice. Alex Presley singled to center and took second on a passed ball.

Frost then reached on a fielder's choice, while Ortiz stayed at third to load the bases again. Ortiz then scored on another passed ball to give Chatham a 4-3 lead, and after Coghlan was intentionally walked to refill the bases, Morris smoked a two-run single to left.

Lutz set the Cards down one-two-three in the 11th for the 6-3 victory and a 1-0 lead in games. Lutz was the winner, Wright the loser.

Both starters pitched well. Andrew Miller (the Cape League pitcher of the Year as well as the Top Pro Prospect) logged eight innings of three-hit ball for Chatham, striking out 10. Curtis tripled in Singleton in the sixth, and Jacobs doubled in Perry in the seventh.

Brad Meyers went 6 1/3 innings for Orleans, giving up two unearned runs on five hits. Bussiere knocked in the first run in the second, and Presley scored on a throwing error in the fifth.

The A's took a 3-2 lead in the eighth after Coghlan singled, Morris sacrificed him to second and Dempsey singled him to third. He then scored on Frazier's ground out.