Mini Pre-Season Link Report -- Power Wins, Nashville Details, Chapman Brevard Photo

[Mass Haas]

While all four affiliates have exhibition action tonight, it's Andy "Bull" Barch and the Power that are available via the web's airwaves.

 

So with the big Brewers off, Andy has the night to himself as he works off the rust and gets to know all the Helena kids vs. vaunted WVU Tech.

 

Here's your link, make sure the date indicates April 1st (no foolin'!). The audio will also archive.

[Mass Haas]

Nine different pitchers are each scheduled to pitch an inning tonight. R.J. Seidel is first up, then Nick Tyson.

 

Andy Barch just reviewed the Power strating lineup, although many will see action. Please don't consider this gospel -- I didn't write it down, and may have missed a name or position, although Wheeler is at 2B, Wilson just committed an error at 3B. If I'm able to stay with the game tonight, I'll toss in a detail or two, as it's unlikely we'll see a box score.

 

Double-play lineout to Wheeler, scoreless inning for Seidel (one double allowed), threw maybe one offspeed pitch.

 

Haydel - CF

Brewer - SS

Gindl - RF

Lucroy - C

Alonso - DH

Wilson - 3B

Wheeler - 2B

Rindal - 1B

Crowell - LF

[Mass Haas]

Jonathan Lucroy with a 2-run HR to give the Power a 4-1 lead after five innings.

 

Sorry for the lack of updates, I'm listening while doing the whole TurboTax thing tonight...

[Mass Haas]

Power wins, 5-3, as Pedro Lambertus closes it out.

 

The kids from the local NAIA school (WVU Tech) can know they did themselves proud.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site: Sounds Defeat Belmont In Exhibition Opener

The Nashville Sounds defeated the Belmont Bruins by a 4-1 count in seven innings on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium in the teams' annual exhibition meeting.

 

Hernan Iribarren went 2-for-4 to pace the Nashville offense, the club's lone multiple-hit effort, and Mel Stocker scored a pair of runs.

 

Left-hander Lindsay Gulin, who will open the year as the Sounds' fifth starter, started the contest and worked two scoreless frames to earn the win, allowing three hits and striking out three batters.

 

Veteran infielder Abraham Nunez put the Sounds on the board in the bottom of the second inning when he ripped a 3-2, two-out Nick Whitaker offering back up the middle to plate Stocker with the game's first run. Iribarren doubled the advantage to 2-0 one batter later with an RBI single off Whitaker's glove that plated Ozzie Chavez.

 

Belmont left fielder Derek Hamblen put the Bruins on the board in the top of the third with a hard-hit RBI single back up the middle off Sounds lefty Chris Narveson that plated Nate Woods, who had opened the frame with a triple to right.

 

Nashville made it a 3-1 contest in the fourth when Stocker drew a walk then scored all the way from first on Chavez's single on a heady hustle play on the basepaths. Laynce Nix upped the Sounds' lead to 4-1 later in the frame with a two-out, opposite-field RBI double to left.

 

After Narveson allowed a run in his lone inning, Ben Howard, Jason Shiell, Tim Dillard, and Luis Pena all worked scoreless frames for Nashville to close out the contest, with Pena earning a save.

 

The three-time defending PCL American Conference Northern Division champion Sounds travel to New Orleans tomorrow before opening the 2008 Pacific Coast League season on Thursday evening with a 7 p.m. game against the Zephyrs, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets.

 

Left-hander Zach Jackson (11-10, 4.46 in 29 outings for Nashville last season) will serve as the Sounds' Opening Day starter and face New Orleans left-hander Adam Bostick.

 

Nashville returns to Greer Stadium on Friday, April 11, when the Sounds will host their 2008 home opener, a meeting with the division-rival Iowa Cubs.

 

Box Score - Iribarren in LF, Nix in center

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Press Release:

POWER FIGHT OFF GOLDEN BEARS

 

Charleston, WV (April 1, 2008) - WVU Tech kept themselves within striking distance of the West Virginia Power during Tuesday night's exhibition at Appalachian Power Park, but fell two runs short as the Power defeated the Golden Bears 5-3.

 

WVU Tech took the early lead in the top of the third inning on an RBI single from Danny Flores. The Power answered quickly with a pair of runs in the home half of the third. Kurt Crowell tripled off the wall in right field to score Curt Rindal who doubled to begin the inning and Crowell scored the go ahead run on Lee Haydel's base hit.

 

West Virginia added two more on a home run from Jonathan Lucroy in the bottom of the fifth. WVU Tech responded a half inning later on Gerardo Hernandez's solo home run in the sixth inning to make it a 4-2 game. The Power scored their final run in the seventh on Scott Houin's sacrifice fly that scored Haydel.

 

WVU Tech had runners at the corners with nobody out in the ninth inning when Jose Santiago grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that plated their final run of the game before Pedro Lambertus struck out Kevin Whitley to end the contest.

 

The Power used nine pitchers in the game, one for each inning, and the Golden Bears used five. Haydel paced the Power with three hits and Rindal chipped in with a pair of doubles. Danny Flores went 2-for-4 for WVU Tech with a double and an RBI single.

 

The Power will open the season with a four game series against the Hickory Crawdads at L.P. Frans Stadium on Thursday night. Hickory will start right hander Duke Welker (0-0, 0.00) and the Power will counter with right hander Roque Mercedes (0-0, 0.00). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM (5:30 Central).

[Mass Haas]

Mini-video of the Power and new hitting coach Jim Lett available at the link you'll see on this page.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Sounds shake off their rust, beat Belmont in exhibition

Triple-A team has five hits in warmup

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

For the Nashville Sounds, Tuesday night's exhibition game against Belmont was a chance to work out a few kinks before opening the season Thursday at Pacific Coast League rival New Orleans.

For the Bruins, it was an opportunity to take the field at Greer Stadium with some professional players.

Just a few hours removed from their arrivals in town from spring training camp in Phoenix, the Sounds picked up a 4-1, seven-inning victory.

"We had some guys that drove," Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said. "It was good for them to get out and move around. For all of them, it was good to see some pitches under the lights."

The Sounds finished with just five hits against Belmont's Nick Whitaker and Logan Simmons, but four different players got into the act.

"It's good to get some at-bats - especially against left-handed pitching," said Nashville leftfielder Hernan Iribarren, who had a pair of singles against the southpaw Whitaker while driving in a run and scoring one. "We're facing a left-hander (Adam Bostick) the first game in New Orleans."

Laynce Nix, Ozzie Chavez and Abraham Nunez each added RBI base hits.

On the mound, Nashville starter Lindsey Gulin overcame a first-inning line drive to his hand off the aluminum bat of Bruin centerfielder Carlo Testa and worked two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Chris Narveson, Ben Howard, Jason Shiell, Tim Dillard and Luis Pena followed with an inning each.

"He got a pitch he could handle and he did what a hitter's supposed to do - drove it back up the middle," Gulin said of Testa's shot, which he deflected with his glove hand and retrieved to throw Testa out at first base.

Belmont finished with six hits, as Derek Hamblen and Nate Woods each had a pair. Woods tripled off Narveson in the third inning and scored on Hamblen's single for the Bruins' only run.

"What was encouraging for me was that we've struggled offensively the last couple of weeks," Belmont Coach Dave Jarvis said. "Also, I felt like our pitchers went out and did a good job executing rather than trying to over-pitch.

"It's always a pleasure, playing these guys. They approach the game with such class. That's a reflection on Frank and his coaches."

[Mass Haas]

Florida Today:

The Brevard County Manatees will kick off the Florida State League season Thursday at Daytona.

After a two-game series against the Cubs, Brevard County returns home to play Palm Beach in Saturday's home opener (7:00 PM, 6:00 Central) at Space Coast Stadium.

In Tuesday's six-inning exhibition game, the Manatees defeated Florida Tech 5-1.

 

http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A9&Date=20080402&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=804020337&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

 

 

Photo by Craig Rubadoux, FLORIDA TODAY

Brevard County Manatees' first baseman Stephen Chapman delivers a hit during Tuesday's exhibition game against Florida Tech at Space Coast Stadium.