Orleans Firebirds

McCully Throws Near Perfect Game in Fog Shortened Affair

June 28, 2008

Bourne, Mass. – A “fogout” ended the game between Orleans and Bourne early just after the Cardinals had broken up a perfect game by RHP Nick McCully (Coastal Carolina). The Braves won the controversial five inning meeting 1-0.

Cardinals 1B Tony Plagman (Georgia Tech) hit a double to left to break up the perfect game in the top of the sixth. The fly ball gave Bourne OF Rafael Thomas (Oklahoma State) trouble off the bat. It appeared that he could not find the ball in the air and it fell in for the first hit of the game. That’s when Bourne manager Harvey Shapiro called time to discuss the playing conditions with the umpires. The crew decided to halt the game and a fog delay ensued.

After a little over an hour when it became clear that conditions were not going to become any better, the umpires called the game. After a scoring correction made by the league, it was decided that the game would end with Plagman on second in the sixth. In similar situations, the score would revert back to the last completed inning but because the double by Plagman did not have an affect on the game's outcome, the game is officially over when it was called on the field.

The Cardinals were extremely frustrated over the foggy situation because heavy haze had set in during the second inning. Without any complaints from the coaches or players, the contest continued as normal until the troubled fly ball off Plagman’s bat. Equally frustrating, the Cardinals had the tying run in scoring position with nobody out when it was stopped in the sixth.

Bourne scored the only run of the ball game with an RBI single by OF Jordan Henry (Mississippi). Thomas led the game off by drawing a walk and advanced to second after falling victim to a pickoff move by Cardinals LHP Eric Erickson (Miami). The throw from Plagman to nail Thomas at second, however, bounced off of Thomas’ helmet and into the outfield. With a runner in scoring position, Henry singled up the middle to drive in the run.

The game marked the Cape Cod Baseball League debut of Erickson who joined the team this week after finishing up play in the College World Series with Miami. Erickson was quite effective, tossing five innings while allowing one run, seven hits and striking out four.

The loss snaps a two game winning streak by the Cardinals and drops them below .500 with an overall record of 5-6. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of a stretch in which Orleans will play five of the next six games at home. Their lone road contest during that span comes on Wednesday, July 2^nd at Harwich.

Eastern Division foe Yarmouth-Dennis will come to Orleans tomorrow night before the Cards play a makeup game against Cotuit on Monday night. Both games will begin at 7:00pm with live coverage on OrleansCardinals.com. Tune in to the Cardinals Clubhouse pre-game show starting 20 minutes before the first pitch each night!

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Home Firebirds News Game Day Central Roster Statistics Coaching Staff Sounds of the Game Clinics Volunteer Alumni Contact	McCully Throws Near Perfect Game in Fog Shortened Affair June 28, 2008 Bourne, Mass. – A “fogout” ended the game between Orleans and Bourne early just after the Cardinals had broken up a perfect game by RHP Nick McCully (Coastal Carolina). The Braves won the controversial five inning meeting 1-0. Cardinals 1B Tony Plagman (Georgia Tech) hit a double to left to break up the perfect game in the top of the sixth. The fly ball gave Bourne OF Rafael Thomas (Oklahoma State) trouble off the bat. It appeared that he could not find the ball in the air and it fell in for the first hit of the game. That’s when Bourne manager Harvey Shapiro called time to discuss the playing conditions with the umpires. The crew decided to halt the game and a fog delay ensued. After a little over an hour when it became clear that conditions were not going to become any better, the umpires called the game. After a scoring correction made by the league, it was decided that the game would end with Plagman on second in the sixth. In similar situations, the score would revert back to the last completed inning but because the double by Plagman did not have an affect on the game's outcome, the game is officially over when it was called on the field. The Cardinals were extremely frustrated over the foggy situation because heavy haze had set in during the second inning. Without any complaints from the coaches or players, the contest continued as normal until the troubled fly ball off Plagman’s bat. Equally frustrating, the Cardinals had the tying run in scoring position with nobody out when it was stopped in the sixth. Bourne scored the only run of the ball game with an RBI single by OF Jordan Henry (Mississippi). Thomas led the game off by drawing a walk and advanced to second after falling victim to a pickoff move by Cardinals LHP Eric Erickson (Miami). The throw from Plagman to nail Thomas at second, however, bounced off of Thomas’ helmet and into the outfield. With a runner in scoring position, Henry singled up the middle to drive in the run. The game marked the Cape Cod Baseball League debut of Erickson who joined the team this week after finishing up play in the College World Series with Miami. Erickson was quite effective, tossing five innings while allowing one run, seven hits and striking out four. The loss snaps a two game winning streak by the Cardinals and drops them below .500 with an overall record of 5-6. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of a stretch in which Orleans will play five of the next six games at home. Their lone road contest during that span comes on Wednesday, July 2^nd at Harwich. Eastern Division foe Yarmouth-Dennis will come to Orleans tomorrow night before the Cards play a makeup game against Cotuit on Monday night. Both games will begin at 7:00pm with live coverage on OrleansCardinals.com. Tune in to the Cardinals Clubhouse pre-game show starting 20 minutes before the first pitch each night! (Unofficial Box Score)