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.
Monday, July 26, 2010
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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