Stars drop eighth consecutive series

By Aaron Morse

The Carolina Mudcats (28-36) scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back as the Huntsville Stars (29-36) dropped Monday’s rubber match by a final score of 6-3.

Stars’ starter Josh Butler surrendered a lead-off single to Sean Danielson in the first. After Jose Castro bunted Danielson to second, Butler couldn’t locate the strike zone as he walked Sean Henry. Mike Costanzo made him pay by drilling a three-run home run to give the Mudcats the 3-0 lead. Butler got the next batter out, but the Mudcats would get some two-out offense thanks to a Devin Mesoraco single to left. Denis Phipps followed with a single of his own and Eric Eymann singled home Mesoraco to make the score 4-0.

Butler settled down nicely after his rough first frame as he ended up going five innings, giving up six hits and four runs. He walked one and struck-out four in the outing.

After being shut down by Mudcats’ starter Matt Fairel for the first five innings, the Stars rallied in the sixth. Caleb Gindl flexed his muscles as he slugged his team-leading sixth homer of the year to start things off. One out later Taylor Green chased Fairel from the game with a double to left. Mudcats’ manager David Bell called upon Lee Tabor to try and get them out of the inning. A passed ball moved Green to third and Chuckie Caufield got the job done with a RBI grounder to third and the Stars pulled to within two.

They got even closer in the eighth against new pitcher Ruben Medina. With two away Green reached thanks to an error by shortstop Jose Castro. Caufield made the Mudcats pay by smacking a RBI double to left; making the score 4-3.

Unfortunately for the Stars, Carolina got some insurance in the bottom half of the frame. Reliever Lucas Luetge gave up a single to Sean Henry and Henry immediately swiped second base. He struck-out Costanzo and Mike Guerrero brought in Nick Green to face the next batter. Green got a strike-out as well, but gave up a two-run shot to Mesoraco and Carolina took a 6-3 lead.

That’s how the game ended as the Stars got a two-out single in the ninth but nothing else as they dropped their eight consecutive series and third consecutive game.

Butler (0-3) suffered the loss while Fairel (1-2) went 5.1 innings for the win. Medina also pitched the ninth as he picked up his first save of the season.