Stars match their longest winning streak of the year with blowout win

By Aaron Morse

Drew Anderson tallied three hits, Mark Rogers went six strong innings, and the Huntsville Stars (22-16, 55-53) rolled to a 10-2 win over the Carolina Mudcats (18-20, 48-59) Tuesday night.

It’s the Stars’ fifth consecutive win, a feat they’ve accomplished only twice before in the 2010 season. With the victory the Stars move into a tie for first place atop the Southern League North Division with the Tennessee Smokies.

The game was close through the first six innings of action. Huntsville did jump out to a 3-0 lead against Mudcats’ starter James Avery (0-1) in the first. With one away Caleb Gindl singled to center. Zelous Wheeler followed with a single of his own and Anderson singled through the right side to load the bases. That’s when Chris Nowak laced a double down the left field line, driving in two and setting up Taylor Green who smacked a sacrifice fly to make the score 3-0 Stars.

The Mudcats chipped away at the deficit as they got one run in the third on a two-out Dave Sappelt RBI single. Sappelt delivered a two-out RBI triple in the fifth to cut the Stars’ lead to one.

But he proved to be the only Carolina hitter who could figure out Rogers. The former first round pick went six innings, scattering four hits, giving up two runs (both earned), walked only two and struck-out 10. The 10 strike-outs are the most by a Stars’ pitcher this season.

Nevertheless the game was close even after Nowak blasted his second homer as a Star in the sixth to extend the lead to 4-2.

That’s when Carolina’s defense fell apart. With two outs and Gindl on first via a walk, Anderson hit a blooper into shallow center field. Sappelt attempted to make a diving catch and the ball got slightly behind him. Anderson attempted to stretch the single in to a double and in his rush to try and throw Anderson out, Sappelt made a poor throw back to the infield. The ball squirted away from second base and Gindl came around to score. The error also advanced Anderson to third.

The saying is when it rains, it pours, and the Mudcats proved that when Nowak’s routine grounder went off the leg of shortstop Kris Negron, scoring Anderson and giving the Stars a 6-2 lead.

The good Stars offense and the bad Carolina defense continued in the eighth. With one out, Dayton Buller and pinch hitter Andy Machado singled. Brett Lawrie followed with his 25th double of the year, driving in Buller. After Gindl walked, Wheeler singled to right to drive in Machado. Mike Guerrero held Lawrie at third initially, but right fielder Sean Henry’s throw to the plate sailed to the backstop, allowing Lawrie to score. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Anderson completed the scoring onslaught, leaving the Stars ahead 10-2.

Huntsville looks to extend the winning streak Wednesday night and clinch the series with Carolina as well. They’ll send Amaury Rivas (10-5, 2.67 ERA) to the mound. Tune in on www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 6:45 p.m. central time for the Window World Pre-Game Report.