Saturday, July 31, 2010

Stars Shutout Opposition

Connor Shreve

The Huntsville Stars guaranteed a series victory over Mississippi with a 5-0 victory Saturday night at "The Joe".

The Stars quickly gave starting pitcher Andre Lamontagne a cushion with two first inning runs. Brett Lawrie and Caleb gindle both picked up hits to start the game. The two men at the top of the order also added a base to their resume by swiping a free bag on the same pitch. Lawrie scored on a deep sac fly by Chris Nowak, which may have easily sailed over the fence had it not been for near hurricane like winds with storms looming. The Stars RBI leader Taylor Green brought home Gindle with a single before the inning came to a close.

Green continued his RBI tear in the third. A two out double in the third baseman's next time up brought home Zelous Wheeler and added to Greens impressive night. The Stars third baseman finished 3-4 with a run and two RBI. The 24 year old Canadian national has now driven in 59 runs heading in to the final full month of the season, good for sixth in the league.

The hometown Stars scored more but the pitching staff didn't need any extra. Lamontagne and Chris Cody combined for a four hit shutout. Lamontagne remains unbeaten with the Stars, moving to 3-0 while Cody seems to be embracing his new spot in the bullpen.

Cody started the sixth in his first appearance since being transferred to the pen on July 28 and threw four innings while notching his first save of the year. Each Huntsville hurler gave up two hits, walked one and struck out three M-Braves batters.
The Stars will play game five of the current ten game road trip Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (CDT). A Huntsville win combined with a Tennessee loss in Kodak would bring the Stars to within one game of the first place Smokies.

The game can be heard live on www.huntsvillestars.com

Friday, July 30, 2010

Stars Win By One

Connor Shreve

Eddie Morlan closed a one run ballgame with the bases loaded for a 5-4 Huntsville win at Joe Davis Stadium Friday night. The game never gave the perception that it would resemble the pitchers duel of the previous night.

Michael Daniel punched a ball through Huntsville’s infield with one out in the second and was quickly caught trying to steal. Eliminating Daniel saved a run; Donell Linares knocked a single, one of four in the M-Braves half of the frame, and was brought home by the next batter when backstop Shawn McGill crushed his first homer of the year to right field to give Mississippi a two run advantage.

The visitors lead lasted less than fifteen minutes. Chris Nowak started the bottom half of the inning with a single and came around to score courtesy Taylor Green and his eighth bomb of the season. Huntsville used the fifth inning to jettison from the M-Braves.

Anderson De La Rosa and pitcher Amaury Rivas both crossed home in the fifth thanks to sloppy play on the part of Mississippi. De La Rosa doubled and made it to third on Rivas’ bunt, a bunt that was misplayed and allowed all to reach safely. The Braves mistakenly tried to get De La Rosa at third and the close play did not allow a throw to first leaving Rivas safely on the bag. The comedy of errors continued when Eric Duncan could not handle a ball hit off the bat of Brett Lawrie that allowed the Stars infielder to pick up another RBI for bringing home De La Rosa. After a groundout left Mississippi with a chance to escape, Zelous Wheeler punctuated the frame by lining a shot off the leg of M-Braves pitcher Richard Sullivan and scoring Rivas.

Amaury Rivas wasn’t the only Huntsville pitcher to help offensively. Robert Hinton, who came on to finish the sixth, added an insurance run in the same inning with a two out single. The base hit was Hinton’s first of the year.

Rivas (10-5 2.67) departed with one out in the sixth and became the first Stars pitcher to win ten games in 2010. He scattered eight hits and allowed two earned runs while walking three and punching out five Mississippi batters on strikes. His win appeared to be in jeopardy in the ninth but Eddie Morlan worked out of the bases loaded jam to preserve the victory. Morlan, the third Stars pitcher of the inning, started Daniel with three balls out of the zone but came roaring back by throwing three straight strikes to bring the contest to a close.

With win number 18 for the second half in the bag and a Carolina loss, the Stars moved in to sole position of second place in the north remaining two games back of Tennessee. Huntsville can guarantee a series victory with a win Saturday as the current set continues at 6:00 p.m. (CDT).

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Stars move to within a game of first with win over Braves

By Aaron Morse

Drew Anderson and Chris Nowak drove in two runs each and the Huntsville Stars’ (17-15, 50-52) pitching staff was dominant on their way to a 6-0 victory over the Mississippi Braves (15-17, 45-55) Wednesday night.

It was the second consecutive excellent outing from Stars’ right-hander Michael Bowman. This time he was rewarded with a win. Bowman battled with his control all night, walking four batters. But he held the Braves scoreless in his six innings of work. Bowman only surrendered two hits, both to Mauro Gomez, and struck-out four.

His counterpart was 19-year old top prospect Julio Teheran, making his double-A debut. Teheran also had to battle his control early, but was unable to work around his issues.

Anderson barely missed a home run in the second inning with a double off the wall in right. Nowak followed by singling him home to give the Stars a 1-0 lead.

In the third inning, Bowman did some great work with the stick, fouling off pitch after pitch and finally working a 12-pitch walk. That seemed to rattle Teheran, who walked Caleb Gindl, Zelous Wheeler, and Anderson as well. The Anderson walk brought home Bowman to extend the Stars’ advantage to 2-0. Teheran caught a break when Nowak hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

The Stars chased Teheran from the game in the fifth. Brett Lawrie led-off with a single up the middle. He was able to steal second base despite the throw beating him there as Tyler Pastornicky missed the tag. Gindl drew another walk, as did Anderson to load the bases. Nowak drove in Lawrie with a well-hit sacrifice fly to left. Everyone else moved up 90 feet as well and Gindl scored when Taylor Green rapped a single to right. That was it for Teheran as Benino Pruneda entered, only to give up a a RBI single to Lee Haydel. When the dust settled the Stars had a 5-0 lead.

They’d tack on one more in the eighth on back-to-back doubles from Wheeler and Anderson. Drew nearly hit two homers on the day but had to settle a 2-3 night with two runs scored, two doubles, two RBI, and two walks. Anderson De La Rosa, Lawrie, and Haydel all had multi-hit games as well.

The Stars’ bullpen was excellent as Nick Green tossed two scoreless innings while Eddie Morlan worked the ninth to finish off the Braves.

For Huntsville it’s their fifth shutout of the year thrown by their pitching staff. With the win, combined with Tennessee and Carolina losing, the Stars sit all alone in second place, one game back of the Smokies in the north division.

The Stars look to win game two of the five game set Thursday night as they send Mark Rogers (4-7, 3.68 ERA) to the mound. First pitch is at 7:00 p.m. and can be heard only on www.huntsvillestars.com.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Stars miss multiple opportunities, fall to Suns

By Aaron Morse

Matt Dominguez hit a walk-off single in the ninth as the Jacksonville Suns (17-14, 57-44) edged the Huntsville Stars (16-15, 49-52) by a final score of 2-1 Monday night.

Huntsville left 13 men on base in the contest and the Stars were only 2-19 with runners in scoring position.

The lack of production wasted a great Double-A debut from Wily Peralta as he went six innings, scattering six hits, giving up a lone run while walking four and striking out five.

The Stars got on the board first in the second inning. Chris Nowak led-off with a double. One out later Chuckie Caufield drew a walk. That’s when Lee Haydel came up big with a RBI single to give Huntsville the 1-0 lead.

But the Suns responded right away against Peralta in the bottom half of the frame. With two away Tim Torres singled to center and John Otness doubled him home. The play at the plate was very close but Torres just slid in under Anderson De La Rosa’s tag to even things at one.

Neither team scored again until the ninth, but it’s not like the Stars didn’t have their fair share of chances. In fact, they got a runner in scoring position every inning from there on out with the exception of the ninth, yet they were unable to score. Perhaps their best opportunity came in the fifth when they couldn’t take advantage of a lead-off triple off the bat of Brett Lawrie.

The Suns finally made the Stars pay in the ninth against Lucas Luetge (1-2) and Robert Hinton. Lorenzo Scott singled off Luetge to start the inning. Ryan Curry bunted him over to second and the Stars decided to intentionally walk Vinny Rottino. Mike Guerrero called on Hinton to try and get Southern League All-Star Game MVP Matt Dominguez out. He was unable to as Dominguez singled up the middle, driving in Scott for the walk-off win.

With the loss, the Stars fall to two games back of the Tennessee Smokies in the north division.

The Stars are off Tuesday before returning to Joe Davis Stadium on Wednesday to open a 10-game home stand. The Mississippi Braves are in town and you can hear all the action on www.huntsvillestars.com. First pitch on Wednesday is at 7:00 p.m. central time.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Stars sneak past Suns in extra innings

By Aaron Morse

The Huntsville Stars (16-14, 49-51) took advantage of two Jacksonville Suns (16-14, 56-44) errors in the top half of the tenth inning to prevail 4-1 Sunday afternoon.

It was a pitcher’s duel early on as Chris Cody and Elih Villanueva were both excellent on the hill. The Stars got on the board first in the top of the fourth. Zelous Wheeler led-off the inning with a single to center. Wheeler swiped second base and with one away Chris Nowak got hit by a pitch. The Stars loaded the bases after Taylor Green drew a walk. Villanueva managed to get Lee Haydel pop out, but with Patrick Arlis at the plate, the former Florida State Seminole uncorked a wild pitch. Wheeler came hustling home and the Stars grabbed the 1-0 lead.

Meanwhile Chris Cody walked a bit of a tightrope. In the first inning the Suns got a runner to third but a sharp liner to Taylor Green allowed him to turn the unassisted double play and get Cody out of trouble.

Ryan Curry smacked a two-out double in the second but Cody struck-out Jason Delaney to end the inning.

In the third, the Suns got another man to third base and this time Lorenzo Scott hit a fly ball to center that Caleb Gindl caught and fired to plate. His throw was true and John Otness was out by a mile.

Cody hardly broke a sweat after a one-out double in the fourth went for naught for Jacksonville.

It wasn’t until the sixth inning that Cody sent the Suns down 1-2-3, and he ran into more trouble in the seventh. Back-to-back singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with only one away. Stars’ manager Mike Guerrero opted to call on Eddie Morlan to relieve Cody and try to get out of the inning.

Morlan would do exactly that but not before an Otness sacrifice fly tied things up at one. Cody got a no-decision but pitched well, going 6.1 innings, scattering seven hits, surrendering the lone run, walking nobody and striking out two.

The game remained tied until the fateful tenth.

Patrick Arlis legged out an infield single against reliever Kris Harvey. Stars’ pitcher Jim Henderson got down a beautiful sacrifice bunt, putting the go-ahead run into scoring position. Brett Lawrie followed with an infield single of his own and the Stars had runners at the corners with only one down. Caleb Gindl chopped a ball to first base that Vinny Rottino threw wild to home, allowing Arlis to score and giving the Stars the 2-1 lead. Huntsville showed off their trademark aggressiveness by pulling off a double steal. With runners on second and third, the poor defense continued as Zelous Wheeler hit a grounder to short that Osvaldo Martinez threw wildly to home, so wild was his throw that two runs scored on the play, extending the lead to 4-1.

Henderson tossed a scoreless bottom of the 10th to give the Stars their third consecutive victory and a much-needed series win over the Suns. The Stars managed to win the game despite only tallying six hits (no one had a multi-hit game) and zero RBI.

The Stars look to take 4 of 5 from the Suns as they play at 6:05 p.m. central time Monday night. Michael Fiers (1-0, 4.15 ERA) will take on Andrew Miller (1-5, 5.52 ERA). You can hear all the action only on www.huntsvillestars.com.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Stars beat Suns in back-and-forth battle

By Aaron Morse

Drew Anderson smacked a two-RBI double to give the Stars (15-14, 48-51) the lead for good and Huntsville’s pitching staff struck-out a season-high 16 batters on their way to a 5-2 victory Saturday night over the Jacksonville Suns (16-13, 56-43).

Jacksonville got to Stars’ starter Amaury Rivas in the second inning as Matt Dominguez started things with a lead-off walk. A grounder moved him to second, and with two away Tim Torres came through with a bloop single to left, scoring Dominguez and giving the Suns a 1-0 lead.

Huntsville got some two-out lightning of their own in the top of the third. Caleb Gindl doubled to left and Zelous Wheeler followed with a double of his own to tie the game at one.

The back-and-forth two-out offense continued in the bottom of the frame. Amaury Rivas retired the first two batters he faced and struck-out Osvaldo Martinez for what should have been out number three. Unfortunately the ball got away from Anderson De La Rosa, allowing Martinez to reach safely. Martinez took advantage by stealing second base and scoring on a Vinny Rottino single.

The Suns’ 2-1 lead didn’t last long as the Stars came back in the top of the fourth. Chris Nowak led-off with a walk. That was the end of the day for Suns’ starter Jose Rosario as the Suns brought in Wade Korpi (0-3). Nowak proceeded to steal second base and advance to third on a Taylor Green ground-out. Lee Haydel smacked a sacrifice fly to knot things at two.

Korpi’s control was his undoing in the fifth as he walked Rivas and Lawrie to start the inning. It was the first time all year Rivas has reached base. Caleb Gindl bunted the runners over and Korpi walked Wheeler as well. With the bases full, Drew Anderson came up large with a double to right, scoring Rivas and Lawrie to give the Stars a 4-2 advantage.

Rivas (9-5) went five innings, giving up four hits and two runs, both earned. He walked one and struck-out six. Nick Green came in for Rivas and was dominant, tossing two scoreless innings and striking-out five hitters.

Huntsville added an insurance run in the eighth thanks to a Wheeler solo homer. Jim Henderson struck-out two on his way to a scoreless bottom half of the frame.

Robert Hinton nailed down his third save of the year and second in as many days with a 1-2-3 ninth as he struck-out the side.

With the win, the Stars pull to within 1.5 games of the Tennessee Smokies for the north division lead as Tennessee was rained out Saturday.

Huntsville looks to clinch the series victory Sunday afternoon as they’ll get started at 2:05 p.m. central time. The Stars’ starter is TBA, but he’ll be squaring off against Elih Villanueva (10-4, 2.39 ERA). Tune in beginning at 1:50 p.m. for the Window World Pre-Game Report on the Stars Radio Network.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Stars edge Suns to break four game skid

By Aaron Morse

Chris Nowak singled home Drew Anderson in the eighth and Taylor Green tied a club record for doubles in a game with three as the Huntsville Stars (14-14, 47-51) snuck past the Jacksonville Suns (16-12, 56-42) by a final score of 3-2 Friday night.

Each team put up two runs in the second inning. With one away, back-to-back doubles from Green and Lee Haydel gave Huntsville a 1-0 edge. Then with two away, Stars’ starter Mark Rogers helped out his own cause with a double of his own to drive in Haydel and give the Stars a 2-0 lead.

But the advantage would be short-lived as the Suns came back in their half of the frame. Former Star Vinny Rottino singled to lead things off. He stole second base and Lee Mitchell drew a walk. One out later Ryan Curry doubled home Rottino, putting runners at second and third with one out. John Otness grounded out, driving in the tying run in the process. Rogers walked another batter but was able to get out of the inning with no further damage when he got the next batter to ground back to the mound.

It was another shaky night for Rogers, who is always tough to hit, but continues to have control issues. He went 4.2 innings, giving up two runs on only two hits, but he walked five and struck-out four. It took him 88 pitches to get through his night and he was replaced after he walked Rottino with two outs in the fifth inning. Lucas Luetge entered and walked the first man he faced but was able to get out of the inning unscathed.

Unlike in previous games, the battle of the bullpens went the Stars’ way. Suns’ starter Tom Koehler tossed six innings, giving up two runs on six hits. He walked two and struck-out six.

Dan Jennings (4-2), fresh off his ejection the previous night, entered in the seventh and threw a shutout inning before the Stars got to him in the eighth. With one away Drew Anderson drilled the Stars’ sixth double of the night. Chris Nowak followed with a jam-shot single that scored Anderson, putting the Stars ahead 3-2.

Taylor Green etched his name in the Stars’ record book with his third double of the night, tied for the most in a single game by a Star, but he was left stranded. He’s the first Star to tally three doubles in one game since Corey Hart did it in 2003.

Andre Lamontagne (2-0) picked up where Luetge, who went an inning and a third of scoreless ball left off. The big right-hander bounced back from his rough outing the other day to go two scoreless innings and pick up his second win of the season for the Stars.

Robert Hinton, recently reassigned to Huntsville from Nashville, pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save of the season.

Green and Nowak tallied multi-hit games and of the Stars’ nine hits, seven of them were doubles.

With the victory, the Stars remain two games back of Tennessee for first place in the Southern League north division. They send their ace, Amaury Rivas, to the mound Saturday night as they look to take a two games to one lead in their five game set with Jacksonville. First pitch is at 6:05 p.m. central time and all the action can be heard on the Stars Radio Network.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Stars blow four-run lead, then lose in extra innings

By Aaron Morse

What started as a good night for the Stars turned into a disastrous one as they dropped the series opener by a score of 6-5 in 12 innings to the Jacksonville Suns Thursday.

Huntsville got some two out lightning in the first inning against Suns’ starter Jeff Allison. With two in the well, Zelous Wheeler doubled to right. Drew Anderson followed with a RBI single in the hole between first and second to give the Stars a 1-0 lead.

Chris Nowak drew a lead-off base-on-balls in the second inning. Taylor Green continued his torrid hitting with a single to right-center that advanced Nowak to third. One out later, Anderson De La Rosa picked up his first RBI as a Star with a sacrifice fly to center field.

The 2-0 lead got cut in half in the bottom of the second when Lee Mitchell took Stars’ starter Michael Bowman deep to right field for a solo homer.

It seemed like the Stars grabbed control of the game in the third. Brett Lawrie started things with a triple, his league-leading 12th of the year. After Caleb Gindl walked, Wheeler hit a hard grounder and was robbed of a base hit. Instead it was a double play, but Lawrie scored to make the score 3-1. Anderson followed with his fourth homer of the year to extend the lead to 4-1.

They’d add an insurance run in the fifth. With one away, Wheeler smoked a ground-rule double. Then with two outs, Nowak came up huge as he grounded a single up the middle, driving in Wheeler and giving the Stars a 5-1 lead.

Bowman was excellent as he went six innings, giving up only three hits and one run. He walked two and struck-out six in the effort.

But it would not be enough for the “W” as the bullpen imploded in the seventh. New pitcher Andre Lamontagne was greeted rudely with a Matt Dominguez double. One out later, Lamontagne issued back-to-back walks to load the bases. Jeff Corsaletti made Lamontagne pay for his wildness as he singled in two to make the score 5-3. Nick Green entered the game and immediately walked the first man he faced to reload the bases. After Brandon Tripp struck-out, former Star Vinny Rottino tied things up with a single to left.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Suns threatened against Stars’ reliever Jim Henderson. With one away, Corsaletti reached on a two-base throwing error by Zelous Wheeler. A ground-ball to second moved him to third base. But Henderosn struck-out Tripp to get out of the jam and send the game to extra innings.

Eddie Morlan would surrender the winning run in the bottom of the 12th as he walked pinch hitter Elih Villanueva, who happens to be a starting pitcher, with the bases loaded to end the game.

It’s the fourth loss in a row for the Stars and they fall two games back of the Smokies in the north division.

The game featured both benches clearing when the Suns kept brushing back Michael Bowman at the plate. Suns’ reliever Dan Jennings was ejected for throwing a pitch behind Bowman.

Mark Rogers will head to the mound Friday night. Tune to the Stars Radio Network beginning at 5:50pm central time for the Window World Pre-Game Report.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Stars blitzed by Diamond Jaxx

By Aaron Morse

It got ugly early and stayed that way for the Huntsville Stars (46-49, 13-12) in their 12-5 defeat at the hands of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (48-46, 9-16) Monday night.

In the second inning, Nate Tenbrink led off with an infield single off Stars’ starter Josh Butler. After Joe Dunigan walked, Carlos Triunfel tried to bunt the runners over, but Butler was able to get the lead runner at third base. Unfortunately that proved to be irrelevant as Butler walked Brandon Haveman to load the bases. That’s when Matt Lawson unloaded on a pitch up in the zone for a grand slam and his second homer in as many games.

They would pour it on from there as Butler (3-5) had his worst outing of the season, lasting only four innings, giving up 10 hits, nine runs (eight earned), as he walked three and struck-out two.

The Stars’ defense did not help matters as they made four errors in the contest. Meanwhile, the offense pounded out 13 hits, but left 12 men stranded, and was only 4-17 with men in scoring position.

The game got so ugly that the Stars brought in position players Chuck Caufield and Andy Machado to pitch. They each tossed a scoreless inning and Caufield was able to strike-out “Futures Game” participants Alex Liddi and Carlos Peguero in order.

Huntsville’s offense finally got going in the ninth inning. Back-to-back singles from Lee Haydel and Brett Lawrie started the inning. Two outs later Drew Anderson tallied his second RBI of the night as he singled home Haydel. Chris Howak followed with a RBI single of his own. Taylor Green continued his recent hot streak at the plate as he doubled home Anderson and Nowak to make the score 12-5.

That’s all the Stars would get though as Steven Hensley (7-7) picked up the win with 6.1 strong innings. Lawrie, Nowak, Haydel, and Anderson tallied multi-hit games for the Stars. Meanwhile, seven different players had multi-hit games for the Diamond Jaxx.

The teams combined for 28 hits, but the runs column was all West Tenn. The loss puts the Stars in a three-way tie for first place in the SL North with Carolina and Tennessee. They’ll look to salvage a split of the four-game set Tuesday afternoon as they send Michael Fiers to the mound in the finale. Tune in on huntsvillestars.com beginning at 12:45 p.m. central time for the Window World Pre-Game Report.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Ninth inning a black hole for Stars

By Aaron Morse

The West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (47-46, 8-16) scored six runs in the top of the ninth to stun the Huntsville Stars (46-48, 13-11) by a final score of 7-3 Sunday afternoon.

Neither starting pitcher factored in the decision as Mauricio Robles of the Diamond Jaxx left the game with an undisclosed an injury after two innings. Meanwhile the Stars’ Amaury Rivas tossed three no-hit innings before the teams had to sit through an hour-long rain delay, which meant the end of his outing.

Huntsville took the early lead thanks to a Taylor Green solo home run in the second inning. It’s Green’s second homer in as many games. They’d tack on two more in the third due to a RBI single from Zelous Wheeler and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Green. With his two RBI night, Green holds the team lead at 52.

Andre Lamontagne replaced Rivas after the rain delay and was excellent, going four innings, surrendering a lone run on two hits. He struck-out four and did not walk anyone.

Alex Liddi smacked a solo homer in the seventh to make the score 3-1, but all seemed to still be in control for the Stars.

Eddie Morlan worked a scoreless eighth, but Jim Henderson came undone in the ninth.

In an attempt to pick up his seventh save, Henderson instead handed the Diamond Jaxx the game. He walked Liddi to start the inning, and after striking-out the dangerous Carlos Peguero, walked Guillermo Quiroz as well. Scott Savastano followed with a sharp single to left, loading the bases. Back-to-back walks issued to Joe Dunigan and Johan Limonta tied the game. Then a sacrifice fly off the bat of Brandon Haveman gave West Tenn the lead.

That was it for Henderson as the Stars called upon position player Patrick Arlis to try and get the final out. He would do so but only after giving up a three-run homer to Matthew Lawson as the Diamond Jaxx put the game out of reach.

With the loss, the Stars drop into a tie with Carolina for the top spot in the SL North in the second half.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Stars use a huge sixth inning to smash the Diamond Jaxx

By Aaron Morse

The Huntsville Stars (13-10, 46-47) scored seven runs in the sixth inning on their way to a 13-6 victory over the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (7-16, 46-46) Saturday night.

The top of the order got things going in the first as Brett Lawrie and Caleb Gindl tallied back-to-back singles against Diamond Jaxx starter Blake Beavan. A Zelous Wheeler fly ball to deep center moved them up 90 feet. After Drew Anderson was hit by a pitch, Chris Nowak picked up a RBI when he grounded in to a fielder’s choice. With runners at the corners and two away, Taylor Green came up large with a two-run double to deep left.

The second inning started just like the first, as the Stars picked up back-to-back singles. This time it was Dayton Buller with a grounder up the gut and Lee Haydel laying down a beauty of a bunt to reach base. A Brett Lawrie ground-out moved both runners up a base and Gindl smacked a sacrifice fly to score Buller and advance Haydel to third. Haydel would score on a wild pitch and the Stars had a 5-0 lead.

But West Tennessee being the power-hitting team they are, came back forcefully as Carlos Triunfel drilled a two-run homer off Chris Cody in the third.

In the fourth they continued to chip away as Alex Liddi led-off with a double to left. One out later fellow MLB Futures Game participant Carlos Peguero doubled down the right field line, plating Liddi and cutting the Stars’ lead to two.

Beavan went four innings for West Tenn., giving up five runs on six hits. He struck-out three while walking one.

Huntsville had a golden opportunity in the fifth, loading the bases against former Star (2006 and 2008) Steve Bray with no outs. Chris Nowak hit a fly ball to left that Joe Dunigan caught and gunned to the plate to nail Gindl for the double play. Bray got Green to ground out and the Stars came away empty handed.

Meanwhile Cody was excellent, going 5.2 innings and striking out a season-high nine while walking only one. He gave up three runs, all earned on five hits.

Huntsville got all the insurance they needed and then some in the sixth. With one out, Buller tripled off the glove of a hustling Dunigan, and Haydel followed with a chopper through the right side to make the score 6-3 in favor of the Stars. Lawrie flew to right for the second out of the frame.

Then, the wheels came off for Steve Bray and the Diamond Jaxx. Gindl singled to left, advancing Haydel to second. Wheeler followed with a RBI single, and advanced to second when the throw came in to third in an attempt to get Gindl, which failed as the ball got away from Liddi.

With runners at the corners and two away, West Tenn. decided to intentionally walk Anderson. That didn’t work out so well as Nowak continued his hot hitting with the Stars, drilling a double to left, clearing the bases and making the score 10-3.

But they weren’t done as Green followed that with a two-run bomb, extending the advantage to 12-3.

The Diamond Jaxx got one back against Nick Green in the eighth, but Anderson went yard to make the score 13-4 in the bottom of the frame.

Reliever Mark Willinsky gave up a couple of runs in the ninth, but West Tenn. really didn’t have a chance as he finished the 13-6 victory off with Matthew Lawson ground-out.

Everyone in the Stars’ lineup tallied a hit and every player with the exception of Chuck Caufield scored a run. Nowak and Green drove in four runs each while Haydel and Gindl tallied three hits apiece.

Cody (5-7) earned the victory while Beavan (0-1) suffered the loss. With the victory, the Stars once again take sole possession of first place in the Southern League North.

Amaury Rivas (8-5, 2.66 ERA) takes the mound Sunday afternoon against Mauricio Robles (6-5, 4.31 ERA) as it’s a battle of Southern League Mid-Season All-Stars. You can hear the action only on www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 12:45 p.m. central time with the Window World Pre-Game Report.

Stars winning streak ends at four

By Connor Shreve

The Huntsville Stars (12-10) attempt at a series sweep was foiled by strong Mississippi pitching in a 5-1 loss Friday night in Huntsville.

True to form, Stars starter Mark Rogers (4-7 3.67) struggled early with 30 pitches in the first inning. He began the frame by hitting the first batter he faced. A triple followed to score the first run of the game, then came an RBI single off the bat of off Eric Duncan. The rest of the first was up and down but Rogers picked up the final out with runners on second and third to keep the deficit at two.

Huntsville could have been down by more but cut the lead in the bottom half of the first thanks to newcomer Chris Nowak. The big right hander singled home Zelous Wheeler with two outs before the first came to a close.

The Mississippi bullpen received one insurance run in the fourth and a couple more late but didn’t need any of them, holding the Stars scoreless through the remainder of the contest. Starter Kyle Cofield was removed in the third inning and the decision went to the first man out of the M-Braves pen, Richard Sullivan (3-8 5.92) who tossed three and one third scoreless innings.

The Stars have won seven of their last nine games and look to a new series with West Tennessee, which begins Saturday night at 6:00 (CDT)

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Stars take sole possession of first place

By Aaron Morse

The Huntsville Stars (12-9, 45-46) struck-out 15 times, but it didn’t matter as they stormed back to defeat the Mississippi Braves (12-9, 42-47) by a final score of 5-4 Thursday night.

With the win, the Stars take over sole possession of first place in the Southern League North Division.

The Braves got on the board with two in the second inning against Stars’ starter Michael Fiers. With one out, Michael Daniel doubled to left. It’d be the theme of the night as the Braves tallied seven doubles in the game. A ground-out moved him to third and Jesus Sucre doubled him home. Pitcher Brandon Beachy helped his own cause with a double of his own, driving in Sucre to make the score 2-0.

Speaking of Beachy, he was lights out, tossing 5 innings, giving up three hits and striking out 13, which is the most K’s any opposing pitcher has accumulated against the Stars this year.

But Huntsville was able to keep things close. In the third, Brett Lawrie led-off with a single to right. One out later, Lawrie swiped second base and advanced to third when Sucre’s throw went into center field. The mistake was costly as Zelous Wheeler hit a routine grounder to short that was enough to score Lawrie and cut the deficit to 2-1.

Unfortunately for the Stars, Mississippi got some insurance in the fourth. It was Daniel getting things started again, this time with a lead-off double. Donell Linares singled to left to move him to third. Sucre followed with a single of his own, driving in Daniel and making the score 3-1. With runners on first and second and nobody out, Beachy was unsuccessful with a sacrifice bunt attempt, as the Stars got the lead runner at third base. Luckily for them, Fiers walked Antoan Richardson to load the bases. A Luis Bolivar ground-out to Green at third plated the Braves’ fourth run of the game.

The newest Star struck back for Huntsville in the bottom of the frame. Chris Nowak drilled a solo homer to make the score 4-2.

Fiers held his own despite his counterpart’s dominance, going five innings, giving up four runs, all earned, on seven hits, walking two and striking out three.

Mississippi’s bullpen proved to be their undoing. Michael Broadway was called upon in the sixth to protect the 4-2 lead. Zelous Wheeler greeted him with a single to left. Drew Anderson grounded out and Wheeler advanced to second on the play. After Nowak walked, Taylor Green came up large with a RBI single to right; Nowak was thrown out at third on the play, but the Stars cut the deficit to 4-3. With two down, Chuck Caufield drilled a double to center, scoring Green and knotting the game at four.

While Mark Willinsky had no trouble in the sixth inning, the same cannot be said for reliever Andre Lamontagne, who walked a tightrope in his two innings of work. The Braves put runners on the corners with only one out, but he got Michael Daniel to fly into a double play to end the seventh. In the eighth, he gave up a lead-off double, yet three ground-outs later he was out of the inning.

The Stars rewarded Lamontagne’s perseverance with the go-ahead run in the eighth against Braves’ reliever Jaye Chapman. Drew Anderson reached on a lead-off base-on-balls and Nowak hit a grounder that bounced off Chapman’s glove, putting runners on first and second. Green hit into a force-out, and the Stars had runners at the corners with only one away. Unfortunately, Caufield struck-out, leaving it up to Dayton Buller. Buller smacked a sharp grounder up the middle that went off the glove of second baseman Eric Duncan for the Braves’ fourth error of the night. The play scored Anderson from third and the Stars had the go-ahead run without tallying a hit.

Jim Henderson worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save of the year and Lamontagne (1-0) picked up his first career double-A victory.

Huntsville looks for their first series sweep of the year Friday night as they send Mark Rogers (4-6, 3.52 ERA) to the mound. Tune in starting at 6:45 p.m. Central Time to the Stars Radio Network. First pitch is at 7 p.m.

Stars surge into a tie for first

By Aaron Morse

Taylor Green smacked a three-run homer and the Huntsville Stars (11-9, 44-46) scored five runs in the fifth inning on their way to a 9-3 victory over the Mississippi Braves (12-8, 42-46) Wednesday night.

The win gives Huntsville a share of first place in the north division with the Carolina Mudcats. It’s the first time all year the Stars have been on top of the standings.

Huntsville grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first against Braves’ starter Tom Gustafson. With one away, Lee Haydel doubled down the right field line. After Zelous Wheeler walked, Gustafson got the second out of the inning by striking out Drew Anderson. But his wildness hurt him when he proceeded to also walk Steffan Wilson. With Green at the plate, a passed ball allowed Haydel to score from third.

Mississippi took advantage of some sloppy defense to take the lead in the third against Stars’ starter Josh Butler. Jesus Sucre blooped a single to shallow center. Two outs later, Butler issued a free pass to Alejandro Machado. After a wild pitch moved both runners up 90 feet, Eric Duncan hit a slow chopper to second base. Brett Lawrie charged hard, but had a hard time getting the ball out of his glove. He airmailed the rushed throw, allowing two runs to score as the Braves went up 2-1. A Mauro Gomez RBI double down the line gave them a 3-1 edge.

All three runs were unearned and Butler was excellent again, going 5.2 innings giving up four hits and striking out five while walking four. It’s his third straight start without surrendering an earned run.

The Stars’ big fifth inning started innocently enough with two straight outs. Gustafson struck-out Haydel swinging, but the pitch was wild and Haydel hustled to first safely. A wild pitch advanced him to second and Zelous Wheeler drove him in with a single to left. On the throw to the plate, Wheeler moved to second base. He’d score on a Drew Anderson RBI single and the game was tied.

After Steffan Wilson walked, Green unloaded on an off-speed pitch for his fifth homer of the year.

The 6-3 lead was more than enough for the Stars’ pitching staff, but just for good measure the Stars tacked on one in the seventh thanks to a Donell Linares error on a grounder off the bat of Dayton Buller that scored Wilson from third.

In the eighth, a RBI single from Wilson and a Green sacrifice fly extended the lead to 9-3.

That’s how the game would end as Eddie Morlan, Nick Green, and Robert Hinton combined to toss 3.1 shutout innings in relief of Butler (3-4) who picked up the win. The game marks the end of the Braves’ seven-game winning streak.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Huntsville puts on a show as the North beats the South in the All-Star Game

By Aaron Morse

Huntsville hasn’t hosted the All-Star game since 1986, but they more than made up for lost time Monday night.

A daring magician putting swords down his throat in front of a captive audience and multiple skydivers landing on the outfield grass before the game got things off to a rousing start.

Then the rain held off, making it a great night for baseball. The energetic crowd of 7782 watched the North Division All-Stars knock off the South by a final score of 3-2.

The North was shut down by South starter Tom Koehler in the first, but made the necessary adjustments in the second. Southern League RBI leader Corey Smith drew a leadoff walk. Another category leader, Dave Sappelt, showed why he’s tops in the SL in batting average with a double to center.

With runners on second and third, the Tennessee Smokies’ players made themselves known thanks to back-to-back singles from Robinson Chirinos and Blake Lalli. The RBI base knocks made the score 2-0 in favor of the North.

Michael Bowman represented Huntsville well as he entered in the third and tossed a perfect frame, striking out one.

The score remained 2-0 until the fifth when former Florida Marlins’ first round draft pick Matt Dominguez took Jon Huber deep for a solo shot.

The North responded to the long ball with a run of their own. With two away in the bottom of the frame, Tony Campana singled off reliever Miguel Socolovich. After Jake Kahaulelio drew a walk, Johan Limonta came up big with a single to right to drive in Campana and extend the lead to 3-1.

Dominguez wasn’t done impressing the many scouts on-hand as he drilled a solo homer in the seventh off Anthony Varvaro.

The last stand for the South in the ninth started off well when Kenley Jansen hit the leadoff man. One out later, Dominguez reached on an infield single. But Jansen got a big “K” for the second out. The last hope for the South came to the plate in the form of Mauro Gomez. He bounced to third for the final out of the game as Jansen nailed down the save.

Dominguez earned All-Star game MVP despite his team suffering the loss. Since the game switched to the North-South format in 2005, the North is now 6-0. Joshua Collmenter of the BayBears got credited for the win, which is odd because Mobile is in the South Division. But he got the start because the North was short on pitching. Meanwhile Tom Koehler took the loss for the South. The only other Huntsville Star to make an appearance besides Bowman was Brett Lawrie, perhaps a bit jet-lagged after participating in the XM Futures Game the night before, he struck-out in his lone AB.

After the narrow win, the Stars’ organization celebrated the North’s victory and the great show put on overall with a grand finale of fireworks.

After an off day on Tuesday, the Stars get back to work Wednesday when they take on the Mississippi Braves at “The Joe” beginning at 7:00 p.m. central time. You can hear the action on www.huntsvillestars.com.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Stars get strong pitching and hitting in win over Lookouts

By Aaron Morse

Mark Rogers went five shutout innings, Brett Lawrie drove in three runs, and the Huntsville Stars (9-9, 42-46) knocked off the Chattanooga Lookouts (10-8, 43-44) by a final score of 8-2 Friday night.

Rogers helped his own cause as he doubled with one away in the third inning. Then with two down, Caleb Gindl drilled a double to center, plating Rogers and giving the Stars a 1-0 lead.

They got to Chattanooga starter Mario Alvarez again the very next inning. With one away, Alvarez didn’t help himself as he committed a throwing error, allowing Lee Haydel to reach safely. After Dayton Buller drew a walk, Rogers grounded out, moving both runners up 90 feet. The Stars were the beneficiaries of two-out lightning as Lawrie delivered a two-RBI single to center.

The 3-0 lead was more than enough for the Stars’ pitching staff. Rogers (4-6) was dominant, surrendering only a lone infield single in his five innings of work. He walked three and struck-out seven along the way to picking up the win.

The Stars got some insurance in the seventh against Chattanooga’s bullpen. New pitcher James Adkins replaced Alvarez, who only gave up one earned run in his six innings of work. Adkins retired the first batter he faced, but gave up a single to Gindl and proceeded to walk Drew Anderson. Zelous Wheeler followed with a single up the gut to score Gindl and make the score 4-0. A walk loaded the bases and Steffan Wilson hit the ball deep enough into the outfield to score Anderson and give the Stars a 5-0 lead.

Huntsville wasn’t done though. In the eighth, pinch hitter Juan Sanchez reached on an error. Lawrie doubled him home for his third RBI of the day. Then with two outs, Anderson connected for a mammoth two-run homer, extending the lead to 8-0.

Eddie Morlan worked two scoreless innings of relief. Nick Green did have his issues, as he gave up a couple of runs in the eighth, but he worked a scoreless ninth to finish the game off.

The Stars look to take the season series Saturday evening as it will be the last time the two teams meet this year. Huntsville is 10-9 against Chattanooga so far and they’ll send Lucas Luetge (1-0, 2.30 ERA) to the mound in their effort to finish off the series right before the All-Star break. You can catch all the action on the Stars Radio Network, beginning at 6:00 p.m. central time with the Window World Pre-Game Report.

Lookouts ambush Stars

By Aaron Morse

Corey Smith drove in four runs and Jaime Pedroza drove in three as the Chattanooga Lookouts (10-7, 43-43) ran over the Huntsville Stars (8-9, 41-46) by a score of 11-2 Thursday night.

The Lookouts jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first against Stars’ starter Michael Bowman. Back-to-back walks issued to Trayvon Robinson and Jerry Sands set up Smith, who showed why he’s the Southern League’s RBI leader as he blasted a three-run homer to left.

Walks were the story of the night for Bowman as he issued a season-high seven in his six innings of work.

Huntsville got two runs back in the fifth as Andy Machado walked, Chuck Caufield singled and Dayton Buller delivered a two-RBI double.

But after that it was all Lookouts as they got to Bowman for three more runs in the sixth inning. Two consecutive walks started the inning. Andrew Lambo, Jaime Pedroza, and Kyle Russell smacked three straight singles to make the score 6-2.

The Lookouts kept the attack going with three runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth against Stars’ reliever Mark Willinsky.

Bowman (7-8) took the loss while Brent Leach (4-1) picked up the win with six innings of work.

The Stars managed only four hits on the night while the Lookouts picked up 10. Smith, Pedroza, and Dee Gordon tallied multi-hit games for Chattanooga.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Stars overpower Lookouts

By Aaron Morse

Steffan Wilson delivered a two-out three-run home run in the sixth as the Huntsville Stars (8-8, 41-45) took the lead for good in an 8-2 victory over the Chattanooga Lookouts (9-7, 42-23) Wednesday morning.

The victory made a winner out of Michael Fiers (1-0) in his Double A debut. The right-hander went six innings, scattering six hits as he gave up two runs. Fiers walked two and struck-out five in the victory.

The Stars put a run across against Chattanooga starter Bobby Blevins in the third. With one away, Brett Lawrie drew a walk. Caleb Gindl singled to right and the aggressive Lawrie advanced to third on the play. That set up Drew Anderson nicely and he came through with a sacrifice fly to center.

The Lookouts took the lead back in the bottom of the frame. With two out and a man on first, Jerry Sands singled to left. After Corey Smith was hit by a pitch, loading the bases, Andrew Lambo singled to right, driving in two runs and giving Chattanooga the 2-1 edge.

Their lead lasted until the fateful sixth inning. Gindl got things going with a single to right. One out later Zelous Wheeler was hit by a pitch. That would be it for Blevins (1-1), who went 5.1 innings, giving up three runs on four hits. He walked one and struck-out seven.

New pitcher David Pfeiffer got Taylor Green to pop out, but Wilson stepped to the plate and on a 1-1 pitch crushed a ball up in the zone way out of the yard in deep left field to give the Stars a 4-2 lead. It was Wilson’s sixth homer of the 2010 campaign.

They’d do more damage in the eighth and ninth.

With one on and one away in the eighth, Taylor Green took Pfeiffer deep to dead center field for his fourth bomb of the year. Then in the ninth, they got two runs off reliever Justin Miller thanks to a RBI double by Drew Anderson and a RBI single off the bat of Green.

Meanwhile the Stars’ bullpen was as strong as ever. Robert Hinton worked two scoreless innings and Donovan Hand finished things off with a solid ninth inning to preserve the win.

The Lookouts left 11 runners on base as the Stars were able to get the outs when they needed to. Green, Zelous Wheeler, and Gindl tallied multi-hit games while Lawrie and Wheeler each scored two runs. Green and Wilson had three RBI apiece, and Anderson knocked in two.

The victory moves the Stars to within one game of first place in the SL standings. They’ll look to win their fourth straight Thursday evening as they send Michael Bowman (7-7, 5.82) to the mound to face Brent Leach (3-1, 5.75). You can catch all the action on the Stars Radio Network beginning at 6:00 pm central time with the Window World Pre-Game Report.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Huntsville’s starters heating up in the summer months

By Aaron Morse

Normally as the weather gets hotter, hitters really get into the swing of things. But for the Huntsville Stars, it’s been their starting pitching in recent weeks that has stood-out thanks to a series of impressive performances.

In the recent series against Chattanooga and Tennessee, Huntsville’s starters went a combined 4-1 with a 1.29 ERA. The team itself has been up and down, going 5-4 during that time span.

For the starting pitching it’s been quite the hot streak, something the Stars hope can be maintained as the second-half of the SL season rolls along.

Josh Butler epitomizes the turnaround. The former second round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2006 draft has moved quickly up the Brewers’ farm system since being acquired in a trade for Gabe Gross in April of 2008.

Last year he started the season in High-A Brevard County and ended it in “The Show” where he made three appearances, all out of the bullpen.

“It was awesome, it was a dream come true,” Butler said. “It’s more than words can say; it was everything I hoped for and more.”

An impingement in his elbow prevented him from starting 2010 in Double or Triple-A as he was supposed to do; so it was off to Brevard County for a rehab assignment.

The 25-year old right hander was hit hard there before coming to Huntsville and throwing four shutout innings in his first outing with the Stars.

But he dropped his next three starts, giving up four runs each time and walking eight batters in 15 innings. Even when he pitched well, such as a June 19 win over Montgomery, his control remained an issue as he walked five batters in 5.2 innings despite not giving up a run.

All of a sudden though in his last two starts it’s like he’s flipped the switch and he’s looked too good for Double-A. Butler’s only walked two batters in his last 13 innings of work and has not surrendered an earned run in his last two outings.

“Over the last couple starts I’ve been feeling a lot better,” Butler said. “My velocity has been getting back up there and my control has been a lot better than how I started off this year, and the combination of the two has put me where I am now.”

It’s not like he’s been doing it against cupcake lineups either. Chattanooga and Tennessee are two of the three top run-producing offenses in the league, and Butler was able to shut both of them down.

“Focusing on my two-seam fastball, making sure I get the sink on it (is important),” Butler said. “With that comes the sharpness on my breaking pitches, and that should carry me back to where I was last year.”

Amazingly, Butler does not own the most dominating performance during the recent run of success.

LHP Chris Cody turned in arguably the best pitching performance of the year in a July 2 win over Chattanooga. He went eight shutout innings, matching staff ace Amaury Rivas for the longest pitching performance of the year for the Stars. He struck-out eight, the most batters he’s whiffed this year, while only walking two and surrendering four hits.

It seemingly came out of nowhere. Cody, 26, entered the game coming off one of his worst outings of the year as he gave up seven runs in 3.1 innings against Jacksonville on June 26.

In response, pitching coach John Curtis suggested a key adjustment prior to the game that might just help the lefty turn his season around.

“Before the game started Coach Curtis and I spoke about what we can do differently than in previous outings,” Cody said. “(He suggested) the use of the cutter.”

Primarily, Cody uses a two-seam fast ball to try and locate low in the zone.

“For whatever reason that hasn’t been working for me lately, so I went in and changed it up; I used my cut fast ball as my primary weapon,” Cody said. “It kept them off-balance, made them a little uneasy and that made all the other pitches that much more effective.”

Cody’s experienced success at the Southern League level before as he went 5-1 with a 2.30 ERA last year for the Stars. He says that he hopes his most recent start can be a springboard to a turnaround this season. He’s recently been placed on the temporary inactive list, but when he returns he’ll continue to be a key to the Stars’ success in the second half.

Hard-throwing right-hander Mark Rogers and Southern League Mid-Season All-Star Amaury Rivas probably have the most potential for long major league careers among the Stars’ starters.

Rogers, 24, a former first round draft pick by the Brewers, has battled injuries over the years. But his velocity is back up this year; it’s only been a matter of getting his control in line. He walked five against Tennessee on July 4, but you can get away with that when the opposition only manages one hit. Moving forward, Rogers, who generally only goes five innings, needs to figure out a way to avoid slow starts. His ERA in the first inning sits at 7.20, compared to his season ERA, which is 3.78.

Rivas, 24, has been as dominating as usual in recent weeks, tossing a complete game (seven innings) shutout June 30 against Chattanooga and beating the Smokies for the second time this year on July 5. He’s been Mr. Consistency; his ERA has only been over 3.00 in one start this year, and he currently sits at eighth in the Southern League with a 2.66 ERA in 2010.

23-year old Lucas Luetge, recently promoted from Brevard County, got a spot start during the two most recent series and only gave up one earned run. Meanwhile Michael Bowman, 23, was the only starter really to suffer a hiccup, surrendering four earned runs in 5.1 innings of work July 3 against Chattanooga. But even Bowman’s start is a little deceiving. His first five innings were excellent, as he only gave up one run, but in the sixth inning things unraveled a bit as the Lookouts scored three to take the lead.

Can the Stars’ starters’ recent success continue? It won’t be easy. They face a red-hot Chattanooga squad for four games before the All-Star break. Recently promoted Michael Fiers takes the hill on Wednesday and Bowman will look to join the run of dominating performances on Thursday. After that Rogers and Rivas will look to help the Stars get their second consecutive series win. Fans won’t see Butler or Cody until after the All-Star break. The other question that will have to be answered is who loses their spot in the rotation once Alex Periard, who has been very consistent this year, comes off the DL? Promotions for Butler and Rivas remain a distinct possibility as well.

There’s still a lot of work to be done if the Stars want to make a run to the Southern League Play-Offs, but recent returns from the starting rotation should give fans a lot of hope.

Butler does it again, gets rewarded with win

By Aaron Morse

Josh Butler (2-4) scattered five hits over seven innings of shutout baseball as the Huntsville Stars (7-8, 40-45) knocked off the Tennessee Smokies (8-7, 50-34) by a final score of 3-0 in Tuesday’s rubber match of their three game set.

For Butler it was his third outing in his last four trips to the mound where he did not surrender an earned run. Last time out he took a no-decision as the Stars lost in 15 innings to the Lookouts.

Tuesday was different. He did not have a 1-2-3 inning until the fifth, but the Smokies left six men on base and the Stars turned three double plays behind him on defense. For awhile he was going toe to toe with Smokies’ starter Craig Muschko, who tossed five shutout innings of his own.

Once Muschko left the game, the Stars’ offense finally pushed a run across in the sixth against reliever Jeremy Papelbon (1-1). Brett Lawrie, who became the first player in the SL this year to reach 100 hits as he went 2-5 today, tallied hit number 101 with a lead-off single to left. Caleb Gindl followed with a single of his own.

One out later the Stars showed off some of their trademark aggressiveness as they pulled off a double steal. The move turned out to be huge as Steffan Wilson smacked a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Lawrie and giving the Stars a 1-0 lead.

Butler worked around a lead-off single in the sixth and a two-out single in the seventh. His last pitch of the game was a beauty that left pinch hitter Blake Lalli standing at the station. He finished the day with six strikeouts, while he only walked two.

Huntsville feasted on the Smokies’ bullpen again in the eighth inning. Zelous Wheeler pinch hit for Butler and singled to left against new pitcher Ryan Buchter. A wild pitch advanced him to second and one out later Gindl drew a walk. Buchter suffered from more wildness as he hit Drew Anderson to load the bases.

Wilson, already with the Stars’ lone RBI of the day singled to left, plating Wheeler and Gindl and extending the Stars’ lead to 3-0.

Nick Green tossed a scoreless eighth and Jim Henderson picked up his second save in as many nights and fifth on the year with a perfect ninth inning.

With the win the Stars take two of three from the Smokies and improve to 6-7 on the year against the Cubs’ affiliate. It marks the Stars’ first series victory of the second half as they dropped four of six to Jacksonville and split a six-game set with Chattanooga previously. It’s the Stars’ first series win on the road since they took four of five from Birmingham back in late April, early May.

Huntsville heads to Chattanooga Wednesday for a four-game series before the All-Star break. Set your alarms as the game starts at 10:15am central time on the Stars Radio Network.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Pitching dominates in win over Smokies

By Aaron Morse

Amaury Rivas went six strong innings as the Huntsville Stars (6-8, 39-45) took the lead early and never looked back in a 3-1 victory over the Tennessee Smokies (8-6, 50-33) Monday night.

Brett Lawrie started the game the right way with a double to left that Tony Campana misplayed, allowing Lawrie to advance to third. After Caleb Gindl walked, Zelous Wheeler grounded out to second, scoring Lawrie and advancing Gindl to second. For Wheeler, it’s his 40th RBI of the season. With two away, Taylor Green crushed the second double of the inning for the Stars, scoring Gindl and giving them a 2-0 edge against Smokies’ starter Chris Carpenter (6-4).

Rivas (8-5) struggled a bit with his control in the bottom of the frame. With one out he walked Brett Jackson and hit Josh Vitters with a pitch. Blake Lalli made him pay as he singled home Jackson to make the score 2-1.

To say Rivas settled down would be an understatement as he subdued the hard-hitting Smokies for his six innings of work. He surrendered the lone run on three hits, walked three and struck-out three as well.

The Stars tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh against reliever Marcos Mateo. Drew Anderson led-off with a single to left. One out later Steffan Wilson reached on a throwing error by Smokies’ shortstop Marwin Gonzalez. Lee Haydel singled to load the bases and Dayton Buller came up big with a RBI base knock to extend the lead to 3-1. That’s all they would get though as pinch hitter Andy Machado struck-out and Brett Lawrie was robbed of a base hit by Josh Vitters for the final out of the inning.

Donovan Hand retired all six batters he faced as he tossed a scoreless seventh and eighth.

Jim Henderson worked a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the year.

The Stars look to win the three-game series Tuesday as they play a morning game so set your alarms as first pitch is at 11:00 am central time. You can tune in only on www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 10:45 am with the Window World Pre-Game Report. Josh Butler (1-4, 3.93 ERA) will be on the mound.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Stars fall victim to walk-off blast on Independence Day

By Aaron Morse
Robinson Chirinos hit a three-run homer off Eddie Morlan in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Tennessee Smokies (8-5, 50-32) to a 6-3 win over the Huntsville Stars (5-8, 38-45) on Independence Day.
It was the Smokies who got on the board first when Stars’ starter Mark Rogers struggled with his control in the first inning. The hard-throwing right hander walked the first two batters of the game before bouncing back to strike-out Matthew Spencer. A wild pitch moved both runners up 90 feet and Stars’ killer Blake Lalli singled to left to score Tony Campana.
Rogers settled down despite walking another batter in the first and five in the game. The Lalli single would be the only offense the Smokies could muster as he went five innings, giving up the lone run and striking out six.
Lucas Luetge relieved Rogers in the sixth and surrendered a run on a bizarre play. With one away Josh Vitters singled and Brandon Guyer doubled. Luetge struck out Nate Sampson, only to have the ball bounce away from Dayton Buller and Vitters came in to make the score 2-0. The Stars argued that the ball had gone off the bat of Sampson to no avail.
Tony Thomas gave Tennessee some insurance with a solo blast to lead-off the seventh.
The Stars mounted a furious rally against reliever Aaron Shafer in the eighth. Back-to-back singles from Caleb Gindl and Zelous Wheeler set up Drew Anderson with a RBI opportunity. The powerful lefty did not disappoint as he doubled to center to score both runners. Taylor Green bunted him to third and Steffan Wilson drove him home with a ground-out.
With the game tied, the Stars called upon Morlan who tossed a scoreless eighth. But the ninth inning did not go as well as Tony Thomas doubled with one away. With two away, the Stars walked Lalli to set up a play at any base. The move back-fired when Chirinos went yard to end the game.
The Stars will try to even the series as they send Amaury Rivas to the mound Monday night. Join us on the Stars Radio Network beginning at 6pm central time with the Window World Pre-Game Report.

Stars' rally falls short

The Huntsville Stars (5-7, 38-44) scored four runs in the seventh inning to draw within one, but left the tying run in scoring position in the ninth as they dropped the series finale to the Chattanooga Lookouts (8-4, 42-40) by a final score of 7-6.
The Lookouts got to Michael Bowman in the second inning as Corey Smith led-off with a double; two outs later Jaime Pedroza singled him home.
But the Stars bounced back in the bottom of the frame thanks to an unexpected power source. Drew Anderson picked up where he left off on Friday with a single up the middle. Two outs later, Andy Machado crushed a ball over the left field fence for his first homer of the year.
The 2-1 lead held up for Michael Bowman (7-7) until the top of the sixth. Trayvon Robinson tied things up with a homer to left but the Lookouts didn’t stop there. One out later Corey Smith reached base on an excuse-me single to shallow right field. Andrew Lambo followed with a double down the left field line to put runners at second and third. Eddie Perez hit a grounder to Stefan Wilson at first; Wilson fired home but Smith beat the tag to give the Lookouts a 3-2 lead. Jaime Pedroza chased Bowman from the game with a single to center, making the score 4-2 Lookouts.
Mark Willinsky entered and got the final two outs, but he suffered his own meltdown in the seventh. With one away Robinson got things going again with a single to center. He quickly swiped second base and advanced to third thanks to a low throw into center field from catcher Sean McCraw. Jerry Sands made the play irrelevant by blasting a two-run homer, making the score 6-2 Lookouts. Back-to-back singles from Smith and Lambo were followed by an Eddie Perez RBI double. After Willinsky intentionally walked Jaime Pedroza, Donovan Hand entered the game and coaxed a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
The 7-2 deficit seemed imposing, but the Stars rallied in the bottom of the frame. Brent Leach had been dominant all night, but he walked Anderson to lead-off the inning. Wilson walked as well and a Lee Haydel bunt moved both runners over 90 feet. Machado struck out and Leach looked like he was going to get out of the inning with no damage.
Sean McCraw had different plans. He doubled to deep right-center, scoring both runners to make the score 7-4. Justin Miller entered the game and immediately gave up a RBI single to pinch hitter Taylor Green. The throw to the plate got away from catcher Jessie Mier or else McCraw would have been out at home. Green advanced to second and scored when Caleb Gindl singled after Brett Lawrie had walked.
That made the score 7-6 and chased Miller from the game.
But the Stars couldn’t put another run across. In the ninth, Machado singled to lead-off the inning and McCraw bunted him to second. Unfortunately Taylor Green struck out and Lawrie popped out on a 3-0 pitch to end the game.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Chris Cody Stellar on the Hill

The Huntsville Stars guaranteed at least a series split Friday night with a 4-1 win over Chattanooga at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville.

Drew Anderson broke a five and a half inning stalemate with a sixth inning single and his first stolen base of the season. With one out, Lee Haydel continued the hitting with a single that moved Anderson to third base. The hero of Wednesday’s double header, Andy Machado again came through for the Stars with a sac fly for the first run of the contest. Sean McCraw followed with a walk and after throwing his sixth shutout inning of the night, Chris Cody showed his offensive prowess by launching a run scoring double over the head of Lookouts right fielder Jerry Sands. Chattanooga’s relay that followed was executed to perfection to cut down McCraw at home to end the inning.

Anderson again struck one inning later with a double that scored Huntsville All Star Brett Lawrie. He then chugged home from second base on a wild pitch to extend the Stars lead to four runs.

Stars starting pitcher Chris Cody carried the offense for much of the game with his best start of the year. Cody dealt 97 pitches over eight shutout innings. Not known as a strikeout artist, Cody fanned eight lookouts and walked only two while scattering four hits. Nearly 70 percent of Cody’s throws were strikes.

Huntsville plays host Saturday in the final game at “The Joe” before the Southern League All Star game comes to Huntsville on Monday July, 12. First pitch is set for 6:00 CDT. All Stars games are streamed live online at www.huntsvillestars.com

Stars Fall in Fifteen

It took five scoreless extra frames Thursday night before the Chattanooga lookouts deemed themselves worthy of victory. Chattanooga ended a ten inning scoreless streak by plating three in the fifteenth in a 4-1 win over Huntsville.

Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision, despite solid outings. Aaron Miller allowed only one Stars run, a fourth inning Zelous Wheeler home run, on five hits. He struck out five Huntsville batters. Josh Butler put together his second straight strong outing, working six complete innings. Butler struck out three while the opposition did not draw a single walk. The only run allowed was unearned.

After four Huntsville pitchers, Nick Green entered his fourth inning in the fifteenth. Jessie Mier was the first to greet him with a double which was followed with a sac bunt. Mier scored on an errant pickoff attempt by Green and the floodgates were open. Eddie Perez and Corey Smith followed with hits and scored before the inning came to a close.

Green threw 59 pitches in his trip out of the pen.
With the series tied at two games apiece, Huntsville hosts game five Friday at 7:00 CDT. All Stars games are streamed live at www.huntsvillestars.com

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Twice in one day against Chattanooga…Stars walk-off as winners

By Aaron Morse

Steffan Wilson went 5-6, Amaury Rivas tossed a gem in game one, and Chuckie Caufield and Andy Machado provided the late heroics as the Huntsville Stars (4-5) swept the Chattanooga Lookouts (6-3) in Wednesday’s double header.

In the first game of the twin bill, Rivas (7-5) took center stage as he threw a complete game shutout. The Lookouts managed only four hits in the seven-inning contest and Rivas walked a lone batter while striking out four.

In the bottom of the seventh, Huntsville’s to that point dormant offense came alive as Drew Anderson drew a lead-off walk. They played some small ball as Machado lay down a nice bunt that caused a throwing error from catcher Mike Rivera, putting runners at first and second with nobody out. Wilson bunted as well and managed to beat it out for an infield single, loading the bases.

After Dayton Buller struck-out, Caufield stepped to the plate, pinch hitting for Rivas. The red-hot outfielder singled in the hole between short and third, driving home Anderson to win the game.

Timothy Sexton (3-7) pitched a complete game for the Lookouts but took the loss. Meanwhile Rivas’ second complete game of the year ties him with Tom Layne of Mobile for the most in the Southern League.

Game two was not nearly as neat. Lookouts’ pitchers combined to walk 12 Stars hitters and three of the Lookouts’ four runs against the Stars were unearned.

The Stars got off to a great start, scoring two runs in the first on RBI singles from Machado and Wilson. These came after Lookouts’ starter Jordan Pratt walked the first three batters of the game.

Two of three batters Pratt walked in the first inning were Brett Lawrie and Lorenzo Cain. With two away in the second, he walked both of them again. The Stars proceeded to pull off a gutsy double steal and the throw to third base sailed into left field, allowing Lawrie to score and Cain to advance to third. Pratt walked Caleb Gindl again as well to put runners at the corners and chase him from the game. Chattanooga’s starter walked seven batters in only 1.2 innings of work.

New pitcher Justin Miller uncorked a wild pitch right away, allowing Cain to score and the Stars to extend their lead to 4-0.

But Huntsville’s sloppiness allowed the Lookouts to come back to tie the game. In the top of the fourth, Stars’ starter Lucas Luetge ran into trouble after having faced the minimum through the first three frames.
With one away, Trayvon Robinson singled to left. After a second out was recorded, Luetge uncorked a wild pitch, advancing Robinson to second base. Corey Smith, the Southern League’s RBI leader, hit a slow roller that Luetge fielded, but his throw was low and skipped past Wilson at first base. They ruled the play an infield single, with the error allowing Robinson to score and Smith to advance to second base.

He’d get out of the inning without any more damage, but wasn’t as fortunate in the fifth.

With one down, Luetge walked his first batter of the game when Jaime Pedroza drew a free pass. Jessie Mier followed with a sharp single up the middle. It appeared Luetge would get out of the inning unscathed when pinch hitter Eddie Perez hit a tailor-made double play ball to Machado at short, but the veteran infielder bobbled the ball and everyone was safe. A wild pitch made it 4-2 and with two away Trayvon Robinson delivered the big blow with a two RBI single to left, evening the score at four.

That was the end of the day for Luetge, who went 4.2 innings, giving up four runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits. He walked one and struck-out three in the no-decision.

Eddie Morlan came on and got Jerry Sands to fly-out to Gindl in right to end the inning.

Lookouts’ reliever Eric Krebs gave up a lead-off double to Wilson in the fifth and walked Andy Machado with one away, but he worked out of the jam thanks to a well-timed double play ball hit by Sean McCraw.

Krebs really got rolling in the sixth when he struck-out Anderson, Lawrie, and Cain in succession.

Meanwhile for the Stars, Jim Henderson replaced Morlan to pitch the top of the seventh and walked the lead-off man. But after striking-out the next batter, he was the beneficiary of an awful bunt attempt by Krebs that went straight up in the air. The runner was going on the pitch so Henderson calmly got the ball and jogged to the first base bag to turn the unassisted double play.

Huntsville finally got to Krebs in the bottom of the seventh as with one out he hit Zelous Wheeler. Wilson followed that with the 11th Stars’ walk of the contest to put runners at first and second. Haydel loaded the bases by slapping a single to left.

That’s when Andy Machado redeemed himself. He’d made the crucial error back in the fifth, but against Krebs he drew the 12th walk of the game, driving in Wheeler and the Stars quite literally walked off with the win.

Huntsville looks take game four of the six game set Thursday night as they’ll send Josh Butler (1-4, 4.70) to the mound. You can hear all the action starting at 6:45 pm central time with the Window World Pre-Game Report on the Stars Radio Network.