Cardinals take both ends of double header

Published on July 12, 2006 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Vero Beach Devil Rays News Release


(Vero Beach, FL) - The Palm Beach Cardinals took two very different ends of Wednesday's doubleheader with wins of 11-9 and 1-0 over the Vero Beach Dodgers at Holman Stadium. The Cardinals knocked out four homers in the first game then needed just a solo shot from Colby Rasmus to drop the Dodgers in the nightcap. The series continues with a 7:00 PM game on Thirsty Thursday. In the first game, Palm Beach set the tone early. Kevin Collins, in his first at bat for the Cardinals, cranked a grand slam to center off Dodgers starter Blake Johnson. The Vero right-hander bounced back to strike out the next four hitters, but the Cardinals were just getting started.

Vero began to make it interesting in the second. Drew Locke led off with a double and Adolfo Gonzalez walked. They each scored on Jamie Hoffman's single to center field and that made it 4-2. However, Vero Beach could never turn the corner as they left six men on base in the first four innings.

The Cardinals got a run back in the third, then Mike Ferris hit a solo homer to lead off the fourth. Palm Beach scored again in the inning to knock out Johnson. Zach Hammes entered in relief, but he also struggled. Ferris smack a three-run home run the next innings and Ryan Barthelemy added a solo shot in the sixth.

Cole Bruce led off Vero's half of the fifth with a home run. Locke followed a walk to the next batter with low line drive home run that just cleared the fence in left. Blake DeWitt added a two-run blast in the sixth. It was his team-high 12th of the season and pulled the Dodgers within 11-7.

The Dodgers had one last gasp in the bottom of the 7th. After the first two hitters were retired, David Nicholson doubled and Hoffmann, who finished 3-3, singled him in. Xavier Paul followed with a base hit and DeWitt greeted closer Mike Sillman with a walk to load the bases. Sillman then walked Bruce to make it 11-9, but struck out Cory Dunlap to record his 20th save in 22 tries.

The nightcap belonged to the pitchers. Vero Beach managed only one hit off Tyler Adamczyk, Brian Stitt and Dennis Dove. Stitt (1-0) earned the win with two perfect relief innings and Dove recorded his 4th save by retiring all three batters in the 7th.

The only run came courtesy of Colby Rasmus. The 1st Round pick of the Cardinals in last year's draft lauched a 2-out home run to right field in the fourth inning of Jonathan Figueroa for what turned out to be the game's only run. It was his first homer in 8 games since his call-up from Low-A Quad Cities.

Figueroa still turned in his best start of the season. He went five innings, allowing five hits and just one walk with three strikeouts. Jose "Jumbo" Diaz followed with two scoreless relief innings in which he allowed just one baserunner. Carlos Santana had the only hit for Vero in the 2nd game.

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Florida State League Stories from July 12, 2006


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