Orleans Firebirds

Songco Wins Home Run Contest, Cardinals Shine at All-Star Game

July 26, 2008

Chatham, Mass. – The Orleans Cardinals made their presence known at the Under-Armour Cape League All-Star Game from the very beginning. The festivities on the field began with the Baseball Factory Home Run Hitting Contest and OF Angelo Songco (Loyola Marymount) took it by storm.

Songco smacked eight bombs in the first round, two more than any other competitor. His opponent in the finals was Yarmouth-Dennis OF DeAngelo Mack (South Carolina) and Songco dominated again. Needing four homers to tie and five to win it, he smacked five and used only five of his ten outs. After the fifth home run, the contest was over and Songco was crowned the champion.

“I felt good. I was just trying to take batting practice and get some backspin on the ball,” Songco said. “I've only been in one home run derby before and winning this one was great. It felt awesome and it was a lot of fun,” he added.

The game was under way with a Cardinal on the mound and another leading off for the Eastern Division. RHP Matt Thomson (San Diego) was the starting pitcher for the East and completed his task, tossing a scoreless inning. Orleans teammate LHP Adam Wilk (Long Beach St.) entered the game in the second and also pitched a shutout frame. Both pitchers allowed one hitter to reach base but did not allow that runner to reach second.

RHP Martin Viramontes (Loyola Marymount) pitched the sixth inning for the Eastern Division and ran into some trouble. He allowed five runs; four earned, and recorded just one out before being lifted for a reliever.

On the offensive side the Cardinals had two hitters with impressive nights. OF Tim Wheeler (Sacramento St.) was the leadoff hitter for the East and went 1-for-4 including a two-run double in the eighth.

3B Rich Poythress (Georgia) picked up the first hit of the game for the East in the fifth when he lifted a ball down the right field line for a solo shot. The Grovetown, Ga. native finished the evening 1-for-2. Poythress and Wheeler combined to drive in the first three runs for the squad.

Wheeler’s double began a seven run rally for the East after trailing 6-1. They tied the game on a two-run homer by Chatham SS Grant Green (USC) and took the lead on a two-run shot by Harwich C Mark Fleury (North Carolina). Green won the MVP award for the Eastern Division team which won the contest 8-6.

The Cardinals have Sunday off and will be back in action on Monday when they host the Brewster Whitecaps. A win for the Cards Monday and a loss by Chatham at Bourne would give Orleans at least a tie for a playoff spot with over a week still left in the regular season. First pitch is at 7:00pm EDT.

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Home Firebirds News Game Day Central Roster Statistics Coaching Staff Sounds of the Game Clinics Volunteer Alumni Contact	Songco Wins Home Run Contest, Cardinals Shine at All-Star Game July 26, 2008 Chatham, Mass. – The Orleans Cardinals made their presence known at the Under-Armour Cape League All-Star Game from the very beginning. The festivities on the field began with the Baseball Factory Home Run Hitting Contest and OF Angelo Songco (Loyola Marymount) took it by storm. Songco smacked eight bombs in the first round, two more than any other competitor. His opponent in the finals was Yarmouth-Dennis OF DeAngelo Mack (South Carolina) and Songco dominated again. Needing four homers to tie and five to win it, he smacked five and used only five of his ten outs. After the fifth home run, the contest was over and Songco was crowned the champion. “I felt good. I was just trying to take batting practice and get some backspin on the ball,” Songco said. “I've only been in one home run derby before and winning this one was great. It felt awesome and it was a lot of fun,” he added. The game was under way with a Cardinal on the mound and another leading off for the Eastern Division. RHP Matt Thomson (San Diego) was the starting pitcher for the East and completed his task, tossing a scoreless inning. Orleans teammate LHP Adam Wilk (Long Beach St.) entered the game in the second and also pitched a shutout frame. Both pitchers allowed one hitter to reach base but did not allow that runner to reach second. RHP Martin Viramontes (Loyola Marymount) pitched the sixth inning for the Eastern Division and ran into some trouble. He allowed five runs; four earned, and recorded just one out before being lifted for a reliever. On the offensive side the Cardinals had two hitters with impressive nights. OF Tim Wheeler (Sacramento St.) was the leadoff hitter for the East and went 1-for-4 including a two-run double in the eighth. 3B Rich Poythress (Georgia) picked up the first hit of the game for the East in the fifth when he lifted a ball down the right field line for a solo shot. The Grovetown, Ga. native finished the evening 1-for-2. Poythress and Wheeler combined to drive in the first three runs for the squad. Wheeler’s double began a seven run rally for the East after trailing 6-1. They tied the game on a two-run homer by Chatham SS Grant Green (USC) and took the lead on a two-run shot by Harwich C Mark Fleury (North Carolina). Green won the MVP award for the Eastern Division team which won the contest 8-6. The Cardinals have Sunday off and will be back in action on Monday when they host the Brewster Whitecaps. A win for the Cards Monday and a loss by Chatham at Bourne would give Orleans at least a tie for a playoff spot with over a week still left in the regular season. First pitch is at 7:00pm EDT. (Official Box Score)