Stars score early and often on their way to victory

By Aaron Morse

The Huntsville Stars (11-7) scored runs in four of the first five innings to defeat the Chattanooga Lookouts (8-10) by a final score of 8-2 Monday night.

The Lookouts were a mess in the field as they committed four errors. Only two of the eight Stars’ runs were earned.

The Stars have been getting off to fast starts all year long and Monday was no different. With one out in the first inning Brett Lawrie singled to left. He’d advance to third on a wild pitch from Lookouts’ starter Mario Alvarez (2-2), and he’d score on a RBI single from red-hot Zelous Wheeler. Wheeler would finish the game with two hits, two runs scored, and four RBI.

The Stars would run away and hide from the Lookouts in the second frame. The inning started innocently enough with a ground-out and a strikeout. But Lee Haydel reached on an error, and the floodgates opened. A wild pick-off attempt from Alvarez allowed the speedy Haydel to scamper around to third.

After Lawrie drew a walk, Caleb Gindl hit what looked like a routine grounder to short. Shortstop Elian Herrera looked to toss it to second base for the force, but no one was covering, so he re-adjusted and fired to first. Gindl would have beat it out anyways, but the throw was low, allowing Lawrie to advance to third and Gindl to second. Meanwhile, Haydel crossed the plate with the game’s second run. Then Wheeler went the opposite way for his first homer of the year, a three run blast to extend the lead to 5-0.

The Lookouts would get two runs back in the top of the fourth off Stars’ pitcher Alex Periard (1-2). A one-out double from Andrew Lambo put the Lookouts in business. After a Mike Rivera single, Lambo came around to score on a Eduardo Perez base hit up the middle. Scott Van Slyke grounded into a fielder’s choice, which plated Rivera.

But that’s all the offense the Lookouts could muster as Periard went five strong innings to pick up his first win of the year. The Stars would get the runs back in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a bizarre single from Taylor Green. With runners on first and second, Green hit a line drive to left field, Gindl was held up at third base at first, but he strayed a bit off the bag. A snap throw attempt back to third got away, allowing Gindl and Wheeler to come around to score.

A Haydel RBI single in the fifth concluded the scoring for the Stars.

Mike McClendon and Brandon Kintzler combined to toss four shutout innings out of the ‘pen as Stars kept pace with the torrid Tennessee Smokies.

The Stars look to clinch yet another series victory Tuesday night as former first round draft pick Mark Rogers (1-1, 1.98) will be on the hill. You can tune in by going to http://www.huntsvillestars.com. First pitch is at 7pm Central Time, with the Window World Pre-Game Report beginning at 6:45.