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.