by Connor Shreve
The Huntsville Stars heroic rally fell one run short amidst Memorial Day celebrations at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville in an 8-7 loss to the Mobile Bay Bears. The loss drops the Stars three games under .500 with a record of 24-27.
Stars Starter Alex Periard (2-4 4.53) proved to be his own worst enemy in the first, walking four Bay Bears batters. After a Colin Cowgill leadoff double, the first two walks were issued to Evan Frey and Kory Casto which loaded the bases for Konrad Schmidt. The catcher scored two with a single up the middle. Periard walked two more batters and threw a wild pitch, allowing two additional runs before a strike out and a Tom Layne double play ended the inning.
Periard did settle down to allow only four hits and one run over his next five innings. The 22 year old worked six innings, giving up seven hits and five runs while walking five Bay Bears and striking out two. Periard continued his 2010 trend of throwing at least five innings in every one of his starts this season. His counterpart however received the offensive support he needed in throwing 100 pitches over five innings for the win. The only blemish on Tom Layne’s (6-2 3.15) line is a Lorenzo Cain home run that departed The Joe over the left field fences in the first inning.
The Stars waited until the bottom of the eighth to start their ill fated rally. Mobile reliever Kyler Newby began his outing by firing a ball off the helmet of Zelous Wheeler. Drew Anderson and Martin Maldonado both added singles to bookend a Lee Haydel pop out. Seventh inning defensive substitution Taylor Green picked the right time to send a ball out of the park. His first home run of the year, and the Stars first grand slam brought Huntsville to within one run and set up the defining play of the game, a play at the plate on Brett Lawrie.
The Stars second baseman singled and moved to third on a Cain base hit. Cain stole second and when Mobile short stop Jake Wald bobbled the throw, Lawrie dashed for home. Schmidt’s block of the plate forced Lawrie’s slide to the foul side of the diamond and his tag on the base runners left foot came in time, according to home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott. Huntsville’s youngster was instantly thrown out of the ballgame for throwing his helmet up the third base line in showing his displeasure at the call; manager Mike Guerrero joined him in the clubhouse moments later.
Mobile and Huntsville added to the tension with two runs a piece in the final inning.
Huntsville will try to start the month of June on the right foot Tuesday night in game two of the current series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (CDT) and, as always it can be streamed live at www.huntsvillestars.com
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Stars beat the rain and the Barons
By Aaron Morse
A wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth scored Brett Lawrie and the rains came right after that as the Huntsville Stars (24-26) beat the Birmingham Barons (17-32) by a final score of 6-5 in six innings Sunday afternoon.
On a cloudy day at “The Joe”, the Stars took the early lead in the bottom of the first against Barons’ starter Charles Shirek. Brett Lawrie, batting lead-off, singled to start the game. A Caleb Gindl ground-out moved Lawrie to second and with two away Mat Gamel singled him home for the 1-0 advantage.
Lawrie would be in the thick of things in the second inning. With one away Lee Haydel drew a walk. After Martin Maldonado singled, Lawrie crushed his league-leading eighth triple of the year to clear the bases. Lorenzo Cain followed that up with a RBI single and the Stars grabbed a 4-0 lead.
Josh Butler, on a rehab assignment from the Brewers, pitched four shutout innings to start the game. He scattered four hits, walked one, and struck-out three.
Chris Cody, normally a starter, was called upon to pitch the fifth inning. It did not go well as the Barons loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. With two away and the bases juiced, Christian Marrero singled to right to drive in two and chase Cody from the game. Jim Henderson entered and got the final out of the frame.
The Stars extended the lead to 5-2 on a Haydel RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.
But in the top of the sixth Henderson could not find the strike zone as he walked the first two hitters of the inning. Robert Hinton relieved him and walked the first man he faced to load the bases. A fielder’s choice got the runner at second, but allowed a run to score. Back-to-back singles off the bats of Jim Gallagher and Brent Morel tied the game at five. Hinton got a fly-out and a ground-out to end the inning with no further damage.
With the rains threatening in the bottom of the sixth, Martin Maldonado was hit by a pitch by new pitcher Tyson Corley. Lawrie reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second base as Cain struck-out. Caleb Gindl drew a walk and Corley uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Lawrie to advance to third. Then another wild pitch from Corley brought Lawrie home and gave the Stars a 6-5 lead.
The inning would end without any further runs crossing the plate, but at that point the skies opened and the rain forced them to go into a delay. After awhile, the game was declared over and the Stars got a much-needed win.
Hinton (1-2) got the win while Corley (0-3) suffered the loss. Lawrie had a huge day, going 2-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. The Stars gain ½ a game on the Smokies, who were rained out, so Huntsville is now 5.5 games out of first.
Huntsville hosts Mobile Monday in a 4pm start. Alex Periard will take the mound.
A wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth scored Brett Lawrie and the rains came right after that as the Huntsville Stars (24-26) beat the Birmingham Barons (17-32) by a final score of 6-5 in six innings Sunday afternoon.
On a cloudy day at “The Joe”, the Stars took the early lead in the bottom of the first against Barons’ starter Charles Shirek. Brett Lawrie, batting lead-off, singled to start the game. A Caleb Gindl ground-out moved Lawrie to second and with two away Mat Gamel singled him home for the 1-0 advantage.
Lawrie would be in the thick of things in the second inning. With one away Lee Haydel drew a walk. After Martin Maldonado singled, Lawrie crushed his league-leading eighth triple of the year to clear the bases. Lorenzo Cain followed that up with a RBI single and the Stars grabbed a 4-0 lead.
Josh Butler, on a rehab assignment from the Brewers, pitched four shutout innings to start the game. He scattered four hits, walked one, and struck-out three.
Chris Cody, normally a starter, was called upon to pitch the fifth inning. It did not go well as the Barons loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. With two away and the bases juiced, Christian Marrero singled to right to drive in two and chase Cody from the game. Jim Henderson entered and got the final out of the frame.
The Stars extended the lead to 5-2 on a Haydel RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.
But in the top of the sixth Henderson could not find the strike zone as he walked the first two hitters of the inning. Robert Hinton relieved him and walked the first man he faced to load the bases. A fielder’s choice got the runner at second, but allowed a run to score. Back-to-back singles off the bats of Jim Gallagher and Brent Morel tied the game at five. Hinton got a fly-out and a ground-out to end the inning with no further damage.
With the rains threatening in the bottom of the sixth, Martin Maldonado was hit by a pitch by new pitcher Tyson Corley. Lawrie reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second base as Cain struck-out. Caleb Gindl drew a walk and Corley uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Lawrie to advance to third. Then another wild pitch from Corley brought Lawrie home and gave the Stars a 6-5 lead.
The inning would end without any further runs crossing the plate, but at that point the skies opened and the rain forced them to go into a delay. After awhile, the game was declared over and the Stars got a much-needed win.
Hinton (1-2) got the win while Corley (0-3) suffered the loss. Lawrie had a huge day, going 2-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. The Stars gain ½ a game on the Smokies, who were rained out, so Huntsville is now 5.5 games out of first.
Huntsville hosts Mobile Monday in a 4pm start. Alex Periard will take the mound.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Stars slammed by Barons
By Aaron Morse
Sometimes one swing of the bat can be the difference in a game.
That was certainly the case Saturday night as Salvador Sanchez’s grand slam home run was the reason the Huntsville Stars (33-36) lost to the Birmingham Barons (17-31) by a final score of 4-2.
Early on, it was the Stars who looked to be in control.
With one away in the first, Lee Haydel found a hole on the right side for a single. Brett Lawrie grounded out, but on the play Haydel moved into scoring position. After Mat Gamel walked, Zelous Wheeler smoked a single up the gut to drive in Haydel and give the Stars a 1-0 lead.
They’d strike again in the second. Drew Anderson continued to rake as he doubled to start the frame. One out later Martin Maldonado hit a grounder to short and Birmingham’s Robbie Hudson attempted to get Anderson going to third, but the throw hit Anderson in the back and everyone was safe. That’s when Lorenzo Cain came up huge with a base knock to right and the Stars had a nice 2-0 advantage.
But the lead would be short lived. With two outs and a runner on fist, Stars starter Amaury Rivas walked back-to-back hitters. The lack of control came back to burn him when Sanchez unloaded on a pitch for a grand slam to give the Barons a 4-2 edge.
Rivas (5-3) pitched well, going 7 innings, scattering 5 hits, and giving up 4 runs, while walking 3 and striking out 6. But he took the loss due to the one mistake to Sanchez.
The Stars’ offense could get nothing going all night, as their last 10 hitters in the game were retired in order by Barons pitching.
Zelous Wheeler had a good day at the plate, going 3-4 with a RBI. Lorenzo Cain also had a multi-hit game, as he was 2-5 with a RBI.
Jhonny Nunez (1-4) earned his first win of the year, going 5 innings scattering 6 hits, while giving up 2 runs, only 1 of which was earned.
Anthony Carter pitched the ninth inning to pick up his fifth save of the year.
With the loss, the Stars lose the series and fall to six games back of the Tennessee Smokies in the North Division.
The finale of the five-game set is Sunday afternoon. Tune to www.huntsvillestars.com starting at 12:45 pm central time for all the action. Alex Periard (2-3, 4.18 ERA) will be on the mound for the Stars.
Sometimes one swing of the bat can be the difference in a game.
That was certainly the case Saturday night as Salvador Sanchez’s grand slam home run was the reason the Huntsville Stars (33-36) lost to the Birmingham Barons (17-31) by a final score of 4-2.
Early on, it was the Stars who looked to be in control.
With one away in the first, Lee Haydel found a hole on the right side for a single. Brett Lawrie grounded out, but on the play Haydel moved into scoring position. After Mat Gamel walked, Zelous Wheeler smoked a single up the gut to drive in Haydel and give the Stars a 1-0 lead.
They’d strike again in the second. Drew Anderson continued to rake as he doubled to start the frame. One out later Martin Maldonado hit a grounder to short and Birmingham’s Robbie Hudson attempted to get Anderson going to third, but the throw hit Anderson in the back and everyone was safe. That’s when Lorenzo Cain came up huge with a base knock to right and the Stars had a nice 2-0 advantage.
But the lead would be short lived. With two outs and a runner on fist, Stars starter Amaury Rivas walked back-to-back hitters. The lack of control came back to burn him when Sanchez unloaded on a pitch for a grand slam to give the Barons a 4-2 edge.
Rivas (5-3) pitched well, going 7 innings, scattering 5 hits, and giving up 4 runs, while walking 3 and striking out 6. But he took the loss due to the one mistake to Sanchez.
The Stars’ offense could get nothing going all night, as their last 10 hitters in the game were retired in order by Barons pitching.
Zelous Wheeler had a good day at the plate, going 3-4 with a RBI. Lorenzo Cain also had a multi-hit game, as he was 2-5 with a RBI.
Jhonny Nunez (1-4) earned his first win of the year, going 5 innings scattering 6 hits, while giving up 2 runs, only 1 of which was earned.
Anthony Carter pitched the ninth inning to pick up his fifth save of the year.
With the loss, the Stars lose the series and fall to six games back of the Tennessee Smokies in the North Division.
The finale of the five-game set is Sunday afternoon. Tune to www.huntsvillestars.com starting at 12:45 pm central time for all the action. Alex Periard (2-3, 4.18 ERA) will be on the mound for the Stars.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Stars attempt late comeback, but fall short against Barons
By Connor Shreve
The Huntsville Stars trailed the entire way on Friday en-route to an 8-6 loss to the Birmingham Barons at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville. After splitting the series opening double header on Thursday, Birmingham leads the five game series two games to one.
The visitors jumped to an early lead with two runs in the first inning. A passed ball charged to Martin Maldonado allowed the Barons’ Dale Mollenhauer to second after a leadoff single. Brent Morel and Christian Marerro followed with back to back RBI base hits scoring Marerro and Jim Gallagher, who was aboard thanks to a one out walk.
Chris Errecart doubled home Mat Gamel in the second to get Huntsville to within one run but the Stars best early chances to even the score died on the base paths. In the third frame, Maldonado and Lorenzo Cain were victimized by a strike him out, throw him out double play. Second baseman Brett Lawrie was caught trying to stretch a leadoff double in to three bases with a perfect relay in the fourth inning.
Stars defensive miscues allowed Birmingham to extend the lead in the sixth inning. Brett Lawrie was the first to misplay a hard hit grounder with two outs. Lawrie’s ninth error loaded the bases for Tyler Kuhn, who followed with a two run double. After an infield single, Stars reliever Donovan Hand threw a wild pitch past Maldonado that allowed Kuhn to score from third.
After scuffling through the first inning, Huntsville’s starting pitcher Mark Rogers (2-4, 3.60) completed his night with four innings of no hit baseball. Rogers tossed five full innings, allowing two runs on five hits. The Stars nearly bailed out their hurler with a late rally but after a three run home run by Caleb Gindl in the eighth, momentum seemed to die and Barons reliever Deunte Heath picked up his first save of the season.
Rogers’ counterpart Brandon Hynick (1-0 2.89) picked up one out in the sixth before departing. Hynick saw 22 batters, allowed two runs on five hits and struck out four in picking up his first win.
The penultimate game of the current five game series is scheduled for a 6:00 pm (CDT) first pitch Saturday night at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville. The contest will feature a fireworks display following the game, the first Stars fireworks show of the season. Saturday’s game will be broadcast on the Huntsville Stars Radio Network (AM 1450 FM 92.9 WTKI, Huntsville) and online at www.huntsvillestars.com
Notes: Chris Errecart finished the game 2-3 including a solo home run in the seventh. Against the Barons this season, Errecart is batting .375 (9-24) with six runs.
The Huntsville Stars trailed the entire way on Friday en-route to an 8-6 loss to the Birmingham Barons at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville. After splitting the series opening double header on Thursday, Birmingham leads the five game series two games to one.
The visitors jumped to an early lead with two runs in the first inning. A passed ball charged to Martin Maldonado allowed the Barons’ Dale Mollenhauer to second after a leadoff single. Brent Morel and Christian Marerro followed with back to back RBI base hits scoring Marerro and Jim Gallagher, who was aboard thanks to a one out walk.
Chris Errecart doubled home Mat Gamel in the second to get Huntsville to within one run but the Stars best early chances to even the score died on the base paths. In the third frame, Maldonado and Lorenzo Cain were victimized by a strike him out, throw him out double play. Second baseman Brett Lawrie was caught trying to stretch a leadoff double in to three bases with a perfect relay in the fourth inning.
Stars defensive miscues allowed Birmingham to extend the lead in the sixth inning. Brett Lawrie was the first to misplay a hard hit grounder with two outs. Lawrie’s ninth error loaded the bases for Tyler Kuhn, who followed with a two run double. After an infield single, Stars reliever Donovan Hand threw a wild pitch past Maldonado that allowed Kuhn to score from third.
After scuffling through the first inning, Huntsville’s starting pitcher Mark Rogers (2-4, 3.60) completed his night with four innings of no hit baseball. Rogers tossed five full innings, allowing two runs on five hits. The Stars nearly bailed out their hurler with a late rally but after a three run home run by Caleb Gindl in the eighth, momentum seemed to die and Barons reliever Deunte Heath picked up his first save of the season.
Rogers’ counterpart Brandon Hynick (1-0 2.89) picked up one out in the sixth before departing. Hynick saw 22 batters, allowed two runs on five hits and struck out four in picking up his first win.
The penultimate game of the current five game series is scheduled for a 6:00 pm (CDT) first pitch Saturday night at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville. The contest will feature a fireworks display following the game, the first Stars fireworks show of the season. Saturday’s game will be broadcast on the Huntsville Stars Radio Network (AM 1450 FM 92.9 WTKI, Huntsville) and online at www.huntsvillestars.com
Notes: Chris Errecart finished the game 2-3 including a solo home run in the seventh. Against the Barons this season, Errecart is batting .375 (9-24) with six runs.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Stars can't dig their way out of early hole, lose second half of double dip
By Aaron Morse
The Huntsville Stars (23-24) got a one-run victory in game one of Thursday’s double header, but suffered a one-run loss by a final score of 5-4 in game two against the Birmingham Barons (15-31).
The Barons took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jim Gallagher. That scored John Shelby III who doubled to lead-off the frame.
They’d chase Stars’ starter Chris Cody in the top of the third due to the long ball. Shelby III started things by hitting the first homer of the inning. Greg Paiml quickly followed with a double to left. Then Jim Gallagher capped the scoring with a two-run bomb. That would be all for Cody as Mike Guerrero called upon Mark Willinsky to finish the inning. He did, but it wasn’t easy, as an error and a single put runners at the corners with nobody out. A strike-out and a 6-4-3 double play got him out of it though with no further damage.
Facing a 4-0 deficit, the Stars got three of the runs back in a big way in the bottom of the fifth. With one away and runners at the corners Drew Anderson continued to make an impressive 2010 Stars debut with a three-run homer.
Willinsky pitched three scoreless innings before giving way to Eduardo Morlan in the top of the sixth. Morlan, recently acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization, gave up a one-out single and a two-out triple as the Barons extended their lead to 5-3.
They would need all five of those runs as the Stars came storming back again in the bottom of the frame. With one away, Lee Haydel lay down a beautiful bunt single. He would steal second and move to third on a passed ball. Then with two away, Matt Gamel delivered a clutch single to make the score 5-4.
But that’s how the game would end as the Stars went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh.
Cody (2-5) suffered the loss while Matt Long (3-4) was perfect through four and ended up going five innings for the win. Anthony Carter earned his fourth save of the year.
The offensive stars for Huntsville were Gamel and Anderson as Gamel went 2-3 with a run scored and a RBI. Meanwhile Anderson smacked his first homer for the Stars in 2010, driving in three in the process.
The Stars remain five games back of the Tennessee Smokies in the north division. Huntsville is back at it Friday night as they’ll send Mark Rogers (2-3, 3.60) to the mound. You can catch all the action beginning at 6:45pm central time on the Huntsville Stars Radio Network and online at www.huntsvillestars.com.
The Huntsville Stars (23-24) got a one-run victory in game one of Thursday’s double header, but suffered a one-run loss by a final score of 5-4 in game two against the Birmingham Barons (15-31).
The Barons took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jim Gallagher. That scored John Shelby III who doubled to lead-off the frame.
They’d chase Stars’ starter Chris Cody in the top of the third due to the long ball. Shelby III started things by hitting the first homer of the inning. Greg Paiml quickly followed with a double to left. Then Jim Gallagher capped the scoring with a two-run bomb. That would be all for Cody as Mike Guerrero called upon Mark Willinsky to finish the inning. He did, but it wasn’t easy, as an error and a single put runners at the corners with nobody out. A strike-out and a 6-4-3 double play got him out of it though with no further damage.
Facing a 4-0 deficit, the Stars got three of the runs back in a big way in the bottom of the fifth. With one away and runners at the corners Drew Anderson continued to make an impressive 2010 Stars debut with a three-run homer.
Willinsky pitched three scoreless innings before giving way to Eduardo Morlan in the top of the sixth. Morlan, recently acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization, gave up a one-out single and a two-out triple as the Barons extended their lead to 5-3.
They would need all five of those runs as the Stars came storming back again in the bottom of the frame. With one away, Lee Haydel lay down a beautiful bunt single. He would steal second and move to third on a passed ball. Then with two away, Matt Gamel delivered a clutch single to make the score 5-4.
But that’s how the game would end as the Stars went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh.
Cody (2-5) suffered the loss while Matt Long (3-4) was perfect through four and ended up going five innings for the win. Anthony Carter earned his fourth save of the year.
The offensive stars for Huntsville were Gamel and Anderson as Gamel went 2-3 with a run scored and a RBI. Meanwhile Anderson smacked his first homer for the Stars in 2010, driving in three in the process.
The Stars remain five games back of the Tennessee Smokies in the north division. Huntsville is back at it Friday night as they’ll send Mark Rogers (2-3, 3.60) to the mound. You can catch all the action beginning at 6:45pm central time on the Huntsville Stars Radio Network and online at www.huntsvillestars.com.
Stars hold on, knock off Barons in game one of double header
By Aaron Morse
Everyone in the Huntsville Stars’ (23-23) lineup tallied a hit and a late Chris Errecart home run was the difference as they got back to .500 with a 6-5 victory over the Birmingham Barons (14-31) in game one of Thursday’s double header.
The Stars jumped out to the early lead in the bottom of the third. Drew Anderson, just assigned to Huntsville from Nashville yesterday, doubled to lead-off the frame. Two outs later, Lorenzo Cain continued his hot hitting by singling him home. The base knock gave Cain an eight-game hitting streak.
Huntsville got some help from one of the major leaguers currently rehabbing with the squad in the fourth when Mat Gamel singled with one away. With two outs, Caleb Gindl hit a chopper to the right side, pitcher Justin Edwards was late covering the bag and Gindl arrived safely. The break gave the Stars new life and Anderson took advantage as he singled to left to drive in Gamel.
The Barons would cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the fifth against Stars’ starter Michael Bowman. Cole Armstrong doubled to start things off. Two outs later John Shelby III delivered a clutch RBI triple that Lee Haydel nearly caught up against the wall out in left-center field.
But the Stars’ offense exploded in the bottom half. Martin Maldonado hit a ringing double which was quickly followed by a Cain single to center. With runners at the corners, Haydel drew a walk to load the bases. That’s when Brett Lawrie came up big with a 2-RBI single to extend the lead to 4-1 and take-over the team lead in RBI. The base hit chased Edwards from the game. New pitcher Andrew Dobies was victimized by a Zelous Wheeler single to right which drove home Haydel.
The Barons got one back in the top of the sixth on a two-out RBI single from Christian Marrero.
With the score 5-2, Errecart smacked a homer to left that extended the lead in the bottom of the sixth.
That long ball would turn out to be huge as the Barons tallied two runs off Bowman and one run off closer Brandon Kintzler in the top of the seventh. But Kintzler got Brent Morel to strike-out to end the game and earn his ninth save of the year. Bowman got the win to move to 4-4 while Edwards took the loss to fall to 2-2.
Cain, Anderson, and Lawrie had the biggest days at the plate as Cain went 3-4 with a run scored and a RBI. Meanwhile Anderson went 2-3 with a run scored and a RBI as well. Lawrie went 1-4, but his one hit got him 2 RBI.
The win breaks a three-game losing streak for the Stars and moves them back to five games behind the Smokies in the North Division.
Everyone in the Huntsville Stars’ (23-23) lineup tallied a hit and a late Chris Errecart home run was the difference as they got back to .500 with a 6-5 victory over the Birmingham Barons (14-31) in game one of Thursday’s double header.
The Stars jumped out to the early lead in the bottom of the third. Drew Anderson, just assigned to Huntsville from Nashville yesterday, doubled to lead-off the frame. Two outs later, Lorenzo Cain continued his hot hitting by singling him home. The base knock gave Cain an eight-game hitting streak.
Huntsville got some help from one of the major leaguers currently rehabbing with the squad in the fourth when Mat Gamel singled with one away. With two outs, Caleb Gindl hit a chopper to the right side, pitcher Justin Edwards was late covering the bag and Gindl arrived safely. The break gave the Stars new life and Anderson took advantage as he singled to left to drive in Gamel.
The Barons would cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the fifth against Stars’ starter Michael Bowman. Cole Armstrong doubled to start things off. Two outs later John Shelby III delivered a clutch RBI triple that Lee Haydel nearly caught up against the wall out in left-center field.
But the Stars’ offense exploded in the bottom half. Martin Maldonado hit a ringing double which was quickly followed by a Cain single to center. With runners at the corners, Haydel drew a walk to load the bases. That’s when Brett Lawrie came up big with a 2-RBI single to extend the lead to 4-1 and take-over the team lead in RBI. The base hit chased Edwards from the game. New pitcher Andrew Dobies was victimized by a Zelous Wheeler single to right which drove home Haydel.
The Barons got one back in the top of the sixth on a two-out RBI single from Christian Marrero.
With the score 5-2, Errecart smacked a homer to left that extended the lead in the bottom of the sixth.
That long ball would turn out to be huge as the Barons tallied two runs off Bowman and one run off closer Brandon Kintzler in the top of the seventh. But Kintzler got Brent Morel to strike-out to end the game and earn his ninth save of the year. Bowman got the win to move to 4-4 while Edwards took the loss to fall to 2-2.
Cain, Anderson, and Lawrie had the biggest days at the plate as Cain went 3-4 with a run scored and a RBI. Meanwhile Anderson went 2-3 with a run scored and a RBI as well. Lawrie went 1-4, but his one hit got him 2 RBI.
The win breaks a three-game losing streak for the Stars and moves them back to five games behind the Smokies in the North Division.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Stars drop third straight to Braves
By Aaron Morse
The Huntsville Stars (22-23) couldn’t hold onto an early lead for the third consecutive game as they lost by a final score of 5-2 to the Mississippi Braves (23-22) Monday night.
The Stars got off to a fast start in the top of the first when Lorenzo Cain smacked his third triple of the season. Lee Haydel followed that up with a bloop single to give the Stars a 1-0 lead.
Stars starter Alex Periard (2-3) worked around a two-out triple and a walk in the bottom half of the first. The native of Quebec, Canada pitched his way out of trouble in every frame through the first four innings. His biggest challenge came in the bottom of the fourth when the Braves loaded the bases with only one away. But he got the Braves’ pitcher Erik Cordier to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the jam.
Huntsville would tack on an insurance run in the top of the fifth thanks to some clutch two-out hitting. Martin Maldonado started things off with a single to left. Periard bunted him over to second. After Cain drew a walk, Haydel flew-out to left. But that’s when Brett Lawrie came up big with a single up the middle to plate Maldonado.
The 2-0 lead would be extremely short-lived as Mauro Gomez smacked a three-run jack off Periard in the bottom of the 5th. That would be Periard’s final inning of work as he scattered seven hits, giving up three runs, two earned, while walking three and striking out two on the evening.
The Stars’ bullpen continued its recent struggles in the bottom of the 6th. Reliever Donovan Hand gave up a one-out double to Randy Gress. After he hit Cody Johnson, Alex Romero delivered a double to right to drive in Gress. One out later, Eric Duncan singled home Romero to extend the lead to 5-2.
Erik Cordier (3-3) tossed six innings to get the win, while Periard took the loss. Brett Butts worked a scoreless ninth for the save. With the defeat, the Stars dropped the series three games to two. Tennessee won Monday night so Huntsville is now five games back in the north division.
The Stars have a much-needed off day Tuesday before they host the Birmingham Barons for a five game series starting on Wednesday. The Stars took 4 of 5 from the Barons earlier this month. First pitch in the opener will be at 7pm Central Time on www.huntsvillestars.com.
The Huntsville Stars (22-23) couldn’t hold onto an early lead for the third consecutive game as they lost by a final score of 5-2 to the Mississippi Braves (23-22) Monday night.
The Stars got off to a fast start in the top of the first when Lorenzo Cain smacked his third triple of the season. Lee Haydel followed that up with a bloop single to give the Stars a 1-0 lead.
Stars starter Alex Periard (2-3) worked around a two-out triple and a walk in the bottom half of the first. The native of Quebec, Canada pitched his way out of trouble in every frame through the first four innings. His biggest challenge came in the bottom of the fourth when the Braves loaded the bases with only one away. But he got the Braves’ pitcher Erik Cordier to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the jam.
Huntsville would tack on an insurance run in the top of the fifth thanks to some clutch two-out hitting. Martin Maldonado started things off with a single to left. Periard bunted him over to second. After Cain drew a walk, Haydel flew-out to left. But that’s when Brett Lawrie came up big with a single up the middle to plate Maldonado.
The 2-0 lead would be extremely short-lived as Mauro Gomez smacked a three-run jack off Periard in the bottom of the 5th. That would be Periard’s final inning of work as he scattered seven hits, giving up three runs, two earned, while walking three and striking out two on the evening.
The Stars’ bullpen continued its recent struggles in the bottom of the 6th. Reliever Donovan Hand gave up a one-out double to Randy Gress. After he hit Cody Johnson, Alex Romero delivered a double to right to drive in Gress. One out later, Eric Duncan singled home Romero to extend the lead to 5-2.
Erik Cordier (3-3) tossed six innings to get the win, while Periard took the loss. Brett Butts worked a scoreless ninth for the save. With the defeat, the Stars dropped the series three games to two. Tennessee won Monday night so Huntsville is now five games back in the north division.
The Stars have a much-needed off day Tuesday before they host the Birmingham Barons for a five game series starting on Wednesday. The Stars took 4 of 5 from the Barons earlier this month. First pitch in the opener will be at 7pm Central Time on www.huntsvillestars.com.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Eighth inning not a friendly one as Stars fall to Braves
By Aaron Morse
The Huntsville Stars (22-22) scored three runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead, but the Mississippi Braves (22-22) responded with six of their own as the Stars fell by a score of 9-5 Sunday afternoon.
The Stars found themselves in an early 2-0 hole as the Braves scored one in the second and one in the third against starter Amaury Rivas.
But Brett Lawrie smacked his third homer of the season in the top of the 6th to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Rivas’ final inning of work featured a Cody Johnson RBI single to give the Braves a 3-1 lead. His outing was nowhere near his best, but he managed to only surrender three runs in six innings, despite giving up 11 hits. He struck out four and walked one.
It looked like the Stars would be in good shape when they got to the Braves’ bullpen in the top of the eighth. With one away and the bases full, Caleb Gindl singled home Lee Haydel to draw the Stars within one. After that, Chris Errecart reached on a force-attempt at second base. One run would have scored anyways, but a throwing error allowed everyone to be safe and for two runs to score. The Stars would leave the bases loaded when a strike-out and a fly-out ended the inning.
The 4-3 lead would be short-lived. Jim Henderson had tossed a scoreless seventh inning, but the Stars brought in Nick Green for the eighth and he did not fare so well. Back-to-back singles put runners on first and second with only one away. An Alex Romero double plated both runs and just like that it was 5-4 Braves. A sacrifice fly, a single, an intentional walk, and two more singles completed the scoring and when the dust cleared it was 9-4 Braves.
The Stars got one back in the top of the ninth on a Lawrie RBI single, but that was all she wrote.
Juan Abreu (2-0) got the win out of the bullpen for the Braves while Nick Green (0-1) took the loss.
Lawrie and Lee Haydel had big days at the plate for the Stars as Lawrie went 3-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Haydel also had a multi-hit game as he went 2-4 with a run scored.
Both the Smokies and the Diamond Jaxx lost Sunday, so the Stars did not lose any ground in the North Division. They remain four games back of Tennessee.
The Stars will look to take the rubber match of the five game series Monday night. They’ll send Alex Periard (2-2, 4.05 ERA) to the mound. Join us on the Huntsville Stars Radio Network beginning at 6:50pm Central Time.
The Huntsville Stars (22-22) scored three runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead, but the Mississippi Braves (22-22) responded with six of their own as the Stars fell by a score of 9-5 Sunday afternoon.
The Stars found themselves in an early 2-0 hole as the Braves scored one in the second and one in the third against starter Amaury Rivas.
But Brett Lawrie smacked his third homer of the season in the top of the 6th to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Rivas’ final inning of work featured a Cody Johnson RBI single to give the Braves a 3-1 lead. His outing was nowhere near his best, but he managed to only surrender three runs in six innings, despite giving up 11 hits. He struck out four and walked one.
It looked like the Stars would be in good shape when they got to the Braves’ bullpen in the top of the eighth. With one away and the bases full, Caleb Gindl singled home Lee Haydel to draw the Stars within one. After that, Chris Errecart reached on a force-attempt at second base. One run would have scored anyways, but a throwing error allowed everyone to be safe and for two runs to score. The Stars would leave the bases loaded when a strike-out and a fly-out ended the inning.
The 4-3 lead would be short-lived. Jim Henderson had tossed a scoreless seventh inning, but the Stars brought in Nick Green for the eighth and he did not fare so well. Back-to-back singles put runners on first and second with only one away. An Alex Romero double plated both runs and just like that it was 5-4 Braves. A sacrifice fly, a single, an intentional walk, and two more singles completed the scoring and when the dust cleared it was 9-4 Braves.
The Stars got one back in the top of the ninth on a Lawrie RBI single, but that was all she wrote.
Juan Abreu (2-0) got the win out of the bullpen for the Braves while Nick Green (0-1) took the loss.
Lawrie and Lee Haydel had big days at the plate for the Stars as Lawrie went 3-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Haydel also had a multi-hit game as he went 2-4 with a run scored.
Both the Smokies and the Diamond Jaxx lost Sunday, so the Stars did not lose any ground in the North Division. They remain four games back of Tennessee.
The Stars will look to take the rubber match of the five game series Monday night. They’ll send Alex Periard (2-2, 4.05 ERA) to the mound. Join us on the Huntsville Stars Radio Network beginning at 6:50pm Central Time.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Stars take early lead, but fall to Braves
By Aaron Morse
The Huntsville Stars (22-21) got a tremendous performance from Mark Rogers, but blew a 3-0 lead as they fell 4-3 to the Mississippi Braves (21-22) Saturday night.
Rogers walked a season low one batter while striking out six in what was arguably his best outing of the season. The Stars would get him some run support right away.
With one out in the first inning, Caleb Gindl was hit by a pitch. Brett Lawrie followed that up with a single up the gut. A Zelous Wheeler RBI double made it 1-0 Stars. Friday night’s hero Chris Errecart followed that up with a RBI grounder to plate Lawrie and extend the advantage to 2-0.
The lone difficult inning for Rogers came in the bottom of the second. An error, a single and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out. But Rogers caught a break when Alejandro Machado lined a shot right back to the mound. Rogers caught it and doubled off the runner at second base. He would get the next hitter to ground-out and got out of the jam unscathed.
Rogers helped his own cause in the top of the fourth. With one away Chuckie Caufield reached on a bunt single to extend his hitting streak to six games. With two away, Martin Maldonado drew a walk. That’s when Rogers laced a single to center to drive home Caufield.
After Rogers departed, Mark Willinsky took over and worked a very quick sixth inning.
But the Braves got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh on a couple of singles, and some shaky Stars defense. A Juan Gonzalez single plated Donell Linares, who had also singled, and the Stars’ lead was 3-1. Then things got crazy. With runners at the corners and two down, Alex Romero hit a grounder to Andy Machado. Machado’s throw to Lawrie at second base was wide and got away. One run scored, but Cody Johnson was gunned down at the plate by Chris Errecart. Johnson was immediately ejected from the game as he slammed his helmet down in anger. Braves’ manager Phillip Wellman would also be ejected. When the dust cleared, the Stars held on to a razor-thin one-run lead.
Huntsville nearly got an insurance run in the top of the eighth, but Wheeler was thrown out at the plate trying to score on an Andy Machado fly ball to end the inning.
Robert Hinton relieved Willinsky in the eighth inning and ran into trouble. He gave up a single and hit a man with nobody out. But a failed sacrifice bunt allowed the Stars to get the lead runner at third. A Donell Linares 2-RBI double would give the Braves a 4-3 edge.
Hinton (0-2) took the loss while Juan Abreu (1-0) got the win for Mississippi. Lee Hyde worked a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the year.
With the loss the Stars drop to four games back of the Smokies in the North Division. It also snaps their four-game winning streak. It’s also only the second time all year the Stars have lost when leading after six innings.
The Stars are back in action Sunday afternoon as they’ll send their ace Amaury Rivas (5-2, 2.05 ERA) to the mound. First pitch is at 2:05 pm Central Time. You can tune in on http://www.huntsvillestars.com.
The Huntsville Stars (22-21) got a tremendous performance from Mark Rogers, but blew a 3-0 lead as they fell 4-3 to the Mississippi Braves (21-22) Saturday night.
Rogers walked a season low one batter while striking out six in what was arguably his best outing of the season. The Stars would get him some run support right away.
With one out in the first inning, Caleb Gindl was hit by a pitch. Brett Lawrie followed that up with a single up the gut. A Zelous Wheeler RBI double made it 1-0 Stars. Friday night’s hero Chris Errecart followed that up with a RBI grounder to plate Lawrie and extend the advantage to 2-0.
The lone difficult inning for Rogers came in the bottom of the second. An error, a single and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out. But Rogers caught a break when Alejandro Machado lined a shot right back to the mound. Rogers caught it and doubled off the runner at second base. He would get the next hitter to ground-out and got out of the jam unscathed.
Rogers helped his own cause in the top of the fourth. With one away Chuckie Caufield reached on a bunt single to extend his hitting streak to six games. With two away, Martin Maldonado drew a walk. That’s when Rogers laced a single to center to drive home Caufield.
After Rogers departed, Mark Willinsky took over and worked a very quick sixth inning.
But the Braves got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh on a couple of singles, and some shaky Stars defense. A Juan Gonzalez single plated Donell Linares, who had also singled, and the Stars’ lead was 3-1. Then things got crazy. With runners at the corners and two down, Alex Romero hit a grounder to Andy Machado. Machado’s throw to Lawrie at second base was wide and got away. One run scored, but Cody Johnson was gunned down at the plate by Chris Errecart. Johnson was immediately ejected from the game as he slammed his helmet down in anger. Braves’ manager Phillip Wellman would also be ejected. When the dust cleared, the Stars held on to a razor-thin one-run lead.
Huntsville nearly got an insurance run in the top of the eighth, but Wheeler was thrown out at the plate trying to score on an Andy Machado fly ball to end the inning.
Robert Hinton relieved Willinsky in the eighth inning and ran into trouble. He gave up a single and hit a man with nobody out. But a failed sacrifice bunt allowed the Stars to get the lead runner at third. A Donell Linares 2-RBI double would give the Braves a 4-3 edge.
Hinton (0-2) took the loss while Juan Abreu (1-0) got the win for Mississippi. Lee Hyde worked a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the year.
With the loss the Stars drop to four games back of the Smokies in the North Division. It also snaps their four-game winning streak. It’s also only the second time all year the Stars have lost when leading after six innings.
The Stars are back in action Sunday afternoon as they’ll send their ace Amaury Rivas (5-2, 2.05 ERA) to the mound. First pitch is at 2:05 pm Central Time. You can tune in on http://www.huntsvillestars.com.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Stars go the extra mile to defeat Braves
By Aaron Morse
Chris Errecart doubled home Lorenzo Cain and Brett Lawrie in the top of the 10th as the Huntsville Stars (22-20) knocked off the Mississippi Braves (20-22) by a final score of 4-2 Friday night.
The Stars got on the board in the top of the second against Braves’ starter Mike Minor by playing some small ball. With nobody out, Zelous Wheeler doubled to left. After Chris Errecart was hit by a pitch, Chuckie Caufield moved the runners over with a beautiful sacrifice bunt. With the infield back, Andy Machado hit a grounder to short to drive in Wheeler and give the Stars a 1-0 lead.
Stars starter Chris Cody would get an assist from his defense in the bottom of the third. With two down and a man on second, Mauro Gomez sent a single into left that Haydel fielded. Donell Linares attempted to score on the play and Haydel gunned him down at the plate.
Machado continued his solid day at the plate in the top of the fourth. The inning started with the old lead-off base-on-balls to Wheeler. Zelous would steal second and advance to third on a Caufield single. That’s when Machado drilled a double to right to plate Wheeler and put runners at 2nd and 3rd with only one down. But Sean McCraw would strike-out and Cody grounded out to end the inning with the Stars up 2-0.
But the Braves would threaten in the bottom of the fourth. They loaded the bases with nobody out and appeared to be on the cusp of getting a crooked number in the runs column. On a pay-off pitch to Alejandro Machado, the shortstop lined out to Andy Machado who coolly flipped the ball to Brett Lawrie for a 6-4 double-play. Cody was able to get the pitcher Mike Minor to hit a deep fly-ball to left-field where Lee Haydel chased it down for the third out of the inning.
Mississippi would cut the Stars’ lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a solo homer off the bat of Eric Duncan.
Cody walked a tightrope through his five innings of work, as the Braves left nine stranded while he scattered eight hits, surrendering only the lone Duncan solo shot.
Donovan Hand relieved Cody and tossed two perfect innings of relief. But he got into a bit of a pickle in the eighth. With nobody out, Gomez doubled to center. Willie Cabrera followed that with a single to right, putting runners at the corners. That would be all for Hand as Mike Guerrero chose to bring in the lefty Casey Baron. Cabrera would steal second base to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Cody Johnson worked Baron to a full count and drew a walk. Once again the Braves had the bases full with no outs. Orlando Mercado delivered a sacrifice fly to left that scored Gomez to tie the game at two.
But Baron was able to escape the inning with no further damage as he picked off Cabrera and got Machado to ground out.
The Stars tried to respond immediately in the top of the ninth. New pitcher Brett Butts hit Chris Errecart. That was followed by a bunt from Scott Krieger going the Stars way as Butts couldn’t handle the ball, allowing everyone to arrive safely at their respective bags. Machado would bunt both runners over, putting runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out. But Sean McCraw struck-out, leaving it up to Juan Sanchez. But Sanchez would ground-out, allowing Butts to escape the jam.
Baron walked the lead-off man Juan Gonzalez in the bottom of the 9th inning. A sacrifice bunt moved Gonzalez to second base. After that, Stars decided to intentionally walk Linares. It paid off when Duncan lined into an unassisted double play as Chris Errecart caught the ball and tagged out Linares to end the inning.
In the top of the 10th, Cain drew a lead-off walk. Brent Brewer bunted him over to second. After the Braves intentionally walked Lawrie, Wheeler drew a walk to load the bases. That’s when Errecart delivered his big double to plate Cain and Lawrie and give the Stars a 4-2 lead.
Brandon Kintzler nailed down his eighth save of the year in the bottom of the tenth, which gives him a tie for the Southern League lead.
Baron’s (1-0) two innings of work out of the bullpen were enough to get him his first win of the year. Meanwhile Butts (0-1) took the loss.
No one on the Stars tallied a multi-hit game, but Machado drove in two of the four runs.
The victory brings the Stars to within three games of the division-leading Smokies, who lost to Jacksonville.
Huntsville sends Mark Rogers (2-3, 4.20 ERA) to the mound Saturday as they look to clinch the series. Join us starting at 6:50 for the Window World Pre-Game Report. You can catch all the action on 1450 AM/92.9 FM WTKI and the Stars Radio Network. The game can always be heard on www.huntsvillestars.com as well.
Chris Errecart doubled home Lorenzo Cain and Brett Lawrie in the top of the 10th as the Huntsville Stars (22-20) knocked off the Mississippi Braves (20-22) by a final score of 4-2 Friday night.
The Stars got on the board in the top of the second against Braves’ starter Mike Minor by playing some small ball. With nobody out, Zelous Wheeler doubled to left. After Chris Errecart was hit by a pitch, Chuckie Caufield moved the runners over with a beautiful sacrifice bunt. With the infield back, Andy Machado hit a grounder to short to drive in Wheeler and give the Stars a 1-0 lead.
Stars starter Chris Cody would get an assist from his defense in the bottom of the third. With two down and a man on second, Mauro Gomez sent a single into left that Haydel fielded. Donell Linares attempted to score on the play and Haydel gunned him down at the plate.
Machado continued his solid day at the plate in the top of the fourth. The inning started with the old lead-off base-on-balls to Wheeler. Zelous would steal second and advance to third on a Caufield single. That’s when Machado drilled a double to right to plate Wheeler and put runners at 2nd and 3rd with only one down. But Sean McCraw would strike-out and Cody grounded out to end the inning with the Stars up 2-0.
But the Braves would threaten in the bottom of the fourth. They loaded the bases with nobody out and appeared to be on the cusp of getting a crooked number in the runs column. On a pay-off pitch to Alejandro Machado, the shortstop lined out to Andy Machado who coolly flipped the ball to Brett Lawrie for a 6-4 double-play. Cody was able to get the pitcher Mike Minor to hit a deep fly-ball to left-field where Lee Haydel chased it down for the third out of the inning.
Mississippi would cut the Stars’ lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a solo homer off the bat of Eric Duncan.
Cody walked a tightrope through his five innings of work, as the Braves left nine stranded while he scattered eight hits, surrendering only the lone Duncan solo shot.
Donovan Hand relieved Cody and tossed two perfect innings of relief. But he got into a bit of a pickle in the eighth. With nobody out, Gomez doubled to center. Willie Cabrera followed that with a single to right, putting runners at the corners. That would be all for Hand as Mike Guerrero chose to bring in the lefty Casey Baron. Cabrera would steal second base to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Cody Johnson worked Baron to a full count and drew a walk. Once again the Braves had the bases full with no outs. Orlando Mercado delivered a sacrifice fly to left that scored Gomez to tie the game at two.
But Baron was able to escape the inning with no further damage as he picked off Cabrera and got Machado to ground out.
The Stars tried to respond immediately in the top of the ninth. New pitcher Brett Butts hit Chris Errecart. That was followed by a bunt from Scott Krieger going the Stars way as Butts couldn’t handle the ball, allowing everyone to arrive safely at their respective bags. Machado would bunt both runners over, putting runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out. But Sean McCraw struck-out, leaving it up to Juan Sanchez. But Sanchez would ground-out, allowing Butts to escape the jam.
Baron walked the lead-off man Juan Gonzalez in the bottom of the 9th inning. A sacrifice bunt moved Gonzalez to second base. After that, Stars decided to intentionally walk Linares. It paid off when Duncan lined into an unassisted double play as Chris Errecart caught the ball and tagged out Linares to end the inning.
In the top of the 10th, Cain drew a lead-off walk. Brent Brewer bunted him over to second. After the Braves intentionally walked Lawrie, Wheeler drew a walk to load the bases. That’s when Errecart delivered his big double to plate Cain and Lawrie and give the Stars a 4-2 lead.
Brandon Kintzler nailed down his eighth save of the year in the bottom of the tenth, which gives him a tie for the Southern League lead.
Baron’s (1-0) two innings of work out of the bullpen were enough to get him his first win of the year. Meanwhile Butts (0-1) took the loss.
No one on the Stars tallied a multi-hit game, but Machado drove in two of the four runs.
The victory brings the Stars to within three games of the division-leading Smokies, who lost to Jacksonville.
Huntsville sends Mark Rogers (2-3, 4.20 ERA) to the mound Saturday as they look to clinch the series. Join us starting at 6:50 for the Window World Pre-Game Report. You can catch all the action on 1450 AM/92.9 FM WTKI and the Stars Radio Network. The game can always be heard on www.huntsvillestars.com as well.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Stars weather the weather, get third straight win
By Aaron Morse
After sitting through a rain delay that lasted two hours and 12 minutes, the Huntsville Stars (21-20) used an outstanding performance from Michael Bowman (3-4) to prevail 5-4 over the Mississippi Braves (20-21) Thursday night into Friday morning.
The Stars put runners on first and third with two away in the top of the first before the teams were called off the field due to the impending thunder storm. The delay forced the Braves to switch pitchers, Ryne Reynoso (0-1) replaced starter Richard Sullivan when the game resumed.
The Stars did not need to switch pitchers as Bowman had yet to throw a pitch in the game so rust would be at a minimum. That was certainly the case as he tossed six innings of one-hit ball, walking two and striking out five.
Chuck Caufield got the Stars on the board in the top of the fourth with a solo homer off Reynoso. It’s the first long ball of the year for Caufield.
Huntsville would get some much-needed insurance in the top of the seventh. With one away Martin Maldonado singled up the middle. Scott Krieger pinch hit for Bowman and came up big with a single to center for his second hit as a Huntsville Star. Back to the top of the order the Stars went and Lorenzo Cain continued his excellent season with a single to left to drive home Maldonado. Cain’s single chased Reynoso from the game. Relief pitcher Thomas Palica was greeted rather rudely by Brett Lawrie as the former first round pick smacked his league-leading seventh triple of the year, clearing the bases and extending the lead to 4-0. A Braves error allowed Lawrie to cross home to complete the scoring. When the dust cleared, the Stars had a 5-0 advantage.
Robert Hinton relieved Bowman for the bottom half of the seventh inning and got some help from Cain, who made a spectacular catch as he crashed into the wall 380 feet away from home plate on a ball hit by Mauro Gomez.
Hinton would run into trouble in the eighth inning as Randy Gress started things off for the Braves with a double to left. Two outs later, Hinton walked Alex Romero. A Donell Linares single drove in Gress and that was quickly followed by an Eric Duncan RBI single as well. With the lead cut to 5-2, manager Mike Guerrero brought in Nick Green to put out the fire. In his first appearance for the Stars this season, Green got some help from Chris Errecart. The first-baseman made a nice catch over the railing in foul territory on a pop-up to end the inning.
Green gave up a lead-off single in the bottom of the ninth. One out later, another single brought the tying run to the plate. That would be all for Green as Brandon Kintzler entered to try and finish off the victory. Kintzler would walk pinch-hitter Orlando Mercado to load the bases. But he would bounce back to strike-out Travis Jones on three straight pitches. Romero would single home Gress and Willie Cabrera, and the Stars found themselves only up 5-4.
With the tying and winning runs aboard, Kintzler got Linares to line out to Cain to secure his seventh save of the season.
Lawrie and Cain both had big days at the plate as Brett went 2-3 with a run scored and two driven in. Cain also had a couple of hits with a run scored and a RBI. Cain swiped his 10th base of the year, but not to be out-done; Lawrie stole two bags to take the team lead with 11. Meanwhile Caufield’s homer extended his hitting streak to four games.
The win pulls the Stars to within a half game of West Tennessee for the second place spot in the North Division. The Smokies also won Thursday, so Huntsville remains four games out of first.
The Stars are back on the air Friday night for game two of the five-game set with the Braves. Join us on the AM 1450/92.9 FM WTKI and the Stars Radio Network or www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 6:50pm Central Time. Former first round pick Mark Rogers (2-3, 4.20 ERA) heads to the mound to take on Mississippi’s Mike Minor (1-3, 3.43 ERA).
After sitting through a rain delay that lasted two hours and 12 minutes, the Huntsville Stars (21-20) used an outstanding performance from Michael Bowman (3-4) to prevail 5-4 over the Mississippi Braves (20-21) Thursday night into Friday morning.
The Stars put runners on first and third with two away in the top of the first before the teams were called off the field due to the impending thunder storm. The delay forced the Braves to switch pitchers, Ryne Reynoso (0-1) replaced starter Richard Sullivan when the game resumed.
The Stars did not need to switch pitchers as Bowman had yet to throw a pitch in the game so rust would be at a minimum. That was certainly the case as he tossed six innings of one-hit ball, walking two and striking out five.
Chuck Caufield got the Stars on the board in the top of the fourth with a solo homer off Reynoso. It’s the first long ball of the year for Caufield.
Huntsville would get some much-needed insurance in the top of the seventh. With one away Martin Maldonado singled up the middle. Scott Krieger pinch hit for Bowman and came up big with a single to center for his second hit as a Huntsville Star. Back to the top of the order the Stars went and Lorenzo Cain continued his excellent season with a single to left to drive home Maldonado. Cain’s single chased Reynoso from the game. Relief pitcher Thomas Palica was greeted rather rudely by Brett Lawrie as the former first round pick smacked his league-leading seventh triple of the year, clearing the bases and extending the lead to 4-0. A Braves error allowed Lawrie to cross home to complete the scoring. When the dust cleared, the Stars had a 5-0 advantage.
Robert Hinton relieved Bowman for the bottom half of the seventh inning and got some help from Cain, who made a spectacular catch as he crashed into the wall 380 feet away from home plate on a ball hit by Mauro Gomez.
Hinton would run into trouble in the eighth inning as Randy Gress started things off for the Braves with a double to left. Two outs later, Hinton walked Alex Romero. A Donell Linares single drove in Gress and that was quickly followed by an Eric Duncan RBI single as well. With the lead cut to 5-2, manager Mike Guerrero brought in Nick Green to put out the fire. In his first appearance for the Stars this season, Green got some help from Chris Errecart. The first-baseman made a nice catch over the railing in foul territory on a pop-up to end the inning.
Green gave up a lead-off single in the bottom of the ninth. One out later, another single brought the tying run to the plate. That would be all for Green as Brandon Kintzler entered to try and finish off the victory. Kintzler would walk pinch-hitter Orlando Mercado to load the bases. But he would bounce back to strike-out Travis Jones on three straight pitches. Romero would single home Gress and Willie Cabrera, and the Stars found themselves only up 5-4.
With the tying and winning runs aboard, Kintzler got Linares to line out to Cain to secure his seventh save of the season.
Lawrie and Cain both had big days at the plate as Brett went 2-3 with a run scored and two driven in. Cain also had a couple of hits with a run scored and a RBI. Cain swiped his 10th base of the year, but not to be out-done; Lawrie stole two bags to take the team lead with 11. Meanwhile Caufield’s homer extended his hitting streak to four games.
The win pulls the Stars to within a half game of West Tennessee for the second place spot in the North Division. The Smokies also won Thursday, so Huntsville remains four games out of first.
The Stars are back on the air Friday night for game two of the five-game set with the Braves. Join us on the AM 1450/92.9 FM WTKI and the Stars Radio Network or www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 6:50pm Central Time. Former first round pick Mark Rogers (2-3, 4.20 ERA) heads to the mound to take on Mississippi’s Mike Minor (1-3, 3.43 ERA).
Stars offense explodes as they take series finale from Smokies
By Aaron Morse
Zelous Wheeler tallied four hits and the Huntsville Stars (20-20) matched their season high for homers in a game with three as they destroyed the Tennessee Smokies (24-16) by a final score of 11-3 Wednesday afternoon.
The Smokies took the early 1-0 lead on a Matthew Spencer RBI double in the top of the first.
But the Stars offense, which has been quiet for quite a few games, exploded in the bottom half of the frame against Smokies’ starter Alberto Cabrera.
With one away, Lee Haydel, fresh off the DL, smacked a single to right. After Brett Lawrie walked, Wheeler delivered a ringing 2-RBI double to center. Chris Errecart followed that with a double of his own and the Stars had a 3-1 lead. But they weren’t done. A wild pitch moved Errecart to third and with two down Andy Machado drew a walk.
That’s when the bottom of the order came up huge. Martin Maldonado legged out a rare infield single to drive in Errecart. Then the pitcher Alex Periard helped out his own cause by singling up the middle and the Stars had a 5-1 lead.
The Periard single chased Cabrera from the game after only 2/3rds of an inning.
Tennessee used the long ball to cut the Stars’ lead to 5-3 as Russ Canzler homered in the second and Ty Wright went yard in the third.
But the Stars answered both of those in the bottom of the fourth against reliever Jeremy Papelbon. Lorenzo Cain and Zelous Wheeler both smacked solo shots to extend the advantage to 7-3.
The Stars’ third long ball of the day came in the bottom of the 6th as Brett Lawrie drilled his 2nd bomb of the year.
They would put the game out of reach later that inning on a 2-RBI single from Andy Machado to go ahead 10-3. Lawrie would continue his big day of the plate with a RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to drive home Brent Brewer.
Alex Periard (2-2) tossed seven strong innings to get the win. He gave up three runs on seven hits, but shutout the Smokies for the final four frames he was in the game.
Everyone in the Stars’ lineup tallied at least one hit, while Lawrie, Errecart, and Wheeler each had multi-hit games. Those three also had multi-RBI games as the Stars scored as many runs Wednesday as they had in their previous five games combined.
With the win the Stars pull back within four games of the division-leading Smokies. They head on the road tomorrow to take on the Mississippi Braves. You can catch all the action on the Stars Radio Network and www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 6:45pm Central Time with the Window World Pre-Game Show.
Zelous Wheeler tallied four hits and the Huntsville Stars (20-20) matched their season high for homers in a game with three as they destroyed the Tennessee Smokies (24-16) by a final score of 11-3 Wednesday afternoon.
The Smokies took the early 1-0 lead on a Matthew Spencer RBI double in the top of the first.
But the Stars offense, which has been quiet for quite a few games, exploded in the bottom half of the frame against Smokies’ starter Alberto Cabrera.
With one away, Lee Haydel, fresh off the DL, smacked a single to right. After Brett Lawrie walked, Wheeler delivered a ringing 2-RBI double to center. Chris Errecart followed that with a double of his own and the Stars had a 3-1 lead. But they weren’t done. A wild pitch moved Errecart to third and with two down Andy Machado drew a walk.
That’s when the bottom of the order came up huge. Martin Maldonado legged out a rare infield single to drive in Errecart. Then the pitcher Alex Periard helped out his own cause by singling up the middle and the Stars had a 5-1 lead.
The Periard single chased Cabrera from the game after only 2/3rds of an inning.
Tennessee used the long ball to cut the Stars’ lead to 5-3 as Russ Canzler homered in the second and Ty Wright went yard in the third.
But the Stars answered both of those in the bottom of the fourth against reliever Jeremy Papelbon. Lorenzo Cain and Zelous Wheeler both smacked solo shots to extend the advantage to 7-3.
The Stars’ third long ball of the day came in the bottom of the 6th as Brett Lawrie drilled his 2nd bomb of the year.
They would put the game out of reach later that inning on a 2-RBI single from Andy Machado to go ahead 10-3. Lawrie would continue his big day of the plate with a RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to drive home Brent Brewer.
Alex Periard (2-2) tossed seven strong innings to get the win. He gave up three runs on seven hits, but shutout the Smokies for the final four frames he was in the game.
Everyone in the Stars’ lineup tallied at least one hit, while Lawrie, Errecart, and Wheeler each had multi-hit games. Those three also had multi-RBI games as the Stars scored as many runs Wednesday as they had in their previous five games combined.
With the win the Stars pull back within four games of the division-leading Smokies. They head on the road tomorrow to take on the Mississippi Braves. You can catch all the action on the Stars Radio Network and www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 6:45pm Central Time with the Window World Pre-Game Show.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Stars Shine During Day
Mark Rogers, Mike Jones, and Brandon Kintzler combined to strike-out seven while surrendering only four hits in Tuesday afternoon’s 4-0 victory for the Huntsville Stars (17-15) over the Montgomery Biscuits (17-14).
Rogers (2-2), a former first round draft pick of the Brewers, managed his control nicely through his five innings of work to earn the win. He walked three and struck-out three while allowing only one hit. After a couple of rocky outings, Tuesday matched Rogers’ season-high for innings pitched in a game.
The bullpen has been solid all year and Tuesday was no different. Long-time Star Mike Jones walked a bit of a tightrope, but ended up throwing three shutout innings of his own while giving up two hits, walking two, and striking out three.
Brandon Kintzler was Brandon Kintzler in the ninth…meaning he threw a scoreless frame with minimal problem. The reliever has now started the season with 13.2 innings of shutout ball.
The Stars took the early lead in the top of the second against Biscuits’ starter Jake McGee thanks to the bottom of their order. Chris Errecart singled to lead-off the frame. After Andy Machado walked, Juan Sanchez, recently called up from Brevard County, laid down a nice sacrifice bunt. Some small ball from Chuckie Caufield produced a sacrifice fly, scoring Errecart, and it was 1-0 Stars.
It was Errecart providing the spark again in the top of the fourth as he doubled with nobody out. A sacrifice bunt from Machado moved him to third and a throwing error on the play allowed Errecart to scamper all the way to the plate for the game’s second run.
Then the Stars did something they don’t normally do: use the long ball. After Brent Brewer singled in the fifth off reliever Justin Garcia, Martin Maldonado went yard for the second time this year to extend the lead to 4-0.
With the Smokies winning as well, the Stars remain four back in the North Division race.
Huntsville takes on the Biscuits Wednesday night at 7:05pm central time in game three of the five game series. Tune in at 6:50pm for the Window World Pre-Game Report.
Rogers (2-2), a former first round draft pick of the Brewers, managed his control nicely through his five innings of work to earn the win. He walked three and struck-out three while allowing only one hit. After a couple of rocky outings, Tuesday matched Rogers’ season-high for innings pitched in a game.
The bullpen has been solid all year and Tuesday was no different. Long-time Star Mike Jones walked a bit of a tightrope, but ended up throwing three shutout innings of his own while giving up two hits, walking two, and striking out three.
Brandon Kintzler was Brandon Kintzler in the ninth…meaning he threw a scoreless frame with minimal problem. The reliever has now started the season with 13.2 innings of shutout ball.
The Stars took the early lead in the top of the second against Biscuits’ starter Jake McGee thanks to the bottom of their order. Chris Errecart singled to lead-off the frame. After Andy Machado walked, Juan Sanchez, recently called up from Brevard County, laid down a nice sacrifice bunt. Some small ball from Chuckie Caufield produced a sacrifice fly, scoring Errecart, and it was 1-0 Stars.
It was Errecart providing the spark again in the top of the fourth as he doubled with nobody out. A sacrifice bunt from Machado moved him to third and a throwing error on the play allowed Errecart to scamper all the way to the plate for the game’s second run.
Then the Stars did something they don’t normally do: use the long ball. After Brent Brewer singled in the fifth off reliever Justin Garcia, Martin Maldonado went yard for the second time this year to extend the lead to 4-0.
With the Smokies winning as well, the Stars remain four back in the North Division race.
Huntsville takes on the Biscuits Wednesday night at 7:05pm central time in game three of the five game series. Tune in at 6:50pm for the Window World Pre-Game Report.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Biscuits Inch Their Way Past Stars
By Aaron Morse
The Montgomery Biscuits (17-13) used some small ball after a long ball got them on the board and the Huntsville Stars (16-15) continued to struggle on offense as the Biscuits prevailed by a score of 3-2 Monday night.
The Biscuits got their first run against Stars starter Michael Bowman in the bottom of the second with a homer from Matt Fields, his team leading 6th bomb of the year. But the Stars responded right away in the top half of the third inning thanks to the bottom of their order. Brent Brewer started things off with a single to center. That was followed by a Martin Maldonado double to right, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody down. One out later Caleb Gindl grounded out to score Brewer. But that would be all the Stars could get that inning.
The Biscuits got an unearned run off Bowman in the bottom of the 5th inning as a Zelous Wheeler throwing error allowed Cody Strait to reach base with one away. Strait immediately stole second base. He advanced to third a single and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Emeel Salem.
Bowman got a no-decision in a strong outing as he went 5.2 innings, scattering five hits, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, while walking two and striking out four.
The Stars would tie the game up in the top of the 7th thanks to more production from the bottom of the order. With one away, Andy Machado doubled to right. Then with two away, Chuck Caufield came up huge with a single up the gut and the game was tied.
Unfortunately the tie did not last long as the Biscuits got to reliever Mike McClendon (1-1) in the bottom half of the frame. Greg Sexton got things going with a double to right. A ground out moved him to third. Then John Matulia flied out to deep left to drive in Sexton.
That’d be all the solid Biscuits bullpen needed as Matt Gorgen nailed down his 6th save of the year and Dane De La Rosa (3-0) got the win in relief of starter Jeremy Hall.
Brent Brewer (3-4) had the only multi-hit game on either team.
The Stars remain four games back of the North Division leading Tennessee Smokies. They’re back in action Tuesday morning as they take on the Biscuits at 10:35 a.m. central time. Chris Cody (2-3) will be on the mound and you can hear all the action only on http://www.huntsvillestars.com.
The Montgomery Biscuits (17-13) used some small ball after a long ball got them on the board and the Huntsville Stars (16-15) continued to struggle on offense as the Biscuits prevailed by a score of 3-2 Monday night.
The Biscuits got their first run against Stars starter Michael Bowman in the bottom of the second with a homer from Matt Fields, his team leading 6th bomb of the year. But the Stars responded right away in the top half of the third inning thanks to the bottom of their order. Brent Brewer started things off with a single to center. That was followed by a Martin Maldonado double to right, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody down. One out later Caleb Gindl grounded out to score Brewer. But that would be all the Stars could get that inning.
The Biscuits got an unearned run off Bowman in the bottom of the 5th inning as a Zelous Wheeler throwing error allowed Cody Strait to reach base with one away. Strait immediately stole second base. He advanced to third a single and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Emeel Salem.
Bowman got a no-decision in a strong outing as he went 5.2 innings, scattering five hits, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, while walking two and striking out four.
The Stars would tie the game up in the top of the 7th thanks to more production from the bottom of the order. With one away, Andy Machado doubled to right. Then with two away, Chuck Caufield came up huge with a single up the gut and the game was tied.
Unfortunately the tie did not last long as the Biscuits got to reliever Mike McClendon (1-1) in the bottom half of the frame. Greg Sexton got things going with a double to right. A ground out moved him to third. Then John Matulia flied out to deep left to drive in Sexton.
That’d be all the solid Biscuits bullpen needed as Matt Gorgen nailed down his 6th save of the year and Dane De La Rosa (3-0) got the win in relief of starter Jeremy Hall.
Brent Brewer (3-4) had the only multi-hit game on either team.
The Stars remain four games back of the North Division leading Tennessee Smokies. They’re back in action Tuesday morning as they take on the Biscuits at 10:35 a.m. central time. Chris Cody (2-3) will be on the mound and you can hear all the action only on http://www.huntsvillestars.com.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Stars walk off with win
By Aaron Morse
Martin Maldonado singled home the game-winner and the Huntsville Stars (16-13) scored four in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx by a final score of 6-5 Friday night.
The Stars struck first in the game as they got two unearned runs off Diamond Jaxx starter Steve Bray in the bottom of the second. An error allowed Taylor Green to reach to lead things off. After Chris Errecart singled the runners were bunted over 90 feet by Andy Machado. Brent Brewer, who has been quite effective when he makes contact, singled home Green but Errecart was thrown out by left fielder Carlos Peguero in jarring collision at the plate. Brewer went to second on the throw and was singled home by Maldonado.
But after that the Stars’ bats went silent. They went down 1-2-3 in every inning except the 5th (when Maldonado drew a walk) from that inning on…until the fateful 9th.
Meanwhile the Diamond Jaxx were doing what they do best: hit the long ball. In the top of the third Carlos Triunfel homered to left off Stars starter Alex Periard. That was followed by a Carlos Peguero double. One out later Johan Limonta drew a walk. With two away, Alex Liddi showed why he’s the Diamond Jaxx’s RBI leader with a ringing double to score Peguero. After a visit to the mound from pitching coach John Curtis, Periard was able to get Dustin Ackley to roll a pitch over. The only problem was that it found a space in the infield on the right side where Machado had to dive to stop the ball. Ackley was safe at first with an infield single and Limonta scored.
Before you could say “here we go again” the Diamond Jaxx had a 3-2 lead.
They’d tack on one more in the fourth thanks to a Peguero bomb into the trees and one more in the sixth when Luis Oliveros hit one to the next county.
Periard went 6 innings, gave up 8 hits, 5 runs, all earned, walked 2 and struck out 3.
Mike Jones (1-1) entered in the seventh inning and pitched three frames of shut-out ball.
The Diamond Jaxx, nursing a 5-2 lead brought former first round pick Josh Fields in to get the save in the 9th inning. But things didn’t go exactly as planned.
Lee Haydel drew a lead-off walk and promptly stole second base. One out later Zelous Wheeler hit a shot down the third base line that landed barely fair for a double to drive in Haydel. That prompted a protest from Diamond Jaxx manager Tim Laker, who thought the ball had landed foul. More to come about that in a second.
Taylor Green busted out of his recent slump with a ringing double down the right field line to score Wheeler.
Then things got wacky. Chris Errecart hit a line drive down the first base line that appeared to land foul. He actually paused and turned around to go back to the plate, but saw the home plate umpire Chris Segal point “fair”, and so he took off running. Meanwhile, everyone on the Diamond Jaxx had stopped pursuing the ball because they assumed it was foul. By the time they realized it’d actually been called fair Errecart was standing on third base with a RBI triple.
Laker promptly got ejected from the game as he was absolutely incensed with the call.
Just like that the game was tied at 5. Two intentional walks later, the bases were loaded with only one down and Maldonado lined his shot to right off reliever Anthony Varvaro to win the game.
“I was looking for a fastball, because that guy throws hard, 91-97,” Maldonado said. “So I was looking for something to drive.”
It was the second walk-off hit of Maldonado’s professional career. He had one last year in Brevard County.
Jones got the win in relief while Fields picked up the loss.
With the Smokies losing today, the Stars are now three games back in the Northern Division.
The Stars are back in action Saturday evening with a 6:00pm Central Time first pitch on WTKI and http://www.huntsvillestars.com. Tune in at 5:45 for the Window World Pre-Game report. Mark Rogers (1-2, 4.95) is on the mound for the Stars.
Martin Maldonado singled home the game-winner and the Huntsville Stars (16-13) scored four in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx by a final score of 6-5 Friday night.
The Stars struck first in the game as they got two unearned runs off Diamond Jaxx starter Steve Bray in the bottom of the second. An error allowed Taylor Green to reach to lead things off. After Chris Errecart singled the runners were bunted over 90 feet by Andy Machado. Brent Brewer, who has been quite effective when he makes contact, singled home Green but Errecart was thrown out by left fielder Carlos Peguero in jarring collision at the plate. Brewer went to second on the throw and was singled home by Maldonado.
But after that the Stars’ bats went silent. They went down 1-2-3 in every inning except the 5th (when Maldonado drew a walk) from that inning on…until the fateful 9th.
Meanwhile the Diamond Jaxx were doing what they do best: hit the long ball. In the top of the third Carlos Triunfel homered to left off Stars starter Alex Periard. That was followed by a Carlos Peguero double. One out later Johan Limonta drew a walk. With two away, Alex Liddi showed why he’s the Diamond Jaxx’s RBI leader with a ringing double to score Peguero. After a visit to the mound from pitching coach John Curtis, Periard was able to get Dustin Ackley to roll a pitch over. The only problem was that it found a space in the infield on the right side where Machado had to dive to stop the ball. Ackley was safe at first with an infield single and Limonta scored.
Before you could say “here we go again” the Diamond Jaxx had a 3-2 lead.
They’d tack on one more in the fourth thanks to a Peguero bomb into the trees and one more in the sixth when Luis Oliveros hit one to the next county.
Periard went 6 innings, gave up 8 hits, 5 runs, all earned, walked 2 and struck out 3.
Mike Jones (1-1) entered in the seventh inning and pitched three frames of shut-out ball.
The Diamond Jaxx, nursing a 5-2 lead brought former first round pick Josh Fields in to get the save in the 9th inning. But things didn’t go exactly as planned.
Lee Haydel drew a lead-off walk and promptly stole second base. One out later Zelous Wheeler hit a shot down the third base line that landed barely fair for a double to drive in Haydel. That prompted a protest from Diamond Jaxx manager Tim Laker, who thought the ball had landed foul. More to come about that in a second.
Taylor Green busted out of his recent slump with a ringing double down the right field line to score Wheeler.
Then things got wacky. Chris Errecart hit a line drive down the first base line that appeared to land foul. He actually paused and turned around to go back to the plate, but saw the home plate umpire Chris Segal point “fair”, and so he took off running. Meanwhile, everyone on the Diamond Jaxx had stopped pursuing the ball because they assumed it was foul. By the time they realized it’d actually been called fair Errecart was standing on third base with a RBI triple.
Laker promptly got ejected from the game as he was absolutely incensed with the call.
Just like that the game was tied at 5. Two intentional walks later, the bases were loaded with only one down and Maldonado lined his shot to right off reliever Anthony Varvaro to win the game.
“I was looking for a fastball, because that guy throws hard, 91-97,” Maldonado said. “So I was looking for something to drive.”
It was the second walk-off hit of Maldonado’s professional career. He had one last year in Brevard County.
Jones got the win in relief while Fields picked up the loss.
With the Smokies losing today, the Stars are now three games back in the Northern Division.
The Stars are back in action Saturday evening with a 6:00pm Central Time first pitch on WTKI and http://www.huntsvillestars.com. Tune in at 5:45 for the Window World Pre-Game report. Mark Rogers (1-2, 4.95) is on the mound for the Stars.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Diamond Jaxx pound Stars
By Aaron Morse
The West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (12-13) got an outstanding performance from Michael Pineda (2-0), and their offense exploded for 13 runs as they crushed the Huntsville Stars (15-11) by a final score of 13-2 Tuesday night.
The Diamond Jaxx got on the board in the second inning thanks to a solo homer from former 2nd overall pick Dustin Ackley. But Stars’ starter Michael Bowman (2-3) was his own worst enemy in the third inning when he walked Kuo Hui Lo and Carlos Peguero consecutively with one away. A wild pitch moved both runners up 90 feet and Johan Limonta took advantage by singling home both runners to extend the lead to 3-0. After Mike Wilson struck out, Guillermo Quiroz doubled home Limonta to make the score 4-0.
Bowman settled down after that, going 5 innings, giving up 6 hits and 4 runs while walking 3 and striking out 3 as well.
But the Diamond Jaxx busted the game wide open in the 6th against reliever Jim Henderson as they plated four runs. They’d tack on one more in the 7th and three more in the 8th off Casey Baron before the Stars threw up the white flag and brought in infielder Chris Errecart to pitch.
Meanwhile, Pineda was untouchable, going seven innings, giving up only four hits, walking one and striking out 11.
Huntsville got their runs in the 9th inning when Caleb Gindl hit a RBI single that plated Brett Lawrie. A double play later in the inning scored Gindl.
The Stars look to avenge the blowout Wednesday night at 7:00pm Central Time as they’ll send Chris Cody to the mound. Tune to http://www.huntsvillestars.com at 6:45 for the Window World Pre-Game Show.
The West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (12-13) got an outstanding performance from Michael Pineda (2-0), and their offense exploded for 13 runs as they crushed the Huntsville Stars (15-11) by a final score of 13-2 Tuesday night.
The Diamond Jaxx got on the board in the second inning thanks to a solo homer from former 2nd overall pick Dustin Ackley. But Stars’ starter Michael Bowman (2-3) was his own worst enemy in the third inning when he walked Kuo Hui Lo and Carlos Peguero consecutively with one away. A wild pitch moved both runners up 90 feet and Johan Limonta took advantage by singling home both runners to extend the lead to 3-0. After Mike Wilson struck out, Guillermo Quiroz doubled home Limonta to make the score 4-0.
Bowman settled down after that, going 5 innings, giving up 6 hits and 4 runs while walking 3 and striking out 3 as well.
But the Diamond Jaxx busted the game wide open in the 6th against reliever Jim Henderson as they plated four runs. They’d tack on one more in the 7th and three more in the 8th off Casey Baron before the Stars threw up the white flag and brought in infielder Chris Errecart to pitch.
Meanwhile, Pineda was untouchable, going seven innings, giving up only four hits, walking one and striking out 11.
Huntsville got their runs in the 9th inning when Caleb Gindl hit a RBI single that plated Brett Lawrie. A double play later in the inning scored Gindl.
The Stars look to avenge the blowout Wednesday night at 7:00pm Central Time as they’ll send Chris Cody to the mound. Tune to http://www.huntsvillestars.com at 6:45 for the Window World Pre-Game Show.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Stars shine in late innings against Birmingham to sweep double header
By Aaron Morse
You like epic comebacks? Oh, we have some epic comebacks.
The Huntsville Stars (15-10) scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning on Monday to defeat the Birmingham Barons (6-18) by a final score of 5-4 in game one of their double header.
Then they did it again in game two. Except this time they only needed two runs in the top of the seventh as they prevailed 4-3.
But let’s go back to the beginning. The Barons have struggled all year, but they sent their undisputed ace, and Southern League ERA leader Charles Shirek to the mound for game one. Not surprisingly, he was his usual dominating self for the first five innings. Meanwhile the Stars responded with former first round draft pick Mark Rogers. The Barons got to Rogers for one run in the first without recording a hit.
Rogers hit John Shelby III to start the inning. Shelby III was able to steal second base. With one down, Jim Gallagher drew a walk. The aggressive Barons proceeded to pull off a double steal to put two runners in scoring position. Brent Morel grounded out to second base to score Shelby III, but that would be the extent of the damage in the first inning.
Zelous Wheeler nearly hit a homer off Shirek in the second inning, but a leaping catch by right fielder Salvador Sanchez took it away.
Rogers matched Shirek pitch for pitch until he ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth. Lee Cruz started things off with a ringing double to left. Then Rogers was a victim of some bad luck as a Sanchez “Baltimore Chop” bounced over the head of Steffan Wilson and into right field. That scored Cruz and the lead was 2-0 for the Barons.
Then the Barons played some small ball. First, catcher Chase Blackwood bunted Sanchez over to second base. That was followed by a quick swipe of third. Manager Ever Magallanes went deep in to his bag of tricks and pulled out the old suicide squeeze. Justin Fuller executed it to perfection, and the Barons had a 3-0 lead.
After five complete, things didn’t look so great for the Stars, as they found themselves down 3-0 in a 7-inning game.
But that all changed in the top of the sixth. Lee Haydel, who has filled in nicely for the injured Lorenzo Cain in the lead-off spot, laced a double to right to start things off. Then Brett Lawrie hit a seeing-eye single up the middle to plate Haydel and just like that Shirek had given up only his third run of the season. Down 3-1, the Stars kept the pressure on Shirek when with one away, Wheeler singled to right. That put runners on the corners for Taylor Green.
Manager Mike Guerrero decided to play some small ball himself as he sent Wheeler with two strikes on Green. Green struck-out, but the throw to second base got away from Fuller and Lawrie came in from third to cut the deficit to 3-2. Shirek would get out of the inning without any further damage, but the Stars had gotten within striking distance.
Unfortunately a solo homer from Morel in the top half of the seventh seemed to once again put the game at more than arm’s reach.
Then the Barons made a bit of a tactical mistake, they took out Shirek in favor of Miguel Socolovich (2-2) in the bottom half of the seventh.
Wilson led-off the inning and drew a walk. One out later Martin Maldonado also drew a walk. Then Haydel continued his phenomenal double header with a double to right field to score Wilson. But a Lawrie strikeout put the Stars down to their final out.
That’s when Caleb Gindl worked his magic. Gindl, who had the game-winning hit just two days ago, singled up the middle to plate both runners and give the Stars their first lead of the game.
That would be more than enough for Mark Willinsky (1-0), who after giving up the solo homer in the sixth out of the ‘pen, slammed the door in the bottom half of the seventh to earn his first win of the year.
But the great night for the Stars was just getting started.
In game two of the double header, the Barons once again jumped out to the early lead. This time against spot starter Mike Jones, the Barons scored three in the bottom half of the first inning.
Meanwhile, the Stars’ offense was once again quiet early, this time being shut-down by the younger brother of Chiefs’ QB Matt Cassel: Justin Cassel. They finally got to him in the fifth inning thanks in-part to the newest Star: Brent Brewer.
Wilson started the inning by drawing a walk. Brewer, who had already doubled in his first Stars’ at-bat, singled to move Wilson down to second base. A nice sacrifice bunt from Sean McCraw moved both runners up 90 feet. Then Cassel uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Wilson to score. Haydel, who had such a big impact in game one, smacked another double to score Brewer and the deficit all of a sudden was only 3-2. But Haydel, for reasons beyond anyone watching’s understanding, attempted to steal third with Lawrie at the plate and was thrown out by a mile. Lawrie would then strike-out to end the inning.
Robert Hinton relieved Jones to start the fifth inning. Jones, in his second start of the year, really settled down after the rough first inning and gave the Stars enough so they were able to stay within range of the Barons. But Hinton immediately ran into trouble as Gallagher doubled with one away. A single from Morel put runners at the corners.
Then what was basically the turning point of the game occurred. Christian Marrero hit a fly ball to center that Haydel caught for the second out. Gallagher attempted to score on the play, and Haydel’s throw had him beat by a few steps. Unfortunately the ball tipped off the top of McCraw’s glove and went all the way to the backstop where Hinton picked it up. Meanwhile, McCraw got absolutely run over on the play. It appeared that the Barons had a much needed insurance run, but the Stars appealed to third base and it was ruled that Gallagher had left the bag too early. The inning was over, and the Stars had officially turned their fourth double play in the past four innings of the game. In-between innings, manager Magallanes and Gallagher got the boot for vehemently arguing the call with home plate umpire Gerard Ascani.
The Stars would go down quietly in the sixth, but rose again in the seventh to complete yet another amazing comeback. This time the Barons kept their starter in to begin the inning, as Cassel had had a nice outing. But an error would open the floodgates as Chris Errecart hit a grounder to short that snuck under the glove of Greg Paiml. Wilson hit a grounder to second and they got the force on Errecart, but a hustling Wilson would beat the relay throw to first.
Then Wilson really showed some hustle. In the gutsiest move of the year, he stole second base. It was his first stolen base attempt of the year, and luckily for the Stars he was successful. Not only that, the throw went into center so Wilson was also able to advance to third on the play. Cassel walked Brewer and his day was done.
In came Joe Torres, who immediately got the second out of the inning when he got pinch hitter Brett Dowdy to pop out to short. For the second consecutive game, the Stars were down to their final out. Torres got two strikes on Haydel, but what was a theme for the day continued as Haydel came up big once again with a slap-shot down the left field line to score Wilson, tie the game, and advance Brewer to third. That would be all for Torres and Tyson Corley entered the game. Lawrie was able to beat out an infield single to score Brewer and the Stars took the 4-3 lead that they would not relinquish.
Mike McClendon (1-0) worked two shut-out innings out of the bullpen to pick up the win while Cassel (0-2) suffered the hard-luck loss.
Haydel had a huge day at the plate, going 5-8 in the double header and driving in three runs while scoring two of his own.
With the sweep, the Stars move to within three games of the Tennessee Smokies in the North Division.
The Stars head back home to Joe Davis Stadium for a five game set beginning on Tuesday against the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. The Stars took 3 of 5 when they went to Jackson earlier in the year. Michael Bowman (2-2, 4.58) will be on the mound for game one, which starts at 7:00 p.m. Central Time. Join us on http://www.huntsvillestars.com for the Window World Pre-Game Report beginning at 6:45.
You like epic comebacks? Oh, we have some epic comebacks.
The Huntsville Stars (15-10) scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning on Monday to defeat the Birmingham Barons (6-18) by a final score of 5-4 in game one of their double header.
Then they did it again in game two. Except this time they only needed two runs in the top of the seventh as they prevailed 4-3.
But let’s go back to the beginning. The Barons have struggled all year, but they sent their undisputed ace, and Southern League ERA leader Charles Shirek to the mound for game one. Not surprisingly, he was his usual dominating self for the first five innings. Meanwhile the Stars responded with former first round draft pick Mark Rogers. The Barons got to Rogers for one run in the first without recording a hit.
Rogers hit John Shelby III to start the inning. Shelby III was able to steal second base. With one down, Jim Gallagher drew a walk. The aggressive Barons proceeded to pull off a double steal to put two runners in scoring position. Brent Morel grounded out to second base to score Shelby III, but that would be the extent of the damage in the first inning.
Zelous Wheeler nearly hit a homer off Shirek in the second inning, but a leaping catch by right fielder Salvador Sanchez took it away.
Rogers matched Shirek pitch for pitch until he ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth. Lee Cruz started things off with a ringing double to left. Then Rogers was a victim of some bad luck as a Sanchez “Baltimore Chop” bounced over the head of Steffan Wilson and into right field. That scored Cruz and the lead was 2-0 for the Barons.
Then the Barons played some small ball. First, catcher Chase Blackwood bunted Sanchez over to second base. That was followed by a quick swipe of third. Manager Ever Magallanes went deep in to his bag of tricks and pulled out the old suicide squeeze. Justin Fuller executed it to perfection, and the Barons had a 3-0 lead.
After five complete, things didn’t look so great for the Stars, as they found themselves down 3-0 in a 7-inning game.
But that all changed in the top of the sixth. Lee Haydel, who has filled in nicely for the injured Lorenzo Cain in the lead-off spot, laced a double to right to start things off. Then Brett Lawrie hit a seeing-eye single up the middle to plate Haydel and just like that Shirek had given up only his third run of the season. Down 3-1, the Stars kept the pressure on Shirek when with one away, Wheeler singled to right. That put runners on the corners for Taylor Green.
Manager Mike Guerrero decided to play some small ball himself as he sent Wheeler with two strikes on Green. Green struck-out, but the throw to second base got away from Fuller and Lawrie came in from third to cut the deficit to 3-2. Shirek would get out of the inning without any further damage, but the Stars had gotten within striking distance.
Unfortunately a solo homer from Morel in the top half of the seventh seemed to once again put the game at more than arm’s reach.
Then the Barons made a bit of a tactical mistake, they took out Shirek in favor of Miguel Socolovich (2-2) in the bottom half of the seventh.
Wilson led-off the inning and drew a walk. One out later Martin Maldonado also drew a walk. Then Haydel continued his phenomenal double header with a double to right field to score Wilson. But a Lawrie strikeout put the Stars down to their final out.
That’s when Caleb Gindl worked his magic. Gindl, who had the game-winning hit just two days ago, singled up the middle to plate both runners and give the Stars their first lead of the game.
That would be more than enough for Mark Willinsky (1-0), who after giving up the solo homer in the sixth out of the ‘pen, slammed the door in the bottom half of the seventh to earn his first win of the year.
But the great night for the Stars was just getting started.
In game two of the double header, the Barons once again jumped out to the early lead. This time against spot starter Mike Jones, the Barons scored three in the bottom half of the first inning.
Meanwhile, the Stars’ offense was once again quiet early, this time being shut-down by the younger brother of Chiefs’ QB Matt Cassel: Justin Cassel. They finally got to him in the fifth inning thanks in-part to the newest Star: Brent Brewer.
Wilson started the inning by drawing a walk. Brewer, who had already doubled in his first Stars’ at-bat, singled to move Wilson down to second base. A nice sacrifice bunt from Sean McCraw moved both runners up 90 feet. Then Cassel uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Wilson to score. Haydel, who had such a big impact in game one, smacked another double to score Brewer and the deficit all of a sudden was only 3-2. But Haydel, for reasons beyond anyone watching’s understanding, attempted to steal third with Lawrie at the plate and was thrown out by a mile. Lawrie would then strike-out to end the inning.
Robert Hinton relieved Jones to start the fifth inning. Jones, in his second start of the year, really settled down after the rough first inning and gave the Stars enough so they were able to stay within range of the Barons. But Hinton immediately ran into trouble as Gallagher doubled with one away. A single from Morel put runners at the corners.
Then what was basically the turning point of the game occurred. Christian Marrero hit a fly ball to center that Haydel caught for the second out. Gallagher attempted to score on the play, and Haydel’s throw had him beat by a few steps. Unfortunately the ball tipped off the top of McCraw’s glove and went all the way to the backstop where Hinton picked it up. Meanwhile, McCraw got absolutely run over on the play. It appeared that the Barons had a much needed insurance run, but the Stars appealed to third base and it was ruled that Gallagher had left the bag too early. The inning was over, and the Stars had officially turned their fourth double play in the past four innings of the game. In-between innings, manager Magallanes and Gallagher got the boot for vehemently arguing the call with home plate umpire Gerard Ascani.
The Stars would go down quietly in the sixth, but rose again in the seventh to complete yet another amazing comeback. This time the Barons kept their starter in to begin the inning, as Cassel had had a nice outing. But an error would open the floodgates as Chris Errecart hit a grounder to short that snuck under the glove of Greg Paiml. Wilson hit a grounder to second and they got the force on Errecart, but a hustling Wilson would beat the relay throw to first.
Then Wilson really showed some hustle. In the gutsiest move of the year, he stole second base. It was his first stolen base attempt of the year, and luckily for the Stars he was successful. Not only that, the throw went into center so Wilson was also able to advance to third on the play. Cassel walked Brewer and his day was done.
In came Joe Torres, who immediately got the second out of the inning when he got pinch hitter Brett Dowdy to pop out to short. For the second consecutive game, the Stars were down to their final out. Torres got two strikes on Haydel, but what was a theme for the day continued as Haydel came up big once again with a slap-shot down the left field line to score Wilson, tie the game, and advance Brewer to third. That would be all for Torres and Tyson Corley entered the game. Lawrie was able to beat out an infield single to score Brewer and the Stars took the 4-3 lead that they would not relinquish.
Mike McClendon (1-0) worked two shut-out innings out of the bullpen to pick up the win while Cassel (0-2) suffered the hard-luck loss.
Haydel had a huge day at the plate, going 5-8 in the double header and driving in three runs while scoring two of his own.
With the sweep, the Stars move to within three games of the Tennessee Smokies in the North Division.
The Stars head back home to Joe Davis Stadium for a five game set beginning on Tuesday against the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. The Stars took 3 of 5 when they went to Jackson earlier in the year. Michael Bowman (2-2, 4.58) will be on the mound for game one, which starts at 7:00 p.m. Central Time. Join us on http://www.huntsvillestars.com for the Window World Pre-Game Report beginning at 6:45.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Extra innings no problem for Stars
By Aaron Morse
Caleb Gindl came up big off the bench and Brandon Kintzler (1-0) earned his first win of the season as the Huntsville Stars (13-10) scored two runs in the ninth and one more in the 11th to prevail 4-3 over the Birmingham Barons (6-16) Saturday night.
The Stars’ biggest problem all year long has been defense, and the bottom of the first inning on Saturday was no different. John Shelby started things off with a grounder to short, the throw from Zelous Wheeler to first base was dropped by Chris Errecart. The next batter, Dale Mollenhauer lined a base hit to center field. It appeared they’d be able to get Mollenhauer out between first and second, but Brett Lawrie instead attempted to get Shelby going from first to third, and he threw it into the camera well, allowing Shelby to score and for Mollenhauer to advance to third. A ground-out scored Mollenhauer. But the Barons weren’t done. Brent Morel doubled to left, and with two outs Lee Cruz singled him home to extend the lead to 3-0.
But Huntsville battled back in the top half of the second inning thanks to some shaky defense on the Barons’ part. With one away, Chris Errecart reached on a throwing error by Morel. With two down, and two on after a Steffan Wilson single, Chuckie Caufield, playing in place of the injured Caleb Gindl, delivered a clutch single to left to drive in Errecart.
It would stay at a 3-1 score until the top half of the 9th inning. With one away, Errecart got the rally going with a single to center. Brett Dowdy got his first hit as a Star with a single to shallow leftfield. Wilson followed that with a two-strike single to right to load the bases with only one down. Then the Stars got a little dramatic as they pinch-hit with the previously injured Gindl. Caleb was able to draw a walk to drive in a run and cut the deficit to 3-2. A Martin Maldonado sacrifice fly tied the game, but Lee Haydel struck out to end the inning.
Errecart continued his nice day at the plate with a lead-off double in the top of the 11th. Two outs later, with Errecart on third, Gindl hit a slow chopper to third base. He was able to beat out the throw and the Stars took a 4-3 lead.
Alex Periard went six solid innings, scattering five hits and giving up three runs, but none of them were earned. Jim Henderson tossed 2.1 shutout innings in relief and Kintzler got the win thanks to 2.2 perfect innings to end the game.
Jhonny Nunez pitched well for the Barons, but got a no decision despite five solid innings and no earned runs surrendered. Henry Mabee blew his second save of the year in the ninth and Tyson Corley (0-1) suffered the loss.
The Stars return to action Sunday afternoon as they play 2:05pm central time game against the Barons. Mark Rogers (1-2) will be on the mound as the Stars look to clinch the series victory. Tune to WTKI or http://www.huntsvillestars.com for all the action.
Caleb Gindl came up big off the bench and Brandon Kintzler (1-0) earned his first win of the season as the Huntsville Stars (13-10) scored two runs in the ninth and one more in the 11th to prevail 4-3 over the Birmingham Barons (6-16) Saturday night.
The Stars’ biggest problem all year long has been defense, and the bottom of the first inning on Saturday was no different. John Shelby started things off with a grounder to short, the throw from Zelous Wheeler to first base was dropped by Chris Errecart. The next batter, Dale Mollenhauer lined a base hit to center field. It appeared they’d be able to get Mollenhauer out between first and second, but Brett Lawrie instead attempted to get Shelby going from first to third, and he threw it into the camera well, allowing Shelby to score and for Mollenhauer to advance to third. A ground-out scored Mollenhauer. But the Barons weren’t done. Brent Morel doubled to left, and with two outs Lee Cruz singled him home to extend the lead to 3-0.
But Huntsville battled back in the top half of the second inning thanks to some shaky defense on the Barons’ part. With one away, Chris Errecart reached on a throwing error by Morel. With two down, and two on after a Steffan Wilson single, Chuckie Caufield, playing in place of the injured Caleb Gindl, delivered a clutch single to left to drive in Errecart.
It would stay at a 3-1 score until the top half of the 9th inning. With one away, Errecart got the rally going with a single to center. Brett Dowdy got his first hit as a Star with a single to shallow leftfield. Wilson followed that with a two-strike single to right to load the bases with only one down. Then the Stars got a little dramatic as they pinch-hit with the previously injured Gindl. Caleb was able to draw a walk to drive in a run and cut the deficit to 3-2. A Martin Maldonado sacrifice fly tied the game, but Lee Haydel struck out to end the inning.
Errecart continued his nice day at the plate with a lead-off double in the top of the 11th. Two outs later, with Errecart on third, Gindl hit a slow chopper to third base. He was able to beat out the throw and the Stars took a 4-3 lead.
Alex Periard went six solid innings, scattering five hits and giving up three runs, but none of them were earned. Jim Henderson tossed 2.1 shutout innings in relief and Kintzler got the win thanks to 2.2 perfect innings to end the game.
Jhonny Nunez pitched well for the Barons, but got a no decision despite five solid innings and no earned runs surrendered. Henry Mabee blew his second save of the year in the ninth and Tyson Corley (0-1) suffered the loss.
The Stars return to action Sunday afternoon as they play 2:05pm central time game against the Barons. Mark Rogers (1-2) will be on the mound as the Stars look to clinch the series victory. Tune to WTKI or http://www.huntsvillestars.com for all the action.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
